placenamesMonaghan
Muineachán
Lewis’s account of Rackwallis records the countryside and institutions surrounding Monaghan before the Great Famine.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- Muineachán · Irish · main form · validated name
- Monaghan · English · main form
Place & story
Farming beyond the town
Samuel Lewis’s 1837 account describes Monaghan parish, also called Rackwallis, as a hilly district largely under tillage. Ground became rougher towards the south, while soils near the town were richer. The parish had little bog of its own, obtaining fuel from neighbouring districts. Limestone was plentiful, with a quarry at Milltown Bridge; marl occurred too, although Lewis reported little use of it as fertiliser. [2]
Schools with different sources of support
Lewis counted about 1,400 children in ten public schools apart from the diocesan school, and another 300 in seven private schools. R. Jackson endowed a free boys’ school with an annual payment and rent-free premises. He also supported a sewing school for girls, providing a house and a salary for its mistress. A school at Killamarly received an annual donation from W. Brook. These arrangements show several forms of local educational support operating together. [2]
Charity organised through endowments
The parish’s charitable provision included an almshouse for six poor widows founded by Richard Jackson, supported by an annual charge on parish lands. Subscription societies also assisted people in poverty, including one funded through weekly penny contributions. The county infirmary drew on parliamentary support, legacies, local taxation and subscriptions. Lewis reported 286 inpatients and 900 outpatients receiving assistance during the year ending in January 1835. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Monaghan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Monaghan parish and institutions, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland,1837 · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.