placenamesMullagh
An Mullach
Quilca House connects the parish with Thomas Sheridan and Jonathan Swift, while later records show a changed use for the property.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- An Mullach · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Mullagh · English · main form
Place & story
Swift at the Sheridans’ house
Quilca House stood in Cuilcagh townland within Mullagh parish. The Reverend Thomas Sheridan was a friend of Jonathan Swift, who stayed with the family. The University of Galway's Landed Estates account dates one such visit to 1725 and associates it with the writing of part of Gulliver's Travels. The connection belongs to this country retreat, rather than to a house in Mullagh's village street. [2]
From residence to herd’s house
The same property record names Robert Doughty as Quilca's resident in 1814 and the Reverend Luke O'Reilly in the 1830s. At Griffith's Valuation, however, no occupant was entered: Joseph Le Fanu was the immediate lessor, and the building was described as a herd's house, valued at £5. A house built in the middle of the twentieth century later occupied the site. [2]
Four private schools
Samuel Lewis counted about 290 children in Mullagh parish's four private schools in 1837, alongside a Sunday school. His religious description records Catholic chapels at Cornakill and Chapel-Cross, and meeting houses for Presbyterians and Independents. The Church of Ireland building dated from 1819, financed by a £1,107 loan from the Board of First Fruits. This was a parish with several places of worship and teaching. [3]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Civil parish
- County
- Cavan
- Barony
- Castlerahan
- Coordinates
- 53.83408, -6.98823
- Mapped area
- 52.11 km²
- Logainm ID
- 392 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Mullagh. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Quilca House, property5646 · University of Galway, Landed Estates
- Mullagh Parish: Lewis1837 transcription · Samuel Lewis; Cavan Townlands
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-07-13. How this page was prepared.