As the crow flies Meelick is only a few miles from us…. but that River Shannon gets in the way (unless you fancy crossing the river by boat), so it takes us about half an hour or so to get there.
Last Saturday, the sun shone, the skies were blue and Spring was in the air, so we went on a mission to bring you some photos of Meelick.
Although I don’t really like boats, in fact if truth be told, I hate them…. I have enjoyed some boating trips on the Shannon, so it was interesting to go the land route and visit sites I had only ever seen from the river.
We stopped at Meelick Weir which is reputedly a great spot for salmon fishing… and I’ve also seen crazy people in canoes going through their paces there!
Then it was on to along tiny by-roads, mostly only one car wide, to Meelick Village. A tiny hamlet rather than a village with a few houses on the way up to the church. It must have been a busy enough place at one time… you could make out which house was the shop and which one was the pub. Sad to see villages like this all closed up.
The Medieval St. Francis church was built in 1414 with Papal Permission – and is still in use today. It is a hugely popular destination for weddings – and you can see why.
The church sitting proudly overlooking the village originally formed part of a Franciscan Abbey. 
However, there are no residents there now but the church and its grounds are still beautifully maintained. Look at that lawn!
We had a quiet wander inside the church. The light was kind of surreal and eerie all at the same time.
As I left the church I spotted this on the notice board. The church may be medieval but hey how’s about this for moving with the times – QR code and all! 🙂
If you are around the East Galway area, you should definitely take a little detour to Meelick – bring a picnic lunch and sit and watch the world pass by on the river.
I had to share this final photo with you. Spotted on the ground around the back of the church on a cold bright day in April. It was real, with a long stem and just slightly wilted. I wonder what the story is to this? Had it just fallen there? Had someone dumped it there?
A Year In Redwood 
Never heard of Meelick? So much to discover in our little country. Lovely photos!
It is such a tiny place Bridget. But really lovely walks along river bank etc. Worth a visit. Thank you for nice comment on photos!
Margaret
Never heard of Meelick, Co Clare so of course had to Google. Was interested to discover from 1956, the area was home to 161 Hungarian refugees fleeing the Soviet repression in that country it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meelick,_County_Clare Will definitely swing by if I’m ever in the area. That church looks so quaint 🙂
Hey Ena, that’s a different Meelick… the Meelick I wrote about is actually in East Galway… and there’s another in Mayo! The church is beautiful.
Margaret
if you’re going to meelick in east Galway, go on the first Friday of the month. The pub is called The Shop – only opens 3 nights a week I think. They have a singers club on the first Friday every month. Dropped in last summer had a smashing good old Irish night of great songs. Highly recommended. B/B nearby too.
Derry
Thanks Derry…. that’s a good tip! Must remember it, it is such a lovely spot.
Margaret