The Maynooth Pound
Taking a stroll around Maynooth this afternoon I came across a little bit of local history that I thought I would share. On the appropriately name Pound Lane, right next to the stream that used to run past an ancient mill where there is now a shopping centre, there is a small enclosure called the Maynooth Pound, marked with this sign:
If you can’t read the sign it explains that this is the only surviving example of a type of pound which used to be common all over Ireland. Stray animals were brought here to be fed and watered before being reunited with their owners (for a small fee).
The walls are of interesting dry stone construction and have survived the passage of time rather well; they were built in 1822, although the Pound itself is a bit older.
The interior of the Pound was virtually derelict until quite recently but has been tidied up and is now a pleasant place to sit down and perhaps feed the birds. The old mill was famous for its crows, of which there are still a great many in Maynooth although they tend now to congregate on the playing fields near the Royal Canal.
In the picture, the mill stream is to the right of the shot and you can see the roof of the Manor Mill shopping centre to the upper right.
Follow @telescoper
June 2, 2018 at 9:39 pm
how did you make your website so old fashioned? Is it just old? I like the way the page is in the middle and not stretched out. So how did you do that when making your WordPress Website?
June 5, 2018 at 6:41 pm
After visiting the Maynooth Pound, come and see the Maynooth Blog, the oldest fully-functioning blog in the world.
June 5, 2018 at 9:41 pm
There used to be blogs like this all over Ireland, you know…
June 6, 2018 at 6:36 am
Ireland does have a reputation for being a bit bloggy….
June 6, 2018 at 8:46 am
Some chap called Pete Blogs..
August 3, 2018 at 2:40 pm
[…] a previous post I mentioned the proliferation of crows in Maynooth. It turns out that was a terminological […]
February 10, 2022 at 6:36 pm
I used to nap here during lunches in secondary school. Under the willow tree mostly. There’s stray cats nearby that visit.