Situated in the townland of Mullycovet, by the banks of Lough MacNean, 18th century property Mullycovet Mill has been passed down through generations of the Humphreys family ever since the family first took up residence there in the mid 1870s.

William Humphreys and his young wife Sarah became tenants to the Earl of Erne around 1874 and began a new life as farmer and miller under the mill soke system.

Local tenant farmers were compelled to have their grain processed at Mullycovet Mill by the land owner, paying a portion of their grain in return for the use of the land. William and Sarah settled into their 15 acre property, running stock and milling grain with the help of their eight children John, Sarah, Robert, Mary Jane, William, Margaret, Humes and Esther, (a ninth child James died in infancy).

The mill became known as ‘Humphreys Mill’ and the miller’s shop became an outlet for their produce and a hub for the community.

In the 1901 census, it showed that all of the family members still resided on the property and were actively milling local grain.

The census also showed that they had quite a significant range of buildings including the mill and kiln, stable, cowshed, piggery, hen house and also eight roomed accommodation. By the time of the 1911 census John, Robert and Margaret had moved on and William senior was now listed as ‘farmer’.

In 1919, with the help of an Irish Land Commission advance of £175, William senior obtained the freehold title for Mullycovet Mill and land. At the age of 77, William was finally the owner of his own property. Sadly ten short years later (1929) William senior passed away, having lost his wife Sarah four years earlier (1925).

William’s youngest daughter Esther inherited the property, with the proviso she provided care and support for her disabled sister Mary Jane. Some years after her sister died, Esther had a new cottage built and continued to farm the property to the best of her ability. However, the property deteriorated over time, with both the mill and kiln buildings becoming derelict. Esther was known locally as Essie and to this day her cottage is still referred to as ‘Essie’s Cottage’. Determined to live out her life at her beloved Mullycovet, Esther remained in the cottage until her death in 1970.

For reasons known only to Esther, her nephew Victor Hamilton Humphreys was appointed her heir. Victor, son of Esther’s brother William, had emigrated to New Zealand with his family at the age of nine years (1926), then eventually to Canada as an adult. Until the late 1980s the property sat in a derelict state.

In 1987 the Rural Action Project initiated a pilot programme for areas within West Fermanagh. This area contained a number of abandoned grain mills. Margaret Gallagher of Belcoo and District Development group believed Mullycovet Mill had great potential as a restoration project and approached Victor for a long term lease.

The Belcoo and District Development Group formed a limited company and embarked on a complete restoration of the mill and kiln buildings but funding proved difficult to secure, with nearly ten years passing before the group had acquired sufficient funds for the restoration to begin.

With the help of Dr. Fred Hammond, an archaeological survey of the Mill site was completed in 1997 and both the Mill and Kiln buildings were awarded Heritage Listings. A restoration plan was devised with the intention of Mullycovet Mill becoming an interactive site for visitors to enjoy. Under the supervision of Dr. Colm Donnelly the restoration work began. Phase one of the project included the complete restoration of both buildings, reconstructing the mill race to ensure a water supply to the mill wheel, construction of an alternative road access and new toilet facilities for visitors.

By 1999 the project was complete, however this is where the restoration story ends.

Unfortunately Victor passed away in New Zealand before the mill was returned to working order. Mullycovet Mill and land is now owned by Victor’s beneficiaries, his ten nieces and nephews. All but one resides in New Zealand.

Mullycovet Mill is unique in construction, described as having a ‘cog and rung’ gearing system that drives a pair of millstones, powered by a stream fed vertical water wheel. While the exact date of construction is unknown, the Mill is depicted on an estate map commissioned by the Earl of Erne in 1810, although there is some evidence to suggest it had been constructed much earlier.

The Mill’s gearing is technically unsophisticated and constructed totally of timber, similar to those of medieval times – described in 1830 as ‘old and rudely constructed’. The timber construction of the Mill is of great historic significance, worthy of preservation.

The Humphreys family acknowledge the huge effort from all the members of the Belcoo and District Development group, and the expertise of the many crafts people involved in the intricate restoration of the building structure and replication of the Mill mechanism. The project culminated with a fully functioning Corn Mill, operating once again after laying dormant for nearly a century.

And so, what next for the historic old mill with a colourful past.

Well who knows, Mullycovet Mill is once again on the market

The property as a whole has been laying dormant with no significant maintenance for nearly two decades with the family hoping to find a new energetic owner who can give the property a bright future.