Keshcarrigan
| Keshcarrigan Ceis Charraigín | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Keshcarrigan Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 54°01′04″N 7°56′36″W / 54.0178°N 7.9433°WCoordinates: 54°01′04″N 7°56′36″W / 54.0178°N 7.9433°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Leitrim |
| Elevation | 56 m (184 ft) |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | H037076 |
Keshcarrigan (Irish: Ceis Charraigín, the small rock on the wicker causeway) is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland. The village is situated on the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the R209 road near Lough Scur and Sheebeg (Sí Beag), an ancient pagan burial site overlooking Lough Scur to the north and Kesh Lake to the south.
Keshcarrigan features in the writing of the late John McGahern who lived about 3 km away along the shores of Laura (Rowan) Lough. In 1798, the French Army under General Humbert passed through on the way to eventual defeat at the Battle of Ballinamuck. A Bronze Age gold artifact 'The Keshcarrigan Bowl' was discovered in 1854 and is displayed at the National Museum of Ireland. A small park on the shores of Kesh Lake is dedicated to the memory of Mychal Judge, chaplain of the New York Fire Department and the first recorded victim of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Fr Judge's ancestral home was opposite the park.
In more recent times, Kesh has been famous for its alternative St Patrick's Day parades over the years which included amongst others, an invisible parade (marshaled by (an invisible) Pamela Anderson), an indoor parade (in Gertie's pub) and a backwards parade. The local Gaelic Football team, Kiltubrid, were Leitrim County Champions in 2005 and Ireland rugby international Victor Costello was a former resident of Kesh. Traditional singer Eleanor Shanley is a native of the village.
Demographics
In the 2011 census the Keshcarrigan area had 472 residents (from 270 in 2001). The village has experienced dramatic changes in the 21st century with over 100 new houses being built mainly as a result of a controversial government tax incentive scheme (Section 23).
Dolmen of Lough Scur
About 1 km west of Keshcarrigan on the road to Carrick-on-Shannon there is a collapsed dolmen overlooking Lough Scur.