Kilcoole

Kilcoole
Cill Chomhghaill
Village
Kilcoole

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 53°06′23″N 6°03′52″W / 53.1063°N 6.0645°W / 53.1063; -6.0645Coordinates: 53°06′23″N 6°03′52″W / 53.1063°N 6.0645°W / 53.1063; -6.0645
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Wicklow
Elevation 8 m (26 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Urban 4,049
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference O293080

Kilcoole (Irish: Cill Chomhghaill, meaning "Church of Comhghall") is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is three kilometres south of Greystones, 14 kilometres north of Wicklow, and about 25 kilometres south of Dublin. It was used as the set for the Irish television series Glenroe, which ran through the 1980s and 1990s.

The village has a large industrial estate to the south. An area of marshland runs along the coast from Kilcoole south to Wicklow town, called the Murragh. This area is home to many endangered species of plant and animal. The beach in Kilcoole is the summertime home of the little tern, one of the few places in Ireland where these birds nest. Within the village, is an area of flora known as the Rock which is a huge rock/hill that predates the Cambrian Period.

Kilcoole is in the Roman Catholic parish of Kilquade, and the local church, St.Anthony's Church, cost £35,000 to build.

Education

Coláiste Chraobh Abhann is the community secondary college, located on the southern outskirts of the village of Kilcoole. It currently numbers 600 students from Kilcoole, Newtownmountkennedy, Delgany and Greystones. Opened in September 2003, the college held its first state examinations in June 2006.

Kilcoole Primary School formerly consisted of Saint Anthony's Boys' National School and Saint Brigids Girls' National School, which were amalgamated in 2010. Junior students are now taught in the building formerly occupied by Saint Brigid's and the Saint Anthony's building accommodates pupils in the latter half of primary schooling.

Sports

Golf

Druids Glen Golf Resort, which hosted the Irish open from 1996 to 1999, is located less than a kilometre from Kilcoole, on the Newtownmountkennedy road.[2] Kilcoole Golf Course, a nine-hole parkland course, is also located near the village. It benefits from excellent drainage, allowing for year-round golf. As a result, the need for temporary surfaces over the winter period is never encountered. It is largely flat but nonetheless challenging due to the course design.[3] Druids Heath Golf Course, another championship course, is also located in Druids Glen.

Soccer

Saint Anthony’s Football Club provides football for boys and girls from age six upwards. Almost 300 members make up their competing teams from under eight through under eighteen and adult. The club also runs a development squad for beginners with up to 30 players.[4]

Gaelic games

Kilcoole GAA has a long tradition in the community of Kilcoole for both hurling and Gaelic football, fielding teams for both men and women at junior and juvenile levels.[5]

Transport

Dublin Bus provides services between Kilcoole and Dublin on its 84 and 84X bus routes, with a journey time of about 80 minutes. Iarnród Éireann also has a station at the beach; Kilcoole railway station opened on 30 October 1855.[6] There are limited train services along this line; six trains a day stop in Kilcoole. A more regular DART (Electric train) service runs from Greystones into Dublin city centre and beyond to Howth and Malahide.

History

Next to the railway station is a monument commemorating an event of national significance. This was the landing of 600 rifles and ammunition for the Irish Volunteers on board the Chotah by Sir Thomas Myles in August 1914. It is frequently eclipsed by accounts of the contemporary landing of Volunteer's arms at Howth on board the Asgard.[7]

Music

Kilcoole has acted as a musical hub over the past 15 years, especially for bands in punk and post-rock. Notable acts include Adebisi Shank, Heathers (band), the Brian Meakin Band, Kidd Blunt, Enemies, Croupier and Foot in Mouth.[8] These bands have experienced great success, not only in Ireland, but also abroad [9] and have become household names in the Irish music scene. More recently a new collective named 'Boosegank' has emerged bringing together younger bands from the Kilcoole area such as Birds, Jack Latin and Doxy.

The Hive recording Studio is situated in Kilcoole and is run by Eoin Whitfield from Enemies and James Eager, ex-Kidd Blunt. A home of Irish DIY music it is often praised for producing all good Irish punk records. It has also recorded for Adebisi Shank, Enemies, Heathers, Bacchus and many others.

Kilcoole also hosts the Kilcoole Music Festival. The annual festival is one of the oldest of its kind in the country. It was started in 1955 by the then District Nurse, Ms. Mary Kiernan, who saw a need to help the children of the area develop their many talents. To this day the festival continues, awarding individuals in over 50 classes ranging from vocal solos to orchestras, flutes to rock guitar and much more.[10]

People

In the media

Kilcoole was also the setting for the long-running hit TV show Glenroe, which was broadcast on RTÉ One. The programme ran from 1983–2001, and at its height, it had over one million viewers, making it one of the most watched programmes on Irish television. The farm on which it was based is now an open farm, which hosts festive events yearly, as well as being a popular tourist spot all year round.

In more recent times, Kilcoole has been the setting for scenes in the comedy series Moone Boy and Damo and Ivor.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kilcoole Legal Town Results". Central Statistics Office. 2011.
  2. ↑ Golfing Holidays Ireland, Golf Course Wicklow, Dublin Golf Break- Druids Glen Golf Resort
  3. ↑ Kilcoole Golf Club
  4. ↑ Saint Anthony's Football Club
  5. ↑ Kilcoole GAA
  6. ↑ "Kilcoole station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  7. ↑ Limerick’s Forgotten Son by Padraig ´Óg de Bhaldraithe pp12-14
  8. ↑ http://thumped.com/bbs/threads/29th-kilcoole-gig-4e-for-9-bands.10060/
  9. ↑ http://www.audiotrip.me/Enemies.aspx
  10. ↑ http://www.kilcoolemusicfestival.ie/About/
  11. ↑ http://www.lilliputpress.ie/book/144232455/j_p_donleavy-the_history_of_the_ginger_man_an_autobiography.html

External links

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