Kinnitty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kinnitty (Irish: Ceann Eitigh) is a village in County Offaly, Republic of Ireland. It is located between the towns of Birr, Kilcormac, and Roscrea.
The village derives its name from the myth that the head of an ancient princess is buried beneath the village, Ceann being Irish for head and Eitigh being the name of the princess. The village is situated in a picturesque setting at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Like any typical Irish village it has two pubs (Slieve Bloom Bar [1] & Glendennings), two churches, a post office and some shops. However unlike any Irish village it has a pyramid which was built by the Bernard family who resided in Kinnitty Castle (now a hotel[2]), which they built on the site of St. Finnians monastery, the high cross of which is still situated on the site[3].
From 1955 to 1985, Kinnitty Castle hosted a Forestry Training College.
Rex Ingram (a.k.a Reginald Ingram Hitchcock) the holywood director spent most of his life here (The Old Rectory is on the Roscrea Road opposite the Church of Ireland) where his father was the parish rector.
