Kilconnell
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| Kilconnell Cill Chonaill |
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
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| Irish grid reference M739314 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Connacht | |
| County: | County Galway | |
| Elevation: | 83 m | |
| Population (2002) - Town: - Environs: |
- 647 |
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Kilconnell (Irish: Cill Chonaill, meaning St Conal's church) is a village in County Galway, Ireland.
Kilconnell is a small rural village with a population in 2006 of 680.[1] Its land is mainly used for dairy farming and the raising of cattle.
The last known prosecution of a Priest under the Popery Acts was the trial of Fr John O'Connor, Parish Priest of Aughrim and Kilconnell in 1822 at the Galway Summer Assizes, he was acquitted.[2]
This village was the birthplace of Fianna Fáil (FF) politician Johnny Callanan (1910–1982). His nephew Joe Callanan (FF) lost his Dáil seat in the Galway East constituency in the General Election of 2007.
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[edit] Kilconnell Abbey
Kilconnell is the location of a Franciscan friary, founded in 1414, by William O'Kelly, Lord of Ui Maine,[3] known locally as the Abbey. Although in ruins it is well maintained by the OPW. The abbey is the burial place for the O'Kelly clan, whose family crest can be seen on some of the headstones. The Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Giovanni Rinuccini stayed in the Abbey on the 20th June 1648 on his way back from the Confederation at Kilkenny.[4]
The Abbey is believed to have been uninhabited since about 1785 due to a fall in vocations.[5]
There is a passage that runs under the Abbey to the grounds of Ballinderry house. It was excavated in the 1940's but was not navigated due to the risk of collapse.
[edit] Hy Many (Uí Maine)
The area around Kilconnell was the stronghold of the O'Kellys, lords of Hy Many and the Donnellan clans.
Kilconnell is in the parish of Aughrim and Kilconnell. Aughrim is famous for the decisive battle of the Williamite wars in 1691. The French General St. Ruth had rallied the Irish towards victory when his head was blown off by cannonfire and the Irish fled the field, only to be cut down in their thousands by the English forces. Hundreds of the O'Kellys lost their lives at this battle.
The local lake, Lough Acalla, has a crannog in the centre and is a well-maintained and popular rainbow trout fishery.
[edit] Ballinderry House
Ballinderry House, the former seat of the Comyn family, who are relations of Daniel O'Connell, has been restored and is now a guesthouse.
The local GAA team is called St. Gabriels; their only major success came in 1979 when they won a Galway football title. The nearby parish of Cappataggle combines with Kilconnell to form a hurling team, which is the club of Galway senior hurling star Damien Joyce, a native of Kilconnell.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006_prelim_table04.pdf Central Statistics Office Ireland – Census 2006 reports
- ^ Kilconnel - The Popery Acts
- ^ Patrick Conlan o.f.m, The Franciscan Friary Kilconnell, Co. Galway (Athlone, 2007),p.4
- ^ ibid.,p.9
- ^ ibid., p.14
[edit] See also
- List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Galway)
- List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
