Kill, County Kildare
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| Kill An Chill |
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| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kildare | |
| Elevation: | 61 m | |
| Population (2006) | 2,510 | |
Kill is a village and parish in County Kildare, Ireland near the county's border with Dublin beside the N7. The name is derived from the Gaelic "An Chill" meaning "The Church", the same root for Kil in Kildare. its population of 2,510 (2006 Census[1]) makes it the 13th largest town in County Kildare. As well as being the birthpace of Ireland's largest multi-national corporation and of the Fenian John Devoy, regarded as the grandfather of the modern Irish state, Kill was home to two holders of the most senior ministry in the Irish government, the most powerful family in the 18th century Irish House of Commons and the birthplace of a leader of the opposition in the English House of Commons.
Kill Village has been a regular winner of the National Tidy Towns competition, and it won the European Entente Florale horticultural competition in 1986.
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[edit] Churches
The village has two churches St. Brigid's Catholic Church (1821) and St John's Church of Ireland (Formerly a Catholic Church dating from ca. the 1650s, which was rebuilt and restored in the early 19th Century) distinguished by an organ donated by the Bourke family, Earls of Mayo. The chapel bell in Kill was said to have been the first in Ireland to ring in celebration of Catholic Emancipation in 1829.
[edit] History
Excavations for the widening of the N7 in 2004 unearthed evidence of early habitation, including a late Bronze Age/early Iron Age hill fort and three small ring barrows. Kill (Cill Corbáin) was the burial place of the nine Ui Faeláin kings (later to become the O’Byrnes) who were based at Naas (Nás na Ríogh) the last of whom, Cerball mac Muirecáin, was buried in Kill in 909. The motte of John de Hereford's castle from the 1170s survives. Kill Parish was united with Lyons in 1693 and the parish priest has resided in Kill since 1823. St Brigid's Well in Hartstown was a place of pilgrimage until the 19th century and a sally tree covered with votive rags was recorded here in the 1890s. The current Catholic church (1821) was built in 1821 and extended in 1973. Whiteboys were active in Kill parish in 1775. Kill Hill was the name used for the town in 18th century maps, which mark a commons which was enclosed by act of parliament in 1811. During the Irish War of Independence two RIC men were shot dead at Greenhills on August 21 1920, Broughal’s pub was attacked by British forces, and the vacated RIC barracks was attacked and burned. Kill was a staging post on the old toll road to Kilcullen, the first turnpike to be built (1729). The Old House, a turnpike inn, was originally built in 1794 and then rebuilt in 1943. It was here that horses were changed on the three hour mail coach journey from Dublin to Kilcullen. After the village was by-passed in 1960 the local service station in Beaufort, owned by the Goosen family was famous for its "open 24 1/2 hours daily" sign.
[edit] Economic Life
The gravel pits at Hartwell, Arthurstown, Thornberry and Brookstown were first quarried in 1945 when Tom Roche set up the Gravelsand Company, later to become Roadstone, and in turn CRH Holdings, Ireland's largest multinational corporation with a turnover of Eu15bn (2006). The local quarries and birthplace of the corporation were major employers until they closed in 1982.
[edit] Politics
Kill provided a speaker of the 18th century Irish House of Commons, a leader of the opposition in the British House of Commons, a founder of the Fenian movement, and two Ministers of Finance for the Independent Irish state. Fenian leader John Devoy was born near Kill on September 3rd 1842. Bishopscourt was home to John Ponsonby, speaker of the Irish House of Commons (1753-1761) and William Ponsonby, leader of the Irish Whigs (1789-1803) and birthplace of his brother George Ponsonby (1755–1817) leader of the Whig Party in the British House of Commons at Westminster (1808 –1817), his uncle Major-General Sir William Ponsonby (1772–1815) whose inept charge at the Battle of Waterloo resulted in his death at the hands of the Polish Landers and was studied as an example of failed battle strategy for generations afterwards, and of his sister Mary Ponsonby, wife of Charles Grey, British Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834 and best known nowadays as the Earl Grey of the tea brand. Ponsonby descendants include Sir Alec Douglas-Home (British Prime Minister from 1963-4) and Prince William of Wales. Two Irish Minister for Finance had local connections: Gerard Sweetman (Minister for Finance 1954-57) lived in Killeen House and Charlie McCreevy, Irish Minister for Finance (1997-2004) and EU Commissioner for Internal Trade (2004-), attended the primary school in Kill. George Wolfe from Forenaughts was a member Dáil Éireann 1923-32. Patrick Malone, Fine Gael TD for Kildare (1970-77) lived in Brookstown House a mile outside the village. Kill born Patsy Lawlor nee Broughal, a senator 1982-83 was famously beaten by Alan Dukes in the 1981 Dáil election by a margin of 60 votes.
[edit] Music
The village is the birthplace of the world renowned player Liam O'Flynn and Heidi Talbot, a renowned solo artist and the voice of Irish-American group Cherish the Ladies.
[edit] Sport
- Ted Walsh,11 time Irish amateur champion jockey and trainer of the Grand National winning horse Papillion 2001 and Irish national /triumph hurdle/heineken gold cup winner Commanche Court has his stables on the outskirts of Kill. He is well known as a racing pundit on RTÉ. His son Ruby Walsh rode both horses and was Irish National Hunt champion in 2007. Jockey Brendan Sheridan attended Kill National School. Horse breeder Edward "Cub" Kennedy ran what was regarded as the most successful Irish stud farm in the 1920s at Bishopscourt. Show jumper Iris Kellett won the Queen Elizabeth cup of 1949 and the Ladies European championship in 1969. Kill is home to Goffs Horse Sales Centre. An annual gymkhana organised by Betty Fahy was a highlight of village life in the 1960s.
- Kill was the location of the Irish Masters in snooker 1979-2000. at Goffs salesring.
- Kill GAA reached the semi-finals of the Kildare SF championships in 1962. Kieran O'Malley, a member of the Kildare team that contested the 1958 National Football League final, was considered one of the best players in the history of Gaelic football until his career was cut short by injury. A field now over run by the N7 staged the 1939 Leinster camogie final.
- Kill GAA club won both Junior A and Junior B County football championships,The Jack Higgins Cup,and were awarded club of the year in 1992.
- Motor cyclist Ernie Lyons won the Senior Manx Grand Prix in 1946.
[edit] Social Activities and Clubs
Branches of Muintir na Tíre (1954) and Macra na Feirme (1955) were established in the village. There is an active branch of the Irish Countrywomen's Association (most famous chairperson was Patsy Lawlor nee Broughal, (ICA president 1976-79). The historical society run by Brian McCabe discusses topics of local interest.
[edit] Catholic Parish Priests of Kill
The Parish Priest resided in nearby Lyons until the start of the 19th century when the residence moved to Painestown and eventually Kill (1823). Parish priests include: c1705 Gilbert Cullen, c1731 John Doyle, c1740 John Ardoe, 1804 Daniel Nowlan, 1823 Tom Nowlan, (1825? William Keenan), 1840 John Murphy, 1842 Martin Nolan, 1849 James Hayden, 1865 Charles Bannen, 1877 George Gowing. (Administrators), 1901 Henry Dunne, 1903 Daniel O’Rourke, 1907 Edward Kinsella, 1911 John Donovan, (Parish Priests) 1919 John Donovan, 1929 Patrick Campion, 1930 James O’Brien, 1943 Edmund Campion, 1953 Thomas Hughes, 1955 Gerard Synnott, 1957 William Mattews, 1968 John MacDonald, 1976 Paul Maher, 1997 Willie O’Byrne,
[edit] Other Kill people
The disgraced Percy Jocelyn, Bishop of Clogher, was once stationed in Kill and lived in the Glebe House there c. 1815. He was succeeded by John Warburton, son of Charles Warburton, bishop of Limerick from 1806 to 1820.
[edit] Kill Horses
Long before Grand National winning horses Papillion and Commanche Court were trained in Kill by Ted Walsh, The Tetrarch was regarded as probably the finest two year old in Irish racing history in 1911. Regarded as unmanageable, he never raced as a three year old and became famous as a stud champion instead. Captain Christy (winner Cheltenham Gold Cup, 1974), and Kicking King (winner Cheltenham Gold Cup, 2005) were trained in Alasty by father and son Pat Taaffe and Tom Taaffe respectively. As a jockey Pat Taaffe (1930-92) rode two winners of the English Grand National Quare Times in 1955 and Gay Trip in 1970 and was Irish National Hunt champion six times. Star Appeal (winner of the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, 1975) was bred in Baronrath. Show jumping champion Cruising, bred in Hartwell, won five Grand Prix events under the saddle of Trevor Coyle, and was second in the World Cup final at Gothenburg in 1999.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] References:
- Tony Carr: Time to Kill: Memories of Kill Village (2004)
- Eoghan Corry and Jim Tancred: The Annals of Ardclough (2004).
- James Dorney: On the One Road (2002)
- Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society, Volume I : pp17, 36, 298. Volume II : pp181-185. Volume III : pp456. Volume VI : 93, 474. Volume XII : pp340, 432.
