Kilkieran

Cill Chiaráin
Village

Boats in Kilkieran
Cill Chiaráin

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 53°19′33″N 9°44′07″W / 53.3258°N 9.7353°W / 53.3258; -9.7353Coordinates: 53°19′33″N 9°44′07″W / 53.3258°N 9.7353°W / 53.3258; -9.7353
Country Ireland
Province Connacht
County County Galway
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Irish Grid Reference L844319
Cill Chiaráin is the only official name. The anglicized spelling Kilkieran has no official status.

Cill Chiaráin (anglicized as Kilkieran) is a village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. The R340 road along the coast from Galway city passes through Cill Chiaráin on your way to Clifden.

Cill Chiaráin is a Gaeltacht area of Ireland. It is linked to the nearby town of Carna by the Irish college of Coláiste Sheoisaimh, which runs courses in Irish during the summer and mid-term breaks.

Name

Cill Chiaráin is Irish for "Ciarán's church" and is named after Saint Ciarán, who lent his name to the village. There is a national school, a church and a holy well named after him. Also, up on the hill overlooking Cill Chiaráin there is a cross erected in his honour, and in front of that there is a place called "Leaba Chiaráin" ("Ciarán's bed"). On St Ciarán's feast day, there is a day of celebration in honour of the saint held in the village. Organised by the local festival committee, Coiste Fhéile Chill Chiaráin, there is a Roman Catholic mass performed at the well which St Ciarán blessed back in the 6th century. There is a grotto there with a statue of St Ciarán, which is the only statue to the saint in Ireland.

There is also a Cill Chiaráin in County Kilkenny.

Amenities

Although Cill Chiaráin is located close to Carna, it hosts a number of facilities and public buildings. These include a health centre - which is shared by the existing one in Carna. Doctors and nurses share both practices. People may travel from areas such as Cashel and Rosmuc to visit the doctor here. Close to the health centre is Tigh Chadhain, Coyne's Bar & Bistro. It is a family-run business. The Arramara Teo seaweed factory is also nearby. The company was previously Irish owned, but has since been bought by a Canadian company. It is located on the pier and sports a factory hall. Further through the village is the local supermarket, Tigh Mhic Dhonnachadha. The village also has a church, school, community hall and fish factory. Coláiste Sheosaimh is based in both Cill Chiaráin and Carna, the Cill Chiaráin centre is the Senior Coláiste and is held in the Community Centre in Cill Chiaráin.[1] It caters for students from Second Year to Leaving Certificate. Like the health centre, the church shares its priest with the Carna equivalent.

The village also has a children's playground and the Páirc Peile Chill Chiaráin (Astro Turf pitch) which opened in 2015. The playground serves Carna and Cill Chiaráin and the astro turf pitch used by the local GAA team, Carna-Cashel and the athletics club. In the Winter of 2015, a soccer league was held there including teams from Carna and Rosmuc.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.colaistesheosaimh.com/
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