Kircubbin, County Down

Kircubbin is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the shores of Strangford Lough, between Newtownards and Portaferry, in the Borough of Ards. The village harbour contains leisure craft, yachts, and a sailing club. The main street was remodelled in 2008 with some old houses knocked down and rebuilt as new. the village had a population of 1,153 people in the 2011 Census.[1]

It is known as Cill Ghobáin in Irish[2] (possibly derived from Scots Kirk and Irish Gobáin, meaning "Church of Gobáin") and Kirkcubbin in Ulster-Scots.[3]

History

Kircubbin (then known as Cubinhillis) and nearby Inishargy are mentioned in early medieval records. This possible translation of the Irish name is the only evidence that connects the Irish Saint Goban to the village. John de Courcy, a Norman knight who invaded Ulster, brought Benedictines from Stoke Courcy in Somerset and Lonlay in France, for whom he founded Black Abbey (St Andrews in Ards), near Inishargy in the 1180s.[4]

1798 Rebellion

The Rev. William Warwick, a Presbyterian minister in Kircubbin, was hanged in 1798 near his church, for the writing of seditious documents in support of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.[5]

The Troubles

Two significant incidents occurred during the Troubles. No-one was killed or injured in either attack. In 1974, St Mary Star of the Sea Church, Nunsquarter, was badly damaged by a bomb which was planted at the side door of the chapel. One man, a local joiner, who was working in the church hall adjacent to the church, left the premises shortly before the bomb went off. During 1988-1989, McKenna Community Centre on the outskirts of the village was bombed several times in the course of the troubles. The last attack on the centre, rumoured to have been carried out by Red Hand Commandos resulted in it being completely destroyed. The centre since then has been rebuilt and is still in use today.

Boys' Home abuse

In 2014 the Christian Brothers admitted to the physical and sexual abuse of boys in their care from 1951 to 1985 at the De La Salle Boys' Home, Rubane House, Kircubbin, often referred to as "Kircubbin Boys' Home"[6] or simply "Kircubbin", and issued an apology to its victims.[7][8]

Population

2011 Census

In the 2011 Census Kircubbin had a population of 1,153 (471 households).[1]

2001 Census

Kircubbin is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,214 people living in Kircubbin. Of these:

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Economy

In 2013, Echlinville Distillery was granted the first licence to distil spirits in Northern Ireland in over 130 years.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kircubbin". Census 2011 Results. NI Statistics and Research Agency. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Placenames NI
  3. ↑ "Interview: William Carson" (PDF). The Ulster-Scots Language Society. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  4. ↑ DeBreffny, D; Mott, G (1976). The Churches and Abbeys of Ireland. London: Thames & Hudson. pp. 60–61.
  5. ↑ Sandford, Ernest (1976). Discover Northern Ireland. Belfast: NI Tourist Board. p. 196.
  6. ↑ Northern Ireland Assembly: Inquiry into Historical Institutional Abuse Bill: De La Salle Order Briefing, 19 September 2012 "claims arising out of Kircubbin boys' home..."
  7. ↑ The Guardian newspaper, 14 January 2014
  8. ↑ Belfast Telegraph: Rubane House 'like Hell upon Earth' for 69-year-old branded a liar for reporting his abuse as boy, 9 October 2014
  9. ↑ "Echlinville Distillery – Irish Whiskey News". Whisky Intelligence. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2017.

Coordinates: 54°29′N 5°32′W / 54.483°N 5.533°W / 54.483; -5.533


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