Kiltimagh

Kiltimagh (Irish: Coillte Mach)[3] is a town in County Mayo in Ireland.[4] As of the 2016 census, the town had a population of 1,069 people.[2] Although there in no river going through the town, three rivers flow around the town: the Glore River, Yellow River and Pollagh River. The town center sits at the crest of a hill surrounding The High Fort (Mooney's Fort/Lios Ard) in Fortlands and built out linearly on the main road from there.

Kiltimagh

Coillte Mach
Town
Main street
Kiltimagh
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°50′58″N 9°00′00″W
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Mayo
Elevation68 m (223 ft)
Population
 (2016)[2]
1,069
Time zoneUTC±0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing key
F12
Telephone area code+353(0)94
Irish Grid ReferenceM342893
Websitekiltimagh.ie

History

The town's name, in the Irish language, was originally Coillte Maghach (the woods of Maghach), based on a reputed association with a chieftain of the Fir Bolg named Maghach.[5] Over the years this then became what it is today, Kiltimagh (Irish: Coillte Mach).

Kiltimagh is part of the barony of Gallen.[6]

Geography

Slieve Carn

Slieve Carn(Irish: Sliabh Cairn) is a hill which stands at 262m just outside the town.[7] The hill is mentioned in the Statistical Survey Of Mayo (1802) as having coal, and there is also evidence in places of iron deposits.[8]

Bill Berry Cliff

A cliff that runs through the hill that has been measured to be 100 meters deep by local farmers. A tributary of the Pollagh River starts at the top of the hill as drainage from the bog and runs through the cliff, leaving three waterfalls.

Transport

Kiltimagh railway station opened on 1 October 1895, and finally closed on 17 June 1963.[9] The station currently operates as the Kiltimagh Museum and sculpture park, with displays of local history and culture. It has been proposed to reopen the station as part of the Western Railway Corridor.[10]

Sport

Among the sporting teams based in Kiltimagh, Kiltimagh GAA (in Irish CLG Coillte Mach) is a Gaelic football club located in Kiltimagh who play at Gilmartin Park.

Kiltimagh Knock United FC play in the Mayo Super League and have their home ground is CMS Park in Cloonlee.

Mayo Volleyball Club were Volleyball Ireland's Division Two champions in 2017, and play their home games at Saint Louis Community School.

Kiltimagh Handball Club is a handball club in the town. Kiltimagh Giants Basketball Club is a local basketball club which was established in 2002.

Festivals

Local festivals include the annual Kiltimagh Choral Festival (held in February), the week-long Saint Patrick's Festival and parade (held in March), and Féile Oíche Shamhna Coillte Mach (a Halloween festival which includes a 'spooky walk' at the sculpture park in Kiltimagh).

Other events include the Coillte Home Come Festival, which was restarted in 2016, and is based on an earlier 1960s festival. Its aim is to bring back Kiltimagh's diaspora on an annual basis and includes a fair at the festival field, entertainment at the Big Red Barn and other activities in the main street. Race2Glory is a multi-activity adventure race (running, cycling and a river run) which is held during the Coillte Come Home Festival.

Education

There are two local Catholic primary schools, Saint Aidan's National School[11] in Thomas Street and Craggagh National School[12] is 4 km outside the town on the R324 road. The local secondary school is Saint Louis Community School, formerly a Catholic convent school and secondary school.

"Culchie"

The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the word "culchie", a mildly derogatory term for a country person or one not from Dublin city, may be an "alteration of Kiltimagh, Irish Coillte Mach (older Mághach), the name of a country town in Co. Mayo".[13] Other sources suggest that "culchie" is derived from the Irish word coillte, the Irish word for "woods" or "forests".[14]

People
See also: List of Mayo people

References
  1. Kiltimagh on 25" OSI Map Archived 13 February 2011 at WebCite Ordnance Survey Ireland. Retrieved: 2011-02-24.
  2. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Kiltimagh". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  3. Kiltimagh Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2012-03-22.
  4. kiltimagh.ie.
  5. "Kiltimagh Name Origins". mayo-ireland.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  6. "Kiltamagh [Town]". mayolibrary.ie. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007.
  7. "Slieve Carn Sliabh Chairn A name in Irish". mountainviews.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. "Statistical Survey Of Mayo (1802)" (PDF). James McParlan, M.D. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  9. Bob Ayres. "Irish Railway Station Dates" (PDF). Railscot. p. 37. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. "Sligo Western Rail Corridor Assessment of Options" (PDF). National Planning Framework. 2016. p. 10. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  11. Saint Aidan's National School
  12. Craggagh National School
  13. culchie, n. (and adj.) Oxford English Dictionary, second edition. Retrieved: 2012-03-22.
  14. "4 Possible Origins Of The Word 'Culchie'". collegetimes.com. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.