Glencolmcille
Encyclopedia
Gleann Cholm Cille is a coastal town in the southwest Gaeltacht
of County Donegal
, Ireland
. While Gleann Cholm Cille is still an Irish-speaking
community, English
has been steadily replacing Irish as the main language, with only 34% of the people speaking Irish on a daily basis in 2002.
The name translates into English as "valley of Colm Cille
". Saint Colm Cille or Columba is one of Ireland's three patron saints (along with Saint Patrick
and Saint Brigid). Colm Cille and his followers lived in the valley for a time and the ruins of several of their churches can still be seen there.
The town was once famous as being the parish of Fr. James McDyer (1910–1987), who championed the rights of rural people and helped establish community-based industries in the area.
A Parish council has been functioning in Glencolmcille since the 1930s—known as Comhairle Paróiste Ghleann Cholm Cille—to look after the interests and needs of the residents of Glencolmcille. Members are elected to this body by the residents of the Glencolmcille church area; elections are held every three years.
in Dún Laoghaire
British composer Sir Arnold Bax
made many extended visits there between 1904 and the early 1930s. Apparently, Bax composed much of his music and wrote many of his poems and stories while staying there. He describes the village and the life of its inhabitants in his autobiography Farewell My Youth.
Many natural beauties lie nearby, such as the Slieve League
cliffs, The Silver Strand at Malin Beg , and Glen Head itself.
At the centre of one of the largest Gaeltacht
areas, the town is well-known as the home of Oideas Gael
, an Irish language learning institute established in 1984 to promote the Irish language
and culture. The town also has a petrol station, grocer, post office, folk village, woollen mill, hill walking and accommodation centre, restaurant, new "village cafe" and three pubs (with great fiddle music often to be found in Roarty's or Biddy's). The coast road across to Malin Mor is majestic and is where Áras Ghleann Cholm Cille is located.
Films shot on location in Glencolmcille include:
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
of County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. While Gleann Cholm Cille is still an Irish-speaking
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
community, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
has been steadily replacing Irish as the main language, with only 34% of the people speaking Irish on a daily basis in 2002.
The name translates into English as "valley of Colm Cille
Columba
Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...
". Saint Colm Cille or Columba is one of Ireland's three patron saints (along with Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
and Saint Brigid). Colm Cille and his followers lived in the valley for a time and the ruins of several of their churches can still be seen there.
History
Between 4000 and 3000 B.C., farming people settled in the area. Excellently preserved examples of their court tombs can be seen at Mainnéar na Mortlaidh and An Clochán Mór. Examples of the less-elaborate portal tombs, dating from about 2000 BC can also be seen at Málainn Mhóir.The town was once famous as being the parish of Fr. James McDyer (1910–1987), who championed the rights of rural people and helped establish community-based industries in the area.
A Parish council has been functioning in Glencolmcille since the 1930s—known as Comhairle Paróiste Ghleann Cholm Cille—to look after the interests and needs of the residents of Glencolmcille. Members are elected to this body by the residents of the Glencolmcille church area; elections are held every three years.
Culture
Glencolmcille is home to well known Dublin-born artist Kenneth King, whose works depict naval and merchant shipping, coastline and lighthouses.Some of Kenneth King's paintings are on display in the National Maritime Museum of IrelandNational Maritime Museum of Ireland
The National Maritime Museum of Ireland opened in 1978 in the former Mariners' Church in Haigh Terrace, near the centre of Dún Laoghaire town, southeast of Dublin city.The church was built in 1837 for seafarers and remained open until 1971...
in Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
British composer Sir Arnold Bax
Arnold Bax
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of romanticism and impressionism, often with influences from Irish literature and landscape. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colourful instrumentation...
made many extended visits there between 1904 and the early 1930s. Apparently, Bax composed much of his music and wrote many of his poems and stories while staying there. He describes the village and the life of its inhabitants in his autobiography Farewell My Youth.
At one end of the little Glen Bay was a wilderness of tumbled black rocks, for some reason named Romantia (a particularly "gentle" – or fairy-haunted place, I was told in Dooey opposite), and upon this grim escarpment the breakers thundered and crashed, flinging up, as from a volcano, towering clouds of dazzling foam which would be hurled inland by the gale to put out the fires in the cottage hearths of Beefan and Garbhros. The savagery of the sea was at times nearly incredible. I have seen a continuous volume of foam sucked, as in a funnel, up the whole six-hundred-foot face of Glen Head, whilst with the wind north-west a like marvel would be visible on the opposite cliff.
There were days when you had to lean hard up against the wind to keep your feet at all... Yet in that unearthly valley there always seemed to be a core of peace in the heart of the most ravening tempest.
—Arnold Bax
Arnold BaxSir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of romanticism and impressionism, often with influences from Irish literature and landscape. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colourful instrumentation...
, Farewell My Youth
Many natural beauties lie nearby, such as the Slieve League
Slieve League
Slieve League, sometimes Slieve Leag or Slieve Liag , is a mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. At , it has Ireland's highest sea cliffs...
cliffs, The Silver Strand at Malin Beg , and Glen Head itself.
At the centre of one of the largest Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
areas, the town is well-known as the home of Oideas Gael
Oideas Gael
Oideas Gael is an Irish language cultural centre in Glencolmcille, Co. Donegal. It was founded in 1984. One of the founders of Oideas Gael, and its current Language Director, is Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, the current chairman of Údarás na Gaeltachta.-External links:...
, an Irish language learning institute established in 1984 to promote the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and culture. The town also has a petrol station, grocer, post office, folk village, woollen mill, hill walking and accommodation centre, restaurant, new "village cafe" and three pubs (with great fiddle music often to be found in Roarty's or Biddy's). The coast road across to Malin Mor is majestic and is where Áras Ghleann Cholm Cille is located.
Films shot on location in Glencolmcille include:
- The Railway Station ManThe Railway Station ManThe Railway Station Man is a 1992 British drama film directed by Michael Whyte and starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland and John Lynch. It was based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Irish writer Jennifer Johnston...
, 1992, starring Julie ChristieJulie ChristieJulie Frances Christie is a British actress. Born in British India to English parents, at the age of six Christie moved to England, where she attended boarding school....
, Donald SutherlandDonald SutherlandDonald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
and John LynchJohn Lynch (actor)John Lynch is an Irish actor from Northern Ireland.-Biography:John Lynch was born in the United Kingdom and moved to his father's native home in Corrinshego, County Armagh, near Newry, County Down in Northern Ireland as a child. He attended St Colman's College, Newry, a Catholic school...
.