Keshcarrigan is a village in County Leitrim

County Leitrim

County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. The village is situated on the Shannon-Erne Waterway

Shannon-Erne Waterway

The Shannon-Erne Waterway is a canal linking the River Shannon in the Republic of Ireland with the River Erne in Northern Ireland. Managed by Waterways Ireland, the canal is in length, has sixteen locks and runs from Leitrim village in County Leitrim to Upper Lough Erne in County Fermanagh...

 and the R209 road near Lough Scur and Sheebeg, an ancient pagan burial site overlooking Kesh Lake.

Keshcarrigan features in the writing of the late John McGahern

John McGahern

John McGahern was one of the most important Irish authors of the latter half of the twentieth century. Before his death in 2006 he was hailed as "the greatest living Irish novelist" by The Observer.-Life:...

 who lived about 3 km away along the shores of Laura (Rowan) Lough. In 1798, the French Army under General Humbert passed through on the way to eventual defeat at the Battle of Ballinamuck

Battle of Ballinamuck

The Battle of Ballinamuck marked the defeat of the main force of the French incursion during the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland.- Background :The victory of General Humbert at Castlebar, despite gaining him c. 5,000 Irish recruits had not led to a renewed outbreak of the rebellion as hoped...

. A Bronze Age gold artifact 'The Keshcarrigan Bowl' was discovered in 1854 and is displayed at the National Museum of Ireland

National Museum of Ireland

The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...

. A small park on the shores of Kesh Lake is dedicated to the memory of Mychal Judge, chaplain of the New York Fire Department and the first recorded victim of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center

World Trade Center

The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...

. Fr Judge's ancestral home was opposite the park.

In more recent times, Kesh has been famous for its alternative St Patrick's Day parades over the years which included amongst others, an invisible parade, marshaled by (an invisible) Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson

Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...

, an indoor parade (in Gertie's pub) and a backwards parade. The local Gaelic Football team, Kiltubrid

Kiltubrid

Kiltubrid is a civil parish in the barony of Leitrim, County Leitrim, Ireland. The name of the parish translates as "the Church of the Well", a reference to the ancient church in the townland of the same name. This building was substantially demolished during Penal times. This remaining ruins...

, were Leitrim County Champions in 2005 and Ireland rugby international Victor Costello

Victor Costello

Victor Costello is a retired Irish rugby player and Olympic shot-putter. Playing senior rugby throughout the 1990s until his retirement in 2005, his rugby career with Leinster and Ireland straddled the amateur and professional eras...

 was a former resident of Kesh. Traditional singer Eleanor Shanley

Eleanor Shanley

One of Irelands foremost singers, Eleanor Shanley, from Keshcarrigan in County Leitrim in the North West of Ireland, is renowned for her unique interpretation of Irish and Roots songs. She has been at the top of her profession since her first appearance as the singer with traditional group De...

 is a native of the village.

Demographics

In 2002 the Keshcarrigan area had over 270 residents which had grown to 364 by 2006. The village has experienced dramatic changes in the 21st century with over 100 new houses being built mainly as a result of a government tax incentive scheme (Section 23).

Dolmen of Lough Scur

About 1 km west of Keshcarrigan on the road to Carrick-on-Shannon

Carrick-on-Shannon

Carrick-on-Shannon is the county town of County Leitrim in Ireland. It is also the smallest main county town in the country . It is situated on a strategic crossing point of the River Shannon and is the largest town in the county. The population of the town was 3,163 in 2006. It is in the barony...

 there is a collapsed dolmen

Dolmen

A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...

 overlooking Lough Scur.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland