Kilcar
Encyclopedia
Cill Charthaigh is a small Gaeltacht
village on the R263 regional road
in the south west of County Donegal
, Ireland
.
with a church at one end and two textile
factories at the other end. In between there are a few shops and five pubs. The village has the principal tweed
hand weaving facility in Donegal, with a shop selling high quality tweed products. There is also a factory producing decorative timber
flooring and a producer of seaweed
based cosmetic
products.
"An Áislann" is a community facility which includes a library
, sports hall (basketball
and indoor football
), a gym
, computer
center, and small theatre
. It also has exhibits based on the history of south west Donegal and usually has a revolving exhibition of historic local photographs. It is in the same complex as the hand weaving center.
The national school is about 750 meters from the main street and the parish of Kilcar stretches all the way to the river which separates it from the next village, Carrick
, which is about 6 kilometres away.
The village itself is surrounded by a variety of townland
s, which with the village comprise the parish of Kilcar. They are about a square mile in area. The parish of Kilcar includes some 45 townlands, although the names and exact number have changed over time.
(Mucros in Irish) which is a popular location for tourists due to its spectacular scenery, rock climbing
, surfing
beach and safe family bathing beach. It is 3 km (2 mi) east of the village on the coast road (See Muckross Head
).
Curris is also another area worth visiting because of its wonderful views of Sliabh a Liag plus it also has a lovely beach and pier in close proximity.
The GAA
pitch at Towney is located 2 kilometers outside the village on the coast road. It is one of the most scenically situated football pitches in Ireland.
The indie rock band The Revs
come from Kilcar and often play at the annual Kilcar Festival in August.
Matthew Broderick
and Sarah Jessica Parker
own a holiday home together in the area.
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...
village on the R263 regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
in the south west 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...
.
The Village
The village itself consists of a main streetMain Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
with a church at one end and two textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
factories at the other end. In between there are a few shops and five pubs. The village has the principal tweed
Tweed (cloth)
Tweed is a rough, unfinished woolen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is made in either plain or twill weave and may have a check or herringbone pattern...
hand weaving facility in Donegal, with a shop selling high quality tweed products. There is also a factory producing decorative timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
flooring and a producer of seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
based cosmetic
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
products.
"An Áislann" is a community facility which includes a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, sports hall (basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and indoor football
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
), a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
center, and small theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. It also has exhibits based on the history of south west Donegal and usually has a revolving exhibition of historic local photographs. It is in the same complex as the hand weaving center.
The national school is about 750 meters from the main street and the parish of Kilcar stretches all the way to the river which separates it from the next village, Carrick
Carrick
Carrick is the Anglicised version of creag/carraig, Gaelic for "rock", and may refer to:- Ireland :*Carrickmacross*Carrick-on-Suir*Carrick-on-Shannon*Carrick, Co...
, which is about 6 kilometres away.
The village itself is surrounded by a variety of townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
s, which with the village comprise the parish of Kilcar. They are about a square mile in area. The parish of Kilcar includes some 45 townlands, although the names and exact number have changed over time.
Culture
One of these townlands is MuckrossMuckross
Muckross may refer to various places in Ireland:* Muckross Estate, now Killarney National Park, County Kerry; including** Muckross Abbey** Muckross House** Muckross Lake, one of the Lakes of Killarney* Muckross Head, County Donegal...
(Mucros in Irish) which is a popular location for tourists due to its spectacular scenery, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
beach and safe family bathing beach. It is 3 km (2 mi) east of the village on the coast road (See Muckross Head
Muckross Head
Muckross Head is a small peninsula about 10 km west of Killybegs, Co. Donegal, in north-western Ireland. It contains a popular rock-climbing area, noted for its unusual horizontally layered structure.- Overview :...
).
Curris is also another area worth visiting because of its wonderful views of Sliabh a Liag plus it also has a lovely beach and pier in close proximity.
The GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
pitch at Towney is located 2 kilometers outside the village on the coast road. It is one of the most scenically situated football pitches in Ireland.
The indie rock band The Revs
The Revs
The Revs were an indie rock band from Kilcar, Donegal, Ireland. The group consists of three childhood friends: Rory Gallagher on bass guitar and vocals, John McIntyre and Michael O' Donnell...
come from Kilcar and often play at the annual Kilcar Festival in August.
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
and Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards...
own a holiday home together in the area.
See also
- List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland
- List of towns in Northern Ireland