Kilcock
Encyclopedia
Kilcock or Killcock is a town
and townland
in the north of County Kildare
, Ireland
, on the border with County Meath
. Kilcock is a dormitory town for many of those who work in Dublin. Its population of 4,100 (2006 Census) makes it the ninth largest town in Kildare and 86th largest in the Republic of Ireland, having grown by 49.6pc since the 2002 census.
Local industries include a large distribution centre for SuperValu
. The town lies on the Royal Canal.
; by occupation she was an embroiderer of church vestments, including those for St. Colmcille
. A holy well dedicated to Coca, formerly thought to be lost in the back-yards of Kilcock, is known locally to be in the area behind the Ulster Bank, and her feast is remembered on 6 June. However, this commemoration is a modern revival as when the Ordnance Survey of the area was being made in 1837 it was recorded that "there is no old church in ruins in this parish nor is any patron saint or day remembered ... the meaning of the name Cille Choc is not remembered." When the present parish church was dedicated in 1867 it was named for St. Coca, and it had cost £10,000 to build to the design of architect J.J. McCarthy.
In the 8th century there was a battle between rival kings near the church of St. Coca, then in the territory of Carbury and close to the border between Leinster and Meath. There is a gap of several hundred years until the next reference to Kilcock when, in 1303, it belonged to the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem at Kilmainham.
St Coca's Church is erected in her honour in the centre of town. A recently commissioned icon
of Saint Coca can be viewed there.
, under Shaw Bridge, opened in 1998. The M4 motorway opened in 1994 and bypasses Kilcock to the south of the town. The motorway connects Dublin to the west of the country. There is an NRA plan to create an outer orbital motorway, which would extend 80 km from Naas
to Drogheda
, via Kilcock.
it is also the only place in Europe where a road, a canal (royal canal) and a railway and a river (the rye river also known as The Rye water) run side-by-side.
Kilcock is home to secondary school Scoil Dara as well.
Also found locally in Mulhussey
, Co Meath are "Bridestream" (an 18th century house with rare-breed farm open to the public), and "Larchill
, an 18th century Ferme Ornée (Ornamental Farm) which is the only surviving complete garden of its type in Europe. Larchill was restored from the mid-1990s, and scenic walks through beech avenues link several classical and gothic follies. There is also a 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) lake with two island follies, a formal walled garden with shell-lined tower and a model gothic farmyard.
Kilcock Art Gallery was established in 1978 by Breda Smyth and opened by George Campbell R.H.A.
The society has produced many successful productions, both musical and non-musical over the past 40 years. They include Grease, The King and I, Oliver!, Finian's Rainbow, Godspell, My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar, Man of La Mancha, a multi award-winning Sweeney Todd, The Pirates of Penzance, Carousel, The Witches of Eastwick, Billy, Sweet Charity, Guys and Dolls and Zorba. They also have recently presented pantomime productions of Treasure Island, Aladdin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sinbad, Robin Hood, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. Plays include The Memory of Water, The Plough and the Stars, Allo, Allo and Dancing at Lughnasa.
In October 2011, the Society will present a revival of Martin McDonagh
's The Beauty Queen of Leenane
.
Kilcock's proximity to the canal makes it a prominent spot for canoeing. Kilcock Canoe Polo Club is a leading canoe polo club in Ireland. It recently celebrated 10 years of canoe polo in Kilcock.
Kilcock GAA
is the local Gaelic Athletic Association
club.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and 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...
in the north of County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare 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...
, on the border with County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
. Kilcock is a dormitory town for many of those who work in Dublin. Its population of 4,100 (2006 Census) makes it the ninth largest town in Kildare and 86th largest in the Republic of Ireland, having grown by 49.6pc since the 2002 census.
Local industries include a large distribution centre for SuperValu
SuperValu (Ireland)
SuperValu is a supermarket chain in Ireland and Spain, owned by the Musgraves wholesaler firm. Its headquarters is located in Cork and has stores across the entirety of Ireland.-Company structure:...
. The town lies on the Royal Canal.
History
Kilcock takes its name from the 6th century Saint Coca who founded a church beside the river Rye, and who is traditionally said to have been a sister of St. Kevin of GlendaloughKevin of Glendalough
Saint Cóemgen , popularly anglicized to Kevin is an Irish saint who was known as the founder and first abbot of Glendalough in County Wicklow, Ireland.-Life:...
; by occupation she was an embroiderer of church vestments, including those for St. Colmcille
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...
. A holy well dedicated to Coca, formerly thought to be lost in the back-yards of Kilcock, is known locally to be in the area behind the Ulster Bank, and her feast is remembered on 6 June. However, this commemoration is a modern revival as when the Ordnance Survey of the area was being made in 1837 it was recorded that "there is no old church in ruins in this parish nor is any patron saint or day remembered ... the meaning of the name Cille Choc is not remembered." When the present parish church was dedicated in 1867 it was named for St. Coca, and it had cost £10,000 to build to the design of architect J.J. McCarthy.
In the 8th century there was a battle between rival kings near the church of St. Coca, then in the territory of Carbury and close to the border between Leinster and Meath. There is a gap of several hundred years until the next reference to Kilcock when, in 1303, it belonged to the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem at Kilmainham.
St Coca's Church is erected in her honour in the centre of town. A recently commissioned icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
of Saint Coca can be viewed there.
Transport
The railway arrived in Kilcock on 28 June 1847, but the station closed on 1 July 1848, as it was sited on a 1 in 100 gradient, which the locomotives of the day found difficult to start off from. This site was slightly east of the current Kilcock station. A replacement station opened in 1850 west of the town, where the old N4 crosses the canal and railway, but closed in 1963. The current Kilcock railway stationKilcock railway station
Kilcock railway station serves the town of Kilcock in County Kildare, Ireland.The railway arrived in Kilcock on 28 June 1847, but the station closed on 1 July 1848, as it was sited on a 1 in 100 gradient, which the locomotives of the day found difficult to start off from. This site was slightly...
, under Shaw Bridge, opened in 1998. The M4 motorway opened in 1994 and bypasses Kilcock to the south of the town. The motorway connects Dublin to the west of the country. There is an NRA plan to create an outer orbital motorway, which would extend 80 km from Naas
Naas
Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...
to Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, via Kilcock.
it is also the only place in Europe where a road, a canal (royal canal) and a railway and a river (the rye river also known as The Rye water) run side-by-side.
Education
Kilcock at present has three primary schools: Scoil Choca Naofa (an all-girls convent), St. Joseph's BNS (an all-boys school) and Gaelscoil Ui Riada (an all-Irish school). The latter recently was given a brand new location beside the Banog on the outskirts of the village.Kilcock is home to secondary school Scoil Dara as well.
Places of interest
The town's library features mementos of the poet Teresa Braydon who was born in Kilbrook. The Old Bog Road, 4.5 km west of the town, was the subject of her most successful verse. There is also the old manor where Lady Catherine McCormack was born in the 1800's.Also found locally in Mulhussey
Mulhussey
Mulhussey is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It has a school, a castle with accompanying cemetery, a nearby church at the edge of the Kilcloon parish in Kilcock, and a religious antiquity, St Bridgid's Well, located in Calgath, a townland of Mulussey.- History :Mulhussey's first inhabitants...
, Co Meath are "Bridestream" (an 18th century house with rare-breed farm open to the public), and "Larchill
Larchill
Larchill, one of Ireland's most important gardens, is the most complete surviving Ferme ornée in Europe and the site of multiple follies. The main component of Larchill Demesne, it was created in the mid-18th century, and restored from the mid-1990s...
, an 18th century Ferme Ornée (Ornamental Farm) which is the only surviving complete garden of its type in Europe. Larchill was restored from the mid-1990s, and scenic walks through beech avenues link several classical and gothic follies. There is also a 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) lake with two island follies, a formal walled garden with shell-lined tower and a model gothic farmyard.
Kilcock Art Gallery was established in 1978 by Breda Smyth and opened by George Campbell R.H.A.
People
- Ciarán KilduffCiarán KilduffCiarán Kilduff , is a footballer currently playing with League of Ireland club Shamrock Rovers.-Biography:Ciaran "Killer" Kilduff played in the Kildare and District Schoolboys League for Clane Boys and Kilcock Celtic before moving to Maynooth Town in the Brenfer League...
, footballer currently with Shamrock Rovers - Davy Dalton, former Gaelic footballer with KilcockKilcock GAAKilcock is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Kilcock, County Kildare, Ireland, winner of five county senior football championships and Kildare club of the year in 1983.-History:...
& KildareKildare GAAFor more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...
, Member of Kildare football team of the millennium & 1997 All StarGAA All Stars Awards Past Winners (Football)This is a list of all past winners of the official GAA All Stars Awards since the first awards in 1971. As an insight to the prominent players of the 1960s, it also includes the unofficial "Cuchulainn" awards presented from 1963 to 1967 under the auspices of Gaelic Weekly magazine.For each year...
Award winner.
Kilcock Musical & Dramatic Society
K.M.D.S is an amateur musical society affiliated to the Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS), in existence since 1970.The society has produced many successful productions, both musical and non-musical over the past 40 years. They include Grease, The King and I, Oliver!, Finian's Rainbow, Godspell, My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar, Man of La Mancha, a multi award-winning Sweeney Todd, The Pirates of Penzance, Carousel, The Witches of Eastwick, Billy, Sweet Charity, Guys and Dolls and Zorba. They also have recently presented pantomime productions of Treasure Island, Aladdin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sinbad, Robin Hood, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. Plays include The Memory of Water, The Plough and the Stars, Allo, Allo and Dancing at Lughnasa.
In October 2011, the Society will present a revival of Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh is an Irish-British playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter. Although he has lived in London his entire life, he is considered one of the most important living Irish playwrights.-Life:...
's The Beauty Queen of Leenane
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a 1996 black comedy by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh which was premiered by the Druid Theatre Company in Galway, Ireland...
.
Sport
The North Kildare Rugby Club is situated about 1.5 km from Kilcock on the Maynooth road, recently renovated and a regular host to major area finals (2006 Towns Cup Wicklow vs Tullamore attracted 3500+) and schools cup matches. North Kildare RFC boasts youth teams from Under 8's to under 18's, and field 3 men's senior teams. The 1st XV were promoted in 2006 to the Leinster League Div 2, after an extended period in division 3. Also in 2006, the 2nd XV won the Div 3 league undefeated and reached the semi finals of the 2nds towns cup. 2007-8 saw the 2nd XV reach the provincial towns cup final.Kilcock's proximity to the canal makes it a prominent spot for canoeing. Kilcock Canoe Polo Club is a leading canoe polo club in Ireland. It recently celebrated 10 years of canoe polo in Kilcock.
Kilcock GAA
Kilcock GAA
Kilcock is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Kilcock, County Kildare, Ireland, winner of five county senior football championships and Kildare club of the year in 1983.-History:...
is the local Gaelic Athletic Association
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...
club.
Business
With easy access to the N4, Kilcock is emerging a business hub for north Kildare. The The Kilcock Business Association now has in excess of 50 members. The committee works on behalf of the businesses in the area to promote Kilcock as the place to shop locally and encourage people to employ local trades people. They also try to promote all businesses that are in the area.See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland