Kill, County Kildare
Encyclopedia
Kill is a village and parish in County Kildare
, Ireland near the county's border with Dublin beside the N7. Its population of 2,510 (2006 Census) makes it the 13th largest town in County Kildare. Kill is the birthpace of the Fenian John Devoy, sometimes regarded as the "grandfather of the modern Irish state". Kill was home to two holders of the most senior ministry in the Irish government, the most powerful family in the 18th century Irish House of Commons and the birthplace of a leader of the opposition in the English House of Commons.
Kill village has won the European Entente Florale
horticultural competition in 1986.
/early Iron Age
hill fort
and three small ring barrows. Kill (Cill Corbáin) was reputed to have been the burial place of the nine Ui Faeláin kings (later to become the O’Byrnes) who were based at Naas
(Nás na Ríogh), the last of whom, Cerball mac Muirecáin
, was buried in 909. The 'motte' of John de Hereford's castle, probably dating from the 12th century, still survives on the outskirts of the village.
Whiteboys were active in Kill parish in 1775. Kill Hill was the name used for the town in 18th century maps, which mark a commons which was enclosed by act of parliament in 1811.
During the Irish War of Independence, two Royal Irish Constabulary
(RIC) men were shot dead at Greenhills on August 21, 1920 - Broughal’s pub was attacked by British forces, and the vacated RIC barracks was attacked and burned.
After the village was by-passed in 1960, the local service station in Beaufort, owned by the Goosen family was famous for its "open 24½ hours daily" sign.
, Ireland's largest multinational corporation with a turnover of Eu15bn (2006). The local quarries and offices of the company were major employers until they closed in 1982.
Bishopscourt
was home to John Ponsonby, speaker of the Irish House of Commons
(1753–1761), William Ponsonby
, leader of the Irish Whigs (1789–1803) and birthplace of his brother George Ponsonby
(1755–1817) leader of the Whig
Party in the British House of Commons
at Westminster (1808–1817), his uncle Major-General Sir William Ponsonby (1772–1815) whose inept charge at the Battle of Waterloo
resulted in his death at the hands of the Polish Landers and was studied as an example of failed battle strategy for generations afterwards, and of his sister Mary Ponsonby, wife of Charles Grey
, British Prime Minister
from 1830 to 1834 and best known nowadays as the Earl Grey of the tea brand. As such Lady Ponsonby was mentioned in the Saul Dibb
film, The Duchess
. Ponsonby descendants include Sir Alec Douglas-Home
(British Prime Minister from 1963-4), Nicky Haslam and The Duke of Cambridge.
Fenian
leader John Devoy
was born near Kill on September 3, 1842. Two Irish Ministers for Finance had local connections: Gerard Sweetman
(Minister for Finance 1954-57) lived in Killeen House and Charlie McCreevy
, Irish Minister for Finance (1997–2004) and EU Commissioner for Internal Trade (2004-), attended the primary school in Kill. George Wolfe
from Forenaughts was a member of Dáil Éireann
in 1923-32. Patrick Malone
, Fine Gael
TD for Kildare (1970–77) lived in Brookstown House a mile outside the village. Kill born Patsy Lawlor
née Broughal, a senator 1982-83 was famously beaten by Alan Dukes
in the 1981 Dáil election by a margin of 60 votes.
Liam O'Flynn
and Heidi Talbot
, a renowned solo artist and the voice of Irish-American group Cherish the Ladies
. The local "Kill Singers" choral group has had many successes in recent years in competitions both in Ireland and overseas. The group practice in the local primary school on Wednesday evenings, except during the summer
In the Roman Catholic Church, Kill Parish was united with Lyons in 1693.The current Catholic church was built in 1821 and extended in 1973. The chapel bell in Kill was said to have been the first in Ireland to ring in celebration of Catholic Emancipation in 1829.
St. Brigid's Well in Hartwell (probably an earlier site of worship)was a place of pilgrimage until the 19th century and a sally tree covered with votive rags
was recorded here in the 1890s.
The Parish Priest resided in nearby Lyons
until the start of the 19th century when the residence moved to Painestown and eventually to Kill in 1823. Previous parish priests included: c1705 Gilbert Cullen, c1731 John Doyle, c1740 John Ardoe, 1804 Daniel Nowlan, 1823 Tom Nowlan, (1825? William Keenan), 1840 John Murphy, 1842 Martin Nolan, 1849 James Hayden, 1865 Charles Bannen, 1877 George Gowing. (Administrators), 1901 Henry Dunne, 1903 Daniel O’Rourke, 1907 Edward Kinsella, 1911 John Donovan, (Parish Priests) 1919 John Donovan, 1929 Patrick Campion, 1930 James O’Brien, 1943 Edmund Campion, 1953 Thomas Hughes, 1955 Gerard Synnott, 1957 William Mattews, 1968 John MacDonald, 1976 Paul Maher, 1997 Willie O’Byrne.
née Broughal, (ICA president 1976-79). The Kill History Group, which meets in the Parish Meeting Room on the fourth Monday of the month, discusses topics of local interest.
Kill Celtic A.F.C., founded in 1999, has been active in Kill for 10 years providing football for local children and adults across 3 leagues at junior and senior level.
Long before Grand National
winning horses Papillion
and Commanche Court
were trained in Kill by Ted Walsh
, The Tetrarch
was regarded as probably the finest two year old in Irish racing history in 1911. Regarded as unmanageable, he never raced as a three year old and became famous as a stud champion instead. Captain Christy
(winner Cheltenham Gold Cup
, 1974), and Kicking King
(winner Cheltenham Gold Cup
, 2005) were trained in Alasty by father and son Pat Taaffe
and Tom Taaffe
respectively. As a jockey Pat Taaffe (1930–92) rode two winners of the English Grand National
Quare Times in 1955 and Gay Trip in 1970 and was Irish National Hunt champion six times. Star Appeal
(winner of the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, 1975) was bred in Baronrath. Show jumping champion Cruising, bred in Hartwell, won five Grand Prix events under the saddle of Trevor Coyle, and was second in the World Cup final at Gothenburg in 1999.
, Bishop of Clogher
, was once stationed in Kill and lived in the Glebe House there c. 1815. He was succeeded by John Warburton, son of Charles Warburton, bishop of Limerick
from 1806 to 1820.
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 near the county's border with Dublin beside the N7. Its population of 2,510 (2006 Census) makes it the 13th largest town in County Kildare. Kill is the birthpace of the Fenian John Devoy, sometimes regarded as the "grandfather of the modern Irish state". Kill was home to two holders of the most senior ministry in the Irish government, the most powerful family in the 18th century Irish House of Commons and the birthplace of a leader of the opposition in the English House of Commons.
Kill village has won the European Entente Florale
Entente Florale
The Entente Florale is an international horticultural competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in Europe for excellence in horticultural displays. Trophies are presented annually by tourist boards and horticultural societies of European countries...
horticultural competition in 1986.
History
Excavations for the widening of the N7 in 2004 unearthed evidence of early habitation, including a late Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
/early Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
and three small ring barrows. Kill (Cill Corbáin) was reputed to have been the burial place of the nine Ui Faeláin kings (later to become the O’Byrnes) who were based at 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...
(Nás na Ríogh), the last of whom, Cerball mac Muirecáin
Cerball mac Muirecáin
Cerball mac Muirecáin was king of Leinster. He was the son of Muirecán mac Diarmata and a member of the Uí Fáeláin, the descendants of Fáelán mac Murchado , of one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge of modern County Kildare in Ireland....
, was buried in 909. The 'motte' of John de Hereford's castle, probably dating from the 12th century, still survives on the outskirts of the village.
Whiteboys were active in Kill parish in 1775. Kill Hill was the name used for the town in 18th century maps, which mark a commons which was enclosed by act of parliament in 1811.
During the Irish War of Independence, two Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
(RIC) men were shot dead at Greenhills on August 21, 1920 - Broughal’s pub was attacked by British forces, and the vacated RIC barracks was attacked and burned.
After the village was by-passed in 1960, the local service station in Beaufort, owned by the Goosen family was famous for its "open 24½ hours daily" sign.
Turnpike
Kill was a staging post on the old toll road to Kilcullen, the first turnpike to be built (1729). The Old House, a turnpike inn, was originally built in 1794 and then rebuilt in 1943. It was here that horses were changed on the three hour mail coach journey from Dublin to Kilcullen.Economic Life
The gravel pits at Hartwell, Arthurstown, Thornberry and Brookstown were first quarried in 1945 when Tom Roche set up the Gravelsand Company, later to become Roadstone, and in turn CRH HoldingsCRH plc
CRH plc, , is an Irish building material group, formerly called Cement-Roadstone Holdings plc. It is quoted on the Official Lists of the Irish Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange.-History:...
, Ireland's largest multinational corporation with a turnover of Eu15bn (2006). The local quarries and offices of the company were major employers until they closed in 1982.
Politics
Kill provided a speaker of the 18th century Irish House of Commons, a leader of the opposition in the British House of Commons, a founder of the Fenian movement, and two Ministers of Finance for the Independent Irish state.Bishopscourt
Bishopscourt
Bishopscourt can relate to:*Bishopscourt, a southern suburb of Cape Town, South Africa*Bishopscourt, a gothic architecture building in East Melbourne, Victoria*Bishopscourt, a historic house in Sydney, Australia....
was home to John Ponsonby, speaker of the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
(1753–1761), William Ponsonby
William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby
William Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby , PC was a leading Irish Whig politician, being a member of the Irish House of Commons, and after 1800, of the United Kingdom parliament. Ponsonby was the son of the Hon...
, leader of the Irish Whigs (1789–1803) and birthplace of his brother George Ponsonby
George Ponsonby
George Ponsonby PC , was a British lawyer and Whig politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background and education:...
(1755–1817) leader of the Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
Party in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at Westminster (1808–1817), his uncle Major-General Sir William Ponsonby (1772–1815) whose inept charge at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
resulted in his death at the hands of the Polish Landers and was studied as an example of failed battle strategy for generations afterwards, and of his sister Mary Ponsonby, wife of Charles Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
, British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1830 to 1834 and best known nowadays as the Earl Grey of the tea brand. As such Lady Ponsonby was mentioned in the Saul Dibb
Saul Dibb
Saul Dibb is the British director of Bullet Boy, for which he was nominated for the Douglas Hickox Award, The Line of Beauty, and The Duchess. He is a graduate of the University of East Anglia.-Notes:...
film, The Duchess
The Duchess (film)
The Duchess is a 2008 British drama film based on Amanda Foreman's biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK...
. Ponsonby descendants include Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
(British Prime Minister from 1963-4), Nicky Haslam and The Duke of Cambridge.
Fenian
Fenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
leader John Devoy
John Devoy
John Devoy was an Irish rebel leader and exile.-Early life:Devoy was born near Kill, County Kildare. In 1861 he travelled to France with an introduction from T. D. Sullivan to John Mitchel...
was born near Kill on September 3, 1842. Two Irish Ministers for Finance had local connections: Gerard Sweetman
Gerard Sweetman
Gerard Sweetman was an Irish Fine Gael politician and solicitor.-Family and childhood:Hugh Gerard Sweetman was born on 10 June 1908 to a comfortably well-off Dublin family...
(Minister for Finance 1954-57) lived in Killeen House and Charlie McCreevy
Charlie McCreevy
Charles "Charlie" McCreevy is a former Irish politician. He was the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services from 2004–2010. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD in 1977 and held the seat in Kildare until 2004 when he became Ireland's European Commissioner...
, Irish Minister for Finance (1997–2004) and EU Commissioner for Internal Trade (2004-), attended the primary school in Kill. George Wolfe
George Wolfe (Irish politician)
George Wolfe was an Irish farmer and Cumann na nGaedheal party politician, who served for nine years as TD for the Kildare constituency....
from Forenaughts was a member of Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
in 1923-32. Patrick Malone
Patrick Malone (Irish politician)
Patrick Malone was an Irish Fine Gael politician.Malone was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for Kildare from 1970, when he won a by election caused by the death of Gerard Sweetman. He was re-elected at the subsequent general election in 1973 but was defeated in the 1977 general...
, Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
TD for Kildare (1970–77) lived in Brookstown House a mile outside the village. Kill born Patsy Lawlor
Patsy Lawlor
Patsy Lawlor was an Irish politician, nurse and businesswoman. She was elected to Seanad Éireann on the Cultural and Educational Panel in 1981 as a Fine Gael member. She lost her seat at the 1983 Seanad election...
née Broughal, a senator 1982-83 was famously beaten by Alan Dukes
Alan Dukes
Alan Dukes is a former Irish politician who served as leader of the Fine Gael political party and Teachta Dála for Kildare and Kildare South. He holds the distinction of being one of only five TDs to be appointed Minister on their first day in the Dáil. He lost his seat in the 2002 general election...
in the 1981 Dáil election by a margin of 60 votes.
Music
The village is the birthplace of the world renowned Uilleann piperUilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn is a master uilleann piper and prominent Irish folk musician. In addition to an impressive solo career and his work with the Irish traditional group Planxty, O'Flynn has recorded with many prominent international musical artists, including Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers, Enya,...
and Heidi Talbot
Heidi Talbot
Heidi Talbot is an Irish folk singer from Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Talbot is the former singer of Irish-American musical group Cherish the Ladies.-Early life and education:...
, a renowned solo artist and the voice of Irish-American group Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies is an American all-female Irish-American super group. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985, the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in America in what had been a male-dominated scene...
. The local "Kill Singers" choral group has had many successes in recent years in competitions both in Ireland and overseas. The group practice in the local primary school on Wednesday evenings, except during the summer
Churches
The village has two churches; St. Brigid's [Catholic] Church and St John's [Church of Ireland]. The latter contains an unusual organ (normal colour of keys is reversed) donated by the Bourke [Earls of Mayo]family, who were the local landlords in 18th and 19th centuries, and a rare 'half door' at the entrance to the building, outside which is an early stone font.In the Roman Catholic Church, Kill Parish was united with Lyons in 1693.The current Catholic church was built in 1821 and extended in 1973. The chapel bell in Kill was said to have been the first in Ireland to ring in celebration of Catholic Emancipation in 1829.
St. Brigid's Well in Hartwell (probably an earlier site of worship)was a place of pilgrimage until the 19th century and a sally tree covered with votive rags
Clootie well
Clootie wells are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas. They are wells or springs, almost always with a tree growing beside them, where strips of cloth or rags have been left, usually tied to the branches of the tree as part of a healing ritual...
was recorded here in the 1890s.
The Parish Priest resided in nearby Lyons
Lyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
until the start of the 19th century when the residence moved to Painestown and eventually to Kill in 1823. Previous parish priests included: c1705 Gilbert Cullen, c1731 John Doyle, c1740 John Ardoe, 1804 Daniel Nowlan, 1823 Tom Nowlan, (1825? William Keenan), 1840 John Murphy, 1842 Martin Nolan, 1849 James Hayden, 1865 Charles Bannen, 1877 George Gowing. (Administrators), 1901 Henry Dunne, 1903 Daniel O’Rourke, 1907 Edward Kinsella, 1911 John Donovan, (Parish Priests) 1919 John Donovan, 1929 Patrick Campion, 1930 James O’Brien, 1943 Edmund Campion, 1953 Thomas Hughes, 1955 Gerard Synnott, 1957 William Mattews, 1968 John MacDonald, 1976 Paul Maher, 1997 Willie O’Byrne.
Social activities and clubs
Branches of Muintir na Tíre (1954) and Macra na Feirme (1955) were established in the village. There is an active branch of the Irish Countrywomen's Association (most famous chairperson was Patsy LawlorPatsy Lawlor
Patsy Lawlor was an Irish politician, nurse and businesswoman. She was elected to Seanad Éireann on the Cultural and Educational Panel in 1981 as a Fine Gael member. She lost her seat at the 1983 Seanad election...
née Broughal, (ICA president 1976-79). The Kill History Group, which meets in the Parish Meeting Room on the fourth Monday of the month, discusses topics of local interest.
Sport
- Kill was the location of the Irish Masters in snookerSnookerSnooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
from 1979–2000, at Goffs sales ring. - Kill GAAKill GAAKill is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. They combined with Ardclough to form area side Wolfe Tones in the 1970s.-History:...
reached the semi-finals of the Kildare SF championships in 1962. Kieran O'Malley, a member of the 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...
team that contested the 1958 National Football League final, was considered one of the best players in the history of Gaelic footballGaelic footballGaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
until his career was cut short by injury. A field now over run by the N7 staged the 1939 Leinster camogie final. - Kill GAA club won both Junior A and Junior B County football championships,The Jack Higgins Cup,and were awarded club of the year in 1992.
- Motor cyclist Ernie LyonsErnie LyonsErnie Lyons is a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Ireland.-By season:-External links:*...
won the Senior Manx Grand Prix in 1946.
Kill Celtic A.F.C., founded in 1999, has been active in Kill for 10 years providing football for local children and adults across 3 leagues at junior and senior level.
Equestrian
- Ted WalshTed WalshTed Walsh is an amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer, based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. He was born and raised in Co. Cork. As a rider, one of his most important wins was on Attitude Adjuster in the 1986 Cheltenham Festival Foxhunter Chase...
,11 time Irish amateur champion jockey and trainer of the Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winning horse PapillionPapillionPapillion may refer to:*Papillion, Nebraska, U.S.**Papillion-La Vista Public Schools**Papillion-La Vista Senior High School**Papillion Junior High*Papillion Creek, Nebraska, U.S....
2001 and Irish national /triumph hurdle/heineken gold cup winner Commanche CourtCommanche CourtCommanche Court is an Irish thoroughbred racehorse trained in Ireland by Ted Walsh. The son of Commanche Run gave his trainer his one and only Cheltenham Festival winner when landing the 1997 Triumph Hurdle under Norman Williamson.In 2000 he gave Ted Walsh and his son Ruby Walsh a first Irish...
has his stables on the outskirts of Kill. His son Ruby WalshRuby WalshRuby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...
rode both horses and was Irish National Hunt champion in 2007. Jockey Brendan Sheridan attended Kill National School. Horse breeder Edward "Cub" Kennedy ran what was regarded as the most successful Irish stud farm in the 1920s at BishopscourtBishopscourtBishopscourt can relate to:*Bishopscourt, a southern suburb of Cape Town, South Africa*Bishopscourt, a gothic architecture building in East Melbourne, Victoria*Bishopscourt, a historic house in Sydney, Australia....
. Show jumper Iris Kellett won the Queen Elizabeth cup of 1949 and the Ladies European championship in 1969. Kill is home to Goffs Horse Sales Centre. An annual gymkhana organised by Betty Fahy and Rosalind Sweetman was a highlight of village life in the 1960s.
Long before Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winning horses Papillion
Papillion
Papillion may refer to:*Papillion, Nebraska, U.S.**Papillion-La Vista Public Schools**Papillion-La Vista Senior High School**Papillion Junior High*Papillion Creek, Nebraska, U.S....
and Commanche Court
Commanche Court
Commanche Court is an Irish thoroughbred racehorse trained in Ireland by Ted Walsh. The son of Commanche Run gave his trainer his one and only Cheltenham Festival winner when landing the 1997 Triumph Hurdle under Norman Williamson.In 2000 he gave Ted Walsh and his son Ruby Walsh a first Irish...
were trained in Kill by Ted Walsh
Ted Walsh
Ted Walsh is an amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer, based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. He was born and raised in Co. Cork. As a rider, one of his most important wins was on Attitude Adjuster in the 1986 Cheltenham Festival Foxhunter Chase...
, The Tetrarch
The Tetrarch
The Tetrarch was an undefeated Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, who was voted Britain's Two-Year-Old of the 20th Century.-Breeding:...
was regarded as probably the finest two year old in Irish racing history in 1911. Regarded as unmanageable, he never raced as a three year old and became famous as a stud champion instead. Captain Christy
Captain Christy
Captain Christy was an Irish-bred and Irish-trained racehorse, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a novice.In spite of an alarming tendency to make mistakes, Captain Christy was one of the very best Irish chasers of his era and his 30 lengths demolition of Bula in the 1975 King George VI Chase at...
(winner Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
, 1974), and Kicking King
Kicking King
Kicking King is a National Hunt racehorse trained in Ardclough, Co. Kildare, Ireland, by Tom Taaffe. He is best known for his victory in the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the major Chase run at the Cheltenham Festival...
(winner Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
, 2005) were trained in Alasty by father and son Pat Taaffe
Pat Taaffe
Pat Taaffe died in 1992 in Dublin Hospital, aged just 62. His health had been poor for some time.Taaffe is a National Hunt jockey who famously rode Arkle to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups between 1964 and 1966...
and Tom Taaffe
Tom Taaffe
Tom Taaffe is an Irish horse trainer based at Portree Stables, Boston, Straffan, in County Kildare.He began training in 94/95 jumps season, having had a successful career as a professional jump jockey for the Arthur Moore stable....
respectively. As a jockey Pat Taaffe (1930–92) rode two winners of the English Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
Quare Times in 1955 and Gay Trip in 1970 and was Irish National Hunt champion six times. Star Appeal
Star Appeal
Star Appeal was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred who became the only German-trained racehorse ever to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was initially raced in Ireland, where his first trainer was John Oxx. He then moved to Germany where he achieved success with his third trainer, Theo Grieper.Star...
(winner of the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, 1975) was bred in Baronrath. Show jumping champion Cruising, bred in Hartwell, won five Grand Prix events under the saddle of Trevor Coyle, and was second in the World Cup final at Gothenburg in 1999.
People
The disgraced Percy JocelynPercy Jocelyn
Percy Jocelyn was Anglican Bishop of Clogher in the Church of Ireland from 1820 to 1822. He was forced from his position due to claims of homosexual practices.-Early life:...
, Bishop of Clogher
Bishop of Clogher
The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.-History:Clogher is one...
, was once stationed in Kill and lived in the Glebe House there c. 1815. He was succeeded by John Warburton, son of Charles Warburton, bishop of Limerick
Bishop of Limerick
The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it still continues as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of...
from 1806 to 1820.
See also
- KildareKildare-External links:*******...
- List of towns and villages in Ireland