Killorglin
Encyclopedia
Killorglin is a town in County Kerry
, Ireland. It is located on the river Laune
, which has a rowing
club and a new boathouse. The population
of Killorglin is 4,150 (CSO 2011) although this expands considerably during Puck Fair due to visitors and returning emigrants.
Killorglin is a major activity centre for Kerry and has a number of tourist hostels on Dromin Hill and also has one of the last inn chains started by Charles Bianconi
. It is right in the centre of the town, called the Bianconi and features his famous transportation painted on the sign and on the inn. The town hall is held to have been built with the help of Andrew Carnegie
. Among the businesses in Killorglin is FEXCO
, which includes the operations center for the Prize Bond Company. Pharmaceutical firms such as Temmler
and Astellas, precision tubes maker Schmitter (Ireland) Ltd. and specialist bolts manufacturer Simpson Strongtie/Liebig have small plants in the town.
Every year a group of people go up into the mountains and catch a wild goat. This goat is brought back to the town and the Queen of Puck Fair, traditionally the oldest virgin in the village (a girl from 6th class from the local primary schools - the queen changes every year) crowns the goat "King Puck". The goat is then put into a small cage on a high stand in the middle of the town. From this moment on, once the fair has started, there is singing and dancing, but mainly drinking. Pubs stay open until 3.00 AM although last call is at 02:30. On the opening day there is a horse fair and on the second day there is a cattle fair. In the main parking lot a company called Birds Bizarre has a collection of various portable rides and rollercoasters. The fair ends with a firework display which can be fully appreciated from the old iron railway bridge.
"Nobody really knows how it came about or when," said Jean Kearney, a spokeswoman for the festival, which is expected this year to attract more than 100,000 visitors for a marathon of music, drinking and dancing (but mostly drinking). It has been traced back to the 1600s, but some say it dates back to a festival held in pagan times. One of the most popular theory is that the event pays tribute to a wild goat that alerted the town to the advancing armies of military leader Oliver Cromwell
in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
of 1649-53 (although Cromwell himself, who left Ireland in May 1650, never reached as far west as Killorglin). Another is that it stems from the pagan Celtic festival of Lughnasa, when feasting and sacrifices marked the start of the harvest season, and that the goat is a pagan fertility symbol."
Although there is no written evidence of when Puck Fair started, there are several legends about the fair.
It is thought that the fair started in pre-Christian
times as a celebration for a good harvest. The goat may also represent the pagan god, Pan
. It is also likely that it is a representation of the Celtic god Lugh
and a celebration of Lughnasa.
James VI of Scotland, I of England and Ireland
granted legal status to the fair in 1603.
The other theory is when a clan called the roundheads occupied killorglin a goat ran down from the mountains and 'warned' the roundhead tribe that their enemies were approaching. This allowed the roundheads to prepare and eventually defeat their enemies. This explains why the goat is crowned.
, Commandant-General of the Third (West) Cork Brigade of the Irish Republican Army
during the Irish War of Independence
, and author of Guerilla Days in Ireland was born in Killorglin.
James Cahillane Golden Gloves heavweight champion of Western Massachusetts 1932-1933. A man of business. Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts 1954-1960. Delegate to the 1956 Democratic Convention where he supported his political friend Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy. One of two Irish born mayors in the USA when elected. The subject of two books by his eldest son, James Francis Cahillane: "The Best Place of All: An Irish American Memoir of Pluck, Luck & Automobiles," and "On History's Front Steps: One Irish Clan's Exploits in Northampton, Massachusetts 'The Paradise of America.'" Born in Killorglin 1910. Emigrated 1930. d.1991.
The book Things My Mother Never Told Me by Blake Morrison
(Vintage 2003 ISBN 0-09-944072-5) tells the story of the author's mother who was from Langford Street in Killorglin. She had left Ireland for England and put her past behind her. It was only after she died that her son went through a collection of old letters from the 1940s and pieced together her life from World War II
-era courtship of a Yorkshire
country doctor
.
The writer Kieran Prendiville
's family came from the town, and nearby Ballykissane provided the inspiration for the name of his television series Ballykissangel
.
Former Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Patrick O'Mahony, was born in the town.
with
Early Modern France Plouha
in France
.
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Ireland. It is located on the river Laune
River Laune
The River Laune is a river in County Kerry, Ireland which flows from Lough Leane , one of the Lakes of Killarney, through the town of Killorglin, and empties into the sea, first at Castlemaine harbour beside the river Maine and then out through Dingle Bay. The Laune is well known for salmon and...
, which has a rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
club and a new boathouse. The population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Killorglin is 4,150 (CSO 2011) although this expands considerably during Puck Fair due to visitors and returning emigrants.
Killorglin is a major activity centre for Kerry and has a number of tourist hostels on Dromin Hill and also has one of the last inn chains started by Charles Bianconi
Charles Bianconi
-Life and work:Born Carlo Bianconi in Costa Masnaga on September 24, 1786, he moved from an area poised to fall to Napoleon and travelled to Ireland in 1802, via England, just four years after the 1798 rebellion. At the time, British fear of continental invasion resulted in an acute sense of...
. It is right in the centre of the town, called the Bianconi and features his famous transportation painted on the sign and on the inn. The town hall is held to have been built with the help of Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. Among the businesses in Killorglin is FEXCO
FEXCO
FEXCO is an Irish-based financial services company.FEXCO was set up in 1981 by , originally to provide Bureau de change services to the Irish market. is now a global provider of , , Consumer and Internationally Traded Services....
, which includes the operations center for the Prize Bond Company. Pharmaceutical firms such as Temmler
Temmler
-History:The Temmler Werke GmbH was founded in Detmold in 1917 by commercial counsellor Hermann Temmler. The establishment of a subsidiary in Berlin followed shortly after...
and Astellas, precision tubes maker Schmitter (Ireland) Ltd. and specialist bolts manufacturer Simpson Strongtie/Liebig have small plants in the town.
Puck Fair
Every year, starting on 10 August, Killorglin holds the three-day Puck Fair, the oldest traditional fair in Ireland, and one of the oldest non-religious fairs in the world.Puck goat
"Nobody really knows how it came about or when," said Jean Kearney, a spokeswoman for the festival, which is expected this year to attract more than 100,000 visitors for a marathon of music, drinking and dancing (but mostly drinking). It has been traced back to the 1600s, but some say it dates back to a festival held in pagan times. One of the most popular theory is that the event pays tribute to a wild goat that alerted the town to the advancing armies of military leader Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
of 1649-53 (although Cromwell himself, who left Ireland in May 1650, never reached as far west as Killorglin). Another is that it stems from the pagan Celtic festival of Lughnasa, when feasting and sacrifices marked the start of the harvest season, and that the goat is a pagan fertility symbol."
Puck fair history
It is thought that the fair started in pre-Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
times as a celebration for a good harvest. The goat may also represent the pagan god, Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
. It is also likely that it is a representation of the Celtic god Lugh
Lugh
Lug or Lugh is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada , for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildánach , Samhildánach , Lonnbeimnech and Macnia , and by the...
and a celebration of Lughnasa.
James VI of Scotland, I of England and Ireland
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
granted legal status to the fair in 1603.
The other theory is when a clan called the roundheads occupied killorglin a goat ran down from the mountains and 'warned' the roundhead tribe that their enemies were approaching. This allowed the roundheads to prepare and eventually defeat their enemies. This explains why the goat is crowned.
People
Tom BarryTom Barry
Thomas Barry was one of the most prominent guerrilla leaders in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence.-Early life:...
, Commandant-General of the Third (West) Cork Brigade of the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, and author of Guerilla Days in Ireland was born in Killorglin.
James Cahillane Golden Gloves heavweight champion of Western Massachusetts 1932-1933. A man of business. Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts 1954-1960. Delegate to the 1956 Democratic Convention where he supported his political friend Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy. One of two Irish born mayors in the USA when elected. The subject of two books by his eldest son, James Francis Cahillane: "The Best Place of All: An Irish American Memoir of Pluck, Luck & Automobiles," and "On History's Front Steps: One Irish Clan's Exploits in Northampton, Massachusetts 'The Paradise of America.'" Born in Killorglin 1910. Emigrated 1930. d.1991.
The book Things My Mother Never Told Me by Blake Morrison
Blake Morrison
Philip Blake Morrison is a British poet and author who has published in a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres. His greatest success came with the publication of his memoirs And When Did You Last See Your Father? which won the J. R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. He has also written a...
(Vintage 2003 ISBN 0-09-944072-5) tells the story of the author's mother who was from Langford Street in Killorglin. She had left Ireland for England and put her past behind her. It was only after she died that her son went through a collection of old letters from the 1940s and pieced together her life from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era courtship of a Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
country doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
The writer Kieran Prendiville
Kieran Prendiville
Kieran Prendiville is a television writer, producer and presenter.-Early years:Kieran grew up in England where his father had emigrated to practise medicine...
's family came from the town, and nearby Ballykissane provided the inspiration for the name of his television series Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel is a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on BBC One in the UK from 1996 to 2001...
.
Former Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Patrick O'Mahony, was born in the town.
Sport
- Laune RangersLaune RangersLaune Rangers is a Gaelic football and Hurling club based in Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland. The club is affiliated to Kerry GAA. Rangers won the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship in 1996.-History:...
is the local Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic AssociationThe 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.
- Killorglin also has a 18 hole parkland course. Killorglin Golf Club
- Killorglin Rugby club's under 16 team won the West Munster Trophy in 2006 and went forward to compete in the final of the Munster Championship, which they lost. In 2008 the Under 18 squad won the West Munster Trophy against Tralee R.F.C..
Recent changes
Recent developments include:- An expansion by the Killorglin-based financial services firm FEXCOFEXCOFEXCO is an Irish-based financial services company.FEXCO was set up in 1981 by , originally to provide Bureau de change services to the Irish market. is now a global provider of , , Consumer and Internationally Traded Services....
resulting in two large sites in Killorglin. - A sizeable mixed development of commercial, residential and public buildings. AldiALDIALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
has now filled the large retail chain slot in the development. - There has been some talk about re-introducing a railway line to Killorglin but such an undertaking would be very difficult and costly.
International relations
Killorglin is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with
Early Modern France PlouhaPlouha
Plouha is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Plouha are called plouhatins.-International relations:Plouha is twinned with Killorglin located in County Kerry, Ireland....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
See also
- Charles BianconiCharles Bianconi-Life and work:Born Carlo Bianconi in Costa Masnaga on September 24, 1786, he moved from an area poised to fall to Napoleon and travelled to Ireland in 1802, via England, just four years after the 1798 rebellion. At the time, British fear of continental invasion resulted in an acute sense of...
- Ring of KerryRing of KerryThe Ring of Kerry is a tourist trail in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. The route covers the 179 km circular road , starting from Killarney, heading around the Iveragh Peninsula and passing through Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Killorglin...
- Tralee
- KillarneyKillarneyKillarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...
- River LauneRiver LauneThe River Laune is a river in County Kerry, Ireland which flows from Lough Leane , one of the Lakes of Killarney, through the town of Killorglin, and empties into the sea, first at Castlemaine harbour beside the river Maine and then out through Dingle Bay. The Laune is well known for salmon and...
- List of towns and villages in Ireland