Windgap
Encyclopedia
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
, in 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,...
. Windgap is located in the South Western part of Kilkenny on the border with Tipperary just south of Callan, Kilkenny
Callan
-People:Callan is the birth place of some famous people, namely:* Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Irish Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers* Callan also has links with Asa Griggs Candler's family and the Coca-Cola company....
. It is part of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Killamery
Killamery
Killamery is a village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It was the site of a monastery and has a High Cross.Two bullauns and a holy well are also found nearby....
. The village is located on the R689
R689 road
The R689 road is a regional road in Ireland linking Urlingford to Clonmel. It passes through Killenaule and Fethard en route.The road is long.-References:* – Department of Transport...
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...
, the nearest main road being the N76 from Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
to Clonmel
Clonmel
Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...
.
Windgap was named for its location on a pass through hills east of Slievenamon
Slievenamon
Slievenamon is a mountain in County Tipperary in the province of Munster in Ireland. It stands at 721 m . It is located in the south of the county, near the town of Clonmel...
. The landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
of Windgap is dominated by steep hills and large wooded areas. Windgap lies in a former slate-quarrying
Slate industry
The slate industry is the industry related to the extraction and processing of slate. Slate is either quarried from a slate quarry or reached by tunneling in a slate mine. Common uses for slate include as a roofing material, a flooring material, gravestones and memorial tablets, and for electrical...
district spanning the Kilkenny Tipperary border. Today agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
is Windgap's main economic activity
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, with dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
products as the main export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
. The most notable buildings in Windgap are its nineteenth century graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
, Old League House which once served as a home for poor tenant farmers (see Irish National Land League
Irish National Land League
The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor tenant farmers. Its primary aim was to abolish landlordism in Ireland and enable tenant farmers to own the land they worked on...
) and early 20th century grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
.
Those who hail from the village are sometimes referred to as 'Gappers'.
Culture
The Mayor of Windgap, is a 1834 novel by Michael BanimMichael Banim
-Works:He assisted John in the O'Hara Tales, where he used the name "Abel O'Hara," and there is difficulty in allocating their respective contributions. While John was the more experienced writer, Michael provided material based on his social observations...
set in Windgap in 1779.
Windgap is also referred to in 1907 book The Placenames of the Decies by Rev. P. Power.
Sport
Windgap GAA club was founded in 1954 following the advent of the one Parish Rule in the County. Gaelic Games have been played in the area since the 1890s. In the early days it was a famous football stronghold. It had previously delved into hurling with the Slatequarries in 1929 and St. Joseph 's in TullahoughtTullahought
Tullahought, is a small village in south Kilkenny. Tullahought, also a townsland in the area, is located approximately 8 miles north of Carrick on Suir and 25 miles south of Kilkenny City...
in the 1940s. Handball first made its appearance in the Slatequarries in the early 1900’s before it quickly spread to Windgap. Camogie started in Lamogue in the 1920s and was played in many areas of the parish with teams representing Windgap and Tullahought at various stages. Ladies Football was played in the area for a time in the 1970s with a team in Tullahought. Windgap Camogie Club that was founded in 1994 and Windgap Handball Club in 1984. There was an amalgamtion of Galmoy
Galmoy
Galmoy is a village in the barony of Galmoy, County Kilkenny in the southeastern part of the midlands of Ireland.-See also:*List of towns and villages in Ireland*Galmoy Mine...
and Windgap in 2005 and they were Minor B League Champions in 2006.
Windgap is home to Kilkenny Senior Hurley, Paul "I'm gonna get you" Comerford.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland