Kincasslagh

Cionn Caslach
Kincasslagh
Village
Cionn Caslach

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 55°02′13″N 8°20′26″W / 55.037061°N 8.340576°W / 55.037061; -8.340576Coordinates: 55°02′13″N 8°20′26″W / 55.037061°N 8.340576°W / 55.037061; -8.340576
Country Ireland
Province Ulster
County County Donegal
Government
 • Dáil Éireann Donegal South-West
Population
 • Rural 41
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Area code(s) 074 95, +000 353 74 95
Irish Grid Reference B738189
Website www.kincasslagh.net
Cionn Caslach is the only official name. The anglicised spelling Kincasslagh has no official status.

Cionn Caslach or Ceann Caslach[1] (anglicised as Kincasslagh) is a small Gaeltacht seaside village in the Rosses area of County Donegal, Ireland. Despite only having a population of just over 40 people, the village has attracted much international attention due to the success of local singer Daniel O'Donnell.[2]

Name

Kincasslagh Peninsula and pier.
Fans meeting Daniel O'Donnell at his annual 'tea party', at his mother's residence in Kincasslagh.

The Irish and official name for Kincasslagh is Cionn Caslach or Ceann Caslach, which means head of the small inlet. Due to its status as a Gaeltacht village, all roadsigns to and in the village itself are in the Irish language.

St. Mary's Roman Catholic church.

Language

Kincasslagh is in the Gaeltacht region which means the official language of the area is Irish. However, the use of the language has been in decline since the 1950s.[3] There are very few Irish-speakers in Kincasslagh today, much like neighbouring villages Mullaghduff and Burtonport.

History

Kincasslagh has a long history of emigration, much like the rest of West Donegal.[4] In the 1950s and 1960s, a large number of locals left the area to work in countries such as the UK (England and especially Scotland), USA and Australia.

Education

The local primary school is Scoil Náisiúnta Béal na Cruite with 49 pupils,[5] and the nearest secondary school is Rosses Community School in Dungloe.[6]

Local amenities

There is only one public house in the village Iggy's, and the one grocery shop, The Cope, is part of a co-operative retail chain indigenous to the area. The Viking House is the nearest hotel to the village, which was once owned by singer Daniel O'Donnell. Kincasslagh is also the nearest village to Cruit Island, which boasts a very popular golf course.[7]

Sport

The local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) team is Naomh Mhuire CLG which covers the greater Lower Rosses area.[8] The local soccer team is Keadue Rovers.[9]

Arts

Kincasslagh is probably best known for being the birthplace of singers Margo and Daniel O'Donnell. The village played host to Daniel's annual tea party which he held at his mother's home as part of the Donegal Shore Festival, which drew thousands of fans each year.[10] Also home to Ireland's up and coming singer in screamo, Peadar Donald. The village was used as a location for the film American Women / The Closer You Get in 2000[11]

Transport

Kincasslagh is situated three miles from Donegal International Airport which is serviced daily by Aer Arann from Dublin Airport and also does a flight to Glasgow. Kincasslagh Road railway station was open from 1913 until 1940 when the Derry and Lough Swilly Railway closed the line due to financial difficulties.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004.
  2. ↑ http://www.donegalcottageholidays.com/towns/holiday-cottage-kincasslagh.php
  3. ↑ http://anghaeltacht.net/ctg/080323foinse.html
  4. ↑ http://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2011-01-12.32095.0
  5. ↑ http://www.schooldays.ie/school/s-n-dhubhthaigh-rollnumber-19343L
  6. ↑ http://www.rossescommunityschool.ie/index.html
  7. ↑ http://www.cruitislandgolfclub.com/
  8. ↑ http://naomhmhuire.donegal.gaa.ie/
  9. ↑ http://www.mylocalnews.ie/articles/186/4/kincasslagh-parish-1508/kincasslagh-parish-newsletter-29019/
  10. ↑ http://www.goireland.com/donegal/festivals-and-fairs-in-kincasslagh-page1.htm
  11. ↑ imdb.
  12. ↑ "Gweedore station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.