Killucan and Rathwire

Coordinates: 53°30′18″N 7°08′49″W / 53.5050°N 7.1469°W / 53.5050; -7.1469
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Killucan" redirects here. For the civil parish, see Killucan (civil parish).
Killucan
IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceN566514
Map of Killucan and Rathwire

The villages of Killucan (

R156 road about 15 km (9.3 mi) from Mullingar and 60 km (37 mi) from Dublin
.

History

History of Rathwire

Both Killucan and Rathwire have ancient origins, as indicated by the ancient "Fairy Fort" in Rathwire. According to legend, this was built by the Chieftain Guaire who gave Rathwire its name. The ruins of the

Silken Thomas
.

History of Killucan

St Etchen's Church Killucan
Market House Killucan

The origins of the name Killucan are uncertain but it probably comes from the

Anglican) one during the Cromwellian Plantation
.

After the

Parish Priest of the area at that time. Fr. O'Rourke also had the rather incongruous Italianate
belfry added almost thirty years later, in the late 1860s.

Killucan parish

The

parochial house) is in Rathwire.[citation needed
]

Economy

The majority of people living in Killucan and Rathwire commute to work elsewhere.[4] Economic prosperity has historically been linked with transport connections to places like Dublin.[citation needed] The Royal Canal and the Sligo-Dublin railway line pass through the area – although neither is used as a mode of transport anymore. For example, the railway station (called Killucan Station and located nearby at Riverstown) closed in 1963 (although the line remains in use).[5] Sports facilities serving the area include a free golf course and fishing lake, a library and other amenities. The majority of its inhabitants work outside the village.[4] The only large employer in the area is Shay Murtagh's Quarry and concrete production.[citation needed]

Schools

There are three primary schools (national schools) in the parish, including St.Patrick's NS in Killucan, St.Joseph's NS in Rathwire, and St.Mary's NS in Raharney.

There is a secondary school, Columba College, located in Killucan.

Transport

Royal Canal

Royal Canal Lock No.22 at Killucan

The twin villages reached the height of their prosperity during the 18th and 19th centuries due to the arrival of first the

barges
from there. The canal through Killucan passes through the Killucan Flight, a stretch of eight locks over 2 km (1.2 mi). East of the flight there are no further locks for 27 km (17 mi) while there are no further locks to the west until past Mullingar, the highest point on the Canal.

Railway

The Midland Great Western Railway reached the town in 1848 when their railway line was extended from Hill of Down to Mullingar. The station, known as Killucan railway station and located at Riverstown, closed in 1963.[5] The signal cabin remained open until 2005 when automated signalling was introduced.

There has been a campaign during the 2010s in favour of the train station being reopened, although as of 2019 there is a lack of capacity on the

Dublin-Sligo railway line due to a lack of carriages. Iarnród Éireann, the state-owned railway company, has ordered a new fleet of carriages that will be operational from 2021.[needs update] Denis Leonard of the Killucan Kinnegad Transport Lobby Group has said that "a feasibility study has to be conducted, funding secured for work on the station and planning permission sought" and that "it is unlikely that all of these steps would be completed before the arrival of the new carriages."[6]

Public transport

Bus Éireann route 115A provides a commuter service from Killucan to Dublin via Ballivor, Summerhill, Kilcock and Maynooth and vice versa Mondays to Fridays inclusive. The route 118 service to/from Mullingar, which additionally served Rathwire was discontinued after operation on 24 August 2013.[7][8]

Sport

Killucan has a Gaelic football team at senior club level. They won the intermediate championship in 2005 and have remained at senior level since, reaching the county semi-final in 2006. Killucan lost to eventual champions Tyrrellspass in 2010.Killucan have remained a senior football team. They have had many players represent their County at National level. One such player is Frank Boyle. Who played as a defender for Westmeath for many years. He retired from intercounty football in 2018/2019

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sapmpap Area - Settlements - Killucan-Rathwire". Census 2016. CSO. 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Cill Liúcainne/Leenaun". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Ráth Ghuaire/Rathwire". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b Killucan Rathwire - Village Design Statement (PDF) (Report). Westmeath County Council. May 2004. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019. There is little employment in Killucan and Rathwire, most people commute to work out of the village, or are retired
  5. ^ a b "Killucan Train Station, Riverstown, County Westmeath". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Killucan rail campaign is moving at last". Westmeath Examiner. 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Dublin Airport - View Ireland Bus and Coach Timetables - Recent Improvements to our services to Dublin Airport". Bus Éireann. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  8. ^ "Bus Éireann Announces Revisions to Route 115 Mullingar-Dublin service". Bus Éireann. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.

External links

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