Keshcarrigan
| Keshcarrigan Irish: Ceis Charraigín | |
| County Leitrim | |
|---|---|
 Gertie's Pub in Keshcarrigan | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | H037076 |
| Location: | 54°1’4"N, 7°56’36"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 155 (2016) |
| Local Government | |
| Dáil constituency: |
Leitrim |
Keshcarrigan is a village in County Leitrim, standing beside the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the R209 road, and under Sheebeg (Sí Beag), an ancient burial site which overlooks Lough Scur to the north and Keshcarrigan Lough to the south.
Keshcarrigan features in the writing of the novelist John McGahern who lived nearby.
The name of the townland and village is from the Irish language, Ceis Charraigín meaning 'Kesh, or causeway, near the little rock'.[1]
History
The village of Keshcarrigan probably originates from ancient "lake dweller" settlements of nearby Lough Scur and, in recent centuries, activities associated with Reynolds manor. In 1798, the French Army under General Humbert passed through on the way to eventual defeat at the Battle of Ballinamuck. Through the 19th and much of the 20th century, eleven market fairs were held at Keshcarrigan annually (see notes).[2][3] These fair days are no longer extant, although the fair green in the centre of the village has been redeveloped into a small park. More recently, Keshcarrigan has become known for its alternative St Patrick's Day parades which have included an invisible parade, an indoor parade (in a local pub) and a walking backwards parade.
About half a mile west of Keshcarrigan on the road to Carrick-on-Shannon is a collapsed dolmen overlooking Lough Scur. Mediæval ruins of Castle John and Jail Island are located near the village, at Lough Scur. In 1854 a Bronze Age gold artefact which became known as the 'Keshcarrigan Bowl' was discovered in the waterways between Lough Scur and Lough Marrave, north of the village.
Amenities and sport
About half a mile south of the village on the road to Mohill, a small park on the shores of Keshcarrigan Lough is dedicated to the memory of Mychal Judge, chaplain of the New York Fire Department and the first recorded victim of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Fr Judge's ancestral home was opposite the park.
- Gaelic sports: Kiltubrid GAA
There are a number of angling centres near Kesh, including Lough Scur, Keshcarrigan Lough, Carrickaport Lough and the Shannon–Erne Waterway.
References
- ↑ Ceis Charraigín: Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ Longman 1819, pp. 405.
- ↑ Watsons 1830.
- Longman (1819). Traveller's New Guide Through Ireland, Containing a New and Accurate Description of the Roads (digitized from original in Lyon Public Library [2011] ed.). Longman. https://books.google.com/books?id=R0DnDPUvoAYC&pg=PA405.
- Watsons (1830). The Gentleman's and citizen's almanack ... for the year. Dublin, Printed for S. Watson [etc.]. https://archive.org/download/gentlemanscitize00wats_0/gentlemanscitize00wats_0.pdf.