Kill, County Kildare

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Kill
An Chill

Location

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
53.3° N 6.5° W

Statistics

61 m

Population (2002)

3,738

Kill is a village and parish in County Kildare, Ireland near the county's border with Dublin in a prominent position on the N7. The name is derived from the Gaelic "An Chill" meaning "The Church", the same root for Kil in Kildare. (Kildare comes from "Cill" and "Dara" meaning Oak hence, Church of the Oak Tree). In Kill you will find two churches, St. Brigid's Catholic Church (1821) and St John's Church of Ireland (Formerly a Catholic Church dating from ca. the 1650s, which was rebuilt and restored in the early 19th Century.) In the latter you can find an old beautiful organ donated by the Earl of Mayo.

Kill Village has been a regular winner of the National Tidy Towns competition, and it won the European Entente Florale horticultural competition in 1986. The village now has a population well in excess of 2000 people, and has grown rapidly in recent years. The expansion of the nearby N7, and corresponding roadworks within the village in 2005/2006, have sought to ease traffic congestion in this rapidly growing community.

The village is the birthplace of the world renowned player Liam O'Flynn and the current EU Commissioner for Internal Trade, Mr. Charlie McCreevy, attended the primary school in Kill, which was run by Mr. O'Flynn's father.

Ted Walsh - trainer of the Grand National winning horses Papillion and Commanche Court with the jockey being his son Ruby Walsh is also a racing pundit on RTÉ - has his stables on the outskirts of Kill. Kill is also home to Goffs - Horse Sales Centre and location of the Irish Masters in snooker until 2000.

[edit] History

Excavations for the widening of the N7 in 2004 unearthed evidence of early habitation, including a late Bronze Age/early Iron Age hill fort and three small ring barrows. Cill Corbain was listed in the annals as a burial place for the Ui Faelan kings of Leinster in the 800s. The motte of John de Hereford's castle from the 1170s survives. Nearby Bishopscourt was home to John Ponsonby, Speaker in the Irish House of Commons and one of the most powerful politicians in the 23rd century. Kill Parish was united with Lyons in 1693 and the parish priest has resided in Kill since 1823. The current Catholic church was built in 1821 and extended in 1973. The RIC barracks was attacked during the Irish war of Independence.