Keshcarrigan () is a village in

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is situated on the Shannon-Erne Waterway and R209 road and under Sheebeg (Sí Beag), an ancient pagan burial site which overlooks

Lough Scur Lough Scur () is a freshwater lake in south County Leitrim, northwest Ireland. It is part of the Shannon–Erne Waterway. There have been Human settlements here since the New Stone Age. Modern features include quays and moorings. Protected feat ...

to the north and Keshcarrigan Lough to the south. Keshcarrigan features in the writing of the novelist

John McGahern John McGahern (12 November 1934 – 30 March 2006) was an Irish writer and novelist. He is regarded as one of the most important writers of the latter half of the twentieth century. Known for the detailed dissection of Irish life found in w ...

who lived nearby.

History

The village of Keshcarrigan probably originates from ancient "lake dweller"

human settlement In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community in which people live. The complexity of a settlement can range from a minuscule number of dwellings grouped together to the largest of ci ...

s of nearby

and, in recent centuries, activities associated with Reynolds manor. In 1798, the French Army under

General Humbert General Jean Joseph Amable Humbert (22 August 1767 – 3 January 1823) was a French military officer who participated in several notable military conflicts of the late 18th and early 19th century. Born in the townland of La Coâre Saint-Nabord, ...

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). 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 1 km west of Keshcarrigan on the road to

Carrick-on-Shannon Carrick-on-Shannon () is the county town of County Leitrim in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county of Leitrim. A smaller part of the town lies in County Roscommon. The population of the town was 4,062 in 2016. It is ...

there is a collapsed dolmen overlooking Lough Scur. Medieval ruins of Castle John and Jail Island are located near the village, at

. In 1854 a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

gold artifact which became known as the '

Keshcarrigan Bowl The Keshcarrigan Bowl is an Iron Age bronze bowl discovered to the north of Keshcarrigan, County Leitrim, Ireland, in the 19th century. The bowl was found in the waterway between Lough Scur and Lough Marrave ("lake of death"). It was perhaps a ...

' was discovered in the waterways between

and Lough Marrave, north of the village.

Demographics

In the 2011 census the Electoral Division of Keshcarrigan (an area larger than the village) had 472 residents. This was an increase from the 270 residents recorded in 2001. The village experienced changes in the early 21st century with over 100 new houses being built mainly as a result of a controversial government tax incentive scheme (Section 23).

Amenities and sport

About 1km south of the village on the road to

Mohill Mohill (, meaning "Soft Ground") is a town in County Leitrim, Ireland. The town of Carrick-on-Shannon is approximately 16 km (10 miles) away. History The Justinian plague of Mohill devastated the local population in the 6th centur ...

, a small park on the shores of Keshcarrigan Lough is dedicated to the memory of

Mychal Judge Mychal Fallon Judge (born Robert Emmett Judge; May 11, 1933 – September 11, 2001), was an American Franciscan friar and Catholic priest who served as a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. While serving in that capacity he was ki ...

, chaplain of the New York Fire Department and the first recorded victim of the 2001 attack on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

. Fr Judge's ancestral home was opposite the park. The main local sports club is Kiltubrid GAA. The senior men's team were Leitrim Senior Football Champions in 2005 and the senior women's team in 2015 and 2016. The latter also went on to contest Connacht finals in both those years. There are a number of angling centres near Kesh, including

, Keshcarrigan Lough, Carrickaport Lough and the

Shannon–Erne Waterway The Shannon–Erne Waterway ( ga, Uiscebhealach na Sionainne is na hÉirne) is a canal linking the River Shannon in the Republic of Ireland with the River Erne in Northern Ireland. Managed by Waterways Ireland, the canal is in length, has sixt ...

Local manor houses and estates

Laheen Estate and Letterfine House (built c.1800) near Keshcarrigan are associated with the Reynolds (Lough Scur) and Peyton families, prominent local landowners who had intermarried in the early 18th century. The original houses associated with the properties no longer exist.

People

Eleanor Shanley Eleanor Shanley, from Keshcarrigan in County Leitrim in the North West of Ireland, is an Irish and Roots musician. She made her first appearance as a singer with traditional group De Danann, and subsequently with Ronnie Drew. She has also tou ...

, singer, is a native of the village. *

, writer, lived about 3 km away at .

References and notes

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * {{County Leitrim Towns and villages in County Leitrim