''Cill Charthaigh'' (anglicised as Kilcar) is a

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

village on the R263 regional road in the south west of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

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 also a

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

of 233 acres and a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the historic

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Banagh Banagh ( ga, Báinigh) is a historic barony in County Donegal in Ireland. Patrick Weston Joyce said the name ''Banagh'' came from Enna Bogaine, son of Conall Gulban, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. It was created along with Boylagh when th ...

. The village itself consists of a main street with a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church (known locally as 'the Chapel') at one end and two textile factories at the other end. In between there are several shops and four

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s. The village has the principal

tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...

hand weaving facility in Donegal, with a shop Studio Donegal selling tweed products. Kilcar is also known for its tradition in knitting. There is also a producer of

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

based

cosmetic Cosmetic may refer to: *Cosmetics, or make-up, substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning *Cosmetic, an adjective describing beauty, aesthetics, or appearance, especially concerning the human body *Cosmetic, a t ...

products. The primary school is about 750 metres from the Main Street, and the parish of Kilcar stretches to the '

burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...

' which separates it from the next village, Carrick, which is about 5 kilometres away. Located close to the

Slieve League Slieve League or Slieve Liag () is a mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, Ireland. At , it has the second-highest sea cliffs in Ireland after Croaghaun, and some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The Belfast naturalist Robert ...

cliffs, the town is known for the scenic coastal landscapes and the musical and cultural traditions.

Culture

Áislann Chill Chartha is a community facility which includes a library, sports hall (basketball and indoor football), a fitness suite, computer centre, and small theatre. It also has exhibits based on the history of South West Donegal and exhibitions of historic local photographs. It is located beside Studio Donegal. St. Cartha's Pipe Band was formed in Kilcar in 1934. The band competed in their first All Ireland Pipe Band Championships in 2009. At the Malahide piping and drumming festival of the same year, the band finished second in their grade. The bands uniform consists of a saffron kilt and green tunic. About 22% of residents are native Irish speakers.

Sport and outdoor activities

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

is among the more popular sports in Kilcar, and the GAA pitch at Towney is located 2 kilometres outside the village on the coast road. The local club,

CLG Chill Chartha CLG Chill Chartha is a GAA club based in Kilcar, County Donegal, in Ulster, Ireland. They have won the Donegal Senior Football Championship on six occasions, the last in 2017. They regard themselves as being "down the trough". The club has a ...

, have been 6 times Donegal Champions. In the townland of Muckross (''Mucros'' in Irish), which is a location for tourists due to its scenery,

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

beach and family bathing beach. It is east of the village on the coast road (See Muckross Head). Curris also has views of Sliabh a Liag, and has a beach and pier in close proximity.

People

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994), ...

and

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

own a holiday home in the area, and have been regular visitors. * Bishop Séamus Hegarty was from Kilcar. *

Patrick McBrearty Patrick McBrearty (born 5 August 1993) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is usually selected in the full-forward line for his county, often flanking Michael Murphy with Colm McFadden (be ...

Donegal GAA The Donegal County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Dhún na nGall) or Donegal GAA is one of 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Done ...

player is from Kilcar. * Brothers

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

and Martin McHugh, 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions, are from Kilcar. Martin is the father of

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

, 2012 All-Ireland champion and All Star and his brother Ryan, 2014 All-Ireland Finalist and All Star Award winner. *

The Revs The Revs are an indie rock band from Kilcar, County Donegal in Ireland. The group consisted of three childhood friends: Rory Gallagher (named after the famous blues guitarist Rory Gallagher and who had previously released the album ''20th Centur ...

, an indie rock band, come from Kilcar and sometimes play at the annual Kilcar Festival in August.

References

External links

{{Authority control Articles on towns and villages in Ireland possibly missing Irish place names Gaeltacht places in County Donegal Gaeltacht towns and villages Townlands of County Donegal Towns and villages in County Donegal

Culture

Sport and outdoor activities

People

See also

References

External links