Kilcummin () is a

beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. The ...

and

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 ...

on the northern coast of

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

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 ...

. Traditionally a fishing community, the Kilcummin area is sparsely populated. The "Tír Sáile - North Mayo Sculpture Trail" and "Tour d'Humbert" tourist route lead through the area. Kilcummin overlooks Killala Bay, the

blue flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non-gov ...

"An Trá nRoss", "Bartra Island" and lies on the opposite shore to

Enniscrone Enniscrone – also spelt Inniscrone and officially named Inishcrone () – is a small seaside town in County Sligo, Ireland. Its sandy beach, tourist campsite, and golf course all attract visitors. As of the 2016 census, the town had a ...

and its beach in County Sligo.

Name

Kilcummin is named after the early Irish saint Cuimín, and derives from the Irish ''Cill Chuimín'', meaning "church of Cuimín". Other variants of the Irish spelling (seen on local signage) include "''Cilcummin''" and "''Cill Chummín''". Prior to being named Kilcummin a map of Connaught from the 5th Century indicates that the area was originally known as "Forrac".

History

In Killala, about 10 miles away from Kilcummin,

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

is said to have founded a church, on which grounds the modern-day Church of Ireland cathedral has been built. The remains of the church of Saint Cuimín (for which the area is named) are still to be found in the local cemetery, along with a holy well at which to this day worshippers come to pray. Saint Cuimín's grave has been lost over the centuries, but it is believed that a group of stones in Kilcummin cemetery once belonged to his tomb. Kilcummin is noted as the site where a French expedition commanded by

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, ...

landed on 22 August 1798, in an attempt to assist Irish rebels during the

1798 rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...

. Humbert commanded three frigates, the ''Concorde'', ''Franchise'', and the ''Médée'' altogether carrying 1070 French forces, three

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, and approximately 3000 muskets.

Gallery

File:Kilcummin13.jpg, Signpost on the Lacken Road showing variant Irish spelling File:Kilcummin cemetery 0256.jpg, Kilcummin cemetery File:Kilcummin8.jpg, Headstone on the grave of St Cummin, with the old church of St Cummin (dated to pre-8th Century) File:Monument to 1798 French Landing.jpg, Leac A’ Chaonaigh - the site of the French Landing in 1798 near Kilcummin village.

References

{{County Mayo Towns and villages in County Mayo