Cill Chiaráin (anglicized as Kilkieran) is a coastal village in the Connemara area of
County Galway
"Righteousness and Justice"
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, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg
, map_caption = Location in Ireland
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, area_total_km2 = ...
in
Ireland.
The
R340 passes through Cill Chiaráin.
Cill Chiaráin lies in a ''
Gaeltacht'' region (
Irish-speaking
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was t ...
area), and ''Coláiste Sheoisaimh'' hosts Irish language courses within the village.
Name
The village is named after
Saint Ciarán
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
, "Cill Chiaráin" translates to "Ciarán's church" from Irish. It shares its name with a second Cill Chiaráin in
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
.
History
On St Ciarán's feast day, there is a
Pattern Day
A pattern () in Irish Roman Catholicism refers to the devotions that take place within a parish on the feast day of the patron saint of the parish, on that date, called a Pattern day, or the nearest Sunday, called Pattern Sunday. In the case of a ...
in honour of the saint held in the village. Organised by the local festival committee, Coiste Fhéile Chill Chiaráin, there is a Roman Catholic
Mass performed at the well which St Ciarán blessed back in the 6th century.
Amenities
Cill Chiaráin has a number of facilities and public buildings, including a health centre, a "
gastropub" (''Tigh Chadhain''), local supermarket, a national school, community hall, church and fish factory.
The
Arramara Teo seaweed factory is also nearby. The company was previously Irish owned, but has since been bought by a Canadian company.
The village also has a children's playground and the Páirc Peile Chill Chiaráin (
artificial pitch) which opened in 2015. The pitch is used by the local
GAA team, Carna-Cashel, and the athletics club.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{County Galway
Towns and villages in County Galway
Gaeltacht places in County Galway
Gaeltacht towns and villages