Killarney is an unincorporated community in southwestern
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, at the corner of
Manitoba Provincial Trunk Highways 3 &
18. The community was formerly an incorporated town before amalgamating with the surrounding Rural Municipality of Turtle Mountain to form the
Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain
Killarney-Turtle Mountain is a rural municipality (RM) located in the Westman Region of Manitoba, Canada. It is located to the immediate north of the Canada–United States border opposite Rollete and Towner Counties, North Dakota.
History
Th ...
. Killarney is known for the lake situated within the community. Killarney is located in a rural area, dependent primarily on
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
and
agribusiness
Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy,
in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise.
The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...
. It is approximately from the
Canada-US border, south of
Brandon
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
*Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Q ...
and southwest of the provincial capital,
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
.
History
The Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain area is rich in history and tradition. In the late 1800s, the Boundary Commission Trail ran through the southern part of the municipality.
North-West Mounted Police
The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...
used the trail, as they travelled west to the
Rockies
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
in an effort to tame the
prairies
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
. Prior to this time, the area was home to many
Aboriginal people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
, as well as hunters and trappers taking part in the fur trade. The R.M. of Turtle Mountain was incorporated in 1882. The first Council meeting was held in 1883.
The Town of Killarney was officially incorporated in 1906. An Irish land surveyor named John Sidney O'Brien, named Killarney Lake (before that, it was called Oak Lake by Indigenous peoples) after the
Lakes of Killarney
The Lakes of Killarney are a scenic attraction located in Killarney National Park near Killarney, County Kerry, in Ireland. They consist of three lakes - Lough Leane, Muckross Lake (also called Middle Lake) and Upper Lake.
Surroundings
The l ...
, in
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 ...
. Legend has it that as he sat on the shore of the lake, homesick for his native home, he took a bottle of "
Good Irish" from his pack and pouring it into the lake christened it Killarney.
The "Irish"-ness of the community is often used as a tourist attraction with things such as green fire engines, Erin and Kerry Parks, Little Irish Downs, and many other good Irish-themed attractions used to play up this theme. Killarney, Manitoba does not have any actual connection with the town of
Killarney
Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castl ...
, Ireland. Most of the people who originally settled the region were from the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
, the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
or were
Mennonites
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...
or
Hutterites
Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptism, Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Refor ...
of
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
an extraction.
The local landscape of the area is common to the
Westman area and much of the southern province. The land is mainly flat with gently rolling hills breaking the horizon. Numerous tree lined rivers and streams cross the landscape breaking up vast farm fields. The area is rich in agriculture with many local residents actively farming.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Killarney had a population of 2,490 living in 1,032 of its 1,143 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,366. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Economy
Agriculture is a large part of Killarney-Turtle Mountain's economy. Killarney boasts a variety of sales and specialized services that help complement the strong agricultural base of the community. In addition, to agriculture, tourism also plays a role in the economy. The municipality attracts as many as 1,500 people each summer to its cottages and playgrounds.
Killarney Lake makes up the majority of Killarney's tourism and is the focus of many activities.
Killarney has been voted the best retirement town in Canada by Canadian Living Magazine. The community works hard to maintain this reputation and the business community in Killarney provides most all essential goods and services to local residents, ensuring a comfortable and amenable living environment.
Government
The Municipality of Killarney - Turtle Mountain is governed by a Mayor and six Councillors.
The mayor of the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain is Merv Tweed as of June, 2021. Previous mayor was Rick Pauls resigned in 2020. The current Councillors are Connie Blixhavn, Randy Hodge, Joan Kemp, Gary King, Greg Ericson, and Janice Smith.
Provincially, the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain has been part of the provincial constituency of
Spruce Woods since it was created in the 2008 electoral redistribution. Spruce Woods is represented by Progressive Conservative M.L.A.
Cliff Cullen
Clifford James Cullen (born November 8, 1962) is a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Spruce Woods, currently serving as the Deputy Premier of Manitoba and Minister of Economic Development, Investment and T ...
. Federally, the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain, falls under the federal riding of
Brandon-Souris. Brandon-Souris is represented by Conservative M.P.
Larry Maguire
Larry Maguire (born June 1, 1949) is a politician and activist farmer in Manitoba, Canada. Formerly a Progressive Conservative MLA in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on No ...
.
Recreation
Killarney is home to th
Killarney Shamrocksof th
Tiger Hills Hockey Leagueand the Killarney Lakers of the Border West Baseball League. The Shamrocks play out of the Killarney Shamrock Centre, which was completed in May 2008.
Notable people
*
Adam J. Baker, politician
*
John Conlin John Fletcher Stout Conlin (1932-1991) was the fourth Bishop of Brandon. Born in Belfast he came to Canada in 1952. He was educated at the University of Saskatchewan and ordained in 1958. He began his career as Curate at Gilbert Plains, Manitoba a ...
, Anglican bishop
*
Harold Elliott (artist), artist
*
Albert Earl Godfrey
Air Vice-Marshal Albert Earl "Steve" Godfrey MC (27 July 1890 – 1 January 1982) was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 14 victories while flying for the Royal Flying Corps. He spent the remainder of his ...
, WWI flying ace
*
Howard Hammell, politician
*
Samuel Hayden
Samuel M. Hayden (October 6, 1858 – October 27, 1934) was a Canadian politician in Manitoba. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1920, as a member of the Liberal Party.
Hayden resided in Killarney, Manitoba dur ...
, politician
*
Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack (born January 26, 1965) is a Canadian actress.
Early years
Born in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada, Hossack grew up in Killarney, Manitoba, and participated in musical theatre productions while a student there. She began her studies ...
, actress
*
Alfred Alexander Leitch
Alfred Alexander Leitch was born on 5 February 1894
in Killarney, Manitoba, Canada. He grew into a tall young man. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 15 May 1917 as an unmarried student. Upon his enlistment, he designated his n ...
, pilot
*
Peter J. McDonald, politician
*
Richard Gavin Reid
Richard Gavin "Dick" Reid (17 January 1879 – 17 October 1980) was a Canadian politician who served as the sixth premier of Alberta from 1934 to 1935. He was the last member of the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) to hold the office, and that par ...
, politician
*
Merv Tweed
Mervin C. Tweed, MP (born August 6, 1955 in Medora, Manitoba) is a retired politician in Manitoba, Canada. He represented Brandon—Souris in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to August 31, 2013. Prior to that he was a member of the Le ...
, politician
*
Finlay McNaughton Young
Finlay McNaughton Young (2 April 1852 – 15 February 1916) was a Canadian senator.
Born in St. Chrysostome, Canada East, the son of Duncan Young, he was educated at St. Chrysostome and Montreal. In 1879, he moved to Manitoba. A farmer, ...
, senator
References
External links
*
Killarney Guide Newspaper
{{Authority control
Former towns in Manitoba
Unincorporated communities in Westman Region
Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain