Cullen () is a rural village in

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The centre of the village is located at a junction of two roads in south Tipperary. These roads lead to Monard, Lattin, the "Rocky Road" and Oola respectively.

Name

The village was traditionally believed to have taken its name from the

holly ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

(Irish ''cuileann''), although an Irish legend claimed that

Fionn Mac Cumhail Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the '' Fianna'' bands of ...

killed a hero named Cuileann, son of Morna at this site in the 3rd century AD. Another possible derivation is ''cuilleann'', "steep unbroken slope;" the village is dominated by a sloping road.

Amenities

Cullen is home to two public houses (pubs), a cemetery and a Roman Catholic church. This church is dedicated to

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 b ...

and was built . Cullen–Lattin soccer pitch is the venue for the Cullen–Lattin soccer team. It is called this because the villages of Cullen and Lattin (approx. 4 miles from Cullen) are joined as one parish in the

Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly The Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly ( ga, Ard-Deoise Chaisil agus Imligh) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in mid-western Ireland and the metropolis o ...

Sport

The GAA affiliations of the joint parish is concentrated in the village of Lattin; the team called Lattin–Cullen (to differentiate with the soccer team Cullen–Lattin). Cullen is also part of the shooting club known as "E.L.C.O. Gun Club" (

Emly Emly or Emlybeg () is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. It is situated on the R515 ...

, Lattin, Cullen, Oola Gun club). This gun club is open for membership to residents and former residents of the lands within the E.L.C.O. area.

Archaeology

Longstone Rath Longstone Rath () is a ringfort (''rath'') and National Monument located in County Tipperary, Ireland. Location Longstone Rath is located on a height overlooking the Barna–Emly road, 1.6 km (1 mile) west-southwest of Cullen. History an ...

and the

Golden Bog of Cullen The Golden Bog of Cullen is an archaeological site located in County Tipperary, Ireland. Discovered in the 18th century, it has been described as "one of the most important and prolific sites" in Ireland; it was discovered before modern methods o ...

are nearby historic sites.

People

Nicky English Nicholas J. "Nicky" English (born 20 October 1962) is an Irish former hurler who played as a full-forward at senior level for the Tipperary county team. Born in Cullen, County Tipperary, English first played competitive Gaelic games during h ...

, the former Tipperary hurler and manager, was born and raised in Cullen, living in what was a small shop run by his parents.

References