Cullen () is a rural village in

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, Ireland. The centre of the village is located at a junction of two roads in south Tipperary, 9 km north-east of

Tipperary town Tipperary (; ), commonly known as Tipperary Town, is a town and a civil parish in County Tipperary, Ireland. Its population was 4,979 at the 2016 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, ...

. These roads lead to Monard, Lattin, the "Rocky Road" and Oola respectively. The village is in a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of the same name.

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 ...

(), although an Irish legend claimed that

Fionn Mac Cumhail Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer and ...

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

Amenities

Cullen is home to a public house (pub), a cemetery and a Roman Catholic church. This church is dedicated to

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

and was built . Just outside the village, on the road approaching Oola, County Limerick, is St. Patrick's Well. This is still accessible, and was an important source of fresh water for local residents before the gradual advent of domestic plumbing became common from the mid-20th century. 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.

Sport

The

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

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, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical Barony (Ireland), barony of Clanwilliam (County Tipperary), Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman ...

, 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

In the 18th and 19th centuries many prehistoric items were found in the nearby Golden Bog of Cullen. It is possible that the finds were

votive offerings A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. Also nearby is Longstone Rath, an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

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