Windgap Bearna na Gaoithe | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Welcome sign (Fáilte go Bearna na Gaoithe) | |
  Windgap Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:52°27′51″N7°23′55″W / 52.464167°N 7.398611°W /52.464167; -7.398611 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Kilkenny |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
Windgap (Irish:Bearna na Gaoithe, meaning 'the wind gap'),[1] is a village inCounty Kilkenny, inIreland. Windgap is located in the south-western part of Kilkenny on the border withTipperary, just south ofCallan. The village is located on theR689regional road, the nearest main road being theN76 fromKilkenny toClonmel.
Windgap was named for its location on a pass through hills east ofSlievenamon. Thelandscape of Windgap is dominated by steep hills and large wooded areas. Windgap lies in a formerslate-quarrying district spanning the Kilkenny-Tipperary border. Today,agriculture is Windgap's maineconomic activity, withdairy products as the mainexport. The most notable buildings in Windgap are its 19th-centurygraveyard,The Old League House, which once served as a home for poortenant farmers (seeIrish National Land League), and early 20th-centurygrotto.
Those who hail from the village are sometimes referred to as 'Gappers'.
The Mayor of Windgap is an 1835 novel byMichael Banim set in Windgap in 1779.[2] Windgap is also referred to in the 1907 bookThe Placenames of the Decies by Rev. P. Power.
Windgap GAA club was founded in 1954 following the advent of the "one parish rule" in the county.Gaelic games have been played in the area since the 1890s.[citation needed] In the early days, it was better known for football, but hurling was played with the Slatequarries in 1929 and St. Joseph 's inTullahought in the 1940s.[citation needed] Handball first made its appearance in the Slatequarries in the early 1900s before it spread to Windgap.[citation needed] Camogie started in Lamogue in the 1920s and was played in many areas of the parish with teams representing Windgap and Tullahought at various stages. Ladies Football was played in the area for a time in the 1970s with a team in Tullahought. Windgap Camogie Club that was founded in 1994 and Windgap Handball Club in 1984.[3]Galmoy and Windgap's teams amalgamated in 2005.[citation needed]
Places inCounty Kilkenny | ||
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