Kells Ceanannas Mór | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 St Columba'sChurch of Ireland, Kells | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Motto(s): Áineas Éireann "The delight of Ireland" | |
  Kells Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°43′38″N6°52′37″W / 53.7272°N 6.8769°W /53.7272; -6.8769 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Meath |
| Barony | Upper Kells |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.8 km2 (1.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 66 m (217 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 6,608 |
| • Density | 2,400/km2 (6,100/sq mi) |
| Eircode routing key | A82 |
| Telephone area code | +353(0)46 |
| Irish Grid Reference | N738759 |
Kells (/ˈkɛlz/;Irish:Ceanannas)[a] is a town inCounty Meath,Ireland. The town lies off theM3 motorway, 16 km (10 mi) fromNavan and 65 km (40 mi) fromDublin. Along with other towns in County Meath, it is within thecommuter belt for Dublin,[3][4][5] and had a population of 6,608 as of the2022 census.[2] It is best known as the site ofKells Abbey, from which theBook of Kells takes its name. The town is in acivil parish of the same name.[6]
The settlement was originally known by the Irish nameCenannus, laterCeannanas orCeannanus, and it is suggested that the name "Kells" developed from this.[6][7] An early name for adún or fort at the settlement wasCúil Sibrille, this fort probably being located in the centre of present-day Kells.[7] From the 12th century onward, the settlement was referred to in English and Anglo-Norman as Kenenus, Kenelles, Kenles, Kenlis, Kellis and finally Kells.[6] It has also been suggested that Kenlis and Kells come from an alternative Irish name,Ceann Lios (meaning 'Head Fort'). Kells, Kenlis and Headfort all feature in the titles taken by theTaylor family.
In 1929,Ceanannas Mór became the town's official name in both Irish and English.[6] Following the creation of theIrish Free State, anumber of towns were renamed likewise.Ceanannas has been the official Irish-language form of the place name since 1969.[6] In 1993,Kells was re-adopted as the town's official name in English.[8]
Before Kells was a monastery, it was a royal site inhabited by the High KingCormac mac Airt who moved his residence from theHill of Tara,[citation needed] for what reasons scholars are yet not sure.
Kells was an important place on one of the five ancient roads that came out of Tara – this road being namedSlí nan nAssail and which ran from Tara toRathcrogan, another royal site, inCounty Roscommon.[citation needed]
About 560 AD,Colmcille (later known as Columba) – a prince of the royal house of the Northern Uí Néill family – acquired Kells in recompense of a fault acted against him by his cousin the High King Diarmuid MacCarroll, who granted him theDun (fortification) of Ceannanus to establish a Monastery.[9]
The present monastery at Kells is thought to have been founded around 804 AD by monks from St Colmcille's monastery inIona who were fleeingViking invasions.[citation needed]
In 1152, theSynod of Kells completed the transition of the Colmcille's establishment from amonastic church to adiocesan church.[citation needed] A latersynod reduced the status of Kells to that of aparish. Following theNorman invasion of Ireland,Hugh de Lacy was granted theLordship of Meath in 1182. The religious establishments at Kells continued to flourish under theirAnglo-Norman overlords. In the fifteenth century the parish of St. Columba's was granted to theArchdeacon of Meath and his successors.
Kells became a border town garrison ofthe Pale and was the scene of many battles between theKingdom of Breifne and theHiberno-Normans (who had heavily intermarried). From 1561 to 1801, the constituency ofKells returned twoMPs to theIrish House of Commons. During theIrish rebellion of 1641, Kells was burned by the O'Reilly clan during their attacks on the Pale.[citation needed]
The period of theGreat Famine saw the population of Kells drop by 38% as measured by the census records of 1841 and 1851.[citation needed] TheWorkhouse and the Fever Hospital were described as full to overflowing.[citation needed]
The Kells monastic site, including theKells Round Tower, is associated withSt Colmcille (also known as Columba), theBook of Kells, now kept atTrinity College Dublin, and theKells Crozier, exhibited at theBritish Museum. The round tower and four largeCeltic crosses can still be viewed today.[10] Four of the crosses are in the churchyard of St Columba's Church on the Monastic Site. The other Celtic cross was positioned in the middle of a busy crossroads until an accident involving a school bus. It now stands in front of a former courthouse. A roof protects the cross from the elements. A replica also stands safe from the elements inside the museum.[citation needed]
Close by the graveyard of St. Columba's church stands a small stone roofed oratory, known asSt. Colmcille's House. This probably dates from the 11th century. Access to the monks' sleeping accommodation aloft is by ladder. This small rectangular building is positioned at one of the highest points in the town.
Just outside the town of Kells on the road toOldcastle is the hill of Lloyd, named after Thomas Lloyd of Enniskillen, who camped a largeWilliamite army here during the wars of 1688–91 against theJacobites. Here also stands a 30m high building called theSpire of Lloyd, which is an 18th-century lighthouse folly. The area around the tower has been developed as a community park (the People's Park), and includes the Paupers' Grave. Mass is celebrated there annually, and the cemetery is a reminder of the workhouse andextreme poverty engendered by changes in farming practice in the 19th century and during theGreat Famine.[citation needed]
The population of Kells town, as of the2022 census of Ireland, was 6,608.[2] In the period between the 1996 and 2022 census, the population almost doubled.[11]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1813 | 3,344 | — |
| 1821 | 3,618 | +8.2% |
| 1831 | 4,326 | +19.6% |
| 1841 | 4,205 | −2.8% |
| 1851 | 3,660 | −13.0% |
| 1861 | 3,224 | −11.9% |
| 1871 | 2,953 | −8.4% |
| 1881 | 2,822 | −4.4% |
| 1891 | 2,427 | −14.0% |
| 1901 | 2,428 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 2,395 | −1.4% |
| 1926 | 2,196 | −8.3% |
| 1936 | 2,304 | +4.9% |
| 1946 | 2,143 | −7.0% |
| 1951 | 2,125 | −0.8% |
| 1956 | 2,162 | +1.7% |
| 1961 | 2,193 | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 2,274 | +3.7% |
| 1971 | 2,653 | +16.7% |
| 1981 | 3,663 | +38.1% |
| 1986 | 2,683 | −26.8% |
| 1991 | 3,539 | +31.9% |
| 1996 | 3,542 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 4,321 | +22.0% |
| 2006 | 5,248 | +21.5% |
| 2011 | 5,888 | +12.2% |
| 2016 | 6,135 | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 6,608 | +7.7% |
| CSO.ie andHistpop.org.[b] | ||
Until the opening of the new motorway in June 2010, Kells stood as a busy junction town on the old N3 road with over 18,000 vehicles passing through the town each day. Kells was a renownedtraffic bottleneck from both theN3 national primary route (Dublin,Cavan,Enniskillen andBallyshannon) andN52 national secondary route (Dundalk,Tullamore andNenagh) passing through the town centre. The new M3 motorway (opened June 2010) significantly reduces the journey time to Dublin[citation needed], as well as the numbers of vehicles in the town.
Kells is served by a regular bus service run byBus Éireann, the 109, 109A and 109X, which takes about 1.5 hours toBusáras in Dublin.In October 2022 Bus Éireann'sDundalk toArdee route167 was extended toMullingar via Kells. There are several services daily in each direction.[12]
The original Kells railway station, located on theOldcastle branch line betweenOldcastle andDrogheda viaNavan, opened on 11 July 1853. It was closed for passenger traffic on 14 April 1958 and finally for all traffic on 1 April 1963.[13]
"Meath on Track" are seeking reinstatement of the Navan railway link, and on to Dublin.[citation needed]
The Butcher Boy was filmed atHeadfort House. Other films set in Kells include the Oscar-nominated animated filmThe Secret of Kells.
The Hollywood actressMaureen O'Hara was a native of Kells. Her father Charles came from the town, although Maureen grew up in Dublin. Charles was born in a house at the bottom of Farrell Street in the town, a building that now houses a supermarket, carpet shop and apartments. She visited the town on 26 May 2012 to receive the freedom of the town and to unveil a bust in her honour.[citation needed]
From 2014 - 2021, Kells was home to the documentary film festival, the "Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival".[14] 2021. Guth Gafa is now focusing in impact and outreach screenings of powerful social justice and human rights documentaries
Hay Festival Kells was home to Ireland's onlyHay Festival,[clarification needed] which then transmuted into the current Hinterlands festival.[citation needed]
St. Ciaran's Community School Kells, Navan Road, Kells is a mixed secondary school in Kells which first opened in September 1988 and has around 640 students in attendance. It was first formed by the amalgamation of the Christian Brothers Secondary School and Kells Vocational School.[15]
Eureka secondary school Kells, Navan Road, Kells was first opened by Sisters of Mercy secondary education for girls in Kells in classrooms attached to the Convent in 1924. The school moved to a site at Eureka House in 1956[16] where it was situated until 2019 before moving to the newly built school campus on Cavan Road.[17]
St. Colmcille's Boys National school is an all-boys school on the Navan Road, first opened by the Christian Brothers on 20 January 1845. The present school was opened in 1976 and the Brothers, because of a fall-off in vocations, withdrew from the school in 1985.[18]
Headfort School is a non-denominational day and boarding private school situated in stunning parkland just outside the ancient town of Kells. Their focus is providing an outstanding all-round education centered on individuality and academic excellence.
Songwriters from the area includeJim Connell (b.1852 in Crossakiel) who wrote the Socialist anthem "The Red Flag", andDick Farrelly (1916–1990), who wrote the "Isle of Innisfree". Other musicians from Kells includeMícheál Ó Domhnaill (1951–2006), who was a member ofThe Bothy Band,Relativity, andNightnoise, and Eamon Carr (b.1948), who is the drummer in the bandHorslips.[citation needed] Irishindie rock bandsHam Sandwich andTurn are also associated with Kells.[citation needed]
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