Kilcummin, County Mayo Explained

Kilcummin
Native Name:Irish: Cill Chuimín
Native Name Lang:ga
Settlement Type:Townland
Pushpin Map:Ireland
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Ireland
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Ireland
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Connacht
Subdivision Type3:County
Subdivision Name3:County Mayo
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Density Km2:auto
Utc Offset1:+0
Timezone1 Dst:IST (WEST)
Utc Offset1 Dst:-1
Coordinates:54.2789°N -9.2139°W
Blank Name:Irish Grid Reference

Kilcummin [1] is a beachhead and civil parish on the northern coast of County Mayo in Ireland.[2] Traditionally a fishing community,[3] the Kilcummin area is sparsely populated. The "Tír Sáile - North Mayo Sculpture Trail" and "Tour d'Humbert" tourist route lead through the area. Kilcummin overlooks Killala Bay, the blue flag beach "An Trá nRoss", "Bartra Island" and lies on the opposite shore to Enniscrone and its beach in County Sligo.

Name

Kilcummin is named after the early Irish saint Cuimín, and derives from the Irish Cill Chuimín, meaning "church of Cuimín".[1] Other variants of the Irish spelling (seen on local signage) include "Cilcummin" and "Cill Chummín".

Prior to being named Kilcummin a map of Connaught from the 5th Century indicates that the area was originally known as "Forrac".[4]

History

The remains of the church of Saint Cuimín (for which the area is named) are still to be found in the local cemetery, along with a holy well at which to this day worshippers come to pray.[3] Saint Cuimín's grave has been lost over the centuries, but it is believed that a group of stones in Kilcummin cemetery once belonged to his tomb.[5] [6]

Kilcummin is noted as the site where a French expedition commanded by General Humbert[7] landed on 22 August 1798, in an attempt to assist Irish rebels during the 1798 rebellion.[8] Humbert commanded three frigates, the Concorde, Franchise, and the Médée altogether carrying 1070 French forces, three cannon, and approximately 3000 muskets.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cill Chuimín / Kilcummin . Placenames Database of Ireland . logainm.ie . 4 August 2019 .
  2. Web site: Civil Parish of Kilcummin, Co. Mayo. Irish Townlands . townlands.ie . 4 August 2019 .
  3. Web site: Kilcummin (Cill Chuimín - Cuimíns Church) . sacredlandscapes.ie . 4 August 2019 . 17 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190817105002/http://www.sacredlandscapes.ie/kilcummin.html . dead .
  4. Book: The History of the County of Mayo . H.T. Knox . 1908 . Hodges, Figgis & Co . Dublin .
  5. Web site: Kilcummin Graveyard Headstones . GoldenLangan.com. 4 August 2019 .
  6. Web site: Early Christian Sites - Kilcummin. earlychristianireland.org .
  7. Web site: In the Footsteps of Général Humbert: The French Invasion of Ireland, 1798 . Bill Peterson . 2001 . wargame.ch . https://web.archive.org/web/20080131101358/http://www.wargame.ch/wc/nwc/newsletter/September2001/Newsletter15/Ireland.html . 31 January 2008 .
  8. Web site: In Humbert's Footsteps - 1798 & the Year of the French . Mayo County Library . Mayo County Council . 10 December 2022 . On 22 August 1798, a French expedition of 1,000 men under the leadership of General Jean Joseph Amable Humbert (b.1767) landed at Kilcummin.