Kinnitty Explained

Kinnitty
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Ireland
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Ireland
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Ireland
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Leinster
Subdivision Type3:County
Subdivision Name3:Offaly
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:2016
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population:381
Population Density Km2:auto
Utc Offset1:+0
Timezone1 Dst:IST (WEST)
Utc Offset1 Dst:-1
Coordinates:53.1°N -7.7167°W
Blank Name:Irish Grid Reference

Kinnitty [2] is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is located 13 km east of Birr on the R440 and R421 regional roads. The village is in a civil parish of the same name.[2]

Name and location

The village derives its name from the myth that the head of an ancient princess is buried beneath the village, Ceann Eitigh being the "Head of Eiteach" in the Irish language - where Eiteach is the name of the princess. The village is situated at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the ancient kingdom of Éile.

Parish

Kinnity is also the name of the Roman Catholic parish. The present chapel was built around 1815.[3]

Amenities

Kinnitty is served by a primary school, creche, two churches, post office, community centre, children's playground, two pubs, café, some shops, a number of bed and breakfasts and a hotel (the modern day use of Kinnitty Castle). The trail head for the Slieve Bloom Mountain biking trails is located in the village of Kinnitty, as is one of the trailheads for the long distance Slieve Bloom Way walking route. Kinnitty Forest or Glenregan Forest is operated by Coillte and is located near the village.[4]

Buildings

There is an unusual pyramid-shaped tomb in the grounds of the St Finian's Church.[5] It was built by the Bernard family who resided in Kinnitty Castle, on the site of St. Finnian's monastery. The 9th century Kinnitty High Cross is located at the front of Kinnitty Castle (now a hotel).

Notable people

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sapmap Area - Settlements - Kinnitty . Central Statistics Office . Census 2016 . April 2016 . 27 February 2020.
  2. Web site: Cionn Eitigh / Kinnitty . Irish Placenames Commission . logainm.ie . 1 March 2020 .
  3. Book: Ó Murchadha, Ciarán. The Diocese of Killaloe : An illustrated History . 2008. Booklink Ireland. 179.
  4. Web site: Glenregan . Coillte . coillte.ie . 1 March 2020 .
  5. Web site: Kinnitty Co Offaly . slievebloom.ie . 1 March 2020 .