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Kilkeel

Kilkeel 1819 Kilkeel 1856 Kilkeel Harbour Kilkeel Article Night of Terror


Kilkeel (from the Irish: Cill Chaoil meaning "church of the narrow place") is a small town in County Down.  It is the main fishing port on the Down coast, and the town’s harbour houses one of the largest fishing fleets in Ireland.  The town contains the ruins of a 14th century church in the centre, winding streets, terraced shops and a fort also dating from the 14th century.  It is believed that the old church was financed by a Spanish noble family after their son had been drowned and washed ashore and given a Christian burial by the locals. However there are references to Kilkeel as a Christian settlement as far back as the 11th century.  The old church was dedicated to St. Colman and was known in 1388 as 'St Colman Del Morne'. It was thought to be the principal Church in a group which included Kilmegan and Kilcoo despite the fact that Kilkeel was very sparsely populated in the Middle Ages. The cemetery attached to the church was used for burials until the early years of last century. Some of the victims of the collision between two steamer in Carlingford Lough in 1916 were the last people to be buried there.  Kilkeel is the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Mourne.

Kilkeel (from the Irish: Cill Chaoil meaning "church of the narrow place")
 


Assorted On-Site Documents:

Mourne Observer Article dated 24th November 1951 KILKEEL'S NARROW CHURCH
Mourne Observer Article dated 3 October 1958 THE STORY OF KILKEEL'S NIGHT OF TERROR

1819 Directory of Kilkeel
1856 Slater's Commercial Directory Of Kilkeel and Neighbourhood
1911 Census for Greencastle
1911 Census Kilkeel - Kilkeel townland Kilkeel parish (34 buildings).
1911 Census Moyad - Moyad townland Kilkeel parish (27 buildings).

Kilkeel Families:

The McKee Family from Greencastle St. Kilkeel
The Doyle Family from Kilkeel
The Quinn Family from Kilkeel

Anyone know who Mrs. Fred Workman from Kilkeel, Moor is?  She was living at 205 Mulberry St., Cincinnati  on Dec 21, 1949 Source:  Coshocton Tribune).

 

Most common surnames in Kilkeel
in 1863-4
SurnameNo. of households
Cunningham       180
Sloane       143
Doran       62
Rogers       56
Hanna       49
Quin       44
Moore       38
Rooney       35
McCartan       31
Wilson       30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1795 From the Northern Star
Kilkeel in Mourne.  To be let, a good house and offices fit for a dealer or an inn keeper situate in the centre of Kilkeel Apply to George Lewis Notice: 18-22 July 1795

 

 

1901 Census for Kilkeel:

A full microfilm copy of the 1901 census is available at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City or you can order them at your local LDS Research Center.  Copies of the 1901 returns for Down is available at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
Two researchers Peter Meaney and Sheila Philips are kindly working their way through some of the townlands in Kilkeel Civil parishes in the PLU of Kilkeel Co.Down. This is a tremendous resource and we are extremely grateful to Pater and Sheila for their efforts.  Further information on this project with links to the transcription is available on-site.
Photo tours: - take a tour of Kilkeel and visit with some of the people and places without leaving your home.
A photo tour of Kilkeel Harbor

A photo tour of the faces and places of Kilkeel


Assorted Off-Site Kilkeel Links:

The Miners of Mourne - Anyone interested in the DOYLE family of Kilkeel may find my site detailing my Grandfather's time mining in Butte, Montana worth a look.

Where the Mountains of Mourne Sweep Down to the Sea — Ballymageogh and Slievemageogh in County Down - wonderful site for background information on Kilkeel.

The Marmion Family Website

Kilkeel Poor Law - workhouse
Kilkeel - wikipedia
Working lives - Kilkeel Boat Builder
Kilkeel Coast - Geodiversity/Biodiversity/Landscape
Newry Democrat - Kilkeel Area Notes
Mourne Observer Newspaper
Kilkeel Portal Tomb
Irish War Memorial - Kilkeel