Killeshin is a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
in
County LaoisCounty Laois is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. Its name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix....
,
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
on the
R430The R430 road is a regional road in Ireland, which runs west-east from the N7 in Mountrath, County Laois to the N9 in Carlow, County Carlow.The route is long.-See also:*Roads in Ireland*National primary road*National secondary road-References:...
regional roadA regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is...
. It is a small rural community of approximately 1300 people. It is situated 5 km west of
CarlowCarlow is an inland town in the south-east of Ireland in County Carlow, 84 km from Dublin. The town numbers about 20,000 people, 3,000 of whom are students. The River Barrow flows through the town, and forms the historic boundary between counties Laois and Carlow: the Local Government Act...
town and overlooks the picturesque
BarrowThe River Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
Valley. The church at the foot of the Killeshin Hills is the site of an early
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
.
Killeshin derives its name from one of the
abbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s of its famous monastery - Uisin,
Gleann Uisin meaning the
GlenA glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. The word comes from the Irish language/Scottish Gaelic language word gleann, or glion in Manx. In Manx, glan is also to be found meaning glen...
of Uisin.
Killeshin church is located off the main Carlow-
CastlecomerCastlecomer is the main town in north County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster at the meeting of N78 and R694 roads about roads north of Kilkenny in the south-east of the island of Ireland...
road, adjacent to Killeshin village itself.
Killeshin is a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
in
County LaoisCounty Laois is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. Its name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix....
,
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
on the
R430The R430 road is a regional road in Ireland, which runs west-east from the N7 in Mountrath, County Laois to the N9 in Carlow, County Carlow.The route is long.-See also:*Roads in Ireland*National primary road*National secondary road-References:...
regional roadA regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is...
. It is a small rural community of approximately 1300 people. It is situated 5 km west of
CarlowCarlow is an inland town in the south-east of Ireland in County Carlow, 84 km from Dublin. The town numbers about 20,000 people, 3,000 of whom are students. The River Barrow flows through the town, and forms the historic boundary between counties Laois and Carlow: the Local Government Act...
town and overlooks the picturesque
BarrowThe River Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
Valley. The church at the foot of the Killeshin Hills is the site of an early
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
.
Name
Killeshin derives its name from one of the
abbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s of its famous monastery - Uisin,
Gleann Uisin meaning the
GlenA glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. The word comes from the Irish language/Scottish Gaelic language word gleann, or glion in Manx. In Manx, glan is also to be found meaning glen...
of Uisin.
Places of interest
Killeshin church is located off the main Carlow-
CastlecomerCastlecomer is the main town in north County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster at the meeting of N78 and R694 roads about roads north of Kilkenny in the south-east of the island of Ireland...
road, adjacent to Killeshin village itself. The church at Killeshin is largely twelfth century in date, although some parts show evidence of later rebuilding, including a late
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
east window.
Killeshin was an important centre for learning and culture as early as the 6th century when Saint Comghan founded a monastery here. Destroyed in the 11th century all that remains is a beautifully carved 5th century Hiberno-Romanesque doorway on the church is one of the finest in the country. No trace remains of the 105 ft round tower believed to have once been the tallest in Ireland which stood next to the monastery, it was demolished by an 18th century landowner who was afraid that the tower could collapse and injure his cattle. It is said that ten counties can be seen from the hill above Killeshin.
Killeshin has good
fishingFishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
spots, in
BallyhideBallyhide is a rural townsland and village in the extreme South Eastern corner of County Laois, Ireland at the border with County Carlow. It is part of the Graiguecullen-Killeshin Roman Catholic parish. The nearest urban centre is Carlow town which is 3 kilometres to the North East...
the River Barrow is nearby.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland