Glencolmcille
Template:Infobox Place Ireland Glencolmcille or Glencolumbkille (official name: Gleann Cholm Cille)[1] is a coastal town located on the southwest Gaeltacht tip of County Donegal, Ireland. While Gleann Cholm Cille is still an Irish-speaking community, English has been steadily replacing Irish as the predominant language in recent years, with only 34% of the people speaking Irish on a daily basis in 2002.[2]
The name translates into English as the Valley of Saint Columba. Saint Columba (Irish: Colm Cille) is one of Ireland's three patron saints (along with Saint Patrick and Saint Brigid). Colm Cille and his followers lived, for a time, in the valley and the ruins of several of their churches can still be seen there.
History
Between 4000 and 3000 B.C., farming people settled in the area. Excellently preserved examples of their court tombs can be seen at Mainnéar na Mortlaidh and An Clochán Mór. Examples of the less-elaborate portal tombs, dating from about 2000 BC can also be seen at Málainn Mhóir.
The town was once famous as being the parish of Fr. James McDyer (1910–1987), who championed the rights of rural people and helped establish community-based industries in the area. A Parish council has been functioning in Glencolmcille since the 1930s—known as Comhairle Paróiste Ghleann Cholm Cille—to look after the interests and needs of the residents of Glencolmcille. Members are elected to this body by the residents of the Glencolmcille church area; elections are held every three years.
Culture
Glencolmcille is home to well known Dublin-born artist Kenneth King, whose works depict naval and merchant shipping, coastline and lighthouses.[note 1]
British composer Sir Arnold Bax made many extended visits there between 1904 and the early 1930s. Apparently, Bax composed much of his music and wrote many of his poems and stories while staying there.
Many natural beauties lie nearby, such as the Slieve League (Irish: Sliabh Liag) cliffs, The Silver Strand (Irish: An Tráigh Bhán) at Malin Beg (Irish: Málainn Bhig), and Glen Head (Irish: Cionn Ghlinne) itself.
At the centre of one of the largest Gaeltacht areas, the town is well-known as the home of Oideas Gael, an Irish language learning institute established in 1984 to promote the Irish language and culture. The town also has a petrol station, grocer, post office, folk village, woollen mill, hill walking and accommodation centre, restaurant, new "village cafe" and three pubs (with great fiddle music often to be found in Roarty's or Biddy's). The coast road across to Malin Mor (Irish: Málainn Mhór) is majestic and is where Áras Ghleann Cholm Cille is located.
Films shot on location in Glencolmcille include:
- The Railway Station Man, 1992, starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland and John Lynch.[3]
Gallery
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Typical local cottage at the Folk Village Museum. -
Folk Village Museum historical cottages. -
Trabane Strand, Donegal, Ireland.
Footnotes
- ^ Some of Kenneth King's paintings are on display in the National Maritime Museum of Ireland in Dún Laoghaire
