Kells and Connor
Kells (from Irish: Na Cealla) is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is near the town of Ballymena, with the area encompassing Kells and the village of Connor (from Irish: Condaire)[1] (Ulster-Scots: Connyer)[2] which are very close together and have a joint primary school, library, development association etc. It is within the Borough of Ballymena. Kells/Connor had a population of 2,053 people (808 households) in the 2011 Census.[3] An old stone bridge crosses the Kells Water, separating Kells from the adjacent village of Connor.
Connor Predates any Gaels on the Island and thus the name is native to the Area and no reference in Gaelic can be used, A Christian settlement in Connor was established in 480AD and a Monastery in Kells in 500AD
History
There is much evidence, from written sources and archaeological material, that ConnorCon Doire: the oak wood of the wolf was a sizeable, complex settlement in the Early Christian period, probably with monastic and secular elements coexisting. The church of the early monastic establishment at Connor was re-built as the cathedral of the medieval diocese of Connor and Kells. It was destroyed in the Confederate wars of the mid seventeenth century and replaced by the present Church of St Saviour early in the nineteenth century, its foundation stone for the church being laid in 1811 and the building consecrated in 1813. During in the Middle Ages, an Augustinian community was established at Kells nearby. This Augustinian Abbey survived into the early seventeenth century, but was burnt in 1641. Only one wall and some short runs of wall remain of the Abbey and these are now preserved in the grounds of Dinsmore's textile factory.
Connor was the site of a significant battle between the invading army of Edward de Brus and Richard Óg de Burgh, the 'Red Earl' of Ulster on 9 September 1315. Following the defeat of the Anglo-Normans by the Scots army Connor was sacked.
Transport
- Kells was formerly served by the Ballymena and Larne Railway, a narrow gauge railway. Kells railway station opened on 24 August 1878, closed for passenger traffic on 31 January 1933 and finally closed altogether on 3 June 1940.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Connor, County Antrim Place Names NI.
- ^ Carrickfergus Castle: Ulster-Scots translation NI DoE.
- ^ "Kells/Connor". Census 2011 Results. NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ "Kells station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
54°48′36″N 6°13′12″W / 54.810°N 6.220°W
