Glencolmcille


Glencolmcille or Glencolumbkille is a small district on the Atlantic coast of south-west County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Named after Saint Colm Cille, it is also a civil parish in the historic barony of Banagh. Glencolmcille is in the Gaeltacht, and while it remains an Irish-speaking community, English has been steadily replacing Irish as the main language, with only 34% of residents speaking Irish on a daily basis in 2002. The village of
Cashel is the main settlement in the district.

History

The earliest recorded names for the district were Glend and Senglenn. The district later became known as Gleann Cholm Cille, probably in the fifteenth-century. This later, and current, name means 'Valley of Colm Cille'. The district's current name was first fully recorded only in 1532, when it was written in Maghnas Ó Domhnaill's Betha Colaim Chille as being: ag tSenglenda a crich Ceneoil Conill ris a raiter Glend Colaim Cilli aniug. Saint Colm Cille, or Columba, is one of Ireland's three patron saints. He and his followers supposedly lived in the valley for a time and the ruins of several of their churches can still be seen there.
The district was once famous as being the parish of The V. Rev. James Canon McDyer, 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, to look after the interests and needs of the residents. Members are elected to this body every four years by the residents of the Glencolmcille church area.

Historic sites

Four sites make up National Monument #139:

Culture

Glencolmcille was home to the Dublin-born artist Kenneth King, whose works depict naval and merchant shipping, coastline and lighthouses.
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. He describes the district and its villages, and the life of its inhabitants, in his autobiography Farewell My Youth:
There are a number of natural sites nearby, such as the Slieve League cliffs, The Silver Strand at Malin Beg, and Glen Head itself.
At the centre of one of the largest Gaeltacht areas, the district is known as the home of Oideas Gael, an Irish-language learning institute established in 1984 to promote the Irish language and culture. The district also has a petrol station, grocer, post office, folk village, woollen mill, hill walking and accommodation centre, restaurant, "village cafe" and two pubs.
Films shot on location in Glencolmcille include The Railway Station Man, 1992, starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland and John Lynch.

Notable people