Kilmovee Cill Moibhí
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Village | |
Location in Ireland | |
Coordinates: 53°53′13″N 8°41′16″W / 53.88704°N 8.68784°WCoordinates: 53°53′13″N 8°41′16″W / 53.88704°N 8.68784°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Connacht |
County | County Mayo |
Elevation | 56 m (184 ft) |
Population (2002) | |
• Total | 613 |
Urlaur: 523 Kilkelly: 839 |
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Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
• Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
Irish Grid Reference | M545936 |
Website | kilmovee |
Kilmovee (Irish: Cill Moibhí, meaning "Church of Mobhí") is a village and civil parish in County Mayo, Ireland. It is on the R325 road, midway between Kilkelly and Ballaghaderreen.
Kilmovee is a picturesque mainly rural parish noted for its beautiful woodland, Irish music and amateur drama. The local people have maintained a strong cultural tradition and continue to develop facilities for the community. In 1975, Kilmovee teacher Seosamh Mac Gabhann set up a Senior Céilí Band in Kilmovee, named Ceoltóirí Mobhí. The band has gained nationwide recognition with two of their jigs, known as "The Kilmovee Jigs". In 1977 one of the first rural swimming pools in Ireland was opened in Kilmovee.
In March 2004, the Cois Tine Heritage Centre was opened and since then it has become a vibrant cultural centre for the people of the area and beyond.
In 2011, the Annual Seosamh Mac Gabhann Summer School was established in Kilmovee to honour the Irish language playwright and music teacher Seosamh Mac Gabhann, who lived and worked in Kilmovee for much of his life.
An annual charity running event, the Kilmovee 10K began in April 2010. It has been called "the flattest 10k in Ireland" and has attracted runners from all over the country.
Kilmovee Shamrocks is the local GAA club. The Shamrocks have competed very successfully in county and regional competitions, with the ladies' team being particularly successful. Some of these ladies have won All-Ireland titles with the Mayo senior and minor teams and at other levels. Kilmovee GAA won the under-21 Mayo final in September 2007 for the first time. The Shamrocks also won the Under 18 title for the third time in a row in October 2007.
A townland is a small geographical unit of land used in Ireland and Scotland.
In pre-Norman Ireland, the lands of Kilmovee formed part of the Kingdom of Sliabh Lugha, a territory ruled by the O'Gadhra Dynasty. Sliabh Lugha was a subdivision of the larger Gailenga kingdom, from which derives the modern name Gallen.
After the Norman Invasion, the parish of Kilmovee became part of the Barony of Costello. The Nangle or de Angelo invaders came southwest from the De Lacy territory in Carrick-on-Shannon and forced the O'Gadhras from their stronghold in Airtech Mór, building their own castle there in 1225. It became known as Castlemore and the region was sometimes called Castlemore-MacCostello.