<!-- Wikipedia is not an advertising service. Please see WP:NOTE for guidelines on the notability standards expected before you add information. When contributing, please use the lower case through both paragraphs and headings. -->

Kilcoole () is a town in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is south of Greystones, north of Wicklow, and about south of Dublin. The town is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.

History

thumb|[[Kilcoole Church, a protected national monument, dates to the 12th century]]

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of fulacht fiadh, bullaun and holy well sites in the townlands of Kilcoole, Kilquade and Ballycrone. Kilcoole Church, close to the centre of Kilcoole, is reputed to date to the 12th century and is a protected national monument.

Next to Kilcoole railway station (built ) On 1 August 1914, 600 Mauser rifles and 20,000 rounds of ammunition were landed at the beach in Kilcoole. The arms and ammunition was smuggled using Myles's boat during the night. When the arms were landed they were removed on bicycles and in vehicles by volunteers. The arms were taken to Pádraig Pearse's school, St Enda's, in Rathfarnham, County Dublin.

Education

Coláiste Chraobh Abhann is a community secondary college, located on the southern outskirts of Kilcoole, which opened in 2003.

Kilcoole Primary School formerly consisted of Saint Anthony's Boys' National School and Saint Brigids Girls' National School, which were amalgamated in 2010. Junior students are now taught in the building formerly occupied by Saint Brigid's and the Saint Anthony's building accommodates pupils in the latter half of primary schooling.

Demographics

thumb|Kilcoole in 2017

Kilcoole, which is classified by Wicklow County Council as a "small growth town" for administration and planning purposes, had a population of 4,239 as of the 2016 census.

Sports

Athletics

Kilcoole Athletics Club was founded in 1970. Its members have represented Ireland at various levels, including at the Olympic Games. Kilcoole Golf Course, a nine-hole parkland course, is also nearby. Druids Heath Golf Course, another championship course, is also located in Druids Glen.

Soccer

Saint Anthony's Football Club provides football for boys and girls from age six upwards. Almost 300 members make up their competing teams from under eight through under eighteen and adult.

Gaelic games

Kilcoole GAA fields teams in both hurling and Gaelic football, with representation for both men and women at junior and juvenile levels.

Transport

Dublin Bus provides a limited service between Kilcoole and Dublin on its X1 and X2 bus routes, with a journey time of about 80 minutes. The service on the L2 bus route terminates at Bray Station.

Iarnród Éireann has a station at the beach; Kilcoole railway station opened on 30 October 1855. There are limited train services along this line. On weekdays the mainline train stops twice in the early morning in the Dublin direction and three times in the late afternoon/early evening in the Rosslare direction. However, from December 2022, all trains on the weekend which run through the station stop at Kilcoole. This means that, on Saturdays, there will be 4 trains northbound and 3 southbound, and on Sundays, 3 trains in each direction. A more regular DART (Electric train) service runs from Greystones to Dublin city centre and beyond to Howth and Malahide.

Music

Several bands, including punk and post-rock bands, have been based in Kilcoole. Acts associated with the area include Adebisi Shank, and Heathers.

The Kilcoole Music Festival is an annual festival started in 1955 by the then district nurse, Mary Kiernan, who saw a need to help the area's children develop their talents. The festival awards individuals in over 50 classes ranging from vocal solos to orchestras, and flute to rock guitar.

Kilcoole was the setting for the long-running popular soap-opera Glenroe, which ran from 1983 until 2001 and was broadcast on RTÉ One television. The farm on which it was based is now an open farm and hosts events annually. Kilcoole was also used as a setting for scenes in the comedy series Moone Boy.

People

  • Elaine Cassidy, actress, moved to Kilcoole when she was three.
  • J. P. Donleavy, writer, wrote his debut novel The Ginger Man while living in Kilcoole.
  • Fionnuala McCormack, an athlete who has represented Ireland internationally, is a member of Kilcoole Athletic Club.
  • Mason Melia, association footballer who attended Coláiste Chraobh Abhann school in Kilcoole

See also

  • List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

  • Kilcoole.ie