Kilcavan, County Wicklow
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Kilcavan is an area in south County Wicklow in Ireland, approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of Carnew. The area, comprising the townlands of Kilcavan Lower and Kilcavan Upper, is located at the southern end of the Wicklow Mountains.
Name
[edit | edit source]The Irish language name of the area is Cill Chaomháin,[1] referring to a church (cill) associated with a person named Caomhán. Early anglicised versions of this name include a reference, in the Calendar of Patent Rolls of James I (1608), to Killkavane.[1] Other references include Kilkevine (1636), Killcavan (c. 1660), and Kilkeavan (1667).[1] 19th century records, attributed to place-name archivist John O'Donovan, refer to Cill Caemhain or "St Cavan's church".[1]
History
[edit | edit source]Former church
[edit | edit source]Near the R748 road between Carnew and the Kilcavan Gap, in Kilcavan Upper, is the site of an ecclesiastical enclosure.[citation needed] This circular enclosure is marked as the site of Kilcavan Church on mid-19th century Ordnance Survey maps. Today there is very little left of the church except scattered granite stones and a "crude Latin cross (WI047-006003-)" which is incorporated in a field boundary to the south of the church site.[2]
Kilcavan Church was named after Saint Caomháin, who founded the monastery of Airdne Coemain, now Ardcavan, County Wexford, c. 548.[citation needed] Caomháin may be the same priest named Caeman of Dairinis in other sources, who Saint Finnian of Clonard, visited before he went to Aghowle.[citation needed]
Quarrying
[edit | edit source]From at least 1800 until the early 1940s, the slate quarries of Kilcavan provided a source of employment for local inhabitants.[citation needed] The extracted slate, which was "of a dark colour",[3] was mainly exported, but also used locally and elsewhere within Ireland.[citation needed]
In addition to slate and stone for building,[4] the quarries at Kilcavan also exported the component used as a base for the "Battleship Gray" paint used on warships.[5] The slate quarry closed in 1942.[5]
Land use
[edit | edit source]In the very early nineteenth century the area was in the control of Lord Fitzwilliam and was originally leased only to Protestants.[6][better source needed] This changed after 1808, and Catholics were given the chance to sub-lease land.[citation needed]
References
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