Kilcummin () is a beachhead and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

on the northern coast of County Mayo in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Traditionally a fishing community, the Kilcummin area is sparsely populated. The "Tír Sáile - North Mayo Sculpture Trail" and "Tour d'Humbert" tourist route lead through the area. Kilcummin overlooks Killala Bay, the blue flag beach "An Trá nRoss", "Bartra Island" and lies on the opposite shore to

Enniscrone Enniscrone – also spelt Inniscrone and officially named Inishcrone () – is a small seaside town in County Sligo, Ireland. Its sandy beach, tourist campsite, and golf course all attract visitors. As of the 2016 census, the town had a ...

and its beach in County Sligo.

Name

Kilcummin is named after the early Irish saint Cuimín, and derives from the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

''Cill Chuimín'', meaning "church of Cuimín". Other variants of the Irish spelling (seen on local signage) include "''Cilcummin''" and "''Cill Chummín''". Prior to being named Kilcummin a map of Connaught from the 5th Century indicates that the area was originally known as "Forrac".

History

Killala Killala () is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West (known locally as Enagh Beg), which contains a number of ancient ...

, about 10 miles away from Kilcummin, Saint Patrick is said to have founded a church, on which grounds the modern-day Church of Ireland cathedral has been built. The remains of the church of Saint Cuimín (for which the area is named) are still to be found in the local cemetery, along with a holy well at which to this day worshippers come to pray. Saint Cuimín's grave has been lost over the centuries, but it is believed that a group of stones in Kilcummin cemetery once belonged to his tomb. Kilcummin is noted as the site where a French expedition commanded by

General Humbert General Jean Joseph Amable Humbert (22 August 1767 – 3 January 1823) was a French military officer who participated in several notable military conflicts of the late 18th and early 19th century. Born in the townland of La Coâre Saint-Nabord, ...

landed on 22 August 1798, in an attempt to assist Irish rebels during the

1798 rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...

. Humbert commanded three

frigates A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

, the ''Concorde'', ''Franchise'', and the ''Médée'' altogether carrying 1070

French forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...

, three

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, and approximately 3000

muskets A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

Gallery

File:Kilcummin13.jpg, Signpost on the Lacken Road showing variant Irish spelling File:Kilcummin cemetery 0256.jpg, Kilcummin cemetery File:Kilcummin8.jpg, Headstone on the grave of St Cummin, with the old church of St Cummin (dated to pre-8th Century) File:Monument to 1798 French Landing.jpg, Leac A’ Chaonaigh - the site of the French Landing in 1798 near Kilcummin village.

References

{{County Mayo Towns and villages in County Mayo