Kilfinnane or Kilfinane () ( or , ) is a small market town in

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The town's name comes from the Irish (church) and (Finnian), making its meaning "Church of Saint Finnian". Kilfinnane is located approximately 40 km southeast of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, and approximately 70 km north-northwest of

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

. It had a population of 789 at the 2016 census. At an elevation of over , Kilfinnane is the highest town in County Limerick. It is surrounded on three sides by the

Ballyhoura Mountains The Ballyhoura Mountains () are in south-east County Limerick and north-east County Cork in central Munster, Ireland, running east and west for about 6 miles on the borders of both counties. Name The name 'Ballyhoura' comes from Irish ''Beala ...

, and on the fourth side is the "

Golden Vale The Golden Vale () is the historic name given to an area of rolling pastureland in the province of Munster in southwestern Ireland. The area covers parts of three counties: Cork, Limerick and Tipperary. Considered the best land in Ireland ...

" region that runs through Counties

, and Tipperary. In 2014, Kilfinnane hosted the inaugural "HearSay International Audio Festival", an event focusing on creative audio. The second HearSay Festival was held in November 2015 had over 80 workshops, installations and performances.

Education

Kilfinnane facilitates both Primary and Secondary Education. Kilfinnane Primary School Scoil Fhíonáin is located very close to the Secondary School and has a new building opened in September 2012. Prior to this, the Primary School was located in an old former Catholic residence, which was notorious due to reports of infestation, cold conditions and outdoor toilets. In November 2012, disputes amongst building subcontractors and the main building contractor of the new School resulted in builders cutting the power and water, and removing the fittings of the newly opened school building. Parents created a blockade to prevent the builders from leaving the school grounds. The standoff became a national news story. An

RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 () is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for the station in 2010 w ...

radio documentary "Take No More" by Grey Heron Media on the standoff won Gold at the 2013 PPI Radio Awards, the 2013 Association for International Broadcasting, and the 2013 New York Radio Festival. Scoil Pól Kilfinnane was founded in 1915 and made its current home in 1987. The school, a

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

, offers a range of educational and extra-curricular activities. Some of its activities include sports, cairdeas,

transition year Transition Year (TY) () is an optional one-year school programme that can be taken in the year after the Junior Cycle in Ireland. However, depending on school population and funding it may not be available, and in other schools it is compulsory. ...

activities, green flag and chess.

Notable people

* Patrick Wallace (aka Staker Wallace) (18th century United Irishman) * Gabriel Rosenstock, Irish writer and poet. * Peter McDonald, Member of Parliament for North Sligo, 1885 - 1891. * Sean 'Óg' Hanley who won All Ireland Medals with Limerick, in 1897, and London, in 1901 was a native of Kilfinnane. The 1897 team was spearheaded by Kilfinnane players, who were Co Champions the previous year *

Richie McCarthy Richard McCarthy (born 11 October 1987) is an Irish hurler who plays for Limerick Senior Championship club Blackrock. He played for the Limerick senior hurling team for 10 years, during which time he usually lined out as a full-back. A defend ...

, Limerick Hurler and 2013 All-Star * James Heffernan, member of 24th

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

. * James Murphy, 19th century judge of the High Court.

Notes

{{County Limerick Towns and villages in County Limerick

Education

Notable people

See also

Notes