County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
,
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 ...
County Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...
. The village is in a
townland
A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of the same name. The civil parish extends into County Carlow.
According to tradition, the village takes its Irish name, ''Cill Téagáin'' (meaning 'church of Tegan'), from a 5th century saint who was reputedly a disciple of
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...
.
The 19th century mansion Humewood House lies just outside the village. It was built in 1870 for William Hume-Dick, father-in-law of Richard Penruddocke Long, by William White. It remained in the Hume family until the death of Mimi Weygand (née Hume), in 1992.
The house has been used as a location for films such as '' The Actors'' (2003) starring Michael Caine, '' Ella Enchanted'' (2004) with Anne Hathaway, '' Laws of Attraction'' (2004) starring
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...
and
Julianne Moore
Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress and children's author. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent ...
, and for ABC's television movie, "Prince William" (2002).
The
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
St Patrick's Missionary Society, known as the Kiltegan Fathers, has its mother house at High Park 2 km from the village.
Kiltegan won the
Irish Tidy Towns Competition
Tidy Towns ( Irish: ''Bailte Slachtmhara'') is an annual competition, first held in 1958, organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development in order to honour the tidiest and most attractive cities, towns and villages in the Republ ...
in 1973.
The village is also home to Kiltegan GAA club, which also includes players from the nearby sister village of Rathdangan. Kiltegan GAA club fields hurling, football and camogie teams.