Glencolumbkille
Glencolumbkille (also Glencolmcille or Irish and official name: Gleann Cholm Cille ) is a small town with 724 inhabitants ( Census 2006) in a Gaeltacht region in County Donegal and one of the historically interesting places in Ireland . Both prehistoric monuments and early Christian traces can be found in the remote place and its surroundings.
The "Glen (Valley) of St. Columcille " is a popular place of pilgrimage. Its name is reminiscent of Saint Columba (Irish: colm cille - dove of the church), who was supposedly born in 561 AD to a king of Leinster and lived here for a while before he went to Iona in Scotland . He is one of the three national saints of Ireland.
Straid basement
An early Christian monastery, of which no traces can be found, is said to have stood here. The Church of Ireland with an old basement - ( stone-built ) forms the center of the place today. The modern entrance is right next to the Church of Straid. A basic distinction is made between “rock-cut”, “earth-cut”, “stone built” and “mixed” basement areas. It is a tube about two meters deep, but it cannot be used due to the lack of step and hold options. From previous research, it is known that the tube ends next to a rectangular room over six meters long, about 2.5 meters wide and 1.6 m high, which can be accessed through a hatch (1.0 × 0.5 m) . To the east, behind a low slip, lies a corridor over six meters long, about 1.0 m wide and about 1.0 m high. In the middle of the west wall there is a slip at a height of 0.4 m above the ground. It leads into another more than nine meters long, mostly narrow and low corridor. A second basement is (destroyed) by the police station.
The cross slabs
The Turas is a pilgrimage that takes place on June 9th on a 13 km long circular route with 15 stations. The stations are partly on burial mounds and court tombs or partly on cross slabs (also cross pillar) that may be covered with pagan symbols . They have names like:
- the stone of the assembly,
- the hill of the cross,
- the source of Columcilles,
- the throne of Columcilles
- To Caiseal
The Court Tombs are national monuments
- Farranmacbride (Irish Fearann Mhic Giolla Bhríde , under this name several plants are known in Ireland) or Mannernamortee ( Mainnear na Mortaigh ) is a more damaged monument of the Court Tombs type with a central courtyard, on a hill in the north of the village.
- Cloghanmore ( An Clochán Mór ) near Malin More is a particularly well-preserved court tomb, similar to Creevykeel , but with the uniqueness of two parallel galleries, each consisting of two chambers.
The Folk Village Museum, which documents past rural life, was founded in 1950 by James McDyer.
Sons and daughters
- Patrick McGinley (born 1937), writer
Note
There is a place of the same name in the Burren , County Clare , west of Gort on the edge of the Turloughmore Mountains.
See also
literature
- Peter Harbison : Guide to the National Monuments in the Republic of Ireland . 1970 p. 68
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 42 ′ N , 8 ° 44 ′ W