Kells, County Meath


Kells is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. It is best known as the site of Kells Abbey, from which the Book of Kells takes its name.

Name

The settlement was originally known by the Irish name Ceannanas or Ceannanus, and it is suggested that the name 'Kells' developed from this. From the 12th century onward, the settlement was referred to in English and Anglo-Norman as Kenenus, Kenelles, Kenles, Kenlis, Kellis and finally Kells. It has also been suggested that Kenlis and Kells come from an alternative Irish name, Ceann Lios, meaning " head fort". Kells, Kenlis and Headfort all feature in the titles taken by the Taylor family.
In 1929, Ceannanus Mór was made the town's official name in both Irish and English. Following the creation of the Irish Free State, a number of towns were renamed likewise. Ceanannas has been the official Irish-language form of the place name since 1969. In 1993, Kells was re-adopted as the town's official name in English.

History

Before Kells was a monastery, it was the site of a royal site inhabited by the High King Cormac mac Airt who moved his residence from the Hill of Tara, for reasons scholars are not yet sure about.
Kells was an important place on one of the five ancient roads that came out of Tara - this road being named Slí nan nAssail and which ran from Tara to Rathcrogan, another royal site, in County Roscommon.
About 560 AD, Colmcille a prince of the royal house of the Northern Uí Néill family acquired Kells in recompense of a fault acted against him by his cousin the High King Diarmuid MacCarroll, who granted him the Dún of Ceannanus to establish a Monastery.
The present monastery at Kells is thought to have been founded around 804 AD by monks from St Colmcille's monastery in Iona who were fleeing Viking invasions.
In 1152, the Synod of Kells completed the transition of the Colmcille's establishment from a monastic church to a diocesan church. A later synod reduced the status of Kells to that of a parish. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, Hugh de Lacy was granted the Lordship of Meath in 1182. The religious establishments at Kells continued to flourish under their Anglo-Norman overlords.
Kells became a border town garrison of the Pale and was the scene of many battles between the Kingdom of Breifne and the Hiberno-Normans. From 1561 to 1800, Kells returned two MPs to the Parliament of Ireland. During the Irish rebellion of 1641, Kells was burned by the O'Reilly clan during their attacks on the Pale.
The period of the Great Famine saw the population of Kells drop by 38% as measured by the census records of 1841 and 1851. The Workhouse and the Fever Hospital were described as full to overflowing.

Places of interest

dates from the 10th century

The population of Kells town was 6,135. This represents a slight increase in population over the 2011 Census. There was a 22% increase in total population between 1996 and 2002.

Transport

Roads

Until the opening of the new motorway in June 2010, Kells stood as a busy junction town on the old N3 road with over 18,000 vehicles passing through the town each day. Kells was a renowned traffic bottleneck from both the N3 national primary route and N52 national secondary route passing through the town centre. The new M3 motorway significantly reduces the journey time to Dublin, as well as the numbers of vehicles in the town.

Bus

Kells is served by a regular bus service run by Bus Éireann, the 109, 109A and 109X, which takes about 1.5 hours to Busáras in Dublin.

Railway

The original Kells railway station, serving a line between Oldcastle and Drogheda via Navan, opened on 11 July 1853. It was closed for passenger traffic on 14 April 1958 and finally for all traffic on 1 April 1963.
"Meath on Track" are seeking reinstatement of the Navan railway link, and on to Dublin. It is estimated that a Kells to Dublin City Centre rail service would take approximately 60 minutes depending on stops.

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