The name Glencolmcille translates as the "Valley of St. Colmcille." Legend has it that St. Colmcille (Columba) and his followers lived in the valley.
Between 4000 and 3000 B.C., farming people settled in the area, and excellent megalithic examples of their court cairns, portal dolmen, and ringforts abound. Most of the pre-Christian standing stones in the area were cross-inscribed during the Christian era. The village of Glencolmcille and the surrounding area is famous for the Turas, a pilgrimage to the stations (places on a route used for prayer and devotion) that occurs on June 9, the feast day of St. Colmcille. The stations consist of megalithic tombs, natural landscape features, and cross pillars.
The town is well-known today as the home of Oideas Gael, an Irish language learning institute established in 1984 to promote the Irish language and culture.
About Glencolmcille
The name Glencolmcille translates as the "Valley of St. Colmcille." Legend has it that St. Colmcille (Columba) and his followers lived in the valley.
Between 4000 and 3000 B.C., farming people settled in the area, and excellent megalithic examples of their court cairns, portal dolmen, and ringforts abound. Most of the pre-Christian standing stones in the area were cross-inscribed during the Christian era. The village of Glencolmcille and the surrounding area is famous for the Turas, a pilgrimage to the stations (places on a route used for prayer and devotion) that occurs on June 9, the feast day of St. Colmcille. The stations consist of megalithic tombs, natural landscape features, and cross pillars.
The town is well-known today as the home of Oideas Gael, an Irish language learning institute established in 1984 to promote the Irish language and culture.
About Glencolmcille