Old Kilcullen
Sean Chill Chuilinn | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Old Kilcullen Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 53°06′25″N 6°45′45″W / 53.106967°N 6.762521°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Kildare |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Irish Grid Reference | N830071 |
Old Kilcullen, formerly Kilcullen (Cill Chuilinn, "the Church of the Holly" in Irish), is a townland in County Kildare, Ireland, which includes a noted religious archaeological site within its boundary. As a townland it is relatively large (792 acres) but lightly populated (79 premises). The location of the townland is roughly contained within the R418 and R448 routes starting at its most northerly point, a crossroads known locally as Thompson's Cross. The townland continues south from this point as far as Harklow and is intersected in its north east corner by the M9 motorway at Abbeyaun. Old Kilcullen was formerly the site of a walled town, and before that of an ecclesiastical settlement dating from the 5th century. The original settlement gave its name to the substantial surrounding civil parish and barony.
The urban centre of the area moved 2 km north-east to Kilcullen Bridge on the River Liffey, often now simply known as Kilcullen, following the construction of a bridge there in 1319. Old Kilcullen is just under 5 km from Newbridge and approximately 13 km from Naas.
Old Kilcullen is the site of a round tower and a decorated High Cross. Another, much older, historic site, Dun Ailinne, is located approximately one kilometre away to the north at Knockaulin.