Kircubbin, County Down

Kircubbin (derive|Irish|Cill Ghobáin|Church of (Saint) Ghobán) is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland on the shores of Strangford Lough, between Newtownards and Portaferry. It had a population of 1,214 people in the 2001 Census.

The village harbour contains leisure craft, yachts, and a Sailing Club. The main street is lined with old houses, many of which used to have stables behind them. The main street is now redone in 2008. Some of the old houses have been knocked down and rebuilt with nice new buildings. The new area is called 'Maxwell Courtyard'.

History

Kircubbin (then known as "Cubinhillis") and nearby Inishargy are mentioned in early medieval records. This possible translation of the Irish name is the only evidence that connects the Irish Saint Goban to the village. John de Courcy, a Norman knight who invaded Ulster, brought Benedictines from Stoke Courcy in Somerset and Lonlay in France, for whom he founded Black Abbey (St Andrews in Ards), near Inishargy in the 1180s. [cite book | last=DeBreffny, D & Mott, G| year=1976 |title=The Churches and Abbeys of Ireland | publisher=Thames & Hudson | location=London | pages=p60-61]

2001 Census

Kircubbin is classified as a village by the [http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)] (ie with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,214 people living in Kircubbin. Of these:
*25.0% were aged under 16 years and 17.4% were aged 60 and over
*48.9% of the population were male and the other 51.1% were female
*66.8% were from a Catholic background and 31.2% were Protestant
*5.0% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: [http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Neighbourhood Information Service]

See also

*List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern Ireland

References

* [http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/town_Home.aspx?co=7&to=157&ca=0&sca=0&navID=1 Culture Northern Ireland]

External links

* [http://www.kircubbin.com/ Kircubbin website]
* [http://kircubbinips.com/ Kircubbin Integrated Primary School]