Cille Choirill Explained

Cille Choirill is a 15th-century[1] Roman Catholic church situated in Glen Spean in Lochaber, Scotland. Dedicated to St Caireall mac Curnain of what is now County Galway,[2] (also called "Cyril"),[3] it was possibly built by Cameron of Lochiel.A probable reference to the church occurs in a papal supplication dated June 1466 when a priest asked for provision to the parish church of Lochaber and its chapel of 'Querelo'.[4] After lying roofless for some time, it was repaired in 1932/33 with financial support from Nova Scotian descendants of Lochaber emigrants.[1] [5]

Situated in the Roman Catholic parish of St Margaret's, and the former civil parish of Kilmonivaig, mass is offered there once per month during the summer.

It is an important location to Scottish Gaelic literature, as the poets Iain Lom and Dòmhnall Mac Fhionnlaigh nan Dàn lie buried in the churchyard.

References

56.891°N -4.781°W

Notes and References

  1. Martin, Paula (2005). Lochaber - A Historical Guide. Edinburgh: Birlinn.
  2. Web site: Roman Catholic Parish Roy Bridge - Cille Choirill by Roy Bridge. rcroybridge.co.uk. 2015-08-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20150723004943/http://www.rcroybridge.co.uk/cillechoirill.htm. 2015-07-23. dead.
  3. Web site: Achlauchrach, Glen Spean Roman Catholic Church Of St Cyril. canmore.org.uk.
  4. Book: MacDonald, Iain G.. Clerics and Clansmen: The Diocese of Argyll between the Twelfth and Sixteenth Centuries. Brill. 2013. 978-90-04-18547-0. Leiden. 260, 343.
  5. Web site: Glen Spean & Great Glen Tourism Marketing Group : Heritage & Culture. highland-glens.co.uk. 2015-08-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20150422004429/http://www.highland-glens.co.uk/heritage/. 2015-04-22. dead.