placenamesKillea
Cill Shléibhe
Saint James’s church, a school opened in 1894 and the former creamery at nearby Curraduff preserve different parts of Killea’s rural history below the Devil’s Bit.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cill Shléibhe · Irish · main form · validated name
- Killea · English · main form
Place & story
Saint James’s church
Saint James’s church dates from 1832 and follows the simple T-shaped plan often used for rural Catholic churches. Sandstone buttresses enrich its plain exterior. Inside, shallow barrel-vaulted plaster ceilings contrast with an elaborate Gothic reredos: Tudor arches, clustered columns and decorative pinnacles frame statues beside the tabernacle. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage highlights the contrast between the modest building and its unusually ornate interior furnishings. [2]
A parish before the Famine
Samuel Lewis’s 1837 account described Killea parish as mainly pasture, with limestone and granite among its resources. A constabulary station, a Catholic chapel and a public school serving about 110 children formed part of its local services. He also recorded the remains of an older church and its burial ground. These are parish-wide observations, giving a contemporary picture of the area around the village rather than a population count for the settlement itself. [3]
The national school
Killea National School opened on 17 September 1894. Its own history places it at the foot of the Devil’s Bit and describes its continuing links with the village: pupils can walk to the community hall, church and GAA pitch. The school grounds include space for games and a garden. Its long presence connects a nineteenth-century educational foundation with the shared facilities that support the present rural community. [4]
The nearby creamery
Killea Creamery stands at Curraduff, beyond the village. The surviving two-storey building dates to about 1925 and follows an L-shaped plan. A canopy shelters the loading bay at its southern end, while limestone window sills, some timber sash windows and roof vents preserve details of its working design. The building records the local dairy industry that preceded the concentration of processing into larger plants. [5]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Killea. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Saint James’s Church, Killea: Architectural Heritage of North Tipperary, figures 100–101 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Killea parish: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837 · Samuel Lewis
- Killea National School: our history · Killea National School
- Killea Creamery, Curraduff: 22402901 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2012-02-13. How this page was prepared.