placenames.ie
Townland

Kilkeel

Cill Chaoil

A small bridge near the townland’s northern side preserves contrasting phases of stonework.

Recorded locationKilkeel54.06684° N · 5.99462° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
Recorded place location · Logainm.ie

The name

caolnarrow; a narrow; marshy streamcillchurch

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 Chaoil · Irish · main form
  • Kilkeel · English · main form

Place & story

A narrow arch beneath the road

The bridge over the Kilkeel River on Aughnahoory Road is recorded in neighbouring Aughnahoory townland. The Historic Environment Division’s 1998 survey describes a granite structure with a skew semicircular arch, spanning 1.9 metres and rising to a maximum height of 2.5 metres. Large granite blocks cap its parapets. The riverbed beneath is paved, with an artificial fall just downstream. [2]

The stone dated 1909

The bridge appears on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map. Squared granite blocks in part of its approach wall contrast with the older rubble masonry. One block bears the inscription 1909, which the survey interprets as the likely repair date. [2]

Geographic information

Place type
Townland
County
Down
Barony
Mourne
Civil parish
Kilkeel
Coordinates
54.06684, -5.99462
Mapped area
2.17 km²
Logainm ID
67037 ↗

People & family history

Census figures refer to the matched historical census area for each year. Boundaries and spellings can change over time.

1926 census

This year is outside the available dataset’s coverage. This does not indicate a population of zero.

Sources & further reading

  1. Logainm.ie — Kilkeel. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  2. Aughnahoory Road bridge over Kilkeel River: HB16/05/062, survey23July1998 · Historic Environment Division, Department for Communities
  3. Boundary geometry retains its source attribution and licence in the downloadable geographic record. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2019-10-15. How this page was prepared.