placenamesKilcummin
Cill Chuimín
Kilcummin’s coastal position brought both nineteenth-century coastguards and an Emergency-era lookout post.
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 Chuimín · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Kilcummin · English · main form
Place & story
A station in the Killala district
Lewis recorded a coastguard station at Kilcummin Head in 1837, one of six within the Killala district. His parish description also noted cultivated land inland and drifting coastal sand that damaged the soil. The shore was therefore both a working agricultural boundary and a place of maritime observation. [2]
Lookout Post 65
A concrete lookout post at Kilcummin was built between 1939 and 1942 during the Emergency. The architectural survey identifies it as LOP 65 and associates its standard design with William Henry Howard Cooke of the Office of Public Works. Its elongated, partly octagonal plan, flat reinforced-concrete roof and central chimney distinguish this small observation building from the earlier coastguard institution. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Kilcummin. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Kilcummin, Mayo — A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
- Kilcummin lookout post65, registration31300801 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.