Atticall

Village in County Down, Northern Ireland

Human settlement in Northern Ireland

List of places: UK; Northern Ireland; Down

54°06′32″N 6°02′38″W / 54.109°N 6.044°W / 54.109; -6.044

Attical or Atticall (from Irish Áit Tí Chathail, meaning 'place of Cathal's house')^[1]^[2] is a small village and townland (of 396 acres)^[3] in the Mourne Mountains of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Kilkeel and the historic barony of Mourne.^[3] In the 2001 Census it had a population of 153 people. It lies within the Newry and Mourne District Council area.

The village has a Catholic maintained primary school, called Holy Cross, for 4–11 year olds.^[4] There is a Roman Catholic church, a shop and a Gaelic football club. The Cnocnafeola Cultural and Residential Centre offers accommodation for trekkers and visitors to the Mournes.^[5] The village is also home to the Holy Cross Accordion Band, which has won All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann competitions on six occasions: 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.^{[citation needed]} They were also crowned All Ireland Junior Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann champions in 2016.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

At the end of the ice age a deposit of stones is thought to have been left that runs through Atticall. This is known locally as the Stoney Rigg. The remains of this can be seen on Slieve Muck, and it is said to flow down to Green Castle.

The great spotted woodpecker, Ireland's newest breeding bird species, has been seen in Cnocnafeola Wood.

References

^ Placenames Database of Ireland
^ Placenames NI Archived May 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b "Attical". IreAtlas Townlands Database. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
^ "Holy Cross Primary School". School website. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
^ "Cnocnafeola Cultural and Residential Centre". Irish Tourist.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2009.