Kirkconnel

Kirkconnel
Scots Gaelic: *Cille Chonaill*
Kirkconnel Scots Gaelic: Cille Chonaill;
	; A76 gaun intae Kirkconnel
	Kirkconnel Location within Dumfries an Gallowa
Leid	English; Scots
OS grid reference	NS7311
• Edinburgh	50 mile (80 km) NE
• Lunnon	312 mile (502 km) SSE
Cooncil area	Dumfries an Gallowa;
Lieutenancy area	Dumfries;
Kintra	Scotland
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Post toun	SANQUHAR
Postcode destrict	DG4
Diallin code	01659
Police	Scots
Fire	Scots
Ambulance	Scots
EU Pairlament	Scotland
UK Pairlament	Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale;
Scots Pairlament	Dumfriesshire;
	Leet o places UK Scotland 55°23′13″N 4°00′02″W / 55.387009°N 4.000611°WCoordinates: 55°23′13″N 4°00′02″W / 55.387009°N 4.000611°W

Kirkconnel (Scots Gaelic Cille Chonaill) is a smaw pairish in the historical coonty o Dumfriesshire in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. It is locatit on the A76 road near the heid o Nithsdale. Maistly it his been a sportin community. The came comes fae the The Kirk o Saunt Conal. In 1850 the veelage hid anely ae street. Neist tae Kirkconnel is a separate veelage cried Kelloholm.

It is associatit an aw wi the ballant Helen of Kirkconnel.

History

The early kirk an sattlement wis situatit at the fit o Kirkland Hill on the drave fae Ayrshire tae Lanrikshire that follaed the stey slent aside the Glenaylmer Burn. Whether Saunt Conal wis an Irish monk or the son o a local hird that wis befreendit an eddicatit bi Glesga's Saunt Mungo, Christianity cam early tae this pairt o Nithsdale. A Celtic cross , upsetten in 1880 bi the Duke o Buccleuch at the instigation o the meenister, the Rev. John Donaldson, merks teh reputit buirial place o Saunt Conal. Fae the neebourheid o the cross, on a clear day, can be seen the kirks at Kirconnel, Sanchar, an Kirkbride, aw associatit wi Saunt Conal.

St Conal's Kirk is ane o the auldest kirk sites in Soothren Scotland, wi archaeological remeens datin til the 9t century and the praisent steid o a kirk datin back til the 12t an 13t centurys.

Life chainged greatly for this smaw toun in the 1890s whan a coal pit wis appent at Fauldheld. Coal hid aye been howkit in the destrict afore, bit niver in lairge amoonts. Fae than on coal ringt the life o the wee toun. The coal indistry muived awa in recent decades, an wi it a muckle o the population.