Kilroot
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Kilroot is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the outskirts of Carrickfergus, north of Belfast. It lies within the Carrickfergus Borough Council area.
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History
Archbishop Usher (1624), quoting from the life of Saint Ailbe of Emly, states that a church at Kilroot was founded in 412AD. This would pre-date the mission of Saint Patrick in 432AD.
The Bishop's Palace was lived in by the Brice family in 1696, although the church was known to be in ruins when Jonathan Swift was appointed Prebend in 1695. By 1840 the Bishops Palace was seemingly a shell and the church a total ruin.
Places of interest
The Round House, known locally as Dean Swift's house, is likely to date from the 18th century fashion of Romantic cottages. Its diminutive appearance was deceiving as the ground floor contained a parlour 24 feet by 16 feet. The building was demolished in 1959 after a fire, and the site as well as the adjacent Kilroot railway station has disappeared under the new power station.
Kilroot Power Station is owned by AES Corporation and is the only remaining coal fired power station in Northern Ireland and provides about one third of electricity supplies for Northern Ireland. There is also a salt mine in Kilroot.
People
Saint Colman of Kilroot was a 6th century Irish disciple of Saint Ailbe of Emly and was Bishop of Kilroot, at the same time as being a Benedictine abbot. Colman Ela or Elo (553-610AD) is probably the Saint Colman connected to Kilroot. He was the son of Beogna and Mor, the sister of Saint Columba and was born in County Tyrone.
Jonathan Swift lived at Kilroot from March 1695 to May 1696, as Prebend at the church there.