    kilkeel ()placenames database of irelandplacenames ni is a small town in county down, northern ireland, which shares its name with an adjacent townland and the surrounding civil parish. kilkeel town is the main fishing port on the down coast, and its harbour houses one of the largest fishing fleets in ireland. it had a population of 6,338 people according to the 2001 census. the town contains the ruins of a 14th-century church and fort, winding streets and terraced shops. ==geography== the civil parish of kilkeel is coterminous with the barony of mourne, which includes the mourne mountains. kilkeel town sits on a plain south of the mountains, west of where the kilkeel river flows south into the north channel. the town is centred in the townland of magheramurphy (), and extends into the neighbouring townlands of: *derryoge () *drumcro () *dunnaman *kilkeel () altogether there are 69 townlands in the civil parish and barony. ==history== left|thumb|240px|picture of "narrow church" kilkeel takes its name from the old church overlooking the town, it being the anglicised version of the gaelic 'cill chaoil' meaning "narrow church" or "the church of/in the narrow place." the name may be drawn from the church location on a narrow site above the town.  the church was constructed in 1388 and dedicated to "st colman del mourne." it was thought to be the principal church in a gro
Civil_parishes_of_County_Down Fishing_communities_in_Northern_Ireland Port_cities_and_towns_in_Northern_Ireland Ports_and_harbours_of_Northern_Ireland Towns_in_County_Down