[3][4] An attempt to connect the name to Saint Kevin (Old Irish Cóemgen) is regarded as spurious.

[6][7] An intact Edwardian shop interior existed at number 39, Carvill's Off Licence until the early 21st century.

The Bleeding Horse pub is also a notable building, with a public house sitting on the site since 1648.

It is mentioned in the work of Sean O'Casey, and both James Clarence Mangan and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu were patrons.

The Theatre De Luxe was opened in 1912 by Maurice Elliman, a Jew who escaped the pogroms in Eastern Europe.