Dunboyne is a town in
County MeathCounty Meath is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the historic kingdom and province of Mide....
in
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
. For the most part, it is a dormitory town for the city of
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
.
Dunboyne is centred on the crossroads formed by the
R156The R156 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking the N3 national primary road near Clonee in County Meath to the N4 in County Westmeath. The road is single carriageway throughout. Many parts of the route have dangerous bends.-Route:...
regional roadA regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is...
and the R157, just south of the N3
National primary routeThe island of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced, existing throughout the island. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries from trackways suitable only for walkers...
.
It was home to many men who fought against British rule in the
1798The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in the Kingdom of Ireland...
.
Dunboyne Castle, which was a fine Georgian house, was built as the seat of the Butler family, Lords Dunboyne.
Dunboyne is a town in
County MeathCounty Meath is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the historic kingdom and province of Mide....
in
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
. For the most part, it is a dormitory town for the city of
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
.
Location
Dunboyne is centred on the crossroads formed by the
R156The R156 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking the N3 national primary road near Clonee in County Meath to the N4 in County Westmeath. The road is single carriageway throughout. Many parts of the route have dangerous bends.-Route:...
regional roadA regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is...
and the R157, just south of the N3
National primary routeThe island of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced, existing throughout the island. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries from trackways suitable only for walkers...
.
Irish Rebellion(1798)
It was home to many men who fought against British rule in the
1798The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in the Kingdom of Ireland...
.
Dunboyne Castle
Dunboyne Castle, which was a fine Georgian house, was built as the seat of the Butler family, Lords Dunboyne. It later passed to the Mangan family and was the seat of Simon Mangan, HM Lieutenant for County Meath in the 1890s and 1900s. The Hotel was sold in 1950 and became a convent, in which nuns and parishioners used to live, until the closing of the convent in the 1990s due to building damage. A partial amount of the building had been dismantled. In 2006, it was suggested that the convent be renovated into a hotel. A new hotel was built around the shell of the old building. Today the hotel is running successfully, and the management are determined in achieving a 5 star rating.
Farming
Many of the families outside this village were farmers. They produced dairy and vegetables for the local area. Now in 2008, the farms and families have decreased and are not producing as much as they were in 1980's.
Archibald Hamilton father of William Rowan Hamilton was of the Hamilton family of Dunboyne. They were once large landowners in the town. His father owned Ballymacoll Estate. William Rowan's uncle the Rev. James Hamilton was the Vicar of Trim and Dunboyne.
GAA
Dunboyne is also known for its rich GAA tradition. The Dunboyne team won the Meath senior county football championship in 1998 and 2005. Dunboyne man
Seán BoylanSeán Boylan is a retired Gaelic football manager from Dunboyne, County Meath, Republic of Ireland. He retired from his position as manager of the Meath GAA Senior Football team on the evening of 31st of August, 2005 after twenty-three years in charge...
was the longest serving county manager in GAA history and led Meath to four All Ireland victories in 1987, 1988, 1996 and 1999. He was awarded 'Freedom of Meath' in 2006 for his contributions to the Meath GAA scene. All Ireland winners from Dunboyne representing Meath include Brian Smith (Captain 1949), James Reilly (1949), Brendan Reilly, Enda McManus, Nigel Crawford and David Gallagher.
Motor Racing
Dunboyne was also a motor racing venue between 1958 and 1967 for both cars and motorbikes. The racing circuit was a 4 mile long triangular shaped circuit with a combination of fast straights and hairpin bends. The start/finish line was in the centre of Dunboyne village and the racing circuit itself consisted of public roads around the village. During these years races such as the Leinster Trophy, Dunboyne Trophy and Holmpatrick Trophy were held. The Dunboyne Motor Club have revived the spirit of this era with an annual reunion in the village bringing together many of the cars and bikes that raced on the circuit. The 2009 "Spirit of Dunboyne" Motorsport event will take place on the 3rd and 4th of October.
The old motor racing circuit still sees competitive racing of the two legged variety in the form of the Annual Easter Sunday Road race held by the Dunboyne Athletic Club. Athletes compete for the Mattie McGrath Trophy and 2008 saw this event being held for the 39th time.
Rugby
Dunboyne has produced two Irish rugby internationals. Brothers Tom and Conleth Feighery both received a number of caps for their country in the 1970's. Tom is currently a local GP.
Primary Schools
- Dunboyne Junior Primary School
- Dunboyne Senior Primary School
- Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg
- St Peter's National School (Church of Ireland)
Third Level
- Dunboyne College of Further Education
Dunboyne College of Further Education, currently located in Dunboyne Business Park, is a well-established College of Further Education providing full-time courses at
FETACThe Further Education and Training Awards Council is the statutory awarding body for further education in Ireland...
level 5.
The College operates under the authority of the County Meath Vocational Education Committee, which operates second level and further education opportunities in the Meath area.
The qualifications obtained from programmes in the college provide students with the opportunity to progress to further studies at third level.
Controversy at Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg
In 2002, Tomás Ó Dulaing, headmaster at Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg was dismissed by the board of patrons. He wrote a letter to the parents of the children which was deemed by the Board of Management to be misconduct. Although portrayed by some as being dismissed for opting to teach religious sacraments outside school hours, he was in fact dismissed for mis-conduct and his dismissal on these grounds were upheld by the Labour Court. The parents of the school were divided on the issue of his dismissal, and some felt that it was unfairly represented in the press. .
Youth Clubs
Beginning in 2001, Cumann na bhFiann originated from the organisation
Colaiste Na BhFiann. The aim of the club is to promote the Irish language and to help young children to understand Irish. Approximately 50 students currently participate in the club, which takes place from September to May.
An English speaking youth club, which encourages teenagers to keep out of trouble, and to have fun on Friday nights. Currently, 300 students from Meath attend this club, 30 of whom come from Dunboyne.
Music
Traditional music abounds in Dunboyne.
There is a very strong chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Dunboyne that meets alternating Monday nights in Bradys Pub.
There are sesiúns in the Dunboyne Castle Hotel on Saturday nights, Slevin's Pub on Friday nights, and Brady's Pub on Thursday nights
In Dunboyne's St. Peter's College, the student orchestra exists as well as an award-winning choir.
Road
Dunboyne is situated off the N3 national road which will be replaced by the new M3 motorway in 2010.
Rail
Dunboyne railway stationDunboyne railway station is a planned railway station to serve the town of Dunboyne in County Meath. The original Dunboyne station opened in August 1862 on the Clonsilla-Navan railway line, but was closed in January 1947. Since then the town has not been served by passenger trains, with the old...
is currently under construction and is due to open in 2010. It is being built as part of the reopening of the
Navan-ClonsillaThe Dublin-Navan line is a planned commuter railway line between Dublin and the town of Navan in County Meath.- History :Navan was originally a significant part of the expanding rail network in Ireland. The Dublin and Drogheda Railway first constructed a branch from the Dublin-Belfast main line...
line under the Irish Governments
Transport 21Transport 21 is an Irish infrastructure plan, announced on 1 November 2005 in Dublin Castle by the then Irish Minister for Transport Martin Cullen. It aims to greatly expand Ireland's transport network...
development programme.
The original
Dunboyne railway stationDunboyne railway station is a planned railway station to serve the town of Dunboyne in County Meath. The original Dunboyne station opened in August 1862 on the Clonsilla-Navan railway line, but was closed in January 1947. Since then the town has not been served by passenger trains, with the old...
was opened on 29 August 1862 and closed on 1 April 1963.
Bus
Dunboyne is served by several
Dublin BusDublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 24 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...
routes including the 70, 70X, 70N and 270. Bus Éireann also indirectly serves Dunboyne along the Dublin-Navan route, with a stop located near the junction of the Navan Rd. and the R157, which leads to Dunboyne.
Rivers
It has been suggested that Dunboyne is the only town in Ireland that could be an inland island, as the only way into and out of the town is over bridges, directly outside the town on each road.
The Castle River flows into the
Tolka riverThe River Tolka is a river which flows from County Meath through Dublin, Ireland. It is one of Dublin's three main rivers, the others being the Dodder and the Liffey. It is known for occasional severe flooding.-Course and system:...
and recent flooding in and around Dunboyne has been attributed to problems further down the Tolka. Alleviation works have resulted in the risk of flooding being severely lessened. The last major flood was in 2002, preceded by floods in 2000 and 1987.
People
- John Bruton
John Gerard Bruton served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 1994 to 1997. A minister under two taoisigh, Liam Cosgrave and Garret FitzGerald, Bruton held a number of the top posts in Irish government, including Minister for Finance , and Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism...
, TaoiseachThe Taoiseach , plural Taoisigh , also referred to as An Taoiseach , is the head of government of Ireland.The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann , and must, while he remains in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil...
from 1994 to 1997 and former leader of the Fine GaelFine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael is the second largest political party in Ireland in terms of parliamentary seat numbers, the largest in terms of support according to all recent opinion polls, and the largest in terms of local government members and members of the...
political party, lives about 5 kilometres outside the village. As the current envoy for the European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
to the United States of America, he resides mostly in Washington D.C. He still maintains farmland and a home in Dunboyne.
- Seán Boylan
Seán Boylan is a retired Gaelic football manager from Dunboyne, County Meath, Republic of Ireland. He retired from his position as manager of the Meath GAA Senior Football team on the evening of 31st of August, 2005 after twenty-three years in charge...
, former manager of the Meath GAA football team and present manager of the Irish International Rules team lives in Dunboyne.
- Mgr Dermot Farrell
Monsignor Dermot Pius Farrell was born in Castletown-Geoghegan, County Westmeath in 1955. He was educated at St Finian’s College, Mullingar and St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Now an independent affiliate of the newly constituted Maynooth College of the N.U.I., St. Patrick's houses both the...
, the Parish Priest since 1 October, 2007, is the former President of St Patrick's College, Maynooth. He succeeded Mgr Edward Dunne as parish priest of Dunboyne in 2007.
- Niall Quinn
Niall Quinn is an Irish motor racing driver, currently living in County Meath, Ireland.- Early career :1999- 3rd place in Irish Karting Championship in Cadet
...
, a British Formula 3The British Formula Three Championship is a national motor racing championship that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...
driver and rookie driver for A1 Team IrelandA1 Team Ireland is the Irish team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the fourth season, 2008-09.- The Team :...
was born in Dunboyne.
- Virginia Kerr
Virginia Kerr is a prominent Irish soprano who appears frequently in concerts, opera, oratorio and recitals.She has sung with many of the world's leading orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, The Hallé and the Royal...
the prominent Irish Soprano and opera singer is from Dunboyne and still lives there today.
Miscellaneous Information
Dunboyne was the backdrop for the fictional village of Leestown in the very successful television series of the 1970s called
The RiordansThe Riordans was the second Irish soap opera made by Radio Telefís Éireann . It ran from 1965 to 1979 and was set in the fictional townland of Leestown in County Kilkenny...
. More recently certain elements of the local
Gaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders. The GAA also promotes Irish music and...
(GAA) clubs and country houses were used in a recent
RTÉ-Organisations:* Raidió Teilifís Éireann , the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland* Réseau de transport d'électricité, the French Transmission System Operator -Computing:* Real Time Enterprise...
GAA related drama series. And also a partial amount of footage of 'Ear to the Ground' this was filmed in 2006. The footage was shot in the Local GAA grounds on the Rooske Rd. The show is now finished.
In
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
there is an unusual youth hostel; it is a ship called
af Chapmanaf Chapman is a steel full-rigged ship moored on the western shore of the islet Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, Sweden, now serving as a youth hostel....
. Named
Dunboyne by her original Dublin owners, Charles E. Martin & Co., she participated in trade with Australia in her early years. Sold to Norway in 1909, the
Dunboyne was renamed the
G.D. Kennedy in July 1915 when she was bought by the Swedish shipping company Transatlantic who sold her to the Swedish government in 1924, when it was renamed
af Chapman. She has been operating as a youth hostel since 1949.
See also
- St. Peter's College
St. Peter's College, Dunboyne is an Irish secondary school located in Dunboyne, County Meath. The current School Principal is Mr. Eamonn Gaffney.-History:...
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links