Dunshaughlin
Encyclopedia
Dunshaughlin is a town in County Meath
in Ireland
.
Máel Seachlainn was ancestor to the principal family of Brega
, Ó Maoilsheachlainn, is descended. Dunshaughlin (or more specifically, the townland of Lagore
) is famous for an ancient crannóg
or settlement from the 7th century where a number of Irish antiquities
were discovered.
Approximately 1.6 km south of the village is a preserved workhouse from An Gorta Mór which was abolished by the Irish State in the early twenties. The workhouse is currently under private ownership and is not open to the public.
of the nation's capital. It has grown considerably over the last 20 years and while the population in 1996 was just 2,139, it was 3,063 by the census of 2002 and is recorded as 3,384 today (Census 2006).
Numerous housing estates centre on a main street with numerous retail units consisting of newsagents, pubs, take away food outlets, clothing stores and banks. There is also a business park on the outskirts of the town.
Dunshaughlin houses numerous public amenities, including a library, Meath County Council civic offices, a large community and sports centre, home to most of the town's organisations as well as a health centre. Equilibrium, a piece of public art by Orla de Bri is displayed at the county council offices. In 2006, a town park was opened.
Dunshaughlin is served by Bus Éireann
commuter services to Dublin, generally running at a frequency of every half hour, with plans to increase frequency to every 15 minutes. Subject to the reopening of the Dublin–Navan railway line, there will be a station
near Dunshaughlin. Doubts have been raised, however, about the likelihood of the line being rebuilt. The old station was at Drumree
, just outside of Dunshaughlin, though the reinstated line would likely be situated closer to the town.
Dunshaughlin has two primary schools, St. Seachnall's National School and Gaelscoil na Ríthe. There is also a VEC
-run secondary school, Dunshaughlin Community College, which was recently selected as one of 12 schools worldwide to take part in Microsoft
's Innovative Schools programme.
The towns golfing community takes great pride in its golf course "The Black Bush Golf Club". Around 3 km (2 mi) outside the village a new golfing resort designed by Jack Nicklaus has been created at Killeen Castle. The course hosted the 2011 Solheim Cup
despite it not opening until 2008.
The town also has a strong association with horse racing, in particular National Hunt racing
.
The Dunshaughlin and District Road Racing Supporters Club are a club of like minded motorcycle racing enthusiasts who provide and support a racing machine for the Irish road race championship. This year (2011) local rider Benny Daly (#106) will be supported by the club in the Irish Senior Support Road Race championship. http://www.ddrr.ie/index.htm
The town has many skateboarders and it also has a skatepark.
During the Irish Famine in the mid-1840s, many hundreds of people were crowded into the stone building in dreadful conditions. A burial ground was located to the rear of the workhouse, which you can still visit today, sometimes memorial services are conducted here for those who died during the famine.
In the post-famine years, the workhouse rarely had more than a few dozen inmates. During the First World War, the building was used to accommodate Belgian refugees, some of whom died there and were buried in the paupers' graveyard. In 1920-21, the building was taken over as a barracks by the Black and Tans
during the Irish War of Independence
.
Following the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, the workhouse system was abolished. After many years of vacancy and semi dereliction the main building was taken into private ownership in the 1990s and now is primarily a private residence.
was born in Dunshaughlin.
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
History
It is named after Saint Seachnall, who established a church there in the 5th century.Máel Seachlainn was ancestor to the principal family of Brega
Kings of Brega
-Overview:Brega took its name from Mag Breg, the plain of Brega, in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the Uí Néill kindred, belonging to the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. The kingdom of Brega included the Hill of Tara, the site...
, Ó Maoilsheachlainn, is descended. Dunshaughlin (or more specifically, the townland of Lagore
Loch Gabhair
Loch Gabhair meaning "Lake of the Goats" is a townland in the parish of Ratoath, Ireland. It is located between the villages of Ratoath and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Ireland....
) is famous for an ancient crannóg
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
or settlement from the 7th century where a number of Irish antiquities
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
were discovered.
Approximately 1.6 km south of the village is a preserved workhouse from An Gorta Mór which was abolished by the Irish State in the early twenties. The workhouse is currently under private ownership and is not open to the public.
Today
Dunshaughlin is 29 km from Dublin on the R147, formally the N3 road but renamed after the M3 was opened. Today it is a thriving satellite townSatellite town
A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
of the nation's capital. It has grown considerably over the last 20 years and while the population in 1996 was just 2,139, it was 3,063 by the census of 2002 and is recorded as 3,384 today (Census 2006).
Numerous housing estates centre on a main street with numerous retail units consisting of newsagents, pubs, take away food outlets, clothing stores and banks. There is also a business park on the outskirts of the town.
Dunshaughlin houses numerous public amenities, including a library, Meath County Council civic offices, a large community and sports centre, home to most of the town's organisations as well as a health centre. Equilibrium, a piece of public art by Orla de Bri is displayed at the county council offices. In 2006, a town park was opened.
Dunshaughlin is served by Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...
commuter services to Dublin, generally running at a frequency of every half hour, with plans to increase frequency to every 15 minutes. Subject to the reopening of the Dublin–Navan railway line, there will be a station
Dunshaughlin railway station
Dunshaughlin railway station is a proposed railway station intended to serve the town of Dunshaughlin in County Meath. The station is planned to be built as part of the second phase of reinstatement of the Clonsilla-Navan line, and is due to open in 2015....
near Dunshaughlin. Doubts have been raised, however, about the likelihood of the line being rebuilt. The old station was at Drumree
Drumree
Drumree is a settled area in south County Meath, Ireland, south of Dunsany and approximately from Dublin city centre. The next nearest settlement was the hamlet at Dunsany Cross Roads....
, just outside of Dunshaughlin, though the reinstated line would likely be situated closer to the town.
Dunshaughlin has two primary schools, St. Seachnall's National School and Gaelscoil na Ríthe. There is also a VEC
Vocational Education Committee
A Vocational Education Committee is a statutory local education body in the Republic of Ireland that administers some secondary education, most adult education and a very small amount of primary education in the state...
-run secondary school, Dunshaughlin Community College, which was recently selected as one of 12 schools worldwide to take part in Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Innovative Schools programme.
Sport
The town is represented in sport by a Men's & Ladies Gaelic football team. The Men's team were Meath county champions 3 years in a row from 2000-2003. Their main sponsor is the local supermarket, SuperValu Dunshaughlin. The local soccer club is Dunshaughlin Youths http://www.dyfc.ie and is a very progressive club active both in the local community and in the North Dublin Schoolboys league http://www.ndsl.ie. Other popular sports include tennis, golf and athletics.The towns golfing community takes great pride in its golf course "The Black Bush Golf Club". Around 3 km (2 mi) outside the village a new golfing resort designed by Jack Nicklaus has been created at Killeen Castle. The course hosted the 2011 Solheim Cup
Solheim Cup
The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force behind its creation.The inaugural Cup was held in 1990,...
despite it not opening until 2008.
The town also has a strong association with horse racing, in particular National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
.
The Dunshaughlin and District Road Racing Supporters Club are a club of like minded motorcycle racing enthusiasts who provide and support a racing machine for the Irish road race championship. This year (2011) local rider Benny Daly (#106) will be supported by the club in the Irish Senior Support Road Race championship. http://www.ddrr.ie/index.htm
The town has many skateboarders and it also has a skatepark.
The Workhouse
The Dunshaughlin workhouse was erected in 1840-41 on a 2 hectare (5 acre) site 2.5 km (1.5 mi) to the south of Dunshaughlin, the building was planned to accommodate 400 inmates. Its construction cost £4,938 plus £912 for fittings etc. The building was declared fit for habitaion on May 12, 1841, and received its first admissions on 17 May.During the Irish Famine in the mid-1840s, many hundreds of people were crowded into the stone building in dreadful conditions. A burial ground was located to the rear of the workhouse, which you can still visit today, sometimes memorial services are conducted here for those who died during the famine.
In the post-famine years, the workhouse rarely had more than a few dozen inmates. During the First World War, the building was used to accommodate Belgian refugees, some of whom died there and were buried in the paupers' graveyard. In 1920-21, the building was taken over as a barracks by the Black and Tans
Black and Tans
The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
.
Following the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, the workhouse system was abolished. After many years of vacancy and semi dereliction the main building was taken into private ownership in the 1990s and now is primarily a private residence.
Dunshaughlin in Fiction
The Marvel Mutant superhero ShamrockShamrock (comics)
Shamrock is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Shamrock first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions #1 . She also appeared in issues #2-3 of the series .The character subsequently appeared in The Incredible Hulk Vol...
was born in Dunshaughlin.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland