Dunshaughlin

Dunshaughlin (Irish: Dún Seachlainn, meaning "the fort of Seachlainn"[2] or locally Irish: Domhnach Seachnaill, meaning "St Seachnall's Church")[3] is a town in County Meath, Ireland. A commuter town for nearby Dublin,[4] Dunshaughlin more than tripled in population (from 1,275 to 4,035 inhabitants) between the 1991 and 2016 censuses.[5]

Dunshaughlin

Dún Seachlainn/Domhnach Seachnaill
Town
The Drumree Road in Dunshaughlin
Dunshaughlin
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°30′42″N 6°32′22″W
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyCounty Meath
Elevation
105 m (344 ft)
Population
 (2016)[1]
4,035
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceN965526

History

Foundation
See also: St. Seachnall's Church

Dunshaughlin is named for Saint Seachnall, who established a church there in the 5th century. The oldest reference to the place name is an entry in the Annála Uladh from the year 801, where the name takes the form "Domnaig Sechnaill". The word "Domnach", used in this way, can be attributed to churches which originate from the beginnings of Christianity in Ireland.[6]

Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill was an ancestor from which 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.

Workhouse

Approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) from the village is a preserved workhouse from the Great Famine. This workhouse was erected in 1840-41 on 2 hectares (4.9 acres), south of Dunshaughlin. Designed to accommodate 400 inmates, it cost about £6,000 to build, all told. It was declared fit for habitation on 12 May 1841 and received its first admissions on 17 May. During the famine period, in the mid-1840s, elements of the workhouse were converted to accommodate additional inmates, and a burial ground was located to the rear. Occupancy declined after the famine. During the First World War, the building was used to house Belgian refugees, some of whom died there and were buried in the paupers' graveyard. In 1920-21, the building was taken over by the Black and Tans, who used it as a barracks during the Irish War of Independence. After the workhouse system was abolished in 1922, following the conclusion of the war and the establishment of Irish Free State, the facility served as a school, courthouse, and factory (among other things). As of 2002, parts of the building were being used as a guest residence.[7]

Demographics

Dunshaughlin is 29 km from Dublin on the R147, and is a growing satellite town of that city.[8] Between the 1991 and 2011 census, the town's population had more than tripled from 1,275 inhabitants to 3,903 people.[5][9] By the time of the 2016 census, this had increased to 4,035.[1]

Amenities

Several housing estates centre on the main street, with multiple retail units consisting of newsagents, pubs, takeaway food outlets, clothing stores, and banks. There is also a business park on the outskirts of the town.[10]

Dunshaughlin houses a number of public amenities, including a library, a health centre, and the Meath County Council civic offices. A community and sports centre was opened on the grounds of Dunshaughlin Community College in 2000. The centre is operated by a voluntary board of management.[11]

Education

Dunshaughlin has two primary schools, Gaelscoil na Ríthe and St. Seachnall's, and one secondary school, Dunshaughlin Community College. St. Seachnall's was founded in 1835. As of 2019, it had 552 students, both boys and girls.[12] Gaelscoil na Ríthe (an Irish medium school) was established in 1985 by a group of parents from the Dunshaughlin, Drumree, and Culmullen areas. A new building was constructed in 1996 and, as of 2019, the school had an enrollment of 226 pupils.[13] Dunshaughlin Community College (DCC), established in 1933, is a co-educational school which is part of the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board. Construction was completed on an extension at the school in 2013, and was officially opened on 29 November 2014.[14]

Transport

Dunshaughlin is located at a junction between the R147 and R125 regional roads, and approximately 1 km from the M3 motorway. It is served by Bus Éireann commuter bus services to Dublin, including route 109, which generally runs at a frequency of every half-hour.[15]

Sport
Dunshaughlin GAA grounds

The town is represented in sport by men's and ladies Gaelic football teams. The Dunshaughlin GAA men's team were Meath Senior Football Championship 3 years in a row between 2000 and 2003. The local soccer club is Dunshaughlin Youths,[16] which fields teams in the North Dublin Schoolboys League.[17]

The local basketball club, Dunshaughlin Rockets, compete in both the North East Basketball League and the Dublin Ladies Basketball League. Dunshaughlin community college has won both a girl's u16 All-Ireland title, a second-year girl's All-Ireland a boy's u19 All-Ireland title.[18]

Dunshaughlin Athletic Club is traditionally considered a long-distance running club. However, club members have also entered juvenile sprinting competitions. The town's golf course is the "Black Bush Golf Club". Around 3 km (1.9 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.[19]

The town also has a strong association with horse racing, in particular National Hunt racing. The leading flat race sprinter Sole Power, dual winner of both the Nunthorpe Stakes and the King's Stand Stakes, is trained near the town by Edward Lynam.[20]

Events

The Dunshaughlin Harvest Festival is a three-day culture festival, usually taking place towards the end of September. It is a non-profit event, organized and run by local volunteers.[21]

See also

References
  1. "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Dunshaughlin". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. April 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  2. "Dunshaughlin / Dún Seachlainn". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  3. While Domhnach Seachnaill remains the common name among the natives, since the Placenames Order, 1975 the alternative recorded Irish name for the town, Dún Seachlainn, is designated as the official name. Both names are equally legitimate with Domhnach Seachnaill appearing in ecclesiastical records and Dún Seachlainn appearing in secular records.
  4. "More than 900 housing units approved for Dunshaughlin, Co Meath". dublinlive.ie. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  5. "Dunshaughlin (Ireland) Census Town". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  6. "Dún Seachlainn/Dunshaughlin". Logainm.ie. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  7. "The Workhouse in Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath". workhouses.org.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  8. "Dunshaughlin Local Area Plan 2009-2015" (PDF). meath.ie. Meath County Council. Retrieved 16 February 2020. Many people residing in Dunshaughlin work elsewhere, mostly in Dublin
  9. "Area Profile For Town - Dunshaughlin Co. Meath" (PDF). census.cso.ie. Central Statistics Office. 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  10. "Changing face of Dunshaughlin as development takes off again". meathchronicle.ie. Meath Chronicle. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  11. "About us - Dunshaughlin Community Centre Ltd". Dunshaughlincommunitycentre.ie. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  12. "Find a school - St Seachnall's National School". education.ie. Department of Education. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  13. "Find a school - Gaelscoil Na Rithe". education.ie. Department of Education. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  14. "Principal Message". dunshaughlincc.ie. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  15. "Timetable / Route 109 / Kells - Navan - Dunshaughlin - Dublin" (PDF). buseireann.ie. Bus Éireann. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  16. "DUNSHAUGHLIN YOUTHS FC". DUNSHAUGHLIN YOUTHS FC. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  17. "Welcome to North Dublin Schoolboys/Girls League". Ndsl.ie. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  18. "Basketball Club". Dunshaughlin Rockets. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  19. Kelly, Tom (5 October 2011). "Dunshaughlin students praised for Solheim Cup catering role". Meath Chronicle. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  20. "Edward Lynam". Racing Post. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  21. "About - Dunshaughlin Harvest Festival". dunfest.com. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
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