Dunboyne

For the racehorse, see Dunboyne (horse).

Dunboyne Dún Búinne
Town
Looking east-southeast from the centre of the village
Dunboyne Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53.420°N 6.475°W / 53.420; -6.475
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Meath
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population  (2016)
• Total	7,272
Time zone	UTC±0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing key	A86
Telephone area code	+353(0)1
Irish Grid Reference	O010422

Dunboyne (Irish: Dún Búinne, meaning 'Búinne's stronghold') is a town in Meath, Ireland. It is located ten minutes from Blanchardstown.

Location

Church of Saints Peter & Paul

Dunboyne is centred on the crossroads formed by the R156 regional road and the old Maynooth Road (formerly designated R157).

History

Dunboyne's history stretches back to the Middle Ages. Dunboyne was home to many men who fought for and against British rule in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. During the War of Independence the town was Division Headquarters to the IRA (Irish Republican Army) 1st Eastern Division, a unit formed in April 1921 under Divisional commander, Seán Boylan. The Division consisted nine brigades: 1st Brigade (south Meath & north Kildare); 2nd (Navan & Trim); 3rd (Kells, Virginia & Mullagh); 4th, Delvin; 5th (Mullingar & north Westmeath); 6th, Edenderry; 7th (Naas & south Kildare); 8th Fingal; and 9th (Drogheda & south Louth). Dunboyne got its name from Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. The River Tolka runs through Dunboyne.

Dunboyne Castle

Dunboyne Castle, originally a castle was built as a seat for a branch of the Butler dynasty, the 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 house was sold in 1950 and became the Good Shepherd convent, in which nuns used to live and operate a mother and baby home, the Árd Mhuire mother and baby home in Dunboyne was opened by the sisters of the Good Shepherd in 1955. It closed in 1991. A partial section of the building has been dismantled. In 2006, the convent was sold and converted into a hotel.

Notable former residents

• Thomas Cusack, a Lord Chancellor of Ireland in the 1500s.
• John Butler, 12th Baron Dunboyne
• Thomas Blood, Colonel Thomas Blood (1618 – 24 August 1680) was an Irish colonel best known for attempting to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. He was raised in Sarney, Dunboyne.

Sport

Athletics

Dunboyne Athletic Club was founded in 1928 and is located on the Rooske Road, where facilities include a 400-metre, all-weather track, IAAF standard hammer throwing cage and club house. In 2013 the club had 790 registered members, making it the 4th largest club in Ireland. Current Irish international athletes who are members include Padraig White and James Mc Cabe (hammer), Michael O Hanlon (discus) and Luke Forde (cross country). The club host an annual 4-mile road race on the last Sunday in March that attracts over 1000 participants. Programmes added in 2013 were Fit4Youth for teenagers and Couch25k. New events include a Winter Throws Competition on the first Saturday in March and a Schools Cross Country on the first Wednesday in December.

Golf

The GUI National Golf Academy is located 5 km outside Dunboyne on the Maynooth Road. It has a driving range, putting green and short game area. It has golf lessons available from professionals. The golf society in Dunboyne would usually go to different golf courses around Meath for their outings.

GAA

Dunboyne has a rich GAA tradition. The Dunboyne team won the Meath senior county football championship in 1998 and 2005. Dunboyne man Seán Boylan 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. In 2009 the under 14 team won the All Ireland club championship.

Ladies GAA

Since its foundation in 1996, the Dunboyne Ladies GFC remains the only stand alone Ladies Gaelic Football club in the County. It caters for women from the local Dunboyne Community and surrounding areas and fields teams in all age competitions and Senior Leagues. There is a very active Underage/Nursery which welcomes new members to come along and join the club, with emphasis on fun and learning the skills of Gaelic Football. Dunboyne Ladies GFC have won Meath Championships several times over at all under age levels up to and including Under 21s

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. Mr. Tommy Reid set the outright lap record for the Dunboyne Circuit in 1965 at 101.24 mph, Tommy became Dunboyne Motor Clubs Honorary President at their 2017 Spirit of Dunboyne.

May 27th, 2017 marked the 50th anniversary since the last motor races (cars and bikes). Dunboyne Motor Club unveiled a plaque on Mulvanys Public House commemorating the last races.

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, Tom and Conleth Feighery (brothers) both received a number of caps for their country in the 1970s. Tom is currently a local GP.

Football

Dunboyne has two football clubs, Dunboyne AFC and Dunboyne FC. Dunboyne AFC's grounds are on the Summerhill Road which has a fully lit astro turf pitch, three 11 a-side pitches, two small sided pitches, club shop and clubhouse. Dunboyne FC reside in the Phoenix Park. They both were officially opened by Pele in November 2009, in recognition of the club receiving the FAI Club of the Year award for 2009.

Tennis

Dunboyne Tennis Club was formed about 1980 using the car park at Dunboyne National Primary School. It later moved to Dunboyne Community Centre and is today located on the edge of Clonee Village, just off the N3.

Education

Primary schools

• Dunboyne Junior Primary School
• Dunboyne Senior Primary School
• Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg
• St Peter's National School (Church of Ireland)

Secondary school

• St. Peter's College

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 FETAC level 5. It is for PLC.

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.

There are currently 38 post-leaving certificate courses in the college, which provide students with the opportunity to progress to further studies at third level. Notable Alumni include Ben "The Shuffle King" Marsden, world record holder for the most shuffles performed in one night as well as other notable achievements in pulling. His shuffling career unfortunately took a downhill turn as he turned to substance abuse and was arrested with 100,000 euro worth of Ketamine and later lost his legs in prison. He went on to establish the "Wheely Good Time Foundation" to help young, recovering addicts change their lives through shuffling [1]. Mr Marsden has also set up an annual award ceremony rewarding women for their constant attention on nights out, these are known as the "Woman of the Night" awards .

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

• Cumann na bhFiann

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.

• Foróige

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

There is a chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Dunboyne that meets alternating Monday nights in Bradys Pub. There are sesiúns in Slevin's Pub on Friday nights, and Brady's Pub on Thursday and Monday nights. At St Peter's College, the award-winning student orchestra exists as well as an award-winning choir.

Dunboyne Community Centre

In 1985 the people of Dunboyne came together at a public meeting and agreed that a social and recreational centre was badly needed. Four years of fund-raising followed, during which 80–90% of households contributed on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. Local businesses participated with sponsorships, and the local clubs ran fund-raising events. These efforts raised over £400,000, the Irish government contributed grants totalling £35,000, and a fully equipped Community Centre was opened by then-President of Ireland, Dr Patrick Hillery, in 1989.

With the establishment of St Peter's College on the adjoining site in 1994, the opportunity arose to embark on an innovative venture which has since become a model for school/community ventures elsewhere in Ireland. The money that would have been spent on putting sports facilities into the College, £280,000, was instead invested in the Centre. Through further fund-raising, the Committee added another £150,000 to this and the result was a major extension of the building in 1997. This arrangement provided the College with a larger sports hall than it otherwise would have had while, outside of school hours, the extension enabled the centre to cater better for the growing community. A Health & Fitness Club was added in January 2000, and a floodlit all-weather pitch (another joint venture with St Peter's College) in 2004. St Peters College is located at the back of the Dunboyne Community Centre.

A non-profit making body, owned by the community, the centre is funded by the community, and operated for the benefit of the community. It has a charitable exemption from income tax. All the income which it generates goes towards covering its costs and funding further development.

Transport

Road

Dunboyne is situated primarily on the Station Road (L2228) Regional Road, at the intersection of the Maynooth Road (L2227) The town also lies parallel with the M3 motorway, which connects to L2228 using the R157 at a roundabout west of the town.

Rail

There are two rail stations in Dunboyne. Dunboyne railway station, which was built to service the town and is situated to the east of the town and M3 Parkway railway station which was built to service commuters using the M3 coming down from Navan. There were built as part of the reopening of the Navan-Clonsilla line under the Irish Governments Transport 21 development programme. However, due to a lack of funding, this railway stops after the M3 Parkway railway station just outside of Dunboyne. The original Dunboyne railway station was opened on 29 August 1862 and closed on 1 April 1963.

Bus

Dunboyne is served by three Dublin Bus routes; the 70, 70d and 270. There is also a limited Bus Éireann service to/from Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells on route 109 and to Mullingar, Killucan, Rathmolyon and Summerhill on route 118.

Bus Éireann route 109 provides two journeys a day in the morning to Kells via Dunshaughlin and Navan and two return journeys in the evening. No Bus Éireann services serve Dunboyne on Sundays. However Bus Éireann also indirectly serves Dunboyne along the Dublin-Navan route, with a stop located at the Sheaf of Wheat near the junction of the Navan Rd. and the R157, which leads to Dunboyne. Bus Éireann route 111 between Dublin and Athboy stops at the M3 parkway station, just outside Dunboyne.

Geographical qualities

Rivers

The Castle River flows into the Tolka river 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.

Tornado

On 11 May 2007 the town was hit by a small tornado in which slates were torn from roofs and branches from trees during the brief storm, which occurred just after 6:30 pm.

People

• John Bruton, Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 and former leader of the Fine Gael political party, lives about 5 kilometres outside the village. When envoy for the European Union to the United States of America, he resided mostly in Washington D.C. He still maintains farmland and a home in Dunboyne.
• Seán Boylan, former manager of the Meath GAA football team and present manager of the Irish International Rules team lives in Dunboyne.
• Mgr Dermot Farrell, 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, a British Formula 3 driver and rookie driver for A1 Team Ireland was born in Dunboyne.
• Virginia Kerr, Irish operatic soprano, is from Dunboyne and lives there.

Miscellaneous information

Dunboyne was the backdrop for the fictional village of Leestown in the successful television series of the 1970s called The Riordans. More recently certain elements of the local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) clubs and country houses were used in a recent RTÉ 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 the 2009 local elections, Cllr Maria Murphy and Cllr Noel Leonard, both of whom live in Dunboyne, were both elected to Meath County Council. The 2009 election was one of the few which saw two candidates from Dunboyne being elected to the council.

See also

• St. Peter's College
• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• Dunboyne Parish