Dunboyne

Town near Dublin, Ireland

For the racehorse, see Dunboyne (horse).

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Town in Leinster, Ireland

Dunboyne

Dún Búinne

Town

Town centre, 2020

Dunboyne

Location in Greater Dublin

Show map of Dublin

Dunboyne

Dunboyne (Ireland)

Show map of Ireland

Coordinates: 53°25′12″N 6°28′30″W﻿ / ﻿53.420°N 6.475°W﻿ / 53.420; -6.475
Country| Ireland
Province| Leinster
County| Meath
Elevation

| 70 m (230 ft)
Population

(2022)[1]

| 7,155
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')[2] is a town in County Meath, Ireland, 15 km (9 mi) north-west of Dublin city centre. It is a commuter town for Dublin.[3] In the 20 years between the 1996 and 2016 censuses, the population of Dunboyne more than doubled from 3,080 to 7,272 inhabitants.[4] As per the 2022 census, the population decreased slightly to 7,155.[1] The town is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.[2]

## Location

[edit]

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

[edit]

Procession through the streets of Kilbride marking the consecration of the new chapel of ease in the parish. Brady's public house in Dunboyne

Dunboyne's Irish language name, Dún Búinne, indicates it was the fort of Bui who was the wife of the god Lugh. 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).[5] Dunboyne got its name from Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. The River Tolka runs through Dunboyne.

### Dunboyne Castle

[edit]

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 institution, 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.[6]

## Sport

[edit]

### Athletics

[edit]

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.[citation needed]

### GAA

[edit]

The local GAA team, St Peters Dunboyne GAA, won the Meath Senior Football Championship in 1998, 2005 and 2018. 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.

Since its foundation in 1996, Dunboyne Ladies GFC remains the only standalone Ladies Gaelic football club in Meath.[citation needed] Dunboyne Ladies GFC have won Meath Championships several times in all under age levels up to and including Under 21s.[citation needed]

### Motor racing

[edit]

Dunboyne was 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.

### Football

[edit]

Dunboyne has two football clubs, Dunboyne FC and Dunboyne AFC.[7] Dunboyne AFC's grounds are on the Summerhill Road which has a floodlit astro turf pitch, three 11 a-side pitches, two small-sided pitches, club shop, and clubhouse. Dunboyne FC plays in the Phoenix Park. They were both officially opened by Pele in November 2009[8] in recognition of the club receiving the FAI Club of the Year award for 2009.

### Other sports

[edit]

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. There is also a golf society in Dunboyne.[9]

Two Irish rugby internationals, brothers Tom and Conleth Feighery who received a number of international caps in the 1970s, were born locally.[citation needed]

## Education

[edit]

### Primary schools

[edit]

Primary schools serving the area include Dunboyne Junior Primary School, Dunboyne Senior Primary School, Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg and St Peter's National School (Church of Ireland).[citation needed]

In 2002 the headmaster at Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg was dismissed by the board of patrons for writing a letter to the parents of the children which was deemed by the Board of Management to be misconduct. The parents of the school were divided on the issue, with some reportedly believing that the incident was unfairly represented in the press.[10][11]

### Post-primary

[edit]

The local secondary school is St. Peter's College.

Dunboyne College of Further Education, located in Dunboyne Business Park, provides full-time courses at FETAC level 5. It is for PLC. The college operates under the authority of the County Meath Vocational Education Committee. As of 2016, 38 post-leaving certificate courses were offered by the college.[12]

### Youth clubs

[edit]

Local youth club Cumann na bhFiann was begun in 2001, originating from the organisation Coláiste na bhFiann.[citation needed] The aim of the club is to promote the Irish language. Approximately 50 students participate in the club, which takes place from September to May.[citation needed] Foróige, an English speaking youth club, meets on Friday nights.[citation needed]

## Dunboyne Community Centre

[edit]

In 1985 a public meeting was held in Dunboyne, and it was agreed that a social and recreational centre was needed. Four years of fund-raising followed, and over £400,000 was raised. The Irish government contributed grants totalling £35,000, and a community centre was opened by then-President of Ireland, Dr Patrick Hillery, in 1989.[13]

With the establishment of St Peter's College on the adjoining site in 1994, the opportunity arose to undertake a venture which subsequently became 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 to the growing community better. Health and fitness facilities were added in early 2000, and a floodlit all-weather pitch (another joint venture with St Peter's College), whose development began in 2003.[13]

## Transport

[edit]

### Road

[edit]

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.[14]

### Rail

[edit]

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. They 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.[15]

### Bus

[edit]

Dunboyne is served by three bus routes: the 70 and 70d (operated by Dublin Bus) and 270 (operated by Go-Ahead Ireland). 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.[16][17]

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.[18] No Bus Éireann services serve Dunboyne on Sundays. Bus Éireann route 111 between Dublin and Athboy stops at the M3 parkway station, just outside Dunboyne.[citation needed]

## Geography

[edit]

The Castle River flows into the Tolka river and flooding in and around Dunboyne has been attributed to problems further down the Tolka. Alleviation works have resulted in the risk of flooding being lessened. The last major flood was in 2002, preceded by a flood in 2000.[19][20]

On 11 May 2007, the town was hit by a small tornado in which slates were torn from roofs and branches from trees during a brief storm.[21]

## In media

[edit]

The 1970s television series, The Riordans, set in the fictional townland of Leestown, was filmed in Dunboyne.[22][23]

## People

[edit]

See also: Category:People from Dunboyne

* Thomas Blood (1618–1680), an Irish colonel best known for attempting to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671.
* Seán Boylan, former manager of the Meath GAA football team and the Irish International Rules team lives in Dunboyne.
* John Bruton, former Taoiseach leader of Fine Gael, lived about 5 km outside the village. While envoy for the European Union to the United States, he resided mostly in Washington. He still maintained a home in Dunboyne until his death in 2024.
* John Butler, 12th Baron Dunboyne
* Thomas Cusack, a Lord Chancellor of Ireland in the 1500s.
* Dermot Farrell, Bishop of Ossory, was formerly the parish priest to Dunboyne.
* Virginia Kerr, Irish operatic soprano, is from Dunboyne and lives there.
* Darragh Lenihan, association footballer who has played for Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers
* Niall Quinn, a British Formula 3 driver and rookie driver for A1 Team Ireland was born in Dunboyne.
* Brian Smyth, Meath's first All-Ireland Football winning captain in 1949, resided in Dunboyne.[24]
* CMAT, singer-songwriter and musician, and winner of the 2022 Choice Music Prize, lived in Dunboyne as an adolescent.[25]

## See also

[edit]

* List of towns and villages in Ireland

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Census 2022 - F1015 Population". Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
2. ^ a b "Dún Búinne/Dunboyne". Logainm.ie. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
3. ^ "Priced out of Dublin? Consider Dunboyne". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 20 January 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
4. ^ "Dunboyne (Ireland) Census Town". citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
5. ^ "Bureau of Military History, 1913-21 : Statement by Witness - David Hall" (PDF). Bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie. p. 10\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 November 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
6. ^ Irish babies used as guinea pigs in drug experiments Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Irishcentral.com; accessed 29 February 2016.
7. ^ "Dunboyne AFC". Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
8. ^ Casey, Ann (14 October 2009). "Pele to visit Dunboyne next month". Meath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
9. ^ "Dunboyne Golf Society". Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
10. ^ "This sad school story". Independent.ie. 31 July 2002. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
11. ^ Paul Anderson (18 April 2002). "Meath school row needs national debate - Bruton". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
12. ^ "Dunboyne College of Further Education". www.dunboynecollege.ie. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
13. ^ a b "Welcome to Dunboyne Community Centre". www.dunboynecommunitycentre.ie. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
14. ^ "OpenStreetMap". OpenStreetMap. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
15. ^ "Dunboyne station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
16. ^ "Bus Éireann schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
17. ^ "Bus Éireann schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
18. ^ "Dublin Airport - Bus Éireann". Buseireann.ie. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
19. ^ Keogh, Elaine (31 January 2003). "Meath to spend €4m on flooding protection after report". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
20. ^ "Dunboyne/Clonee/Pace Local Area Plan 2009-2015 (Incorporating Amendment Number 1 – Made on 2nd of March 2015)" (PDF). Meath County Council. 2015 [2009]. p. 83\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
21. ^ "Tornado damages houses in Meath". RTÉ News. 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
22. ^ Monaghan, Gabrielle (18 October 2019). "Keeping up with The Riordans: new development on old soap's site". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
23. ^ "Gabriel Byrne Gets Start On The Riordans". RTÉ Archives. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
24. ^ Donohue, John (16 March 2016). "Death of 1949 Royal County captain, Brian Smyth". Meath Chronicle. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
25. ^ "Meath country star Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson to headline Slane Otherside Festival". 26 January 2023.

## External links

[edit]

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* Dunboyne Parish

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