Dunshaughlin
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| Dunshaughlin Domhnach Seachnaill |
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| Irish Grid Reference N965526 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Meath | |
| Population (2002) | 3,063 | |
Dunshaughlin (Irish: Domhnach Seachnaill) [1] is a town in County Meath in Ireland. It is named after Saint Seachnaill, a contemporary of Saint Patrick, who established a church there in the 5th century. Dunshaughlin (or more specifically, the townland of Lagore) is famous for an ancient crannog 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 abolished by the Irish State in the early twenties. The workhouse is under private ownership and is not open to the public.
Dunshaughlin, 29 km from Dublin on the N3 road, is today a thriving satellite town of the nation's capital consisting primarily of a main street, with numerous retail units consisting of newsagents, pubs, take away food outlets and clothing stores.
It has grown immensely 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 probably closer to 3,500 today.
Dunshaughlin is due a train station when the Navan Clonsilla railway line is reopened. The old station was at Drumree, just outside of Dunshaughlin, though the reinstated line is likely to be situated closer to the town.
In July 2006, the town's park opened. It features Ireland's first public skate park.
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[edit] Sport
The town is represented in sport by a Men's & Ladies Gaelic football team (Men's team were Meath county champions 3 years in a row from 2000-2003). Other popular sports include soccer, tennis, golf and athletics. The towns golfing community takes great pride in its golf course "The Black Bush Golf Club". The town also has a strong association with horse racing, in particular National Hunt racing.
[edit] The Workhouse
The Dunshaughlin workhouse was erected in 1840-41 on a five-acre site 1.5 miles 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 12th 1841, and received its first admissions on 17th May.
During the Irish Famine in the mid-1840s, stables and probationary wards were converted into sleeping apartments to accommodate the large of additional inmatesseeking food and shelter during the famine, with the workhouse stables also fitted up for the use of a ward for new patients. A fever hospital was subsequently erected to the north of the workhouse. A burial ground was located to the rear of the workhouse, which you can still visit today, sometimes memorial services are conducted here fore 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. The workhouse buildings subsequently had a variety of uses including a courthouse and school, the school being the local community college which is now situated to the North of the town, and is now one of the busiest schools in the county.
- See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
[edit] Notes
- ^ While Domhnach Seachnaill remains the common name among the natives, since the Placenames Order, 1975 the alternative recorded 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.
