Ashbourne, County Meath
Encyclopedia
Ashbourne, historically called Killeglan or Kildeglan , is a town in County Meath
, Ireland
. It is about 20 km north of Dublin city centre and is bypassed by the M2 motorway.
Hugh de Lacey set about building fortified houses, called mottes and baileys, in case the native Irish would regroup and attack. The remains of a motte and bailey can be found in Ratoath 5 km from Ashbourne.
Once settled, Hugh de Lacey divided the land among his army. A large portion at Killeglan was given to a family called Wafre in 1220. This family lived there until 1420, the last member of this family having built a tower house (a fortified house often called a castle). The castle and lands became the property of the Segrave family, who remained owners until 1649. They became one of the most influential and wealthy non-aristocratic families in Ireland during the 16th century, with two gaining the high political office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, while another became Sheriff of Meath.
However, their political power and possessions were removed during the religious wars of 1641 to 1650. Indeed, during the Cromwellian period, Oliver Cromwell
's son, Henry, stayed for a time in Killeglan Castle. With the final subjugation of the native Irish after 1690, and the imposition of religious persecution in the Penal Laws, a new land-owner named Thomas Carter gained possession of the Killeglan lands. He did not live there, and the castle fell into dis-repair and eventually into ruin. The Carter family held high office in Irish politics during the 18th century but their fortunes waned in the early 19th century. When the Carter estates were sold in the 1840s, the Killegland lands were bought by Frederick Bourne.
Frederick Bourne was a rich entrepreneur who made his fortune from roads and transport. Before 1820 in Ireland roads were almost non-existent. Government regulations allowed for considerable spending on roads, and the subsequent improvements ensured greater post-coach services. Bourne owned a coach company and financed road-building, collecting revenue from tolls. He financed a ten mile (old Irish miles) section of road from Dublin to Killegland. He decided to build a small town with an inn, a hotel and other small businesses to make money from travellers. He built this village near his ten mile tollbooth and named the place after his favourite tree, and himself, i.e. Ash and Bourne. This began in 1820.
Bourne's idea was a great success. However, by 1850 rail was taking business from the roadways, and the Bourne family fortune declined. In 1821 the population was 133, by 1841 it was 411. Unfortunately the Irish famine took its toll from 1845 to 1851, and the population declined. Frederick Bourne left his land at Killegland, and his village of Ashbourne, to his son Richard in 1844. Richard lived in the village, and his first home is now the Ashbourne House Hotel on Frederick Street. Later he built a modest house down Castle Street near where the last remains of the Wafre and Segrave tower house were. Richard married the daughter of a wealthy local family, Elizabeth Mangan, and had several children. The eldest, Thomas, became his father's heir and the last landlord of Ashbourne. He left Ireland and went to live in Northfleet, Kent, England in 1899. The land was sold to the local tenants.
and the largest town in the new Meath East Dáil constituency, which elects 3 TDs to the Dáil.
This growth has largely been the result of the rapid construction of several new housing schemes - most notably several apartment blocks scattered throughout the town and a number of new housing estates. It's also led to Ashbourne becoming a cosmopolitan town, the 2006 census showed that over 12% of Ashbourne's population was born outside Ireland. The Lithuanian community is the second largest minority in Ashbourne after people from the United Kingdom
. Almost one fifth of all non-Irish born in the town are from Lithuania. Lithuanian language services are held in the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The Polish community in Ashbourne is the second-largest in Meath after Navan.
The growth in Ashbourne's population has spurred expansion of local enterprise and retail to cater for the growing populations needs. Many new retail units have been opened in recent years.
who provide a regular service (Route 103) from Beresford Place, every 30 minutes at peak times to the town. Some of these services continue on to Ratoath
, Kilmoon Cross and Duleek
. At the beginning of March 2010, a regular service to and from Navan
via Dunshaughlin
and Ratoath
to Dublin Airport
that had previously not passed through Ashbourne was rerouted to serve the Marriott Hotel at the northern end of the town, and to then go through the town to the airport and Dublin City University
. The service (route 109A) runs every hour from early morning to late evening. The 104 service that ran from Ashbourne to Blanchardstown Shopping centre was discontinued at the same time, and replaced by the some of the 105 service being extended from Ratoath
to also serve Ashbourne. Route 177, with a low frequency, also serves Ashbourne from Dublin, and goes on to Slane, Ardee and Monaghan, with extensions to Clones. There is also a very limited service (Route 107) from Kingscourt to Dublin via Ashbourne.
club, Donaghmore-Ashbourne who have recently built a new clubhouse, with an indoor astro turf and two full-size Gaelic pitches. There is also a rugby union
team who play their matches at the Ashbourne rugby club which has also undergone some development with the creation of a new rugby pitch and a small astro pitch which can also be used for 5 a side soccer.
There is also, a soccer team Ashbourne United, a judo
club and a boxing
club (now closed down due to lack of interest) as well as other sporting organisations.
There is a community centre which has a big hall and some squash
courts. The community centre is used by many of the sporting organisations such as the St Andrews athletics club (who also have facilities in the Arkle Pavilion in Greenogue on the outskirts of Ashbourne) and Hip-Hop classes Fit Kids/Fit Teens.
Fairyhouse Racecourse
is located 10 km from Ashbourne. Fairyhouse attracts leading horses both on the flat and over jumps.
Of the streets developed in Ashbourne's "new" town centre, Killegland Street, has become a new commercial street containing a number of varied retail units along with a new library and council offices. Car parking in the town has been expanded thanks to both a large underground car park beneath Killegland Street (extending from Tesco to the Civic Offices) and a multi-storey car park above the retail units on the south end of the street.
Bridge Street is an existing street between the Broadmeadow River and the Ashbourne House Hotel which contained just three dwellings and no retail outlets eight years ago now has five shops, a large hotel, dozens of apartments and a supermarket there. This is typical of the high pace of development in Ashbourne in the past decade.
A large supermarket has opened a large store on the former Dardis & Dunns seed merchant site on the northern end of Frederick/Main Street as part of the Ashbourne Town Centre development and is accessible from both Frederick Street, across from Ashbourne's original Town Centre and Killegland Square, linking the new retail area to the established centre in the town.
2007 also saw the opening of two new commercial ventures in the Rath, north of the town. 4Home Superstores opened in February 2007, (and closed in late 2009) at the new Ashbourne Retail Park and catalogue store Argos
opened an Argos Extra outlet in the park in August 2007. County Meath
's second Marriott
hotel opened in April 2007 as the 148-room Ashbourne Marriott
.
Ashbourne Retail Park Ltd. applied for planning permission on 9 March 2007 for an extension to the park, consisting of 4 additional double-height retail warehouse units, with a 1,000 seater cinema overhead as well as food and beverage outlets. Car parking was also to increase by another 210 spaces, with the entire extension containing almost 7,500 sq. m of floor area.
reported that the six-screen, 1,000-seat facility, which is Showtime Cinemas' first opening, has wall-to-wall screens, rocker seats, full digital projection and 3D capability.
and Dublin City by 17 kilometres of motorway/high quality dual carriageway on the N2/M2 national primary route, which commences at junction 5 of the M50 motorway (13.5 km from Ashbourne). The road is a six-lane dual-carriageway from the M50 until exit 2, Cherryhound in Co. Dublin, where it becomes a motorway from there to the Rath roundabout, 1.5 km north of Ashbourne. The M2 incorporates a bypass of Ashbourne.
The N2 dual-carriageway, on its opening in 2006, was unique in Ireland as it was the first non-motorway road in the state to officially be granted national motorway speed limits of 120 km/h without any motorway restrictions. As a de facto motorway, many referred to this route as the M2 but this situation was regularised on 28 August 2009, when the section between exit 2 and the Rath roundabout north of Ashbourne will be redesignated as a motorway. The old N2, now re-designated the R135, had its speed limit reduced to 80 km/h in Co. Meath and 60 km/h in adjoining Fingal, much to the consternation of local motorists.
The N2/M2, which the Government announced in March 2005 would not be tolled, allows thousands of commuters and hauliers to avoid the town, which has become a major bottleneck for traffic heading south from County Donegal
, Derry
, County Tyrone
, County Monaghan
, County Louth
and the rest of County Meath
. The South Ashbourne Interchange, a large junction taking traffic on and off the N2 near the Nine Mile Stone, allows non-stop transferral of traffic to and from Ashbourne and its new by-pass. Phase II of the M50 upgrade, opened in 2010, links the N2 to the M50 at exit 5 with a partial freeflow junction, meaning most traffic transferring from the M50 to the N2 and vice versa does not have to stop (traffic lights remain where traffic from the M50 southbound meets traffic from the N2 southbound).
Bus Éireann
has not offered any express services using the new road, as expected when it first opened, and continue to use the old (R135) road for most services until Kilshane, where the R135 has an exit to the Dublin Airport Logistics Park and the N2. There is an informal, non-timetable Bus Éireann 103 service that occasionally runs via the M2 from Dublin to Ashbourne and the 107 Dublin-Navan-Kingscourt service also uses the M2 for an evening coach service at 5.40pm, leaving the M2 at Ashbourne South (exit 3) before continuing via the R135 and N2 north of Ashbourne towards Kentstown and Navan.
Dublin Bus use the N2 as far as Cherryhound (exit 2) for their 88N Nitelink service to Ashbourne
The rebels advanced on the barracks disarming two RIC men who were setting up a barricade outside the barracks. With these two men disarmed and captured, Ashe called on the remaining officers to surrender and immediately a siege situation turned into a shoot out. With little sign of capitulation on the RIC's part it is believed the use of a home-made grenade resulted in them offering to surrender by waving a white handkerchief.
However before they could emerge the hoot of a car horn was heard to the north west. County Inspector Alexander Grey must have received word of the siege as he assembled between 54 and 67 men at Slane in 17 motorcars which were rushed to Ashbourne to put down the uprising. The rebels spread out and rushed along the Slane road to stop the convoy reaching Rath Cross and spreading out. The RIC reinforcements took heavy fire from the rebels from all sides. The firefight lasted many hours before volunteer reinforcements arrived from Badwinstown. The RIC eventually surrendered to the volunteers. However given that the uprising in Dublin had been put down the Fingal volunteers eventually gave themselves up two days later. Thomas Ashe was sentenced to death for his part in the attack, but this was later commuted to penal servitude for life.
The uprising at Ashbourne was not seen favourably at the time with the Meath Chronicle calling it a "tragic blunder". Navan Urban District Council passed resolutions of sympathy. A number of local catholic priests (Curragha & Ratoath) also spoke out against the attack. However condemnation turned into sympathy with the execution of the a number of prominent 1916 rebels who had fought in Dublin.
President of Ireland, Sean T. O'Kelly unveiled a memorial at Rath Cross Roads, Ashbourne,on Easter Sunday, April 26, 1959 which commemorates the Battle of Ashbourne. The story was covered on the front page of the Irish Times the next day. The memorial designed by Con O'Reilly and Peter Grant commemorates the Battle and John Crenigan and Thomas Rafferty who were killed. The monument has two images on one side the figure is in the form of Christ on the other side is a rebel. This monument is known locally as The Rath Cross.
It bears the following inscription;
ERECTED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE FINGAL BRIGADE OLD IRA TO COMMEMORATE THE VICTORIOUS BATTLE WHICH TOOK PLACE NEAR ASHBOURNE 28 APRIL 1916 WHERE VOLUNTEERS JOHN CRENIGAN & THOMAS RAFFERTY GAVE THEIR LIVES DESIGNED FROM THE POEM "LET ME CARRY YOUR CROSS FOR IRELAND LORD" COMPOSED BY THEIR LEADER COMMANDANT THOMAS ASHE
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...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is about 20 km north of Dublin city centre and is bypassed by the M2 motorway.
History
Recent archaeological excavations in the area around Ashbourne have revealed evidence of settlement back to neolithic times. In the townland of Rath, to the north of the town centre, a Bronze Age settlement was found during the construction of the M2 motorway. Excavations in the vicinity of the cemetery Killegland revealed the extent of the early Christian settlement, with souterrains, house sites and a large enclosure centred around the remains of the church that is visible in the cemetery. This would link the townland name of Killegland - meaning Declan's Church - to pre-Patrician settlement in the area. Archaeological excavations on the site of Lidl supermarket revealed the original medieval town, with several house remains, associated field systems, fish traps and mill races.Hugh de Lacey set about building fortified houses, called mottes and baileys, in case the native Irish would regroup and attack. The remains of a motte and bailey can be found in Ratoath 5 km from Ashbourne.
Once settled, Hugh de Lacey divided the land among his army. A large portion at Killeglan was given to a family called Wafre in 1220. This family lived there until 1420, the last member of this family having built a tower house (a fortified house often called a castle). The castle and lands became the property of the Segrave family, who remained owners until 1649. They became one of the most influential and wealthy non-aristocratic families in Ireland during the 16th century, with two gaining the high political office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, while another became Sheriff of Meath.
However, their political power and possessions were removed during the religious wars of 1641 to 1650. Indeed, during the Cromwellian period, Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's son, Henry, stayed for a time in Killeglan Castle. With the final subjugation of the native Irish after 1690, and the imposition of religious persecution in the Penal Laws, a new land-owner named Thomas Carter gained possession of the Killeglan lands. He did not live there, and the castle fell into dis-repair and eventually into ruin. The Carter family held high office in Irish politics during the 18th century but their fortunes waned in the early 19th century. When the Carter estates were sold in the 1840s, the Killegland lands were bought by Frederick Bourne.
Frederick Bourne was a rich entrepreneur who made his fortune from roads and transport. Before 1820 in Ireland roads were almost non-existent. Government regulations allowed for considerable spending on roads, and the subsequent improvements ensured greater post-coach services. Bourne owned a coach company and financed road-building, collecting revenue from tolls. He financed a ten mile (old Irish miles) section of road from Dublin to Killegland. He decided to build a small town with an inn, a hotel and other small businesses to make money from travellers. He built this village near his ten mile tollbooth and named the place after his favourite tree, and himself, i.e. Ash and Bourne. This began in 1820.
Bourne's idea was a great success. However, by 1850 rail was taking business from the roadways, and the Bourne family fortune declined. In 1821 the population was 133, by 1841 it was 411. Unfortunately the Irish famine took its toll from 1845 to 1851, and the population declined. Frederick Bourne left his land at Killegland, and his village of Ashbourne, to his son Richard in 1844. Richard lived in the village, and his first home is now the Ashbourne House Hotel on Frederick Street. Later he built a modest house down Castle Street near where the last remains of the Wafre and Segrave tower house were. Richard married the daughter of a wealthy local family, Elizabeth Mangan, and had several children. The eldest, Thomas, became his father's heir and the last landlord of Ashbourne. He left Ireland and went to live in Northfleet, Kent, England in 1899. The land was sold to the local tenants.
Growth
Ashbourne was a small village with a population under 400 until 1970. Then, in response to the growing population of nearby Dublin, a new scheme of houses was built in Ashbourne, based on the American open plan scheme rather than with fenced-off gardens. This was new in Ireland. The population of the town was 8,528 as of the 2006 census, a 34% increase on the previous census in 2002, making it Meath's second largest town after NavanNavan
-People:Navan was the childhood home of Pierce Brosnan, who appeared in the television series Remington Steele and was the fifth film actor to play James Bond. TV personality Hector Ó hEochagáin, and comedians Dylan Moran and Tommy Tiernan also hail from Navan....
and the largest town in the new Meath East Dáil constituency, which elects 3 TDs to the Dáil.
This growth has largely been the result of the rapid construction of several new housing schemes - most notably several apartment blocks scattered throughout the town and a number of new housing estates. It's also led to Ashbourne becoming a cosmopolitan town, the 2006 census showed that over 12% of Ashbourne's population was born outside Ireland. The Lithuanian community is the second largest minority in Ashbourne after people from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Almost one fifth of all non-Irish born in the town are from Lithuania. Lithuanian language services are held in the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The Polish community in Ashbourne is the second-largest in Meath after Navan.
The growth in Ashbourne's population has spurred expansion of local enterprise and retail to cater for the growing populations needs. Many new retail units have been opened in recent years.
Public transport
Ashbourne is served by Bus ÉireannBus 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...
who provide a regular service (Route 103) from Beresford Place, every 30 minutes at peak times to the town. Some of these services continue on to Ratoath
Ratoath
Ratoath is a town in the barony of the same name, County Meath in Ireland. The town is centered on the point where the R125 and R155 regional roads meet. In the 1996 census, the population was recorded as 1,061. In the 2006 census, it was 7,249...
, Kilmoon Cross and Duleek
Duleek
Duleek is a town in County Meath, Ireland, close to the Louth border.Duleek takes is name from the Irish word daimh liag, meaning house of stones and referring to an early stone-built church, St Cianan’s Church, the ruins of which are still visible in Duleek today...
. At the beginning of March 2010, a regular service to and from Navan
Navan
-People:Navan was the childhood home of Pierce Brosnan, who appeared in the television series Remington Steele and was the fifth film actor to play James Bond. TV personality Hector Ó hEochagáin, and comedians Dylan Moran and Tommy Tiernan also hail from Navan....
via Dunshaughlin
Dunshaughlin
-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, Ó Maoilsheachlainn, is descended...
and Ratoath
Ratoath
Ratoath is a town in the barony of the same name, County Meath in Ireland. The town is centered on the point where the R125 and R155 regional roads meet. In the 1996 census, the population was recorded as 1,061. In the 2006 census, it was 7,249...
to Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
that had previously not passed through Ashbourne was rerouted to serve the Marriott Hotel at the northern end of the town, and to then go through the town to the airport and Dublin City University
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
. The service (route 109A) runs every hour from early morning to late evening. The 104 service that ran from Ashbourne to Blanchardstown Shopping centre was discontinued at the same time, and replaced by the some of the 105 service being extended from Ratoath
Ratoath
Ratoath is a town in the barony of the same name, County Meath in Ireland. The town is centered on the point where the R125 and R155 regional roads meet. In the 1996 census, the population was recorded as 1,061. In the 2006 census, it was 7,249...
to also serve Ashbourne. Route 177, with a low frequency, also serves Ashbourne from Dublin, and goes on to Slane, Ardee and Monaghan, with extensions to Clones. There is also a very limited service (Route 107) from Kingscourt to Dublin via Ashbourne.
Amenities
There is an 18 hole golf course on the outskirts of the town and several sports clubs in the town, including a Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club, Donaghmore-Ashbourne who have recently built a new clubhouse, with an indoor astro turf and two full-size Gaelic pitches. There is also a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team who play their matches at the Ashbourne rugby club which has also undergone some development with the creation of a new rugby pitch and a small astro pitch which can also be used for 5 a side soccer.
There is also, a soccer team Ashbourne United, a judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
club and a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
club (now closed down due to lack of interest) as well as other sporting organisations.
There is a community centre which has a big hall and some squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
courts. The community centre is used by many of the sporting organisations such as the St Andrews athletics club (who also have facilities in the Arkle Pavilion in Greenogue on the outskirts of Ashbourne) and Hip-Hop classes Fit Kids/Fit Teens.
Fairyhouse Racecourse
Fairyhouse Racecourse
Fairyhouse Racecourse is one of Ireland's premier horse racing venues. Situated in the parish of Ratoath in County Meath, on the R155 regional road, 3 km off the N3. It is the home of the Irish Grand National. The first race meet was held in 1848...
is located 10 km from Ashbourne. Fairyhouse attracts leading horses both on the flat and over jumps.
Retail activities
A series of shopping streets are currently being built as part of a scheme to give Ashbourne the type of retail centre more in keeping with other towns. Up until recently commercial development in the town was stifled given the fact that the town was bisected by a busy national primary route, the N2, on to which all commercial development was focused. This restricted the town's potential to attract high street retailers due to the a lack of suitable sites and the associated traffic hazards of the N2. In 2002, a local area plan for the town was completed which provides for the future development of Ashbourne. The plan provided for a major expansion of Ashbourne westward into the townland of Killegland adjoining the new N2 Ashbourne bypass. It led to the introduction of residential units, a retail park, community facilities and industrial units. The town is being planned westward, further into County Meath, as the Fingal County boundary is only 1.5 kilometres (0.9 mi) from the east side of the town, which decreases to approximately 600 metres (2,000 ft) at the north end of the town, in the townland of Rath.Of the streets developed in Ashbourne's "new" town centre, Killegland Street, has become a new commercial street containing a number of varied retail units along with a new library and council offices. Car parking in the town has been expanded thanks to both a large underground car park beneath Killegland Street (extending from Tesco to the Civic Offices) and a multi-storey car park above the retail units on the south end of the street.
Bridge Street is an existing street between the Broadmeadow River and the Ashbourne House Hotel which contained just three dwellings and no retail outlets eight years ago now has five shops, a large hotel, dozens of apartments and a supermarket there. This is typical of the high pace of development in Ashbourne in the past decade.
Future retail activities and developments
Development is now being concentrated on the area west of Castle Street (known locally as Ned Nulty's Lane), a route which was completely realigned and widened in 2006 to allow motorists to avoid the new centre and reduce congestion, as well as providing a direct route from Garden City to Cluain Rí and areas like Brindley Park and Johnswood. However in the medium to long-term, this route will lead to the new housing developments to the west of the town centre/Crestwood/Bourne View areas. It's expected that this end of town, which is now home to Donaghmore-Ashbourne GAA's new playing pitches, will eventually stretch to the N2 bypass to the west and join with Brindley Park to the north.2007 also saw the opening of two new commercial ventures in the Rath, north of the town. 4Home Superstores opened in February 2007, (and closed in late 2009) at the new Ashbourne Retail Park and catalogue store Argos
Argos (retailer)
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
opened an Argos Extra outlet in the park in August 2007. County Meath
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...
's second Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
hotel opened in April 2007 as the 148-room Ashbourne Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
.
Ashbourne Retail Park Ltd. applied for planning permission on 9 March 2007 for an extension to the park, consisting of 4 additional double-height retail warehouse units, with a 1,000 seater cinema overhead as well as food and beverage outlets. Car parking was also to increase by another 210 spaces, with the entire extension containing almost 7,500 sq. m of floor area.
Cinema
The town's first cinema opened in Ashbourne Retail Park on 19 June 2009. The Sunday TribuneSunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
reported that the six-screen, 1,000-seat facility, which is Showtime Cinemas' first opening, has wall-to-wall screens, rocker seats, full digital projection and 3D capability.
M2
Ashbourne is linked to the M50M50 motorway (Ireland)
The M50 motorway is a motorway in Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the north-eastern, northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. The northern end of the route is located at the entrance to the Dublin Port Tunnel. Anti-clockwise it heads northwest through the tunnel...
and Dublin City by 17 kilometres of motorway/high quality dual carriageway on the N2/M2 national primary route, which commences at junction 5 of the M50 motorway (13.5 km from Ashbourne). The road is a six-lane dual-carriageway from the M50 until exit 2, Cherryhound in Co. Dublin, where it becomes a motorway from there to the Rath roundabout, 1.5 km north of Ashbourne. The M2 incorporates a bypass of Ashbourne.
The N2 dual-carriageway, on its opening in 2006, was unique in Ireland as it was the first non-motorway road in the state to officially be granted national motorway speed limits of 120 km/h without any motorway restrictions. As a de facto motorway, many referred to this route as the M2 but this situation was regularised on 28 August 2009, when the section between exit 2 and the Rath roundabout north of Ashbourne will be redesignated as a motorway. The old N2, now re-designated the R135, had its speed limit reduced to 80 km/h in Co. Meath and 60 km/h in adjoining Fingal, much to the consternation of local motorists.
The N2/M2, which the Government announced in March 2005 would not be tolled, allows thousands of commuters and hauliers to avoid the town, which has become a major bottleneck for traffic heading south from County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, County Monaghan
County Monaghan
County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
and the rest of County Meath
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...
. The South Ashbourne Interchange, a large junction taking traffic on and off the N2 near the Nine Mile Stone, allows non-stop transferral of traffic to and from Ashbourne and its new by-pass. Phase II of the M50 upgrade, opened in 2010, links the N2 to the M50 at exit 5 with a partial freeflow junction, meaning most traffic transferring from the M50 to the N2 and vice versa does not have to stop (traffic lights remain where traffic from the M50 southbound meets traffic from the N2 southbound).
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...
has not offered any express services using the new road, as expected when it first opened, and continue to use the old (R135) road for most services until Kilshane, where the R135 has an exit to the Dublin Airport Logistics Park and the N2. There is an informal, non-timetable Bus Éireann 103 service that occasionally runs via the M2 from Dublin to Ashbourne and the 107 Dublin-Navan-Kingscourt service also uses the M2 for an evening coach service at 5.40pm, leaving the M2 at Ashbourne South (exit 3) before continuing via the R135 and N2 north of Ashbourne towards Kentstown and Navan.
Dublin Bus use the N2 as far as Cherryhound (exit 2) for their 88N Nitelink service to Ashbourne
1916 Rising Monument
According to Ríocht na Mídhe, the journal of the Meath Archaeological and Historical Society, on the 28th April 1916 a group of Fingal Volunteers estimated to number 45 men, under the command of Thomas Ashe, a national school teacher in Lusk, and second in command Richard Mulcahy, attacked the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks at Ashbourne. The barracks was usually manned by a sergeant and four constables but given the level of fighting in the Capital, reinforcements had been called in from surrounding barracks and so on the day of the attack there were 10 RIC men stationed there.The rebels advanced on the barracks disarming two RIC men who were setting up a barricade outside the barracks. With these two men disarmed and captured, Ashe called on the remaining officers to surrender and immediately a siege situation turned into a shoot out. With little sign of capitulation on the RIC's part it is believed the use of a home-made grenade resulted in them offering to surrender by waving a white handkerchief.
However before they could emerge the hoot of a car horn was heard to the north west. County Inspector Alexander Grey must have received word of the siege as he assembled between 54 and 67 men at Slane in 17 motorcars which were rushed to Ashbourne to put down the uprising. The rebels spread out and rushed along the Slane road to stop the convoy reaching Rath Cross and spreading out. The RIC reinforcements took heavy fire from the rebels from all sides. The firefight lasted many hours before volunteer reinforcements arrived from Badwinstown. The RIC eventually surrendered to the volunteers. However given that the uprising in Dublin had been put down the Fingal volunteers eventually gave themselves up two days later. Thomas Ashe was sentenced to death for his part in the attack, but this was later commuted to penal servitude for life.
The uprising at Ashbourne was not seen favourably at the time with the Meath Chronicle calling it a "tragic blunder". Navan Urban District Council passed resolutions of sympathy. A number of local catholic priests (Curragha & Ratoath) also spoke out against the attack. However condemnation turned into sympathy with the execution of the a number of prominent 1916 rebels who had fought in Dublin.
President of Ireland, Sean T. O'Kelly unveiled a memorial at Rath Cross Roads, Ashbourne,on Easter Sunday, April 26, 1959 which commemorates the Battle of Ashbourne. The story was covered on the front page of the Irish Times the next day. The memorial designed by Con O'Reilly and Peter Grant commemorates the Battle and John Crenigan and Thomas Rafferty who were killed. The monument has two images on one side the figure is in the form of Christ on the other side is a rebel. This monument is known locally as The Rath Cross.
It bears the following inscription;
ERECTED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE FINGAL BRIGADE OLD IRA TO COMMEMORATE THE VICTORIOUS BATTLE WHICH TOOK PLACE NEAR ASHBOURNE 28 APRIL 1916 WHERE VOLUNTEERS JOHN CRENIGAN & THOMAS RAFFERTY GAVE THEIR LIVES DESIGNED FROM THE POEM "LET ME CARRY YOUR CROSS FOR IRELAND LORD" COMPOSED BY THEIR LEADER COMMANDANT THOMAS ASHE
Parish
The parish of Ashbourne extends south to Newtown Commons, east to Greenoge, north to Rath and west to Harlockstown. The Church of the Immaculate Conception is located in the centre of the town. In 1981, the parish was joined to Donaghmore, which has its own church 2km to the south-east of Ashbourne. The parish currently has two priests and a strong active community.See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links
- A short history of Ashbourne
- Meath Tourism website managed by Meath County Council, based in Ashbourne
- Meath Event Guide based in Ashbourne