Athboy
Encyclopedia
Athboy is a small agricultural town in County Meath
in Ireland
. It is located on the junction of the N51
and R154
roads. The town is located on the Yellow Ford River, in wooded country near the County Westmeath
border.
In terms of secondary education, the former St. Joseph's Convent of Mercy amalgamated with Athboy Vocational School in 2004 to form Athboy Community School. The school is currently located on the site of St. Josephs, but is expected to move all facilities to a new state-of-the-art building in November 2011.
's Dirty Old Towns programme, in which the local community came together to convert an old piggery into a thriving Farmers' Market.
Every June Bank Holiday, the local Macra na Feirme
club hosts the "Blue Jean Country Queen Festival", in which the "Queens" representing Macra chapters in Ireland and abroad come to the town for a fun-filled weekend before one is crowned the winner.
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...
in 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 located on the junction of the N51
N51 road (Ireland)
The N51 road is a national secondary road in Ireland.West to east, it starts in Delvin, County Westmeath at a junction with the N52. It passes through Athboy, a junction with M3 motorway, Navan and Slane, all in County Meath, before crossing the M1 motorway and terminating near Drogheda in County...
and R154
R154 road
The R154 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking the R147 near Clonee, County Meath to Crossdoney in County Cavan. The road is single carriageway throughout. Many parts of the route have dangerous bends.-Route:...
roads. The town is located on the Yellow Ford River, in wooded country near the County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
border.
History
- In medieval times it was a walled stronghold of the PaleThe PaleThe Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...
. Owen Roe O'Neill took it in 1643, and six years later Oliver CromwellOliver CromwellOliver 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....
camped his armyArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
on the Hill of WardHill of WardThe Hill of Ward, also known as the Hill of Tlachtga, is a hill in County Meath, Ireland. During medieval times it was the site of great festivals, including one at which winter fires were lit at Samhain, the precursor of the modern Halloween...
nearby. Also known as Tlachtga, the Hill of Ward was the location for the pagan feast of SamhainSamhainSamhain is a Gaelic harvest festival held on October 31–November 1. It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the "Celtic New Year" from the late 19th century, following Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer...
, the precursor of modern day HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. - The tower of St James, Church of IrelandChurch of IrelandThe Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
is a remnant of a 14th century Carmelite priory. Behind the church are the remains of the town walls. The church boasts an interesting medieval table top. - In 1694, the town's 'lands and commons' and several other denominations of land were erected into a manor and granted to Thomas Bligh, MP for Athboy, who had earlier purchased almost 12 km² (3000 acres) in the area of Athboy. His son, John, was created "Earl of DarnleyEarl of DarnleyEarl of Darnley is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of Scotland and once in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation in the Peerage of Scotland came in 1580 in favour of Esme Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox. He was created Duke of Lennox at the same time. See the latter...
" in 1725 and the Blighs (Earls of Darnley) were landlords of all but six of the 27 townlands in the parish of Athboy throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Today the Darnley homestead on the Main Street is the 'Old Darnley Lodge Hotel'.
Transport
Athboy railway station opened on 26 February 1864, but was closed to passenger traffic on 27 January 1947 and finally closed on 1 September 1954. Today the town has regular bus services to Dublin.Education
As well as rural primary schools in Rathmore and Rathcairn, O' Growney National School had provided education for the Athboy population since 1949.In terms of secondary education, the former St. Joseph's Convent of Mercy amalgamated with Athboy Vocational School in 2004 to form Athboy Community School. The school is currently located on the site of St. Josephs, but is expected to move all facilities to a new state-of-the-art building in November 2011.
Popular Culture
On 4 May 2011, Athboy featured on RTÉRTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
's Dirty Old Towns programme, in which the local community came together to convert an old piggery into a thriving Farmers' Market.
Every June Bank Holiday, the local Macra na Feirme
Macra na feirme
Macra na Feirme , abbreviated MnaF, is an Irish, voluntary, rural youth organisation. It was founded in 1944 by Stephen Cullinan, a rural science teacher....
club hosts the "Blue Jean Country Queen Festival", in which the "Queens" representing Macra chapters in Ireland and abroad come to the town for a fun-filled weekend before one is crowned the winner.
Sources
- Noel E. French, A short history of Rathmore and Athboy (1995)
- Beryl F.E. Moore, "Tombs in Athboy Graveyard", Irish Ancestor, volume 13 (1981), pp. 123–4