Summerhill, County Meath
Encyclopedia
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 located at the intersection of the R156
R156 road
The R156 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking the N3 national primary road near Clonee in County Meath to the N4 in County Westmeath. The road is single carriageway throughout. Many parts of the route have dangerous bends.-Route:...
and R158
R158 road
The R158 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking Trim in County Meath to Kilcock in County Kildare. The road, which is single-carriageway throughout, has been extensively realigned in recent years at a cost of €22m, the section between Kilcock and Summerhill having been completed by Fallon...
regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
s. The Irish version of the town's name means "Lynch's Hill", and it was the ancestral home of the Norman-Irish
Hiberno-Norman
The Hiberno-Normans are those Norman lords who settled in Ireland who admitted little if any real fealty to the Anglo-Norman settlers in England, and who soon began to interact and intermarry with the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. The term embraces both their origins as a distinct community with...
Lynch family, whence came the Galway merchant family of the same name- one of the "Tribes of Galway
Tribes of Galway
The Tribes of Galway were fourteen merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late-19th centuries. They were the families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D'Arcy, Deane, Font, Ffrench, Joyce, Kirwan,...
"- and consequently, in the twentieth century, Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
. It is also the site of one of the more important battles in 17th century Ireland, the Battle of Dungan's Hill
Battle of Dungan's Hill
The Battle of Dungan's Hill took place in County Meath, in eastern Ireland in August 1647. It was fought between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The Irish army was intercepted on a march towards Dublin and destroyed...
. The town was known in English as 'The Knock' or 'Lynchs' Knock' (phonetic renderings of Cnoc an Línsigh, Lynchs' hill) until about 1667 when it was renamed Summerhill. The ruins of the large Lynch castle can be seen in the village today.
A major radio mast is located 3 km (1.9 mi) east of the village at Clarkstown.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
.
People
- James "Lugs" BraniganJames Christopher BraniganJames Christopher Branigan, better known as Lugs Branigan or Jim Branigan was a well-known member of the Garda Síochána. as well as an Irish Boxer, Boxing referee and to some, a folk and urban legend...
- famous Garda lived here during his retirement. - Gordon Elliott (racehorse trainer)Gordon Elliott (racehorse trainer)Gordon Elliott is a County Meath-based National Hunt racehorse trainer who was 29 when his first Grand National entry, the 33 to 1 outsider Silver Birch won the 2007 race on 14 April, 2007...
- Trainer of 2007 Aintree Grand National , Silver Birch.
Sport
Summerhill is home to Summerhill G.F.C.Summerhill GFC
Summerhill G.F.C. is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Summerhill in County Meath, Ireland. The club competes in Meath competitions. The team was first founded in 1905 but later disbanded...
which was founded in 1931. In 1905 a GAA club was founded in Summerhill but disbanded after a short nine years in 1914. The current Summerhill G.F.C.
Summerhill GFC
Summerhill G.F.C. is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Summerhill in County Meath, Ireland. The club competes in Meath competitions. The team was first founded in 1905 but later disbanded...
plays in the Meath Senior Football Championship and was considered the strongest club in the county in the late 1970's. Summerhill GFC have won five Senior County Football Championships and won four in a row from 1986-1989. They are currently sponsored by Londis, Gilian's, the local supermarket in Summerhill.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland