The Meath Weather Cam

Pronounced: Dun-shock-lin

Province: Leinster

County: Meath

GPS Coordinates: 53° 30′ 42.48″ N, 6° 32′ 22.2″ W

Population: 3,500

History

It is named after Saint Seachnaill, a contemporary of Saint Patrick, who established a church there in the 5th century. Seachnaill gave his name to Mael Seachnaill. It was Máel Seachnaill II who became the first king of an all-Ireland state following the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. And it is from the same Máel Seachlainn that the principal family of Brega, Ó Maoilsheachlainn, is descended. Dunshaughlin (or more specifically, the townland of Lagore) is famous for an ancient crannóg or settlement from the 7th century where a number of Irish antiquities were discovered. The oldest families still in the village are the Muintir Uí Fhloinn, who are recorded at the latest in 1550 and the Muintir Uí Mhuirí who are recorded at the same time. Outside the village families such as the Uí Ruanaidh in Trevet continue to exist on the site where they were recorded to be in 1550. The great Norman-Irish families such as the Delahides are no longer to be found in the village, neither are the religious sites which they patronised at the time.

Approximately 1.6 km south of the village is a preserved workhouse from An Gorta Mór which was abolished by the Irish State in the early twenties. The workhouse is currently under private ownership and is not open to the public.

Today

Dunshaughlin Town Centre

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 clothing stores and a thriving Credit Union.

It has grown considerably 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 recorded as 3,384 today (Census 2006).

Dunshaughlin is due a railway station when the new Navan - Clonsilla 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.

Dunshaughlin's Secondary School, Dunshaughlin Community College, was also selected as one of Microsoft's School's of The Future. This was put down to the schools excellent IT facilities and consistent work to improve on this.

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". Around 2 miles outside the village a new golfing resort designed by Jack Nicklaus is being created at Killeen Castle. The course is scheduled to host the 2011 Solheim Cup despite it not opening until 2008. The town also has a strong association with horse racing, in particular National Hunt racing.

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 €6,188 ($9,731, £4,938) plus €1143 ($1797,£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 for 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.