Bettystown (), previously known as Betaghstown and transliterated to ''Beattystown/Bettystown'', is a village in an area known as

East Meath East Meath ( gle, An Oirmhí) is an area of made up of the electoral divisions of St Mary's (Part) and Julianstown in County Meath. The area is bound on the north by the River Boyne and County Louth, to the south just beyond the River Nanny cl ...

within

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Together with the neighbouring villages of

Laytown Laytown () is a village in County Meath, Ireland, located on the R150 regional road and overlooking the Irish Sea. Historically it was called ''Ninch'', after the townland it occupies. Together with the neighbouring villages of Mornington a ...

and Mornington it comprises the

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington () is a census town in East Meath, County Meath, Ireland, comprising the adjoining villages of Laytown, Bettystown and Mornington. It had a population of 5,597 at the 2002 census, 10,889 at the 2011 census, an ...

with a combined population of 10,889 at the 2011 Census and 11,872 (with

Donacarney Donacarney ( or ) is a village in the area known as East Meath in County Meath, Ireland, close to Drogheda and the border with County Louth. It contains one church, two estates, two schools, and one pub. Although it includes the townlands of ...

) at the 2016 Census. During the

Celtic Tiger The "Celtic Tiger" ( ga, An Tíogar Ceilteach) is a term referring to the economy of the Republic of Ireland, economy of Ireland from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, a period of rapid real economic growth fuelled by foreign direct investment. ...

, with increasing property prices in Dublin, Bettystown expanded to cater for large numbers of commuters to Dublin. The area was well known before that as a spot for Dublin summer holiday visitors, with a number of caravan parks and seaside amusements. In 2007, it was announced that in revisions to Dáil Constituency boundaries for 2012, Bettystown and Laytown as far as the River Nanny would be ceded from the three-seat constituency of Meath East to the five-seat constituency of

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

Transport

The

Dublin and Drogheda Railway Dublin and Drogheda Railway (D&D) was a railway company in Ireland which publicly opened its 31¾ mile main line between Dublin and Drogheda in May 1844. It was the third railway company in Ireland to operate passenger trains and the first to us ...

line opened on 25 May 1844 with a station at

Bettystown Bettystown (), previously known as Betaghstown and transliterated to ''Beattystown/Bettystown'', is a village in an area known as East Meath within County Meath, Ireland. Together with the neighbouring villages of Laytown and Mornington it c ...

. However, this station was to close soon after in November 1847 and since then the village has been served by

Laytown railway station Laytown railway station ( ga, Stáisiún na hInse) serves Laytown and Bettystown in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 20 minutes' walk from the venue of yearly Laytown races. History The station opened on 25 May 1844 and was renamed by the ...

also opened on the

line on 25 May 1844 (renamed as ''Laytown & Bettystown'' in 1913).

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidia ...

route D1 provides service between

and

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

via Bettystown.

Education

There are two primary schools in Laytown/Bettystown which follow a Catholic ethos. They are Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa (opened in 2005) and Scoil an Spioraid Naomh Senior School. There are also two multi-denominational schools outside the town that service

and South

. They are Le Cheile Educate Together National School and Gaelscoil an Bhradain Feasa. Le Cheile Educate Together National School is sited on grounds provided by another South Drogheda school, Drogheda Grammar. A secondary school, Coláiste na hInse, was established in 2008.

Recreation

Leisure facilities in the Bettystown area include

Funtasia Funtasia is a chain of entertainment facilities in Ireland. Funtasia operates an indoor and outdoor family entertainment centre in Bettystown as well as a water park in Drogheda. Funtasia Bettystown Funtasia Bettystown is located in Bettystown ...

, an amusement park, a tennis club and a golf course. Funtasia is an indoor family fun center, with bowling, pool and 'fairground' rides. Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club celebrated 100 years in 2009. Several club members have been capped for Ireland. Ireland held the European Land Sailing championships in September 2017 on Bettystown beach. Over 100 European sailors competed over this 5 day period of competitions. Bettystown beach has been host to the annual National

Sandcastle Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as sand brushing, sand sculpting, sand painting, or creating sand bottles. A sandcastle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle. The dr ...

and Sand Sculpturing competition in Ireland since 2003.

Archaeology

In 1850 the

Tara Brooch The Tara Brooch is an Irish Celtic brooch, dated to the late-7th or early-8th century, of the pseudo-penannular type (i.e., with a fully closed head or hoop). It is made from bronze, silver and gold, with a head formed from a circular ornate ri ...

was found on the beach at Bettystown. The Tara Brooch is now on display in the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

in Dublin.

References

External links