Castlejordan () is a village and
townland in
County Meath,
Ireland. It is located in the south of the county, close to the border with
County Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
, to the south of
Kinnegad. The townland of Castlejordan has an area of approximately , and had a population of 85 people as of the 2011 census.
Name
Castlejordan is named for Jordan De Courcy, ancestor of the Norman
De Courcy family. Following his uncle
John De Courcys death in
Downpatrick, Jordan De Courcy was exiled to
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
. Upon his return to Ireland he built a castle in the area.
History
Evidence of ancient settlement in the area include
ringfort
Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales ...
sites in the surrounding townlands of Kildangan and Harristown. There is a ruined medieval
tower house in the village, which was historically associated with the Gifford family.
The
Church of Ireland church in the village (built ) is now largely in ruin. The
Roman Catholic church (built ) is still in use and dedicated to the
Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
.
Amenities and sport
Castlejordan village contains a pub, a
post office, and the
Roman Catholic church. The local
national (primary) school, Castlejordan Central National School (also known as St Ciarán's NS), had an enrollment of 85 pupils as of 2020.
Ballinabrackey GAA is the local
Gaelic Athletic Association club.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in County Westmeath