Dungarvan () is a coastal town and
harbour in
County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of
Waterford County Council
Waterford County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Phort Láirge) was the authority responsible for local government in County Waterford, Ireland. The remit of Waterford County Council also included some suburbs of the Waterford city not within t ...
with
Waterford City Council
Waterford City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Phort Láirge) was the authority responsible for local government in the city of Waterford in Ireland until 2014.
As a city council, it was governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council ...
in 2014, Dungarvan was the
county town and administrative centre of County Waterford.
Waterford City and County Council
Waterford City and County Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach agus Contae Phort Láirge) is the authority responsible for local government in the City of Waterford and County Waterford in Ireland. It came into operation on 1 June 2014 after the ...
retains administrative offices in the town. The town's Irish name means "Garbhann's fort", referring to Saint Garbhann who founded a church there in the seventh century. The town lies on the
N25 road (
European route E30
European route E30 is an A-Class European route from the port of Cork in Ireland in the west to the Russian city of Omsk, near the border with Kazakhstan in the east. For much of the Russian stretch, it follows the Trans-Siberian Highway a ...
), which connects
Cork,
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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and
Rosslare Europort
Rosslare Europort ( ga, Europort Ros Láir) is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeasternmost point of the island of Ireland. The port is the premier Irish port serving the European Contin ...
.
Location and access
Dungarvan is situated at the mouth of the
Colligan River, which divides the town into two parishes - that of Dungarvan to the west, and that of
Abbeyside to the east -, these being connected in three places by a causeway and single-span bridge built by the
Dukes of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
starting in 1801; by an old railway bridge; and by a ring-road causeway and bridge.
History
Evidence of ancient settlement in the Dungarvan area includes
standing stone,
ringfort,
bullaun and reputed
paleolithic burial sites in the surrounding
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
s, including in Luskanargid, Kilgreany, Kilrush and Mapestown. Several sources propose that the town is of Viking origin, and evidence of
Hiberno-Norse settlement in the area dates to at least the 10th century.
The
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
Dungarvan Castle, commissioned in the late 12th or early 13th century by King
John of England
John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...
,
stands by the harbour on the site of an earlier (possibly Hiberno-Norse) fortification. The structure of Dungarvan Castle, including a
shell keep of a type atypical in Ireland, dates to c.1209.
A 13th century Augustinian abbey, now the site of Saint Augustine's Catholic Church (built 1832), was founded by
Thomas FitzMaurice FitzGerald
Thomas FitzMaurice, Lord OConnello, (c. 1145 – 1213) of Shanid, was the eldest son of Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan by his wife, Alice (daughter of Arnulf de Montgomery).Weis, Frederick Lewis. ''Ancestral Roots of Certain A ...
(c.1145–1213). The remains of another 13th century church, on the opposite side of the harbour, are similarly found on the grounds of Saint Mary's church (built 1831).
The town of Dungarvan was incorporated in the 15th century, was represented by
two members in the
Irish Parliament until the
Act of Union in 1801, and returned
one member to the
Westminster Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
until 1885. Unlike nearby
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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and
Duncannon
Duncannon () is a village in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky headland jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncannon Fort which dominates the village.
Pr ...
, Dungarvan surrendered without a siege in the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–53).
The remains of a woolly mammoth were discovered in the town in 1859 by postmaster and amateur antiquarian Edward Brenan.
The 1921
Burgery ambush
The Burgery ambush was an ambush carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 18–19 March 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. It took place near Dungarvan, County Waterford.
Ambush
On the night of 18–19 March 1921, IRA volunt ...
, an incident in the
Irish War of Independence, took place near the town.
Irish language
As of the 2011 census, approximately 3% of the town's population, or 242 persons were then daily Irish speakers, outside of the education system. Education through the medium of Irish is available at pre-school and primary level in the town in the local
Gaelscoil
A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary an ...
, Scoil Garbhán. The Irish Language Officer of Waterford City and County Council is based in Dungarvan.
There are a range of activities and projects undertaken to strengthen the Irish language in the town. An Irish in Business award was established in 2009 to recognise businesses in Dungarvan and West Waterford who work to promote the Irish language.
The town is home to an office of
Glór na nGael
Glór na nGael (; "voice of the Gaels") is an Irish-language organisation funded by Foras na Gaeilge which promotes Irish in three sectors: the family, community development, and business. It was established as a competition between community gro ...
, a national body that promotes the Irish language in three areas, the language in the family, in Business and enterprise, and community development. The Dungarvan office is responsible for Glór na nGael’s work across South Leinster and most of Munster.
There is also contact between the town and the nearby Gaeltacht area of
Ring, County Waterford
Ring (, its official name) or Ringagonagh ( ) is a parish within the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht na nDéise area in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on a peninsula about south of Dungarvan. The main settlement is the village of Ring or Ringvi ...
and
Old Parish
Old Parish ( ga, An Sean Phobal) is a village in west County Waterford, Ireland. It is part of the Gaeltacht in Waterford Gaeltacht na nDéise.
Geography
''An Sean Phobal'', as it is known locally, is a large parish covering about 35 square kil ...
which make up
Gaeltacht na nDéise
Gaeltacht na nDéise is a Gaeltacht area in County Waterford consisting of the areas of Ring and Old Parish. It is located 10 km from the town of Dungarvan. Gaeltacht na nDéise has a population of 1,816 people (Census 2016) and encompas ...
. Dungarvan was identified as a potential 'Gaeltacht Service Town' under the Gaeltacht Act 2012.
Geography
Dungarvan is situated at the mouth of the
Colligan River. Dungarvan Harbour as such is formed by The Quay (on the town side) and The Causeway. A single-span bridge was built in the late 18th century by Lord Devonshire to link Dungarvan with Abbeyside and indeed Waterford via said causeway. Outside the harbour, a sandbar, "The Cunnigar" (Irish ''An Coinigéar'') defines the western limit of the wide Dungarvan Bay. The Cunnigar encloses the estuary of the River Brickey which flows out to sea at Abbeyside without actually joining the Colligan. The two estuaries are separated by "The Point".
Religion
A friary in Abbeyside, founded by Augustinians in the 13th century, is partially incorporated with the structure of a 20th-century Roman Catholic church. One of the most significant colleges in the town was also founded by these Augustinians whose order survives and maintains an Augustinian church nearer to Main Street.
Toponymy
In everyday local usage, "Dungarvan" is taken to refer to the western, more commercial half of the town, where the administrative buildings and shopping areas are situated.
Transport
Road
Dungarvan is positioned on the
N25 national primary road
A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...
and the
R672 and
R675 regional roads.
Maritime
The town is separated from the open ocean by a shallow, eastward-facing
bay. At its mouth, the bay is about two miles wide, with Dungarvan lying about four miles from the mouth. A meandering navigation channel marked by red/green
buoys leads into Dungarvan from the ocean. For most vessels (except small dinghies) this channel is not navigable at low
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ...
. Even at high tide, cruising
yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
s and larger vessels must be careful to remain in the buoyed channel. There is a well-maintained concrete
slipway
A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...
in Dungarvan town, suitable for launching vessels up to eight metres in length. However, larger vessels should only use it up to three hours either side of high tide. Moorings are usually made available to visiting yachts by Dungarvan Harbour Sailing Club, often free of charge.
Bus
Dungarvan is served by several bus routes. The
Cork to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
Eurolines
Eurolines is a brand of intercity bus service owned by an international non-profit organisation formed under Belgian law. Using the Eurolines brand, partner bus companies operate service to over 600 destinations in 36 countries of Europe, as wel ...
coach, which provides a daily overnight cross channel service, stops at Dungarvan.
Bus Éireann Expressway route number 40 runs hourly in each direction providing a link to
Cork,
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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and
Rosslare Europort
Rosslare Europort ( ga, Europort Ros Láir) is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeasternmost point of the island of Ireland. The port is the premier Irish port serving the European Contin ...
. Bus Éireann's route number 362 also provides a commuter link to
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
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, pushpin_relief = 1
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. Several Local Link bus services terminate in the town, including the service to
Tallow
Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides.
In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, includ ...
via
Lismore. Dublin Coach serve the town on its M9 Cork to Dublin route via Waterford, passing through every two hours.
Rail
Until 1967 Dungarvan had a railway station on the now dismantled
Mallow to
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
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, pushpin_relief = 1
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line and was served by the
Rosslare to
Cork boat train
A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__
Notable named boat tr ...
. A
greenway has been developed along the former line to
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
.
Local government
While there is evidence of local governance in Dungarvan from at least the 15th century, the town's commissioners was established in 1855.
Following the passing of the
Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, ...
, the local authority became an
urban district council
In England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected urban district council (UDC), which shared local gove ...
in 1899.
After becoming a
town council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second t ...
in 2002, and in common with all other town councils in Ireland, it was abolished under the
Local Government Reform Act 2014.
The
local electoral area
A local electoral area (LEA; ga, Toghlimistéir Áitiúil) is an electoral area for elections to local authorities in Ireland. All elections use the single transferable vote. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 166 LEAs, with an average p ...
(LEA) of Dungarvan continues to elect six councillors to
Waterford City and County Council
Waterford City and County Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach agus Contae Phort Láirge) is the authority responsible for local government in the City of Waterford and County Waterford in Ireland. It came into operation on 1 June 2014 after the ...
. With the three seat LEA of Lismore, it forms the Municipal District of Dungarvan — Lismore. Meetings of the Dungarvan/Lismore District Council are held in the
Civic Offices, Dungarvan.
Industry
GlaxoSmithKline's consumer products division has a manufacturing plant in Dungarvan which, as of 2011, employed approximately 700 people. The town is also the home of Radley Engineering, the company responsible for manufacturing the
Spire of Dublin
The Spire of Dublin, alternatively titled the Monument of Light ( ga, An Túr Solais), is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument in height, located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar (and prior to that a statue of William Blakeney) ...
.
Dungarvan previously had a tannery, a distillery, a gasworks, and a fishing fleet. In the later 20th century, a source of trade and employment was Dungarvan Cooperative (creamery), which connected the town of Dungarvan with its agricultural hinterland.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Dungarvan has been twinned with
Erie
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
in the US since March 2007.
Mercyhurst College
(Seize the day)
, former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012)
, established =
, type = Private university
, religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy)
, endowment = $31.8 million
, faculty = 136 full-time
, administra ...
, located in Erie, hosts the
Global Intelligence Forum
The Global Intelligence Forum is an annual conference dedicated to exploring best practices in intelligence analysis. The conference takes place in Dungarvan, Ireland, the sister city of Erie, Pennsylvania, home of Mercyhurst College, the Merc ...
held annually in Dungarvan.
Entente Florale
Dungarvan participated in the 2018
Entente Florale
The Entente Florale Europe (, "Flowery Alliance of Europe") is an international horticultural competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in Europe for excellence in horticultural displays. Trophies are presented annually by t ...
competition, organised by the European Association for Flowers and Landscape (AEFP), and received a silver medal.
Literature
The British
poet laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...
,
Sir John Betjeman (who lived in Ireland from 1941 to 1943) mentions Dungarvan in his poem, "''The
Irish Unionist
Unionism is a political tradition on the island of Ireland that favours political union with Great Britain and professes loyalty to the British Crown and constitution. As the overwhelming sentiment of Ireland's Protestant minority, follow ...
's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom''". Each
stanza closes with the line, "Dungarvan in the rain". Irish poet Mai O'Higgins was born on
Saint Mary Street in the town centre.
Dungarvan is referred to in the collection of short stories ''
Labyrinths'' by
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...
: "He was Irish, from Dungarvan. Having said this, he stopped short, as if he had revealed a secret". Dungarvan is also mentioned in the 2002 novel ''
The Story of Lucy Gault
''The Story of Lucy Gault'' is a novel written by William Trevor in 2002. The book is divided into three sections: the childhood, middle age and older times of the girl, Lucy. The story takes place in Ireland during the transition to the 21st cent ...
'' by
William Trevor
William Trevor Cox (24 May 1928 – 20 November 2016), known by his pen name William Trevor, was an Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer. One of the elder statesmen of the Irish literary world, he is widely regarded as one of th ...
.
People
*
Niamh Briggs
Niamh (; from Old Irish ) is an Irish language, Irish feminine given name (meaning "bright" or "radiant"), Anglicisation, anglicised as Neve, Nieve, Neave, Neavh or Neeve.
In Irish mythology, Niamh (mythology), Niamh is the daughter of the god ...
, rugby player
*
Tom Cunningham
Tom Cunningham is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Ellis Hollins. With Tom being a young child for most of his tenure, his early years featured minimal storylines, including the numerous death ...
, hurler
*
John Deasy, politician
*
Austin Deasy
Austin Deasy (26 August 1936 – 10 June 2017) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Agriculture from 1982 to 1987. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency from 1977 to 2002. He was a Senator from ...
, politician
*
Maura Derrane, television presenter and journalist
*
Moe Dunford
Moe Dunford (born 11 December 1987) is an Irish actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Vikings'' and '' Patrick's Day''. He is the recipient of a number of accolades, including three Irish Film & Television Awards.
Early life
Dunford was b ...
, actor
*
George Lennon
George Lennon (25 May 1900 – 20 February 1991) was an Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War.
Background and early Republican activities
George Gerard Lennon was born in Dungarvan, Count ...
,
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...
leader
*
Tom Queally
Thomas P. Queally (born 8 October 1984 in Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland) is a Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He is best known as the regular jockey of Frankel. He was first jockey to leading trainer Sir Henry Cecil. Queally is best ...
, jockey
*
Christy Moylan, hurler
*
Stephen Spratt, cyclist
*
Ernest Walton
Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton (6 October 1903 – 25 June 1995) was an Irish physicist and Nobel laureate. He is best known for his work with John Cockcroft to construct one of the earliest types of particle accelerator, the Cockcroft–Walton ...
, physicist and Nobel laureate
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
*
Market Houses in Ireland
References
External links
Official Dungarvan Tourist InformationDigital Atlas of DungarvanIrish Historic Towns Atlas,
Royal Irish Academy
{{Authority control
County towns in the Republic of Ireland
Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore
Towns and villages in County Waterford