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 ...
. It is situated on the far side of the
Gabhra
''Cath Gabhra'' (English: ''The Battle of Gabhair'' or ''Gowra'') is a narrative of the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. It tells of the destruction of the fianna and the deaths of most of its warriors in a battle against the forces of High King ...
valley from the Hill of Tara. This valley is sometimes referred to as the
Tara-Skryne
''Cath Gabhra'' (English: ''The Battle of Gabhair'' or ''Gowra'') is a narrative of the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. It tells of the destruction of the fianna and the deaths of most of its warriors in a battle against the forces of High King ...
Valley. The Hill of Skryne is higher than the neighbouring Hill of Tara. About 1170
Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath
Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 4th Baron Lacy (; before 1135 – 25 July 1186), was an Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder. He had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Following his participation in the Norman Inva ...
granted Skryne to
Adam de Feypo
Adam de Feypo is first mentioned in ''The Red Book of the Echequer 1166, p283 (England)'' as being one of the knights of Hugh de Lacy in Herefordshire, England. He was possibly a castellan of one of the de Lacy castles on the Welsh border. As the h ...
, whose descendants used the customary title Baron Skryne, which was not a
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Belgi ...
in the strict sense. A 15th-century church, known locally as Skryne tower or The Steeple, remains in good condition at the top of the hill and is visible from a large area of Meath. At the foot of the tower is a pub and stables that feature in the
Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...
"white Christmas" television advertisement.
Sport
The local
Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
club,
Skryne GFC
Skryne GFC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Village of Skryne, in County Meath, Ireland. The club mainly plays Gaelic Football. It competes in Meath GAA competitions. Skryne has the second most Meath Senior Football Championship ...
, is one of the most successful in Meath Senior Football Championship history and have never been relegated from senior level in the Keegan Cup. The club also has had at least one player on every Meath team that has won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. They have been county champions on thirteen occasions, most recently in 2010, when they defeated Seneschalstown in the final, coming back four times from Seneschalstown goals to win by 0–21 to 4–8.
Notable people
*
Matthew Corbally
Matthew Elias Corbally (April 1797 – 25 November 1870) was an Irish Liberal, Whig and Independent Irish Party politician.
Family
Corbally was the son of Elias Corbally and Mary née Keogh. He married Matilda Margaret Preston, daughter of J ...
(1797-1870), leading politician and MP for Meath; he and his wife are buried in the vault of Skryne church.
*
Agnetha Ní Máelshechlainn
Agnetha Ní Máelshechlainn ( 1196), was Abbess of the St Mary's Augustinian Abbey, Clonard during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.
Biography
Ní Máelshechlainn was the daughter of Muirchertach, a King of Mide from 1105 to 1106 and h ...
was Abbess of the St Mary's Augustinian Abbey, Clonard during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and ensured the church remained in church hands when Skryne was granted to Adam de Feypo.
*
William Skrene
William Skrene (c. 1357/8–1419/20) was an Irish-born barrister and judge who spent most of his adult life in England, where he became King's Serjeant and a judge of assize. He also served briefly as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer in 1395-7 ...
(died 1421),
Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron (judge) who presided over the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). The Irish Court of Exchequer was a mirror of the equivalent court in England and was one of the four courts which sat in the buildin ...
1395-7, came from a family which derived its name from Skryne, though they later lived in Dundalk.
Gallery
File:Southernview Skryne Church.JPG, Southern view of Skryne church
File:Northeasternview Skryne church.JPG, Northeastern view of Skryne church
Image:ScrínCholmchille.JPG, Carved effigy of Saint Colmcille
File:Medieval gravestones at Skryne.JPG, Medieval grave stones
File:Marward stone, An Scrin.JPG, Sixteenth-century tombstone of the Marward family, barons of Skreen
Image:Eaglais Scrín Cholm Cille.jpg, Northwestern view of the church
File:O'Connell's pub, Skryne 2009.jpg, O'Connell's pub, used in Guinness white Christmas ads