Nobber ( – referring to the description by the local native Irish population, to the development of moat around a Norman castle) is a village in north

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 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The village is located near a river called the Dee () and near Whitewood Lake, which is situated in the

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 ...

of Whitewood. It is on the

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the tenth largest settlement in Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Blackwater, around 50&nb ...

– Kingscourt road ( R162) about north of Navan. This places the village about from the M50 motorway ; the orbital motorway of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. The town of Kells is to the west and the town of

Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued deve ...

to the east and the town of Kingscourt is to the north. Villages that border the parish are

Kilmainhamwood Kilmainhamwood, historically simply Killmainham (),Placenames Database of Ireland
(see archival records) i ...

, Moynalty and Kilbeg to the west, Castletown-Kilpatrick to the south and Drumconrath and Lobinstown to the east. The village of Nobber is built on the river Dee, the course of which was diverted around the village in the 19th century. A feature of the local geography is how the village is set within rolling hills called

drumlins A drumlin, from the Irish Gaelic, Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacier, glacial ice acting on und ...

formed in the last glacial period.

History

The Normans were the first known people to settle at Nobber. The site acted as a strong-point on the road from the ports of

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 ...

and

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

to the midlands. The

Lordship of Meath The Lordship of Meath was an extensive seigneurial liberty in medieval Ireland that was awarded to Hugh de Lacy by King Henry II of England by the service of fifty knights and with almost royal authority. The Lordship was roughly co-extensive wit ...

was granted to Hugh De Lacy by King

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin kin ...

in 1172 in his capacity as

Lord of Ireland The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...

. De Lacy granted the Barony of Morgallion to Gilbert de Angulo, who constructed a

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...

there. By the middle of the 15th century Nobber was described by the English King Henry VI as being of key strategic importance to the control of the region. Around 2005 several

high cross A high cross or standing cross ( ga, cros ard / ardchros, gd, crois àrd / àrd-chrois, cy, croes uchel / croes eglwysig) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradit ...

es were discovered in the village's old cemetery (St Johns) dating from possibly the 10th century. These are smaller and less ornate than typical Celtic high crosses. This find is significant because it suggests that a hitherto unrecorded monastic settlement once existed on the site of the village. Moynagh Lake, to the west of the village, is the site of a multi-period crannóg which dates to Mesolithic times. In the Medieval period, Nobber was the chief town of the Barony of Morgallion, and was variously expressed as "'' enm, Nobire, Nobbir, Nobir, Nebyre, Nobyre, Nober, abbr=MidEng''". By the time of the

Acts of Union 1800 The Acts of Union 1800 (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a single 'Act of Union 1801') were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ir ...

- 1801, the local population was sufficient to command an MP for Nobber in the parliament of Great Britain and Ireland.

Archdeacon of Nobber

Nobber was once a key town in the

Kingdom of Meath Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all o ...

, and an ancient 'Rectory of Nobber' was united to the ecclesiastical dignity of Archdeacon of Kells, thus the holder was styled ''Rector of Nobber'', ''Parson of Nobber'', or more often ' Archdeacon of Nobber'. Confusingly, the Archdeacon of Kells held the ''Rectory of Nobber'', while the

Archdeacon of Meath The archdeacon of Meath is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare. The archdeaconry can trace its history from Helias, the first known incumbent, who held the office in the twelfth century to the last discr ...

held the ''Rectory of Kells''.

Transport

Rail

A disused railway line dating from 1875, running from Kingscourt to Navan, runs through the village. This was purchased by the

Midland Great Western Railway The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the MGWR had a network of , making it Irelan ...

in 1888. Until recent years it operated to haul gypsum from

Saint-Gobain Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris and headquartered on the outskirts of Paris, at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a mirror manufacturer, it now also produces a variety of ...

Gypsum Industries plant in

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (''Bréifn ...

to the port of

. Nobber railway station opened on 1 November 1872, closed for passenger traffic on 27 January 1947 and finally closed altogether on 1 April 1963.

Greenway

A major phase of the Navan to Kingscourt Greenway was developed and opened for the Nobber locality in Summer 2020. This follows the track of the old railway line from Navan to Kingscourt. This extends from Spiddeal at the south of the village extending toward, but not yet reaching Kilmainhamwood.

Bus

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 subsidi ...

route 107 links Nobber to

and Kingscourt. Sillan also provide a link to

and

with some buses extending to

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

. In the other direction Sillan services provide a link to Kingscourt,

Shercock Shercock ( ); ) is a small town situated in the east of County Cavan, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the population of the town was 588. Shercock is located at the intersection of the R162 and R178 regional roads. It sits on the shores of t ...

and Cootehill.

Amenities

The village has two schools: Nobber National school for primary school children and O'Carolan College which is a comprehensive secondary school. The church of

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

is the

Roman Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the centre of the village which also has a fire station,

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gove ...

(police) station. In July 2016 the George Eogan Cultural Centre was opened by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...

, Mr Michael D. Higgins in Nobber in the old Protestant Church.

In the media

The local radio station serving Nobber is LMFM, and the local newspaper is the Meath Chronicle. In 2019 an eponymous historical fiction novel entitled ''Nobber'' was published by the author Oisin Fagan the author of ''Hostages'', set in the village of Nobber in the 14th century during plague times.

Sport

Nobber has only one

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 ki ...

team called Nobber G.F.C. In 2003, Nobber won the All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship, beating Kilmeena of Mayo. Nobber are three time Meath Intermediate Football Champions, having won honours in 1980, 2010 and 2019. Having won the

2019 Meath Intermediate Football Championship The 2019 Meath Intermediate Football Championship is the 93rd edition of the Meath GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for Intermediate graded teams in County Meath, Ireland. The tournament consists of 18 teams, with the winner going ...

, as of 2020, Nobber compete in the

Meath Senior Football Championship The Meath Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the top Gaelic football clubs in Meath, Ireland. Qualification for subsequent competitions The winners of the Meath Senior Football Champi ...

. The local soccer team are Electro Celtic FC who (as of 2012) were competing in Division 3B of the Meath and District League.

Festivals and events

The Nobber Fair Day is an annual event that is held on the third Sunday of May. The event has been running since 2006, and revived an old tradition of a fair that was held in the village for centuries. Rare breeds of farm animals are displayed, and rosettes and prizes are awarded across various categories. In 2012, more than 10,000 people attended Nobber Fair Day.

People

Turlough O'Carolan Turlough O'Carolan ( ga, Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin ; 167025 March 1738) was a blind Celtic harper, composer and singer in Ireland whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. Although not a composer in the classical sense, ...

, blind harpist reputed to have been born in Nobber - there is a statue in memory of him at the southern end of the village * Shane McEntee (1956–2012), Fine Gael TD and Minister of State *

George Eogan George Eogan, MRIA (14 September 1930 – 18 November 2021) was an Irish archaeologist. He was born in Nobber, County Meath, and studied at University College Dublin (UCD) and then Trinity College Dublin. In 1965, he was appointed to a lectu ...

, archaeologist known for his work at Knowth

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

O'Carolan College
{{Geographic Location , title= Destinations from Nobber , Northwest =