Gormanston () is a village in

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is near the mouth of the River Delvin and the northern border of

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

History

Archaeology

A group of passage graves on either side of the mouth of river Delvin, known as the Bremore/Gormanston group, is believed to mark the arrival of that culture from the Iberian peninsula and to be the precursor of later developments such as the Newgrange cluster. Legend also associates the site with the first landings of both

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

and

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. During construction of a gas pipeline between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

, a 7-metre-long prehistoric dugout was found just offshore at Gormanston Strand. Unlike other ancient Irish boats, the Gormanston boat seems to have been of outrigger construction.

Historic features

Several ancient cob cottages still exist in the village under more modern surfaces. Gormanston Bridge dates to the 13th century and is believed to be one of the oldest structures on the Dublin-Dunleer turnpike. St Brigid's Well in Tobersool is an ancient holy well reputedly associated with a cure for diseases of the eye. In 1870, the first authentic game of

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

in Ireland was played on Gormanston Strand involving the 9th Lancers, who were at the time quartered in the country.

Gormanston Castle and the Prestons

Gormanston Castle was, from the 14th century to the 1950s, the seat of the Preston family, who managed to hold on to their estate lands through the centuries despite being staunch Catholics. The head of the family is known as Viscount Gormanston, premier Viscount of Ireland. The current holder of the title is the 17th Viscount Gormanston, who resides in London. Elizabeth Gorman, painter, lived here. The family sold the castle in the 1950s, when it was acquired by the Franciscan Order of Friars who then established a boarding school for boys in the grounds, known as Gormanston College. Since 2015, the school has been managed by Meath VEC under Franciscan trusteeship and is now largely a day school although there are still 70 boarders. The sports facilities and vacation accommodation for groups are separately managed by a new company Gormanston Park. According to ''The New Ireland Review'', April 1908, legend holds that when the head of the family is in his final hours, the foxes of County Meath, except for nursing vixens, emerge from their earths and make their way to the door of Gormanston Castle to keep vigil until he has died, in thanksgiving for the deliverance and protection from marauding predators of a vixen and her young by a previous Lord Gormanston.

Gormanston Camp

Gormanston Camp is currently home to B Company, 27 Infantry Battalion, of the

Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...

, and is a former aerodrome of the

Irish Air Corps The Air Corps () is the air force of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Organisationally a military branch of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Ireland, the Air Corps utilises a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft to carry out ...

Transport

Gormanston is near the M1 Dublin–Belfast motorway and on the R132 regional road. Gormanston railway station, opened in May 1845, is on the Dublin–Belfast line, and is served by Commuter services between Dublin and Drogheda. The

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

routes 101 and 101X also serve the area, operating between Drogheda and Dublin.

Development

Gormanston underwent development in the first decade of the 21st century, including the opening of the CityNorth Business Park campus which is a mix of buildings, facilities, a hotel and services.