- Athboy
Infobox Irish Place
name = Athboy
gaeilge = Baile Átha Buí
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 50px; top: 65px
north coord = 53.616667
west coord = 6.916667
irish grid = N800567
area =
elevation = 61 m (200 ft)
province =Leinster
county =County Meath
town pop = 6,447
rural pop = 5,447
census yr = 2006
web =
|Athboy (Irish place name|Baile Átha Buí|the yellow ford), is a small agricultural town in
County Meath in Ireland. It is located on the junction of the N51 and R154 roads. The town is located on the "Yellow Ford River", in wooded country near theCounty Westmeath border.History
*In medieval times it was a walled stronghold of
the Pale . Owen Roe O'Neill took it in 1643, and six years laterOliver Cromwell camped hisarmy on theHill of Ward nearby. Also known as Tlachtga, the Hill of Ward was the location for the pagan feast ofSamhain , the precursor of modern dayHalloween .
*The tower of St James,Church of Ireland is a remnant of a 14th centuryCarmelite priory. Behind the church are the remains of the town walls. The church boasts an interssting mediaeval table top. [ Meath Heritage information brochure]
*In 1694, the town's 'lands and commons' and several other denominations of land were erected into a manor and granted to Thomas Bligh, MP for Athboy, who had earlier purchased almost 12 km² (3000 acres) in the area of Athboy. His son, John, was created "Earl of Darnley " in 1725 and the Blighs (Earls of Darnley) were landlords of all but six of the 27 townlands in the parish of Athboy throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.Transport
Athboy railway station opened on
26 February 1864 , but was closed to passenger traffic on27 January 1947 and finally closed on1 September 1954 . [cite web | title= Athboy station| work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-08]External links
* [http://www.athboyparish.ie Athboy Parish]
* [http://www.meathontrack.com Meath on Track - Navan railway campaign]
* [http://www.athboyrfc.net Athboy Rugby Club]References
Noel E French, A short history of Rathmore and Athboy (1995). Beryl F E Moore, 'Tombs in Athboy Graveyard', Irish Ancestor, vol 13 (1981), pp.123-24.
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