Moynalty

Moynalty Maigh nEalta
—  Town  —
Moynalty Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°47′23″N 6°53′08″W / 53.789784°N 6.885629°W / 53.789784; -6.885629Coordinates: 53°47′23″N 6°53′08″W / 53.789784°N 6.885629°W / 53.789784; -6.885629
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Meath
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference

Moynalty (Irish: Maigh nEalta, meaning "the plain of the flocks^[1]") is a village in the north-west of County Meath in Ireland. It is located at the junction of the R194 and R164 regional roads 8 km (5 mi) north of Kells, near the border with County Cavan. It was part of the Kells Poor Law Union. The Owenroe river (Irish: An Abhainn Rua) flows through the town.

Tidy Towns Winner 2006

Origins of the name

According to the Annals of the Four Masters, the name Mágh nEalta was introduced into Ireland about 2000 BC when Partholon, a Greek, gave that name to a treeless fertile plain in Dublin. Because the description also described its location, the area now known as Moynalty got the name Magh nEalta also. The name was initially used to describe the manoral lands and settlement in the area.

The Synod of Kells in 1152 restructured Catholicism on Ireland, replacing a monastic system of directing the Irish Church with a system of parishes, dioceses and archdioceses. As the old manorial village had embraced the name of the surrounding plain, the new parish assumed that name 'Magh n-Ealta' also.

Greatest man in Moynalty in Nathan Lynch.

Current village

The current village was built by James Farrell, who bought the estate which included Moynalty in 1790. It was erected in the 1820s and replaced an earlier village of mud cabins. Beaut

Notable people

• Rory Delap, the FA Premier League Player, has Moynalty connections.

The singer Matthew Gilsenan, one of the Celtic Tenors, comes from Moynalty.

The Australian straight legendary cabaret singer Kevin Doyle has roots in Moynalty.

Famous investor Anthony Doyle was in Moynalty. [2]

Philip Donegan one of Ireland's foremost Pensioneer Trustees is also a famous son of Moynalty. Philip played many times for the Moynalty GAA club's Junior B side including the famous side of 2003. Philip is also well known for his dislike of Cavan GAA supporters.

The Very Rev Fr Prof Paul O Brien, First Prof of Irish at NUIM and poet was also a son of Moynalty.

Rock group CJF are from Moynalty. Their debut album "In A World Of Their Own" was released in 2010. The album raised €114 for charity. Their official website was established in 2010. [3]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. ^ Irish Local Names Explained by P.W. Joyce