See also : Teltown – The location of Donaghpatrick Church (called St. Patrick’s Church) and Rath Airthir can be seen on the map uploaded to this page.
(above) Donaghpatrick located on a high point above the R. Blackwater – photographed here during the floods of 2009. (Photo© N&DHS)
Donaghpatrick Church is located in a very picturesque spot overlooking the River Blackwater, about halfway between Navan and Kells. Donaghpatrick is a very ancient place – the words Domnach Pádraig literally mean the Church of Patrick. Legend and tradition, along with Patrician literature, support an early connection between the church at Donaghpatrick and St. Patrick. Tradition tells us that the site was granted to St. Patrick, by Conaill, brother of the High King Laoighre, following his baptism.
The church itself was built on the site of an earlier church, in 1896, by the architect J.F. Fuller, (who designed Kylemore Abbey). The existence of a medieval church here is confirmed by the records in the Annals of the burnings and plunderings which took place between 745 and 1156. A sundial, now part of the graveyard wall behind the church would appear to be the only surviving fragment of an early structure.
The 19th century building incorporates a medieval tower house, upon which can be found a carved stone head. This tower house is 4 storeys high, each storey comprising of a single large room with a fireplace. A careful examination of the stonework reveals many slit windows which have since been blocked up. This would indicate that the original function of the tower house was defensive.
The church designed by J.F. Fuller was erected by Thomas Gerrard and his sisters Mrs Collins and Mrs Johnston of Gibbstown House. The chancel arch is made of Caen stone and the ceiling is panelled. The large brass eagle lectern came from Ardbraccan Church when it was closed in 1970. There are no memorial tablets on the walls – the expressed wish of the Gerrard family.
Inside the porch are a large number of monuments associated with Matthias Everard a Lt. Col. in the army of King James ll, who died in 1714. Two of the monuments display the Everard coat of arms, and a smaller plaque dated 1708 comes from Randlestown House, the home of the Everards, the ruined remains of which were covered by the waters of the Tara MInes Tailings Dam in the 1980s.
The Lewis Topographical Directory was first published in 1837 in two volumes, with an accompanying atlas. The first edition is available online. A second edition was published in 1842.
Lewis relied on the information provided by local contributors and on the earlier works published such as Coote’s Statistical Survey (1801), Taylor and Skinner’s Maps of the Road of Ireland (1777), Pigot’s Trade Directory (1824) and other sources. He also used the various parliamentary reports and in particular the census of 1831 and the education returns of the 1820s and early 1830s. Local contributors were given the proof sheets for final comment and revision. The names of places are those in use prior to the publication of the Ordnance Survey Atlas in 1838. Distances are in Irish miles (the statute mile is 0.62 of an Irish mile).
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DONAGHPATRICK, a parish, 4 miles northwest of Navan, and partly in the barony of Lower Navan, but chiefly in that of Upper Kells, co. Meath, Leinster. Length, south eastward, 3 miles; extreme breadth, 1 3/4. Area of the Navan section, 568 acres, 1 rood, 10 perches; of the Kells section, 3,459 acres, 3 roods, 33 perches, of which 165 acres, 1 rood, 20 perches, lie detached. Pop. of the whole, in 1831, 931 ; in 1841, 786. Houses 116. Pop. of the Navan section, in 1831, 313; in 1841, 202. Houses 31.
The surface consists, in general, of very good land; and is drained east south eastward by the Blackwater. Randalstown demesne is the property of Col. Everard; and the rich and large pastoral demesne of Gibstown is the property of John Gerrard, Esq. The decayed hamlet of Donaghpatrick occupies a pleasant site on the Blackwater, and is the sorry remnant or representative of a town which lays claim to high antiquity, and is said to have been plundered by the Danes.
One of the pretended monasteries of St. Patrick’s founding could hardly fail to be placed by visionaries on such a spot; and it is alleged to have received large benefactions from “Conal MacNeil, brother to King Leogair.“
This parish is a vicarage in the dio. of Meath. Vicarial tithe composition, £100; glebe, £36. Part of the rectorial tithes, compounded for £150, is impropriate in John Gerrard, Esq. of Gibstown; and part, compounded for £30, is impropriate in Dominick O’Reilly, Esq. of Kildangan castle. The vicarage of Donaghpatrick and the rectory of Kilberry, constitute the benefice of Donaghpatrick. Length, 5 1/2 mile; breadth, 4 1/2. Pop., in 1831, 2,933. Gross income, £489 9s. 2 1/2d.; nett, £379 15s. 9 1/4d. Patron, Col. Everard of Randalstown. A curate has a salary of £75, and the partial use of the glebehouse. The church was built in 1805, by means partly of private subscription, and partly of a gift of £461 10s. 9 1/4d. from the late Board of First Fruits. Sittings 80; attendance 40.
The Roman Catholic chapels of Kilberry and Oristown are jointly attended by from 1,250 to 1,460; and, in the Roman Catholic parochial arrangement, are mutually united. The impropriate parish of Teltown is temporarily attached to the benefice, and is included in the following statistics. In 1834, the Protestants of Donaghpatrick parish amounted to 57, and the Roman Catholics to 904; the Protestants of the union to 113, and the Roman Catholics to 4,267; a daily school in the parish was aided with £5 a year and a bouse and garden from the vicar, but had no list of its scholars; and 4 daily schools in the other two divisions of the union had on their books 261 boys and 112 girls.
(above) The 19th century church at Donaghpatrick with the medieval Tower House to the right. (Photo N&DHS)
(left) The carved stone head found high up on the north wall of the tower house
in Donaghpatrick.
(See similiar head on
The graveyard surrounding the church contains mixed burials, Church of Ireland and Catholic. The grave of Thomas Gerrard is here, as is that of the Everard Family from nearby Randlestown. The actor John Cowley is buried here too.
( left)
The standing stone and medieval font
in Donaghpatrick Graveyard,
and
(right)
the Everard grave,
which is located
close to the church.
Sir Nugent Everard was the
driving force
behind the
tobacco industry in this area.
(above) The view towards Donaghpatrick Bridge which spans the R. Blackwater. (photo © N&DHS)
(above) Rath Airthir – a trivallate rath or ringfort (ie a rath or ringfort with 3 sets of defensive embankments), which is located just opposite Donaghpatrick Church.
This impressive rath has been identified as the Tredua at Tailtiú ..”the Tredua of Tailtiú famed beyond all lands, where the kings of Ireland used to fast… that no disease might visit the land of Erin” .
Sources:
Buildings of Meath – A selection of Protected Structures Kevin V. Mulligan Fieldgate Press 2001
The Beauties of the Boyne and its Tributary the Blackwater William R. Wilde first published Dublin 1849.
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Slater’s Directory, 1894
Donaghpatrick, a parish in Co. Meath, baronies of Upper Kells and Lower Navan, union of Navan, Protestant diocese of Meath, 2 1/2 miles east from Ballybeg Crossing Station on the Great Northern railway, 4 north west from Navan, containing 11 townlands, on the Blackwater.
Randalstown is the seat of Major Everard J.P. For Protestant purposes the parish is united with Clongill. The area comprises 4,028 acres; the population in 1891 was 358. Post Office: William Nelson, postmaster. Letters through Navan arrive at 8.10 a.m. & are dispatched at 4.50 p.m. Navan is also the nearest money order & telegraph office. Church of Ireland; Rev. John Andrew Jennings B.A.
Private Residents.
Barnes, Robert S. c.e. Tatestown.
Barnewall, Thomas, Bloomsberry.
Everard, Maj.N.T. J.P. ,D.L. Randalstown.
Gerrard, Thomas J.P., D.L. Gibbstown.
Jennings, Rev. John Andrew B.A.
Schlater, Edward J.P. Caddagh.
Vaughey J. Woodview.
Welsh T. Milestown.
Farmers:
Clarke, James, Randalstown.
Gerrard, Thomas J.P. Gibbstown.
Keeley, John, Randalstown.
Keeley, Peter, Randalstown.
Kennedy, Thomas, Randalstown.
McCue, Patrick, Randalstown.
Martin, Edward, Tankardstown.
Mullen, John, Mullaghard.
Reilly, Maria, Fyanstown.