Duleek Damhliag | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Main Street, Duleek | |
  Duleek Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°39′18″N6°25′00″W / 53.6551°N 6.4166°W /53.6551; -6.4166 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Meath |
| Elevation | 34 m (112 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 4,899 |
| Irish Grid Reference | O048687 |
Duleek (/duːˈliːk/;Irish:Damhliag, meaning 'stone house or church')[2][3] is a small town inCounty Meath,Ireland.
Duleek takes its name from theIrish wordsdaimh andliag, meaning house of stones, referring to an early stone-built church, St. Cianán's Church, the ruins of which are still visible in Duleek today.
As of the2022 census, the population of Duleek reached 4,899, a two-fold increase since 2002.[1] The town is 8 km south-west ofDrogheda, and 35 km north ofDublin city centre. Duleek is in acivil parish of the same name.[3]
Duleek began as an earlyChristianmonastic settlement.Saint Patrick established abishopric here about 450 AD, which he placed in the care ofSaint Cianán on 24 November 489. The place was sacked several times by theNorsemen between830 and1149 and was also pillaged by theNormans in1171. In April1014, the bodies ofBrian Ború and his son lay in state in Duleek on their way toArmagh. The original monastery settlement is reputed to be the place where Saint Patrick and several contemporaries spent the winter period while compiling the Seanchas Mór, the first written compiled form of the ancientBrehon Laws of Ireland, in the fifth century. The 12th century saw the reconstitution of the original monastery as Saint Mary's Abbey and the subsumption of theDiocese of Duleek by theDiocese of Meath.
The firstAnglo-NormanLord of Meath,Hugh de Lacy, established a manor and constructed amotte castle at Duleek. In1180, he granted Saint Cianán's Church, together with certain lands, to theAugustinians.[4] The churchyard of the now disusedChurch of Ireland church occupies part of the site of the early monastery. On the opposite side of the village, in the town land of Abbeyland, close to the riverNanny and Duleek House there are ruins of the Grange of Saint Michael. This grange was established in about 1172 by Augustinian monks fromLlanthony inMonmouthshire; the lands were granted to them by the De Lacy family. The village's four crosses and the lime tree on the village green are reminders of Duleek's links to the struggle betweenWilliam III andJames II and to wider European unrest at the time ofLouis XIV of France. A 10th century high cross is located just north of the church. Scenes from the New Testament are located on its west side this cross, another segment of a cross is located inside the church.[5] Another cross, theWayward Cross, was erected in 1601 by Janet Dowdall in memory of her husband,Sir William Bathe ofAthcarne Castle, outside the village.[6] During World War II, orThe Emergency, German bombers accidentally struck the village on 1 January 1941, causing minor damage without casualties.
The Duleek Heritage Trail covers a number of sites in the village centre and was "conceived as a series of stepping stones through the village" and its history.[7]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1,718 | — |
| 1996 | 1,731 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 2,173 | +25.5% |
| 2006 | 3,236 | +48.9% |
| 2011 | 3,988 | +23.2% |
| 2016 | 4,219 | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 4,899 | +16.1% |
| [1] | ||
Duleek railway station was opened on 1 August 1850, as part of the line fromDrogheda toNavan (and later toOldcastle). It closed on 1 June 1958.[8]Zincore trains fromTara Mines toDublin Port continue to pass through the station.
Duleek is on theR150 andR152 regional roads.Bus Éireann regional routes serve Duleek from Dublin and Drogheda.[9]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
