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Donard

For the mountain in County Down, see Slieve Donard.

Donard
Dún Ard
Village
Donard village
Donard village
Donard is located in Ireland
Donard
Donard
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°01′00″N 6°37′00″W / 53.016667°N 6.616667°W / 53.016667; -6.616667
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyCounty Wicklow
Elevation
180 m (590 ft)
Population
 (2016)[1]
196
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceS929977

Donard (historically Dunard, from Irish: Dún Ard, meaning 'high fort')[2] is a small village in County Wicklow, Ireland, located at the northern end of the Glen of Imaal, in the western part of the Wicklow Mountains. The village is in a civil parish of the same name.[2]

Located near the village of Donard is Lugnaquilla, which is the highest mountain in Wicklow and one of the highest mountains in Ireland. The mountain has a height of 925 metres (3,035 ft). The Wicklow Mountain Rescue team operates in the area.[3]

Donard takes its name from Dún Ard meaning high fort, the ruins of which are still somewhat visible on a rise above the town. The village is surrounded by Table Mountain (702m), Church Mountain (546m), Lugnaquilla (925m) and Keadeen (655m).

History

[edit]

An ogham stone is located on the village green. It was moved to this site in 1995 having had three previous locations. It is a rectangular block of stone measuring 1.52m x 0.69m x 0.53m.[4]

Donard Motte (also known as the Ball Moat) is a Norman motte-and-bailey structure on the southern side of the village. It was most likely built by Jordan de Marisco between 1169 and 1190.[5]

In the nearby village of Derrynamuck (also known as Dernamuck or Doire na Muc) is a cottage dedicated to the memory of Michael Dwyer, an Irish insurgent active during the 1798 Rebellion. There, an engagement between British forces and a detachment of United Irishmen rebels led by Dwyer, known as the Dwyer-English engagement, occurred on 15 February 1799. During the battle, a fellow insurgent, Sam McAllister, intentionally drew the direction of British fire towards himself in order to allow Dwyer to escape.[6]

During the Rebellion, the village was burnt by the rebels and the inhabitants were forced to flee to Dunlavin.[7]

The Great Famine impacted Donard and the surrounding areas significantly. The population of the parish declined by one third between 1841 and 1851.[8]

Much of the surrounding Glen of Imaal (5,948 acres) has been used as an army artillery range since 1900.

Amenities

[edit]

A post office was opened in Donard in 1851[9] and An Post closed it at the end of 2018.[10]

There is a Roman Catholic chapel of ease, Church of the Holy Trinity, in the village as Donard is part of the parish of Dunlavin. It was built in 1926.[11] There is a small First Fruits Church of Ireland church in the village which dates to 1835.[12]

Donard/Glen GAA club grounds are on the outskirts of the village.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Donard". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records)
  3. ^ "Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team". Dwmrt.ie. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  4. ^ "CIIC 48. Donard, Co. Wicklow". Ogham in 3D. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  5. ^ Caley, James (9 June 2022). "Donard Motte (The Ball Moat)". Wicklow Heritage. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  6. ^ Liam, Cathal (2003). Forever Green: Ireland Now & Again. St. Padraic Press. ISBN 978-0-970415547.
  7. ^ Lewis, Samuel (1837). "Donard". A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.
  8. ^ Lawlor, Christopher (1 May 2020). The establishment and evolution of an Irish village: the case of Dunlavin, county Wicklow 1600-1910 (PDF) (Phd thesis). St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra. p. 318.
  9. ^ Frank, Harald; Stange, Klaus (29 September 1990). Irish Post Offices and their postmarks 1600-1990. Munich: Forchumgs- und Arbeitsgemeinschaft Irland e.V. p. 296.
  10. ^ "Donard post office to close on the 31st of December". WicklowNews.net. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  11. ^ Allen, Edward (6 October 2022). "Chapel of Ease: the Church of the Holy Trinity, Donard". Wicklow Heritage. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Donard Church, DONARD DEMESNE EAST, Donard, WICKLOW". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Donard Glen GAA". Official Wicklow GAA. Retrieved 13 July 2023.