- Mornington, County Meath
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Mornington
Baile Uí Mhornáin— Town — Location in Ireland
MorningtonCoordinates: 53°43′17″N 6°17′2″W / 53.72139°N 6.28389°WCoordinates: 53°43′17″N 6°17′2″W / 53.72139°N 6.28389°W Country Ireland Province Leinster County County Meath Area – Total 2.19 km2 (0.8 sq mi) Elevation 1 m (3 ft) Time zone WET (UTC+0) – Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1) Irish Grid Reference 
The iconic Maidens Tower of Mornington
Mornington (Irish: Baile Uí Mhornáin, meaning "Town of the Mariner/Fisherman") is a coastal townland in County Meath, Ireland. Together with the neighbouring villages of Laytown and Bettystown it comprises the census town of Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington.
The large townland of 1,223 acres (4.95 km2) is bounded on the north by the River Boyne and on the east by the Irish Sea. Mornington can also refer to a larger area, a half-parish, within the Laytown-Mornington Parish established in 1986.
Contents
Fisheries
Mornington was traditionally a fishing village based on salmon fishing and mussel dredging on the River Boyne. The mussel fishing involved a particular currach-style boat or punt and a mussel rake dredged by hand similar to that on the River Conwy in North Wales. These can be seen in these images of mussel dredging in the 1990s. In 2006 the Drogheda Port Company undertook silt dredging from Tom Roe’s Point deepwater berth to the viaduct at Drogheda. Mussel fishing has been suspended since.
Maiden Tower and the Lady's Finger
Lady's FingerMornington also contains the Maiden Tower and the Lady's Finger, two structures are most likely to be navigational aids for ships entering the River Boyne. The original name of Maiden’s Tower was Mayden Tower. The area then known as Maydenhayes. The title Lord of Maydenhayes is currently in possession of Edmund J. McCormick, Jr, of Far Hills, New Jersey in the United States. The tower was already in existence by 1582 when it was proposed to build at Ringsend a tower of such height and strength as shalbe of a perpetual contynuance licke the towre at Drogheda[1]
Religion
There is one church in Mornington, it is Roman Catholic and known as the Star of the Sea (Irish: Réalt ná Mara). It is actually sited inside the townland of Donacarney little, and was dedicated in 1989 to replace an earlier Star of the Sea church which is in Mornington townland. The latter, built in 1841, is down the road overlooking were the Colpe River enters the Boyne at the bridge at Mornington. This in turn replaced a pre-Reformation church, whose ruins are located in the old graveyard adjoining. St. Patrick is said to have landed here, the mouth of the Boyne, anciently called "Inbhear Colpa", on his way to Tara, though the church was traditionally dedicated to St. Columba. A former holy well dedicated to St. John was located near the new church in an area known as "The Glen".
Sport
Boyne RFC is planning to build a state-of-the-art facility in Mornington.[citation needed]
Education
There are two schools in Donacarney and these are sometimes said to be in Mornington. They are Realt Na Mara BNS and Realt Na Mara GNS
A new secondary school is planned for the east Meath area. The two existing schools are to be replaced with two newer and bigger schools, with 24 teachers each.[citation needed]
Title of "Earl of Mornington"
The title Earl of Mornington has been one of the greatest British aristocratic titles for centuries. Originally a British peerage, it is now a courtesy title. The current holder of the earldom is Arthur Gerald Wellesley. Lord Mornington, the grandson of the 8th Duke of Wellington, is married to Jemma, Countess of Mornington, who is the sister of Jodie Kidd. The father of Field-Marshal The 1st Duke of Wellington was the 1st Earl of Mornington. Many places in Australia and across the world were named in honour of the second Earl, a brother of the Duke of Wellington.
See also
External links
References
- ^ de Courcy, 1996 The Liffey in Dublin. Dublin. 243
Categories:- Mornington
- Towns and villages in County Meath
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