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Maynooth

Coordinates:53°22′54″N6°35′28″W/ 53.38157°N 6.59098°W/53.38157; -6.59098
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For Maynooth, Ontario, Canada, seeHastings Highlands.

Maynooth
Maigh Nuad
Town
Clockwise from top: businesses in Maynooth, the Maynooth campus of the National University of Ireland, St. Patrick's College
Clockwise from top: businesses in Maynooth, the Maynooth campus of the National University of Ireland, St. Patrick's College
Motto:
Crom Abu
Maynooth is located in Ireland
Maynooth
Maynooth
Location in Ireland
Coordinates:53°22′54″N6°35′28″W/ 53.38157°N 6.59098°W/53.38157; -6.59098
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyCounty Kildare
Elevation
48 m (157 ft)
Population
(2022)[1]
17,259
Eircode
W23
Telephone area code01
Websitewww.maynooth.ie

Maynooth(/məˈnuːθ/;Irish:Maigh Nuad) is a university town in northCounty Kildare,Ireland. It is home toMaynooth University(part of theNational University of Irelandand also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) andSt Patrick's College,aPontifical Universityand Ireland's sole Roman Catholic seminary. Maynooth is also the seat of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference[2]and holds the headquarters of Ireland's largest development charity,Trócaire.[3]Maynooth is located 24 kilometres (15 miles) west of centralDublin.

Location and access[edit]

Maynooth is located on theR148 roadbetweenLeixlipandKilcock,with theM4 motorwaybypassing the town. Other roads connect the town toCelbridge,Clane,andDunboyne.Maynooth is also on theDublin-Sligo railway lineand is served by theCommuterandInterCitytrain services.

Etymology[edit]

Maynooth comes fromIrishMaigh NuadhatorMaigh Nuadhad,meaning "plain ofNuadha".[4]Maigh Nuadis the modern spelling. Nuadha was one of the gods of the ancient Irish, corresponding toNuddof Wales andNodensof ancient Britain and Gaul.

History[edit]

Historical governance[edit]

Maynooth Castle,1885

Maynooth was a long-term centre for theGeraldineor FitzGerald family, which dominated Irish affairs during the Anglo-Norman and Tudor periods.[citation needed]

From 1932 to 1937, the town was the unofficial home to the King's representative in Ireland, Governor GeneralDomhnall Ua Buachalla,who declined to take up official residence in the Viceregal Lodge in the Phoenix Park, and whose family operated a hardware store in the town until 2005.[citation needed]

Historical features[edit]

Maynooth Castle

The town is just inside the western edge ofThe Pale.It has, at either end of the main street,Maynooth CastleandCarton House,two former seats of the Dukes of Leinster. The castle was a stronghold of the 16th century historical figureThomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildarewho was better known as Silken Thomas. The castle was overrun in 1535,[5]after the rebellion of the Earl.

The most important historical buildings in the town are those of St. Patrick's College and some which antedate the foundation of the college, while others are in the late Georgian and neo-Gothic revival style. The "new range" of buildings was erected byA. W. N. Puginin 1850 under a commission from then college presidentLaurence F. Renehan,while the College Chapel was designed and completed byJames Joseph McCarthyduring the presidency of Robert Browne in 1894.

Conolly's Folly is within Maynooth's extensive town boundaries.

There are three old monastic settlements in the vicinity of Maynooth, includingLaraghbryanand its cemetery,Taghadoeand its Round Tower andGrangewilliam(Donaghmore).

Maynooth Pound is a rare example of a surviving pound which has existed since the 18th century. The existing walls were built in 1822 although the pound is older than that. Historically, stray animals were impounded here to be returned to their owners for a fee or sold at auction if not claimed. More recently[when?]the pound was renovated and is now a place of recreation by theLyreen River.[6][7]

Population[edit]

The population of 17,259 (according to the census in 2022)[8]makes Maynooth the fourth largest settlement inKildareand the29th largest settlement in Ireland.However, during the academic year the population of Maynooth nearly doubles in size.[9]Measurement can be difficult as much of the population is transient – students atMaynooth University(above 12,000) or St. Patrick's College, or temporary employees at the nearbyIntelandHewlett Packard Enterprisefacilities (both located inLeixlip).[10]

Education[edit]

St Patrick's College

There are two third-level educational institutions –St Patrick's College,founded underKing George IIIin 1795 to train Ireland's Roman Catholic clergy, andMaynooth University,separated from St. Patrick's College in 1997 – located in the town. They share campus space and many facilities.

There are two secondary schools (Maynooth Post Primary & Maynooth Community College,run from the same premises byKildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board), and five primary schools: aPresentation Sistersgirls-only school, aDublin Archdioceseboys-only school (St. Mary's BNS), anEducate Togetherschool, a Dublin Archdiocese Irish-language school and anAn Foras Pátrúnachtamulti-denominational Irish-language primary school, currently co-located with the other Irish-language school.

A KWETB Irish-language secondary school opened in September 2020.[11][needs update]

Amenities[edit]

The town contains afire station,in addition to the area's part-timeGardastation, a health centre, a public library, and acredit unionas well as various restaurants, includingRomayo'swhich was voted to be the best Take-Away inLeinsterin 2014.[12] Maynooth CommunityLibraryhosts regular public events, includingbook clubs,a film club, children's storytime, and author visits. It also offers services and events relating to National Healthy Ireland and Work Matters initiatives.

Churches[edit]

Maynooth is served by two churches named St. Mary's, one St. Mary'sChurch of Ireland(Anglican) which is incorporated into the walls of St. Patrick's College, and St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, where the Kilcock Road turns into Maynooth Village, serving the Maynooth Parish of St. Mary's and Lady chapel. Also close by is the former Moyglare Church which is used as the Church of Ireland,Meath & KildareDiocesan Centre. Maynooth Community Church, a congregation linked to thePresbyterian Church in Ireland,has applied for planning permission to construct a church.

Economy[edit]

The town is the main retail and service centre for North Kildare and SouthMeath,with branches ofSuperValu,Tesco Ireland,AldiandLidl,as well as a wide variety of non-chain stores.

In October 2005,Dunnes Storesopened a major shopping centre off the town's main street,Manor Mills.[13]This centre contains a number of other high street names, such asEasonsandElverys Sports.

On 18 January 2007, Tesco Ireland announced plans to demolish its existing store in Maynooth (the same store having been demolished and rebuilt only seven years previously) and build a larger shopping centre, anchored by aTesco Extrastore, on a neighbouring site.[14]The new centre is known asCarton Park,after nearbyCarton House.The Tesco Extra portion of the new shopping centre opened on 3 November 2008, withSports Direct,Next ChildrenandBoots.A number of shops that formed part of the former Maynooth Shopping Centre remain open on the old site; with the former Tesco store having been converted toThe Rangeafter many years empty.

Transport[edit]

Canal[edit]

Royal Canal harbour, Maynooth 2023

When the Royal Canal was designed in 1790, with a planned length of 175 km, with 76 locks, 65 aqueducts and 85 bridges, it was intended to pass north of the town of Maynooth. However the Duke of Leinster contributed £1,000 towards the cost of the £200,000 undertaking and insisted that his town would be served by the canal.[15]Maynooth has a canal harbour, and the canal is navigable from central Dublin to this point and onwards to Clondara, County Longford. It is now mostly used mostly for leisure and drainage purposes but historically was used for passengers and freight (grain, potatoes, coal and coke, manure, turf, bricks, stone, sand, timber, and general merchandise) and Maynooth's canal harbour provided a stopping point before Dublin. When the railways arrived, passengers transferred to the quicker rail service.

The harbour, known locally asDuke's Harbour,is roughly triangular in shape and on the north side of the canal, opposite the railway station, is a popular fishing area.

Rail[edit]

Maynooth railway stationis one of the busiest in the Dublin / Kildare region, as it serves two major educational institutions and is a major commuter town for people working inDublin.The town is the terminus of mostIarnród ÉireannWestern Commutertrains, as well as being served by the Dublin-Sligo InterCity service.

In December 2019,Iarnród Éireannawarded a contract for Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy Team[16]for the expansion of theDublin Area Rapid Transiton the Maynooth Line which will lead to electrification of the line to Maynooth and increase capacity on the line.

Bus[edit]

Dublin Busoperates routes C3, C4 and the night buses C5 and C6, from Maynooth toRingsendin Dublin.[17]Go-Ahead Irelandoperates the W61, which links Maynooth to theHazelhatch and Celbridge Railway Station.[18]Bus Éireannservices 22 (Ballina to Dublin Airport), 23 (Sligo to Dublin Airport) and 115 (Mullingar/Kilcock to Dublin) serve the town, as well asAircoach's route 706/706X (Galway to Dublin Airport).[19][20][21][22]Passengers may travel from Maynooth westbound or toDublin Airport.Airport Hopper route 767 provides an additional higher frequency link to Dublin Airport.[23]

JJ Kavanagh/National Transport Authorityroute 139 linksNaastoBlanchardstownvia Maynooth. A number of private operators also serve the town, linking it with nearby towns and cities; many in college term-time only.

Sport and voluntary groups[edit]

Golf[edit]

Carton House Golf Clubis located in Maynooth. TheGolfing Union of Ireland,the longest established golf union in the world, have their national headquarters on the estate. This facility also comprises the GUI National Academy, a 22-acre (89,000 m2) teaching facility. It has a driving range, putting green, and short game area, as well as lessons.[citation needed]

GAA[edit]

Maynooth GAAis the localGaelic Athletic Associationclub and has competed in the senior football championship in Kildare since 2009.[citation needed]

Soccer[edit]

Maynooth Town F.C. is the local soccer club. The senior men's team competes in co-operation with Maynooth University asMaynooth University Town F.C.,a member of theLeinster Senior League.They won theFAI Intermediate Cupin 2018[24]and hence now compete in the seniorFAI Cup.They progressed to the second round of the2018 tournament.They reached the FAI Cup quarter-final in 2021 for the first time.[25]They were beaten 4–0 in the quarter final by Bohemians F.C.[26]

Rugby[edit]

North Kildare RFCis the local rugby club and is situated about 3 km from Maynooth on theKilcockroad. Maynooth nativeBob Casey(born 1978) was a professional rugby player and a senior Irish international.[27]

Maynooth Universityand theLeixlipbased Barnhall Rugby Club merged in 2010[28]and renamed toMU Barnhall RFCin 2015, fielding 28 teams both male and female from U7 to SeniorAll-Ireland League.

Equestrian[edit]

Maynooth is home to thethoroughbred horse racingandbreedingoperation,Moyglare Stud Farm.[citation needed]

Basketball[edit]

North Kildare Eagles Basketball Club is based in Maynooth. The club runs an academy for kids aged 5-10, juvenile teams for girls and boys aged 11-18, and Basketball4All for children with disabilities. Juvenile teams compete in competitions run by the Midlands Area Basketball Board.

Cycling[edit]

There are two cycling clubs based in Maynooth. Maynooth Cycling Club is sponsored by and runs out of Maynooth Cycles in Newtown Shopping Centre.[29]The other is Maynooth Students for Charity, also known as the Galway Cycle. This club runs out ofMaynooth University,and from January to April culminating in a charity cycle to Galway and back over a weekend. The club has raised over 1 million euro for charity since its inception.[30]

Scouting[edit]

The Maynooth Scout group has been in existence since 1975.[31]After many years operating out of the Maynooth Post Primary school they restored and redeveloped theGeraldine Hall,[32]a protected building, as their Den in 2013.[33]

Accommodation[edit]

There are two hotels located in Maynooth,Carton Houseand the Glenroyal Hotel.[citation needed]

Carton House is a five-star hotel[34]located on the outskirts of Maynooth. In 2020, it was announced that the hotel would be managed by theFairmonthospitality group.[35]

The Glenroyal Hotel is a four-star hotel located in the centre of Maynooth.[36]

International relations[edit]

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

Maynooth has atown twinningagreement withCanet-en-Roussillonin France.[37]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Census 2022 | Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movement | F1015 - Population".data.cso.ie.Retrieved29 July2023.
  2. ^"The Catholic Communications Office".Catholiccommunications.ie. Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2012.Retrieved14 February2012.
  3. ^"Trócaire | Irish Charity Working for a Just World".Trocaire.org.Archivedfrom the original on 16 January 2015.Retrieved14 February2012.
  4. ^Mills, David (20 October 2011).A Dictionary of British Place-Names.OUP Oxford. pp. 322–.ISBN978-0-19-960908-6.Retrieved21 December2019.
  5. ^Madden, Finbar (27 August 2010).Understand Irish History: Teach Yourself.John Murray Press. pp. 25–.ISBN978-1-4441-3198-7.Retrieved23 December2019.
  6. ^Coles, Peter (2 June 2018)."The Maynooth Pound".In the Dark.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2021.Retrieved17 January2020.[self-published source]
  7. ^"Maynooth Pound"(PDF).Maynooth Local History Group.Archived(PDF)from the original on 29 December 2020.Retrieved17 January2020.
  8. ^"Census 2022 - F1015 Population".Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports.Central Statistics Office Ireland.August 2023.Retrieved16 September2023.
  9. ^"Getting To Know Maynooth".Maynooth University.Retrieved20 September2023.
  10. ^"Intel Leixlip".Intel.Retrieved20 September2023.
  11. ^Power, Róisin (30 June 2019)."New Maynooth Gaelcholáiste Expected To Open In September 2020".Kfm.Retrieved21 December2019.
  12. ^"Did your favourite takeaway make the list of Ireland's best takeaways? |".JOE.2014.Archivedfrom the original on 7 June 2016.Retrieved2 December2016.
  13. ^Fagan, Jack (12 October 2005)."Growing retail market in Maynooth attracts the big players".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2021.Retrieved21 December2019.
  14. ^"Tesco plans new retail park at Maynooth".Business World Live. Archived fromthe originalon 13 May 2007.
  15. ^Ruth Delany, "Ireland's Royal Canal 1789-1992"
  16. ^Bauress, Henry (20 December 2019)."Irish Rail appoint team to prepare Dart line for Maynooth and Leixlip".Leinster Leader.Archivedfrom the original on 31 December 2019.Retrieved31 December2019.(subscription required)
  17. ^"Goodbye No.25 and 66, hello C-Spine. What Dublin's latest BusConnects changes mean for your daily commute".Independent.ie.22 November 2021.Retrieved18 December2021.
  18. ^"Phase 5a: W-Orbital".Transport for Ireland.February 2024.Retrieved1 March2024.
  19. ^"Route 706 706X timetable".Aircoach.Retrieved18 December2021.
  20. ^"Expressway Route 22, Dublin – Ballina".Bus Éireann.Archivedfrom the original on 18 July 2021.Retrieved23 December2019.
  21. ^"Expressway Route 23, Dublin – Sligo".Bus Éireann.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2021.Retrieved23 December2019.
  22. ^"View Timetables – 115".Bus Éireann.Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2020.Retrieved23 December2019.
  23. ^"Maynooth timetable".Airport Hopper.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2019.Retrieved23 December2019.
  24. ^Donnelly, Dave (12 May 2018)."Stunning comeback sees Maynooth University Town crowned Intermediate champions".TheJournal.ie.Archivedfrom the original on 9 August 2019.Retrieved9 August2019.
  25. ^"Cobh Ramblers suffer cup shock at hands of Leinster Senior League Maynooth".28 August 2021.
  26. ^Dempsey, Andrew."Bohemians end Maynooth University Town's fairytale FAI Cup run".The42.Retrieved10 May2022.
  27. ^"Robert Edward Casey".ESPN scrum.Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2016.Retrieved23 November2016.
  28. ^McKeown, Tom."Rugby".Maynooth University.Archivedfrom the original on 31 December 2019.Retrieved31 December2019.
  29. ^"Maynooth Cycling Club".Maynooth Cycles.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2020.Retrieved3 January2020.
  30. ^"About the Galway Cycle".Galway Cycle.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2020.Retrieved3 January2020.
  31. ^"Maynooth Scouts".Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2020.Retrieved23 March2020.
  32. ^"1860 Geraldine Hall".Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2020.Retrieved23 March2020.
  33. ^"About Maynooth Scouts".Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2020.Retrieved23 March2020.
  34. ^"CARTON HOUSE $144 ($̶2̶8̶9̶) – Updated 2019 Prices & Hotel Reviews – Maynooth, Ireland".TripAdvisor.Archivedfrom the original on 27 August 2019.Retrieved27 August2019.
  35. ^"Carton House to be rebranded and refurbished in new management deal".The Irish Times.Retrieved26 November2022.
  36. ^"Glenroyal Hotel".Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2020.Retrieved3 January2020.
  37. ^"Maynooth Twinning Committee".Kildare Twinning.Archivedfrom the original on 3 March 2021.Retrieved20 February2021.

External links[edit]

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