Nobber

Nobber
An Obair
Village
Keogan's Bar in the centre of Nobber village
Nobber
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°49′16″N 6°44′48″W / 53.821128°N 6.746678°W / 53.821128; -6.746678Coordinates: 53°49′16″N 6°44′48″W / 53.821128°N 6.746678°W / 53.821128; -6.746678
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Meath
Elevation 56 m (184 ft)
Population (2006)
 • Urban 652
Irish Grid Reference N812880

Nobber (Irish: an Obair, meaning "the work" – referring to a moat around a Norman castle)[1] is a village in north County Meath, Ireland.The village is located near a river called the Dee (from Irish Abha Fherdiea, meaning 'river of Ferdia') and near Whitewood Lake, which is situated in the townland of Whitewood. It is on the Navan–Kingscourt road (R162) about 12 miles (19 km) north of Navan. This places the village about 37 miles (60 km) from the M50 motorway ; the orbital motorway of Dublin. The town of Kells is to the west and the town of Ardee to the east and the town of Kingscourt is to the north. Villages that border the parish are Kilmainhamwood, Moynalty and Kilbeg to the west, Castletown to the south and Drumconrath and Lobinstown to the east.

History

McGuinness's Shop, Nobber at the turn of the 20th century (see also Keogan's Bar image above)

The Normans were the first known people to settle at Nobber. The site acted as a strong-point on the road from the ports of Drogheda and Dundalk to the midlands. The Lordship of Meath was granted to Hugh De Lacy by King Henry II of England in 1172 in his capacity as Lord of Ireland. De Lacy granted the Barony of Morgallion to Gilbert de Angulo, who constructed a moate and bailey there. Recently several high crosses were discovered in the village's old cemetery (St Johns) dating from possibly the 10th century. These are smaller and less ornate than typical Celtic high crosses. This find is significant because it suggests that a hitherto unrecorded monastic settlement once existed on the site of the village. Moynagh Lake, to the west of the village, is the site of a multi-period crannóg which dates to Mesolithic times. In the Medieval period, Nobber was the chief town of the Barony of Morgallion, and was variously expressed as "Middle English: Nobire, Nobbir, Nobir, Nebyre, Nobyre, Nober'"".

Archdeacon of Nobber

Nobber was once a key town in the Kingdom of Meath, and an ancient 'Rectory of Nobber' was united to the ecclesiastical dignity of Archdeacon of Kells, thus the holder was styled Rector of Nobber, Parson of Nobber, or more often 'Archdeacon of Nobber'.[2][3] Confusingly, the Archdeacon of Kells held the Rectory of Nobber, while the Archdeacon of Meath held the Rectory of Kells.[4]

Transport

Rail

A disused railway line dating from 1875 runs through the village which runs from Kingscourt to Navan. This was purchased by the Midland Great Western Railway in 1888. Until recent years it operated to haul gypsum from Saint-Gobain Gypsum Industries plant in County Cavan to the port of Drogheda. Nobber railway station opened on 1 November 1872, closed for passenger traffic on 27 January 1947 and finally closed altogether on 1 April 1963.[5]

Bus

Bus Éireann route 107 links Nobber to Navan and Kingscourt.[6] Sillan also provide a link to Navan and Dublin with some buses extending to University College Dublin. In the other direction Sillan services provide a link to Kingscourt, Shercock and Cootehill.[7]

Amenities

The village has two schools: Nobber National school for primary school children and O'Carolan College which is a comprehensive secondary school. The church of Saint John the Baptist is the Roman Catholic church in the centre of the village which also has a fire station, Garda Síochána (police) station.

Sport

Nobber has only one Gaelic Football team called Nobber G.F.C. In 2003, Nobber won the All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship, beating Kilmeena of Mayo. Nobber are two time former Meath Intermediate football Champions, having won honours in 1980 and 2010. Nobber are currently in the Meath Intermediate Football Championship. The Nobber colours are black and amber.

The local soccer team are Electro Celtic FC who are currently in Division 3B of the Meath and District League.

Festivals and events

The Nobber Fair Day is an annual event that is held on the third Sunday of May. The event has been running since 2006, and revived an old tradition of a fair that was held in the village for centuries. Rare breeds of farm animals are displayed, and rosettes and prizes are awarded across various categories. In 2012, more than 10,000 people attended Nobber Fair Day.[8]

People

  • Turlough O'Carolan, blind harpist reputed to have been born in Nobber - there is a statue in memory of him at the southern end of the village
  • Shane McEntee (1956–2012), Fine Gael TD and Minister of State
  • George Eogan, archaeologist known for his work at Knowth

Townlands

Nobber has 22 townlands. They are:

  • Altmush, Arrigal,
  • Brittas,
  • Cloughmacoo, College, Cregg, Cruicetown,
  • Garmanagh,
  • Hennigan,
  • Julianstown,
  • Kilbride,
  • Leafin,
  • Moydorragh, Moynagh, Muff,
  • Newtown, Nobber,
  • Possexstown,
  • Rathe, Rathgillen,
  • Seller, Spiddal.

Cruicetown is the largest townland and Leafin is the smallest.

Geographic location

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Odd and Unusual Irish Place Names". DoChara. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  2. ↑ Healy 1908, pp. 46, 249.
  3. ↑ Cotton, 1851 & Volume 3, pp. 130.
  4. ↑ Cogan 1862, pp. 207-210.
  5. ↑ "Nobber station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  6. ↑ http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1318429076-107.pdf
  7. ↑ http://sillan.ie/index.php/bus-timetables
  8. ↑ http://meathfestivals.ie/ie/festivals/nobber-fair-day/?PHPSESSID=ed12a37770306eaae3a699ffe8e57e1d

Bibliography

  • Healy, John, Abp. (1908). History of the diocese of Meath (PDF). Internet Archive is non-profit library of millions of free books, and more. Dublin: Association for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  • Cogan, Anthony, Rev. (1862). The diocese of Meath : ancient and modern (PDF) (Volume 1 ed.). Dublin: J.F. Fowler. p. 100. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  • Cotton, Henry (1851). Fasti ecclesiae Hibernicae : the succession of the prelates and members of the Cathedral bodies of Ireland (PDF) (Volume 3, The province of Ulster ed.). Princeton Theological Seminary Library: Hodges and Smith, Dublin. p. 19,112,115,126,130. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
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