Donard

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.

Not to be confused with Slieve Donard.
Donard

Dún Ard
Village
Donard village
Donard
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°01′00″N 6°37′00″W
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 takes its name from Dún Ard - High Fort - the ruins of which are still somewhat visible on a rise above the town. The tranquil village is surrounded by Table Mountain (702m), Church Mountain (546m), Lugnaquilla (924m) and Keadeen (655m).

Nearby in Derrynamuck (also known as Dernamuck or Doire na Muc) is a cottage dedicated to the memory of Michael Dwyer, a celebrated 1798 leader. It is well known as Dwyer's Cottage, or the Dwyer-McAllister cottage, for it was here that a group of Irish rebels led by Michael Dwyer were hiding when they were surrounded by British troops. Samuel McAllister died when he drew enemy fire to allow Dwyer to escape, and thereby prevent further bloodshed as the British troops were killing innocent farmers in nearby cottages to reach Dwyer.

The highest mountain in Wicklow and one of the highest mountains in Ireland, second only to Carrauntoohil in Co. Kerry is Lugnaquilla, which can be accessed near the village of Donard. This mountain has a height of 925 metres(3,035ft). The Wicklow Mountain Rescue team operates in the area.[3]

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

A post office was opened in Donard in 1851[4] and An Post closed it at the end of 2018.[5]

References
  1. "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Donard". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  2. Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records)
  3. "Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team". Dwmrt.ie. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  4. Frank, Harald; Stange, Klaus (1990-09-29). Irish Post Offices and their postmarks 1600-1990. Munich: Forchumgs- und Arbeitsgemeinschaft Irland e.V. p. 296.
  5. "Donard post office to close on the 31st of December". WicklowNews.net. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
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