Crossakiel or Crossakeel (
Irish: ''Crosa Caoil'', meaning "the crosses of Caol") is a village in
County Meath
County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. It is situated in the north-west of the county, at the junction of the
R154 and the
L2801, approximately 13 km south of
Oldcastle and 12 km north of
Athboy
Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. It is around 15 km west of Navan and 50 km north-west of Dublin. T ...
.
History
It is believed that a settlement may have existed in Crossakiel since the Bronze Age, as evidenced by the barrow mound in the centre of the village, around which the 19th-century village has developed.
Following the
Siege of Drogheda in 1649, it is believed that during his
conquest of Ireland,
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
surveyed the view over the nearby townland of Clonabreany from Crossakiel Hill, when he gave 2,000 acres of land that was previously owned by the Plunkett family to the Wade family, which resulted in the construction of a Norman castle and settlement. This was later demolished to facilitate the construction of Clonabreany House, which is now a wedding venue.
Crossakiel in 1837 was a
post town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...
with 200 inhabitants living in 60 houses and amenities including a police station, a Church of Ireland church, a pharmacy and a primary school.
Geography
Crossakiel is situated in north-west
County Meath
County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
, near the border with
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
. It is 3 km from
Kilskyre, 9 km from
Kells, 13 km from Oldcastle and 12 km from Athboy.
Situated at the crossroads of the
R154 regional road and the L2801
local road, the latter linking to the
R163 regional road between Oldcastle and Kells, the village is built around a triangular green known locally as "The Diamond".
The Tremblestown River, which is located around 1.1 km west of the village is a tributary of the
Kells Blackwater.
Facilities
There is no primary school in the village, with the nearest primary schools in Kilskyre and Drumbaragh and secondary schools in Kells and Athboy.
There are two public houses in the village - McCabe's and The Welcome Wagon.
A handball alley is also situated in Crossakiel. The sport has been played in the village since as early as the 1920s.
While there is no Catholic church in the village, St Shiria's Church on its southern outskirts previously served the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
populace in the parish of Kilskyre, with records dating back to May 1761. The church was deconsecrated on 26 January 1962, with
Meath County Council taking ownership in 1981.
Transportation
Since 27 October 2024
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with the exception of Dublin, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of C ...
route 187 serves the village eleven times a day, linking it to
Kells,
Oldcastle,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
,
Ballyjamesduff
Ballyjamesduff () is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. A former market town, it was the winner of the 1966 and 1967 Irish Tidy Towns Competition.
History
The first mention of Ballyjamesduff is found in The Registry of Deeds, Kings Inns, Henriett ...
, and other localities along the route.
[https://www.transportforireland.ie/news/bus-eireann-announces-enhanced-route-187-kells-to-ballyjamesduff/]
Traditionally the village was not served by a public transport service, with nearby connections at Athboy, Kells and Oldcastle.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{Towns and villages in County Meath
County Meath