Dromiskin (historically ''Druminisklin'', from ) is a village and townland in

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

, Ireland. It is situated 10 km south of Dundalk, about 1 km inland from the Irish coast.

History

The village was home to a monastery for hundreds of years, which was reputedly associated with

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

. The first bishop of

Dromiskin Dromiskin (historically ''Druminisklin'', from ) is a village and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is situated 10 km south of Dundalk, about 1 km inland from the Irish coast. History The village was home to a monastery for h ...

was Lughaidh, son of Aengus mac Nadfraoch the first Christian king of Munster. St Patrick reputedly pierced Aengus's foot with his pastoral staff during the baptism.

Áed Findliath Áed mac Néill (died 879), called Áed Findliath ("fair-grey Áed"; Modern Irish: ''Aodh Fionnadhliath'') to distinguish him from his paternal grandfather Áed Oirdnide, was king of Ailech and High King of Ireland. He was also called Áed Olach ...

monarch of Ireland, son of Niall Caille, retired to and died at Dromiskin. The ''Chronicon Scotorum'' records his death at 879.

O'Donovan The O'Donovans are an Irish family. Their patronymic surname derives from Irish ''Ó Donnabháin'', meaning the grandsons or descendants of Donnubán, referring to the 10th century ruler of the Uí Fidgenti, Donnubán mac Cathail. During the ...

records his death as 876 and the ''Annals of Ulster'' place it at 878. The next few hundred years were turbulent times for Dromiskin. The constant plundering by both Vikings and Irish destroyed the Abbey and dispersed the monks. Annudh macRuaire rampaged through the territory in 1043 and Dromiskin was destroyed. The ecclesiastical site was abandoned and the monks took refuge in the neighbouring Abbey of Saint

Mochta Saint Mochta (or Mochtae, Mahew, Mochteus, Maucteus, Mauchteus; died 20 August 535, or A.D. 537), was the last surviving disciple of Saint Patrick. Life Mochta was, like Patrick, a native of Britain. His name is British, and Adomnán's ''Life ...

, the possessions of this ancient church being placed in the hands of the Prior of Louth Abbey. Dromiskin served as the home to the

Archbishops of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

for a time. The Archbishops of Armagh lived at Dromiskin House. Archbishop

Milo Sweetman Milo Sweetman (died 1380) was a fourteenth-century Irish Archbishop of Armagh, who was noted for his fierce defence of the privileges of his archdiocese. He was treasurer of the Diocese of Ossory by 1360, and in that year he was elected Bishop o ...

is buried here. The old ninth-century round tower and parts of the Abbey still remain. From the tower, there is a view of all of

Dundalk Bay Dundalk Bay ( ga, Cuan Dhún Dealgan) is a large (33 km2), exposed estuary on the east coast of Ireland. The inner bay is shallow, sandy and intertidal, though it slopes into a deeper area 2 km from the transitional water boundary.< ...

and the surrounding countryside.

Parish

The village is part of the parish of Darver and Dromiskin parish, Darver being a neighbouring village. The parish is bounded by the Fane River on the north and by the Glyde River on the south.

Demographics

Since the mid-1990s, Dromiskin, like many areas in County Louth, has seen an increase in population. In 2006, 992 people were living in Dromiskin. By 2016, the population of the village had increased to 1,195. According to 2016 census figures, 221 of the village's 391 private houses were built between 1991 and 2010.

Sport

The local

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

club, St. Joseph's, was formed in 1961. It covers the entire parish of Darver & Dromiskin, and won the Senior county championship (Joe Ward Cup) in 1996 and 2006. As of 2011, the club was playing Intermediate level championship as well as Division 2 league football, having been relegated from League Division 1 in 2010. The club's Minor (U-18) team won the county championship for the first time in 2009 and retained the championship in 2010. St Peter's Athletic Club is located in the outskirts of the village.

Transport

Bus Éireann route 168,

Annagassan Annagassan ()"Annagassan" A Dictionary of British Place-Names. A. D. Mills. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Solihull Libraries. 16 April 2008 is a village in the townland of Ballynagassan, County ...

to Dundalk serves Dromiskin Mondays to Fridays inclusive providing one journey in each direction.

References

External links

St. Peter's National School Website
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Louth Townlands of County Louth Towers in the Republic of Ireland