Delvin

Delvin (Irish: Dealbhna or Dealbhna Mhór) is a small town in north County Westmeath, Ireland located on the N52 road at a junction with the N51 to Navan. The town is 20 km from Mullingar (along the N52) and is the setting of the book Valley of the Squinting Windows by Brinsley MacNamara, described under the fictitious name of "Garradrimna".

Old ruin of Delvin/Nugent Castle
in the Main Street (1181)

The word Delvin comes from Delbhna, a tribe from the west of Ireland. Members of this tribe settled in the place that is now Delvin.

1 Delvin Castle and Clonyn Castle
2 Amenities/Facilities
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Delvin Castle and Clonyn Castle

The original Delvin Castle (aka Nugent Castle), now in ruin, is believed to have been built in 1181 by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath for his brother-in-law, Gilbert de Nugent. It will be renovated to a new hotel in 2009 with a full gym and licensed bar. Gilbert De Nugent came to Ireland with Hugh De Lacy in 1171. Gilbert settled on some land in Delvin and was granted the title Baron of Delvin. The ruins of Nugent Castle remain near the center of the town. A second castle was built by Gilbert de Nogent some centuries later, some hundreds of metres from the centre of the Delvin settlement of that time. Today, Clonyn Castle is situated on dominatrix ground south of Delvin between the N52 and the Collinstown road. An alternative access to the castle grounds exists on this Collinstown road opposite the church. This access also is used by the Delvin golf course club members. The Delvin area is now home to the Westmeath chapter of the Hells Angels.^{[citation needed]}

The Barony of Delvin remained with the Viscounts Gormanston throughout the 19th and early 2Oth century. Indeed, it was not until the 199Os that the Barony was once again deeded to a de Vere. Richard II granted Robert de Vere 9th Earl of Oxford and 10th Lord Chamberlain the Marquessate of Dublin and the whole of Ireland at this time, when the de Vere's took right to Kilkea Castle. (The Barony of Delvin was contained in the earldom of Oxford, by Aubery de Vere, until it was broken up by Robert de Vere's Irish dominions in 1392). Viscounts Gormanston stood down on behalf of Lady Wendy DeVere Knight-Wilton in the 1990s giving assignment on behalf of her husband, so the deed of the Barony could be passed on to him, Raymond John DeVere-Austin, AKA Raymond Austin (the DeVere family name was joined to Austin on his marriage to Wendy DeVere Knight-Wilton in 1984). It is the present holder, Baron DeVere-Austin of Delvin, to whom the honour of taking this historic feudal title into the next millennium belongs.

Church of the Assumption (1881)

[edit] Amenities/Facilities

Delvin Castle Golf Club—an 18 hole golf course—is located near the town. There is a bank branch, school, church, hotel/guest house, a few shops and a take-away in the town. There are also a few pubs on the Main Street, the most popular being O'Shaughnessy's. It is likely that several more amenities will open over the next few years due to the construction of a large housing estate near the town in 2004.

Recently a new hair salon has opened on main street and many new houses have been built since 2004. As of 2007 the town has continued to expand and work on a development in the centre of the village has recently recommenced. Plans have also recently been unveiled for the provision of a new sports and leisure facility within the village. Some outdoor facilities are expected to be available by Summer 2007, while plans for the multi-purpose indoor leisure complex are being prepared and fund raising gathers pace.