Bellewstown

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Village in County Meath in Ireland

title: "Bellewstown" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["towns-and-villages-in-county-meath"] description: "Village in County Meath in Ireland" topic_path: "general/towns-and-villages-in-county-meath" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellewstown" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village in County Meath in Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Bellewstown
native_name	Baile an Bheileogaigh
native_name_lang	ga
settlement_type	Village
image_skyline	Medieval church at Bellewstown, Co. Meath - geograph.org.uk - 904935.jpg
image_caption	Medieval church in Bellewstown townland
pushpin_map	Ireland
pushpin_label_position	right
pushpin_map_caption	Location in Ireland
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Ireland
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	Leinster
subdivision_type3	County
subdivision_name3	Meath
unit_pref	Metric
population_as_of	est.
population_density_km2	auto
timezone1	WET
utc_offset1	+0
timezone1_DST	IST (WEST)
utc_offset1_DST	-1
coordinates
blank_name	Irish Grid Reference
blank_info
::

Bellewstown () is a townland and village located 8 km south of Drogheda, on the Hill of Crockafotha in County Meath in Ireland. Bellewstown townland, which is in the electoral division of Ardcath and the civil parish of Duleek, had a population of 499 as of the 2011 census. It takes its name from the Anglo-Irish Bellew family, who were the dominant local landowners from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century.

History

Built heritage

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of cist, standing stone, ring ditch and ringfort sites in the townlands of Bellewstown, Collierstown and Hilltown.

Bellewstown Castle, a 15th century building that is now in ruin, is historically associated with the Bellew family. Its ruins stand near Bellewstown House. Also within the grounds of Bellewstown House is a former church.

Horseracing

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Bellewstown_Race_Course_(Geograph).jpg" caption="Bellewstown Racecourse"] ::

The tradition of summer horse racing at Bellewstown Racecourse dates to at least the 18th century, and the first record of racing here appears in the Dublin Gazette and the Weekly Courier in August 1726. In 1780, George Tandy, a former mayor of Drogheda and brother of James Napper Tandy, persuaded King George III to sponsor a race at Bellewstown. The race was called His Majesty's Plate and was valued at £100. There was also previously a cricket ground in the middle of the race track.

Racing continues to occur on an annual basis, taking place during the course of the summer. While there was previously just one meeting a year at Bellewstown (in July), as of the 21st century, four meetings are held each year. These include one day in April, three days in July, three days in August and two days in September. The track is a one-mile and one-furlong left-handed course, featuring both flat and hurdle racing.

Amenities

Amenities in Bellewstown village include a primary school, Catholic church, pub, horse racecourse, and golf course.

The modern Catholic church in Bellewstown, Saint Thérèse's church in Collierstown townland, was built . It is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath.

The local national (primary) school, also dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, had an enrollment of approximately 100 pupils as of 2024. The current school building, built in the 1960s, replaced an earlier 19th century building which is now known as the "old school hall".

The local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club, Duleek/Bellewstown GAA, won the Meath Intermediate Football Championship in 2005.

People

Gavin Duffy, entrepreneur and businessman, lived in Bellewstown.
The family of actress Sharon Horgan and rugby-player Shane Horgan previously lived in the area.
The 19th century Dublin-born poet James Clarence Mangan, who had several pen names, sometimes used the name "P.V. M'Guffin, Bellewstown".

References

"Baile an Bheileogaigh / Bellewstown". Placenames Database of Ireland.
"Bellewstown Townland, Co. Meath".
"CD165 - Meath Population by Private Households, Occupied and Vacancy Rate". Central Statistics Office.
(1987). "Archaeological Inventory of County Meath". Government Stationery Office.
"NMS mapping data - ME027-083----".
"NMS mapping data - ME027-007----".
"About Us".
"Saint Thérèse's Catholic Church, Collierstown, Bellewstown, Meath". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
"About Bellewstown Faith Community".
"Bellewstown National School - Newsletter - September 2023".
(23 August 2024). "Directory page - S N Naomh Treasa". Department of Education.
"Scoil Naomh Treasa - A Brief History".
"Bellewstown National School, Collierstown, Bellewstown, Meath". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
(7 October 2005). "Determined Duleek rock Syddans boat".
(3 October 2019). "Gavin Duffy’s own dragon’s den in Co Meath for €2.4m".
(25 August 2016). "Peek inside former Irish rugby star Shane Horgan’s family home in Meath on the market for €459k".
McCall, John. (1884). "The life of James Clarence Mangan".

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