Mooretown

1,492 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Mooretown, from 1 m² to 215,596 m² (21.56 ha, 53.27 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary. 101 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings, or as GeoJSON or KML.

• R2RS - Residential (Existing residential)
  The Fingal Development Plan 2023 – 2029, Fingal · 1,377 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• R1RA - Residential Area (New/proposed residential)
  The Fingal Development Plan 2023 – 2029, Fingal · 131 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• G4OS - Open Space (Active open space)
  The Fingal Development Plan 2023 – 2029, Fingal · 22 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• G3GB - Green Belt (Conservation, amenity or buffer space, corridor/belt, landscape)
  The Fingal Development Plan 2023 – 2029, Fingal · 6 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• M3LC - Local Centre (District, neighbourhood centre)
  The Fingal Development Plan 2023 – 2029, Fingal · 3 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• S3CI - Community Infrastructure (Community facilities)
  The Fingal Development Plan 2023 – 2029, Fingal · 3 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• G3HA - High Amenity (Conservation, amenity or buffer space, corridor/belt, landscape)
  The Fingal Development Plan 2023 – 2029, Fingal · 1 parcels The zoning objective in the plan

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

The national planning file did not answer. Try again later.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Mooretown.

Recorded monuments

• DU011-018 Ritual site - holy well
  Description

  St Cronan's Well is a natural spring well in a hollow marked by a tree SW of Glassmore Abbey (DU011-019----). No longer venerated. This was formerly a station well. There is a local tradition that the water cures some eyes and chicken pox (Ó Danachair 1958, 81). The well also appears top have been known locally as St Brigid's Well and St Joseph's Well. The following folklore about this holy well was collected from Swords School; 'About a mile west of Swords there stands a small well, known as Mooretown, but was at one time called Saint Brigid's well. On the right of this is another well called Saint Mary's on one side of which stands a Mass rock, where the priest found shelter to say Mass during the Penal times' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0788, Page 109; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428186/4384662/4443923?ChapterID=4428186). A second story also collected from Swords School recorded the following tradition; 'There are about three Holy wells in the Parish of Swords, namely: St. Werburg's well in Feltrim, St. Colmcille's well in Swords and St. Joseph's well in Mooretown. St. Joseph's well was once used by the nuns of the Nunnery at Mooretown. People sometimes visit these wells and pray there. There leave relics there when they are leaving such as, medals, scapulars and rosary beads. There is a cure for sore eyes in St. Joseph's well. If the water is rubbed three times on the sore eyes while making the sign of the cross they will be cured. This well is under the shade of a large ash tree' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0789, Page 150; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428188/4384892). Folklore about the curative powers of this holy well collected from Swords School recorded the following details; 'About a mile and a half outside Swords, there is a well called Mooretown. The people say that if you drink the water it will cure the chicken-pox' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0788, Page 94; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428186/4384828/4443909). Recent archaeological investigation (Licence no. 08E0303) identified the well as a spring percolating up through the underlying natural subsoil, near to which a small sub-rectangular pool/pit for the collection of the water has been dug. The pool (diam. 1.4m) was lined with a single course of large irregularly-shaped stones pressed into the ground around its edges. A late nineteenth– early twentieth-century ceramic drainpipe directed water from the well source into the pool, suggesting a very recent date for the latter. The area around the well and pool was metalled. A fulacht fia (DU011-148----) was identified in the immediate vicinity of the well and a medieval settlement to the north (DU011-149----) (Frazer 2008). See attached photos (01/02/03) taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F024.06.00133 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16653; F024.06.00134 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/30781; F024.06.00135 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/30782. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Updated by: Christine Baker Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 12 April 2023

• DU011-019 Structure
  Description

  Located within the open space of Cianlea housing estate. This square, enigmatic building is of post medieval date with medieval insertions. It survives to one storey height (int. dims.9.70m N-S, 9.20m E-W, wall T 0.85m) and is built of coursed limestone blocks with dressed quoins. Entered through a plain doorway in E end of N wall. There is also a pointed arched doorway with pocked dressing and moulding on the jamb stones, inserted above ground level in the N wall. This formerly provided access to an attached range. The interior is lit by two, featureless windows with segmental arches on the S wall, two oblong windows on the W wall and a narrow window in the E wall with two windows at a lower level. High levels of mortar wash out which has led to destabilisation and minor collapse. Medieval insertions have been subject to graffiti. Now fenced off. Known as Glassmore Abbey the site is located to the north-west of Swords. However the historical references to Glas Mar where St Cronan was killed by Viking raiders specifiy a 'desolate church to the south of Swords' (Stokes 1905). It was O'Donovan in the 19th century, on the basis of information given to him by a local man, who designated the site as that of Glasmore Abbey (1836). Test excavation (Licence no. 99E0536) was undertaken in advance of the surrounding housing estate development but nothing of archaeological significance was identified (Swan, 1999). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Updated by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 03 January 2015

• DU011-144004 Field system
  Description

  Geophysical survey (Licence no. 05R170) undertaken in advance of development S of the Rathbeale road identified the S limit of an enclosure (DU011-144001-) and a field system. Similar to the N field system (DU011-144003-) this field system (170m N-S x 145m E-W) consists of sub-rectangular enclosures and curvilinear features. Test excavation (Licence no. 08E0303) confirmed the presence of a series of ditches, pits and a small roundhouse or hut (3.75m diam.) with a sunken floor. A causeway was also identified related to the S annex. The overwhelming absence of medieval pottery is considered to indicate the date of occupation of the complex to the largely aceramic early medieval period (Frazer 2008, 61). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 4 February 2015

• DU011-145 Water mill - horizontal-wheeled
  Description

  Identified by test-excavation (Licence no. 08E0303) the monument consists of a medieval watermill with a horizontal millwheel, associated millrace and various other channels used for water management. The remains consist of the foundations of a sub-square mill building (2.1m) with a funnel-shaped flume channel opening into its N side and a tail race exiting from the S. A possible millpond was located immediately upslope to the N. To the W of the mill a 2.2m wide, shallow, V-shaped water channel metalled with stone was uncovered. Between this channel and the mill, 2m from it, were two N–S drystone wall foundations running parallel to the building: their function is unknown but they appear to relate to the strengthening of the V-shaped channel. Other features discovered included two metalled floor surfaces. Medieval pottery suggests that the mill may have continued in use beyond the 12th century AD to perhaps some time during the 14th – 16th century (Frazer 2008, 37). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 4 February 2015

• DU011-146001 Fulacht fia
  Description

  Identified on geophysical survey (Licence no. 06R067) undertaken in advance of proposed development and confirmed by test excavation (Licence no. 08E0303), this fulacht fia overlay a possible ring ditch (DU011-146002-). Its remains consist of two spreads of burnt mound material (10m+ diam.) and a series of three sub-circular troughs or pits (0.65-0.9m diam.) (Frazer 2008, 47). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 4 February 2015

• DU011-146002 Ring-ditch
  Description

  Identified on geophysical survey (Licence no. 06R067) undertaken in advance of proposed development and confirmed by test excavation (Licence no. 08E0303), this monument consists of a ring ditch that was over lain by a fulacht fia (DU011-146001-). Characterised by a V-shaped ditch the ring ditch (12m diam.) is overlain by burnt mound material and truncated by a narrow ditch and associated with several postholes and an irregularly shaped pit (Frazer 2008, 49). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 4 February 2015

• DU011-147 Ringfort - unclassified
  Description

  Geophysical survey (Licence no. 06R067) undertaken in advance of proposed development identified an enclosure feature. Confirmed by test excavation (Licence no. 08E0303) the monument consists of the remains of a circular enclosure ditch (30m diam.) with a number of internal features such as pits, postholes and an L-shaped ditch. The ringfort enclosure ditch (2.3m wide) has a narrow entry (0.5m wide) facing NNE towards the Oldtown ecclesiastical complex (DU011-144001-). Evidence for a palisade in the form of a series of postholes is recorded along internal edge of the ditch (Frazer 2008, 59). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 4 February 2015

• DU011-148 Fulacht fia
  Description

  Features identified by geophysical survey (Licence no. 06R067) undertaken in advance of proposed development were confirmed by test excavation (Licence no. 08E0303). A fulacht fia is present in close proximity to St Cronan’s well (DU011-018----). It consists of two charcoal rich spreads (6m max. diam.) that contain fire cracked stone and a trough, oval in plan (1.75m diam.) and lined with wicker-work (Frazer 2008, 30). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 4 February 2015

• DU011-149 Settlement cluster
  Description

  Geophysical survey (Licence no. 06R067) undertaken in advance of proposed development identified a series of linear features. Test excavation (Licence no. 08E0303) confirmed the remains of a small medieval settlement or farmstead, with associated boundary ditches, pits and spreads. It consists of ENE-WSW L-shaped row of sub-rectangular yards or tofts, delimited by boundary ditches atop a slight raised platform. Surviving building remains are concentrated in the S quadrant with a yard and back lane to the N. To the S slightly downslope is a metalled hollow trackway (80m long x 5m wide) running parallel to the tofts. The settlement appears to date primarily from the late 12th – 14th centuries AD, with less intensive occupation either extending into, or resettled during, the 16th – 17th centuries. The settlement may be the remains of a manor farm or grange for Mooretown (Frazer 2008, 58). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 4 February 2015

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Mooretown.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

At the centre of the townland of Mooretown, about 1 in 20 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as moderately low, low, partly inferred.

Terrain model

No LiDAR survey of the Office of Public Works covers the centre of the townland of Mooretown.

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

No address of the register names Mooretown with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Dublin.

Name

Mooretown · Baile na Móna

Area

1,256,221 m² (125.62 ha, 310.42 acres)

Civil parish

Swords, and its townlands

Barony

Nethercross

Electoral division

Swords-Glasmore, the unit of the census

Census 2022

7,674 people lived in 2,481 households in the Swords-Glasmore electoral division. 78% of households owned their home. 12% of homes were built since 2001. 4% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 0% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Brazil, Commons West, Oldtown, Outlands, Rathbeal, Windmill Lands

Placenames

Mooretown on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics by electoral division, Central Statistics Office, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address. Old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.