Duleek
human settlement in County Meath
Duleek (; Irish: Damhliag, meaning 'stone house or church') is a small town in County Meath, Ireland.
Duleek takes its name from the Irish words daimh and liag, meaning house of stones, referring to an early stone-built church, St. Cianán's Church, the ruins of which are still visible in Duleek today.
As of the 2022 census, the population of Duleek reached 4,899, a two-fold increase since 2002. The town is 8 km south-west of Drogheda, and 35 km north of Dublin city centre. Duleek is in a civil parish of the same name.
History
Duleek began as an early Christian monastic settlement. Saint Patrick established a bishopric here about 450 AD, which he placed in the care of Saint Cianán on 24 November 489. The place was sacked several times by the Norsemen between 830 and 1149 and was also pillaged by the Normans in 1171. In April 1014, the bodies of Brian Ború and his son lay in state in Duleek on their way to Armagh.
“Duleek” enters the record as human settlement in County Meath. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Duleek, human and settlement can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Duleek” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Duleek, human and settlement provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q765703. VIAF identifies the subject as 147882739. The Library of Congress control number is n91029682. Authority coordinates are 53.655, -6.417. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2022, 2002, 1149 and 1171.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Duleek”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Duleek primary sources, Duleek archive and Duleek research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Duleek”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Duleek” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.