Gormanston Br. — Flemingtown, Tobersool

Multiperiod stone bridge located on the medieval road from Balscaddan medieval parish church (DU001-003001-) to the medieval parish church of Gormanstown (ME028-019----), Co. Meath, where it crosses the river Delvin on the Dublin-Meath county boundary.  The road connected the port and city of Dublin to the town of Drogheda, Co. Louth.  13th-century bridge depicted with two parallel lines crossing the Delvin River on the 17th-century Maps (1660-75) of County Dublin and County Meath published in Hibernia Delineatio, the original maps are now kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (https://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/down-survey-maps.php#c=Meath). The bridge is also depicted on the 1655-59 Down Survey map of Stamullen parish, Co. Meath (NLI, MS 715/10).   Annotated ‘GormansT[ow]n Bridge’ on Rocque's 1760 Map of County Dublin.   According to O’Keeffe and Simington; 'this bridge is possibly the oldest such structure surviving on the original seaboard route of the Dublin to Dunleer turnpike which provided transport to the main linen export port of Dublin from the production centre in the north east of the country. The main road serving this route ceased to pass over Gormanstown Bridge in the last quarter of the eighteenth century when a bridge at Knocknagin on the present R132 was originally constructed' (O'Keeffe & Simington 1991, 145-147). Gormanston bridge was restored c. 1994 by Meath County Council. It is a double-arched bridge with pointed segmental arches. There is a central cutwater on the up-river side. The parapet on the up river side stands 2.1m high above the road level, probably for defensive purposes. The south arch (Dublin) has a span of 4m, the pier is 2.3m thick and the other arch (Meath) is 3.5m (O'Keeffe, Simington and Goodbody 2016, 164). Dated on the basis of style to the 13th century (O'Keeffe & Simington 1991, 145-147).  The bridge was added to twice, the original upstream section is rather more than half the total width, the first enlargement is considerably narrower and the second narrower again. The joints are butt type. Vegetation on the cutwater to the west of the road has grown considerably obscuring cutwaters from view. Similar extensive growth to east.  Gormanston Bridge described by Cronin (2008, 4) as; ‘One of the oldest structures on an early, principal route north from Dublin, Gormanstown Bridge may contain significant amounts of thirteenth century fabric with later extensions. Two-arched (Wth. 4.11m and 4.09m) stone road bridge over Delvin river on Fingal/Meath county border south of the Gormanstown Castle Estate. Semi-circular stone arches with coarse voussoirs, high rubble stone parapet with round concrete coping on original upstream west side and lower, stone-capped, rubble–built parapet with remains of lime render on later downstream side. Three distinct sections visible on arch soffit. Low pointed breakwater with masonry damaged by tree growth. Abutment to south west corner is cased in cast concrete. Two semi-circular stone arches to north bank just west of bridge. Stone north west approach wall has been recently re-built on gabian basket foundation’. According to Cronin (2008, 8) the ‘Grand Jury records for Meath escaped the burning of records in Dublin in 1922. These records detailed a programme of repair and rebuild to the bridge in 1809, and plans for rebuilding of half an arch on the bridge in 1775. The second extension with its dateable masonry and heavy parapet coping stones is the result of this 1775 work presentment. The unusual high parapet on the original downstream side of the structure was probably replicated on the opposite side before the two later extensions were built and its purpose was to protect those crossing the bridge on horse-back from attack with arrows. The two small arches in the northern upstream bank would have been equipped with sluices for the mill race historically located here on the demesne of Gormanstown Castle built by Sir Jenico Preston in 1786 on the site of a fourteenth century castle’.   Cross-referenced with ME034-007----. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien