Swords

Swords is the next turnoff – but keep straight on for Monaghan Swords is ancient, at least 1200 years old and has a history to boot. From Colum Kill, one of the earliest Irish saints, to the Vikings, Brian Boru, the Normans, Edward the Bruce (no not Robert, his brother). And that’s only the first 500 years. It is a very ancient village, the full name of which Sórd Cholaim Chille (Sword of Colum Cill) shows its origin, having been an important foundation of St. Columba, who placed St. Finian as abbot over the brethren. To the Abbey, on that fateful Good Friday in 1014, were borne the bodies of Brian Boru and his son Murrough, after the Battle of Clontarf, to rest for one night on the long journey to Armagh. Swords returned two members to the Irish Parliament. At the Union in 1800, £15,000 was paid for the loss of this privilege (a bribe to vote for the United Kingdom), and some of this compensation money was spent in the building and endowment of the Old Boro Schools. Does Sord mean swords in English? It’s not clear – the Gaelic is more like the Scottish Claymore? But the name has been used for the area since 800AD well before the Vikings or Normans came over. Now you know more about Swords than most of the people who live there