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Townland

Oldtown

An Seanbhaile

Oldtown’s long-established Gaelic football club developed a new sporting role through hurling and camogie.

Recorded locationOldtown53.52192° N · 6.31820° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
Recorded place location · Logainm.ie

The name

bailetownland, town, homesteadseanold

These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.

An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.

Recorded forms

  • An Seanbhaile · Irish · main form · validated name
  • Oldtown · English · main form

Place & story

Patrick Archer and the Wild Geese

The Wild Geese club traces its foundation in Oldtown to Patrick Archer in 1888. Its own history explains the name as a commemoration of Irish people who entered military service abroad. It remained a football club for much of its history, before introducing juvenile hurling in 2007 and an adult team in 2008. [2]

People & connections

A generation grows with the club

In John Harrington’s 2025 interview, Aidan Lenehan recalled helping establish hurling after moving to north Dublin. Children who joined during the early years later formed much of the team that won Dublin’s Junior C hurling championship in 2024. Aidan and his brother Fergal recorded the players’ development in a book, linking local sporting history with participants’ own recollections. [3]

Sunday matches as a gathering

Lenehan also described residents travelling to away matches together and regular Sunday support becoming part of village life. This is a participant’s account of a recent community practice, showing how the club brought spectators as well as players into its activities. [3]

Geographic information

Place type
Townland
County
Dublin
Civil parish
Clonmethan
Coordinates
53.52192, -6.31820
Mapped area
1.42 km²
Logainm ID
16786 ↗

People & family history

Census figures refer to the matched historical census area for each year. Boundaries and spellings can change over time.

Sources & further reading

  1. Logainm.ie — Oldtown. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  2. Wild Geese GAA: club history · Wild Geese GAA, Oldtown
  3. The grit and glory of the Wild Geese hurling story, 15 October 2025 · John Harrington, GAA; original interview with Aidan Lenehan

Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2024-06-28. How this page was prepared.