placenames.ie
Townland

Oldtown

An Seanbhaile

Survey and excavation revealed an early medieval complex extending into neighbouring Mooretown.

Recorded locationOldtown53.47606° N · 6.24277° 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

The buried enclosure complex

Geophysical survey at Oldtown identified three concentric enclosures, the largest about 200 metres across. Rathbeale Road cuts through the complex, which continues into neighbouring Mooretown. Test excavation recovered a perforated stone bead, part of a decorated bone comb and an iron blade, supporting an early medieval date. The National Monuments Service records burials within the smallest enclosure. These underground discoveries document a complex whose full extent crosses the modern townland boundary. [2]

Geographic information

Place type
Townland
County
Dublin
Civil parish
Swords
Within
Swords
Coordinates
53.47606, -6.24277
Mapped area
0.66 km²
Logainm ID
17084 ↗

People & family history

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

1926 census

No verified place match is available for this year. This does not indicate a population of zero.

Sources & further reading

  1. Logainm.ie — Oldtown. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  2. DU011-144001, Oldtown ecclesiastical enclosure; uploaded4February2015 · Christine Baker, National Monuments Service
  3. Boundary geometry retains its source attribution and licence in the downloadable geographic record. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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