Location & Geography

The name Edenderry (Eadon Doire) derives from the Irish, ‘Brow or hill-top of the Oaks’, referring to a large plantation of oak trees which existed on Blundell Hill overlooking the town. The area around Edenderry however was known from the earliest times as Tuath Da Mhuighe, or ‘the territory of the two plains’.

The town of Edenderry is located some forty miles from Dublin, situated in the north east of King’s County (now Offaly), bordering the counties of Kildare and Meath and on the edge of the great Bog of Allen. The source of the River Boyne is located at Newberry pond, less than six miles from Edenderry.

Much of the land surrounding Edenderry is bog. There is little or no tillage in the area although there is considerable pasture for cattle and sheep. There is also some woodland. The land is mostly flat with the occasional esker or small hill. The soil is often boggy and wet and is prone to flooding if there is a lot of rainfall. There are several gravel pits in the area. It is likely much gravel was dumped here at the end of the ice age when the glaciers retreated.

Please click on the links to the left for Edenderry's history in detail. Currently we have Ancient and Middle Ages history detailed and have a brief run through the history of the 17th to 21st centuries. Later sections on the 17th - 20th centuries and modern history will be added, along with a timeline and the historical sites in Edenderry.