Kingscourt, historically known as Dunaree, is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It is located near the Cavan–Meath border. The town was founded near the site of the old village of Cabra, by Mervyn Pratt, towards the end of the 18th century, and was completed by his brother, The Rev. Joseph Pratt.
History
, an early 19th-century 'Gothick-style' castle, is located very near the town, being on the R179. The castle was originally called Cormey Castle and was built on the site of an earlier Cormey Castle which had been destroyed during the Cromwellian War. The castle has, in recent years, been restored and expanded and is now a five-star hotel which is popular for weddings.
Building supplies company Kingspan is headquartered in the town. The company was founded in 1965 and initially known as Kingscourt Construction Group. Kingspan is now a constituent company on the Dublin stock market's ISEQ 20 index.
Environment
Dún na Rí Forest Park is located a couple of kilometers from Kingscourt. Situated in a valley, and formerly part of the Pratt family's Cabra Estate, Dún na Rí is home to stoat, hare, mink, rabbit and otter, as well as red and grey squirrel along the banks of the River Cabra. The park itself borders the Shercock and Carrickmacross roads. The original Cabra House was located within the modern forest park. The Pratt dynasty moved into the current Cabra Castle in 1813.
Transport
Railway
Kingscourt has a railway line which has been disused following strike action by Iarnród Éireanntrain drivers in 2001. The line ceased to have passenger services in 1947, and was then a freight-only service. The line, which runs from Kingscourt to Navan and then on to Drogheda, was used to carry gypsum ore daily from Gypsum Industries, but the company withdrew this service when Iarnród Éireann could not guarantee deliveries of Gypsum ore, and was consequently transferred to road transport in 2001.
There are daily bus connections to Nobber, Navan and Dublin with both Sillan Tours Limited and Bus Éireann. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Bus Éireann route 166 provides a link to Cavan via Bailieborough and Stradone, County Cavan. Royal Breffni Tours operate a twice-daily service from Kingscourt to Dundalk IT.
Sport
The Racquetball Association of Ireland is based in Kingscourt and the 14th IRF Racquetball World Championships took place in the town in 2008. Held every two years, previous championships were held in the Dominican Republic, South Korea and Puerto Rico. The Kingscourt Handball and Racquetball court complex is the largest in Ireland with three 40x20s and one 60x30 court. Kingscourt Handball Club is home to a number of All-Ireland champions, and the club have won the Senior All-Ireland Club title twice; once in 2001 and again in 2003. In Gaelic football, the Kingscourt Stars are the fourth most successful club in the county having won the Cavan Senior Football Championship eleven times, most recently in 2015.
