Dowth Hall Airfield

Sale of the Dowth Hall estate and subsequent change in land use. The airfield was a private facility for the personal use of the previous owner, John B. Sweeney. When the estate was sold in 2013 to Devenish Nutrition, an agri-technology company, the airfield was decommissioned as it was not required by the new owners for their agricultural and research-focused operations.

The site of the former airfield is now fully integrated into the Dowth Hall Farm. The land is owned by Devenish and is operated as their 'Global Innovation Centre for Sustainable Food Production' in partnership with University College Dublin (UCD). The area is actively used for agricultural research, grazing, and environmental science. Furthermore, the land has become a site of immense archaeological importance. Aerial surveys since 2017 have revealed a major, previously unknown complex of Neolithic monuments, making the preservation and study of the land a top priority. The former runway is no longer visible and there is no remaining aviation infrastructure.

Dowth Hall Airfield was a private grass airstrip with a runway of approximately 650 meters. Its sole purpose was to serve the Dowth Hall estate for General Aviation (GA). The owner, John B. Sweeney, used it for personal and recreational flights in light aircraft. The airfield had no commercial, public, or military role. Its main historical note is its existence as a modern private amenity within the ancient and archaeologically sensitive Brú na Bóinne landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for the Neolithic passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airfield. The current owner's focus on sustainable agriculture research and the profound archaeological significance of the land make the prospect of re-establishing an airfield virtually zero. The land's value for scientific research and world heritage is now its primary function, which is incompatible with aviation operations.