Blessington, historically known as Ballycomeen (, from the Irish surname Ó Coimín), is a town on the River Liffey in County Wicklow, Ireland, near the border with County Kildare. It is around 25 km south-west of Dublin, and is situated on the N81 road, which connects Dublin to Tullow. History Prehistory Evidence of Bronze Age activity in the area is demonstrated by the spectacular Blessington gold lunula, now in the British Museum. The nearby Rath Turtle Moat was occupied from the 12th century onward by Norse Gaels and Normans. Medieval period to 1900s Blessington was previously called Munfine, and in the Medieval period was part of the lordship of Threecastles. In 1667, Michael Boyle, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, bought the lordship, previously the property of the Cheevers, for £1,000. Archbishop Boyle received a Royal Charter to establish the town of Blessington, in the townland of Munfine, as a borough. Construction of Blessington House was begun in 1673 and afterwards St Mary's Church in Blessington, which was completed in 1683. On Archbishop Boyle's death in December 1702, his son, The 1st Viscount Blesington, inherited the Blessington Estate. Lord Blessington's son, Charles, 2nd Viscount Blesington, died in June 1732 without an heir, and the estate was inherited by his sister Anne, then her son, The 1st Earl of Blessington and Baron Stewart. The earl died in August 1769 without an heir and the estate passed to Charles Dunbar, a great-grandson of The 1st Viscount Blessington, who also died heirless in 1778, when the estate passed to The 1st Earl of Hillsborough, whose seat was Hillsborough Castle in Hillsborough, County Down, a great-great-grandson of Archbishop Boyle. Lord Hillsborough was created as the 1st Marquess of Downshire in August 1789. The Hills held the estate until 1908. The main road of the town is an example of a planned improvement of towns and villages associated with estates in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Russborough House, situated 5 km south of Blessington, was built by the Leeson family, Earls of Milltown, and became the home of philanthropist Sir Alfred Beit (1903–1994), before becoming a museum. Above the nearby village of Lacken in the early hours of 18 April 1941, an RAF Handley Page Hampden aircraft (Registration AD730) got lost in bad weather and crashed on Black Hill (Kilbeg) killing its entire crew of four. The airmen were