Ballyfermot

The place name Ballyfermot—rendered in Irish Baile Formaid[1] and sometimes Baile Thormaid[2]—is derived from the Middle Irish baile ("farmstead"),[3] and the Old Norse personal name Þormundr.[4]

The 12th century saw the Cambro-Normans expand west across the Irish Sea from Pembroke in Wales into Leinster. The Papal Bull Laudabiliter of Adrian IV, and the position of his successor, Pope Alexander III, encouraged a Norman invasion of Ireland. An expeditionary force led by Richard De Clare (Strongbow), with a retinue of about six hundred, were dispatched with the consent of Angevin King Henry II of England. They arrived at Wexford in 1169 by invitation from Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster, who was at war with the Ard Rí, Ruari O'Conor, and Tighernan O'Ruairc, Prince of Breffni, who together had unseated him. After the Treaty of Windsor in 1175, through feudal land grants and intermarriage, the Cambro Norman knights came into possession of land in south and west Dublin. Family names associated with the area at this time included Mac Giolla Mocolmog (FitzDermot), O'Cathasaidhe, Fitzwilliam, Le Gros (Grace), O'Dualainghe, Tyrrell, O'Hennessy, O'Morchain, Dillon, O'Kelly, De Barneval (Barnewall), and Newcomyn (Newcomen).

In 1307 the manor of Ballyfermot was held by William Fitzwilliam and his wife Avice, who leased part of it to Thomas Cantock, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland.

Ballyfermot Castle was constructed on the site of a Norman motte and baily. Located northwest of the intersection of Le Fanu and Raheen Roads, it was the centre of the Upper (west) and Lower (east) Ballyfermot townships. Built in stone by Wolfram De Barneval in the fourteenth century, it was a stronghold against the formidable O'Byrnes and O'Tooles. These aboriginal Gaelic families had been discommoded from their lush home-farms around Naas. They were driven south into the wooded Dublin hills. Unlike their intermarried Mac Giolla Mocolmog relatives, now called FitzDiarmuid, they had not integrated into the evolving Hiberno-Norman society. They frequently raided, rustled and burned local bawn enclosures from their inaccessible hillside encampments beyond Brittas and Bohernabreena.

The Castle was inherited by the Newcomen family, who enhanced it and held it into the mid-seventeenth century. Its political importance subsequently declined with the Newcomens. It housed a school managed by headmaster William Prosser in the latter eighteenth century. Samuel Lewis (publisher) in his celebrated work A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland places a Captain Lampier and his wife Bridget (Cavanaugh of Goldenbridge) as living there in 1834. The castle defence wing to the south and east is reputed to have been destroyed by fire. Ballyfermot House, known locally as 'the tiled house', was built by the Verveer family. It stood on the great park to the north of the castle's aquaculture pond. Built in the early eighteenth century, the house had a quirky slated façade in the Dutch style.

The nineteenth century newspaper publisher and writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, proprietor of the Dublin Evening Mail lived in nearby Chapelizod when not in residence his city townhouse at Merrion Square. Ballyfermot and Chapelizod feature in his novel The House by the Churchyard and some of his other works. This large Georgian house still adjoins Church Lane next to St. Laurence's parish churchyard in Chapelizod. The eighteenth-century church, alongside the original medieval bell tower, is still in use. It serves the united parish of Ballyfermot, Palmerstown, and Chapelizod in the Church of Ireland. Le Fanu Road is named after him, as is Le Fanu Park, referred to locally as The Lawns. Le Fanu was a mentor of the writer Bram Stoker author of Dracula, who did the theatre reviews for his newspaper The Dublin Evening Mail.

A short distance from the castle site at the south-east end of Le Fanu Park is a mound which covers the ruins and churchyard of the rectory church of St Laurence. It is believed to have roots in Celtic Christianity, perhaps a minor branch of the Tallaght Maelruain or Kilnamanagh monasteries. It was connected to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem at Kilmainham in the thirteenth century. The churchyard ruins survived into the nineteen sixties. This church served Ballyfermot and the surrounding townlands into the late seventeenth century.

Among the local people buried here are members of the Newcomen and Barnewall families. Sir Robert Newcomen who died in 1629 and his son Sir Beverley Newcomen, Admiral of Ireland, who died in 1637 while taking soundings at Waterford harbour were buried here. His mother Elizabeth (Barnewall of Drimnagh Castle) who died in 1643 is buried as is his widow Margaret (Usher of Donnybrook Castle). She subsequently married Sir Hubert Adrian-Verveer. The Newcomens, Barons of Newcastle Lyons were influential in Irish governance, military and legal circles. They resided at Ballyfermot Castle. This noble family intermarried with the Barnwalls of Drimnagh, the Plunketts of Malahide and the St Lawrences of Howth. MPs for the Westmeath constituency of Kilbeggan, they also married into the Fitzgeralds of Maynooth, and the Nugents, Husseys, Tuites and Nagles of East and West Meath.

Area manor houses of note include Johnstown House (St John's College), Colepark House, Sarsfield House, Sevenoaks, Floraville, Auburn Villa and Gallanstown House. The Ballyfermot townlands were transferred from the Barony of Newcastle to the Barony of Uppercross in the late nineteenth century, under the Local Government Act of 1898.

The dairy and stud farms of Ballyfermot were acquired by the authorities in the 1930s. They were developed into suburban housing estates needed to alleviate the post war housing shortage. This development, along with estates at Drimnagh, Crumlin, Walkinstown and other pockets in the south city, and Cabra, Finglas and Donnycarney along with smaller pockets in the north city provided modern accommodation to facilitate the Dublin City Council public/private housing programs. Initially leased to waiting lists, these modest high-quality well-constructed homes were sold to their residents, even prior to similar government initiatives in the United Kingdom. The first estate was built in the late 1940s at Ballyfermot Lower. South of Sarsfield House and Ballyfermot Road it was originally called the Sarsfield Estate. The street names reflect this historical theme. Gradually, the adjacent townlands to the south of Ballyfermot Road and north of Grange Cross - Ballyfermot Upper, Blackditch, Cherry Orchard, Raheen and Gallanstown were similarly developed. Johnstown, a townland of Palmerstown, located around Johnstown House (St John's College De La Salle) south of Chapelizod was developed for residential housing. Now divided along the Drumfin/Glenaulin/Sports Park perimeter, the west portion was retained by Palmerstown, while the east portion became the township/electoral district of Drumfin in Dublin City (Local Government Act 1993), and included in postal district Dublin 10.

During the 1970s Ballyfermot suffered from a lack of facilities and opportunities for its residents;[5] however, these conditions have improved over time.

In local government elections Ballyfermot is part of the Ballyfermot-Drimnagh Ward. Since the local elections in 2019, the local elected representatives on Dublin City Council are:

• Vincent Jackson (Independent)
• Daithí de Róiste (Fianna Fáil)
• Hazel de Nortúin (People Before Profit)
• Sophie Nicoullaud ( Green Party)
• Daithí Doolan (Sinn Féin)

Ballyfermot is part of the Dublin South-Central Dáil constituency.

The area is now a centre of national commercial distribution, with easy access to the national trunk roads. Ballyfermot is bordered to the north by the N4, to the south by the N7 and to the west by the M50. There is also relative ease of access to the city centre. Some of the major Irish motor distributors are based in Ballyfermot. They include Toyota, Nissan, General Motors, J. C. Bamford (JCB), Harris Assembly and Hilux. They are centred around Kylemore Road, home to many large companies including Thornton's Recycling, C&C, FBD, and Royal Liver Insurance. The industrial estates include Park West and JFK. There are several hotels in the area. Days Hotel at Park West and Sheldon Park on Kylemore and Bewleys at Newlands are popular. A community based CCTV monitoring scheme for Ballyfermot was launched in early 2003. This is part of the Department of Justice Town Centre CCTV monitoring initiative.

Currently, Dublin Bus(routes 40, 79, 79A) and Go Ahead Ireland (routes 76, 76A, 18) serve the area. An hourly commuter train service is offered by Irish Rail, to Heuston station at Kingsbridge. The local station is Cherry Orchard/Park West Station, which is located on the Park West Road on the western perimeter of Ballyfermot. A proposed Dublin Metro route passes to the south. The Luas light rail system also serves Ballyfermot. The south side stop is near the Kylemore and Naas Road intersection. A Luas line to Lucan proposes passing through the centre of Ballyfermot village before going on to serve Liffey Valley and Lucan village.

National (primary) schools serving the area include Mary Queen of Angels National School, St Louise's Junior & Senior National Schools, Dominican School Campus (which includes St Michael's, St Raphael's and St Gabriel's N.S), and St Ultan's National School.

Secondary schools in Ballyfermot include Kylemore College, St John's College De La Salle, Dominican Convent Secondary School, and Caritas College.[8]

Ballyfermot College of Further Education is a third-level institution based locally.

A fictional "Ballyfermot School" was created for the children's television programme Roy and many of the episodes were set there.[9]

The Ballyfermot Community Festival takes place annually.

Pubs and restaurants in the area include Downeys, O'Sheas, Chasers, Tim Youngs, Decies County, and Fowlers County Bar.

The Gala was the largest auditorium and bingo venue in the area until its closure in the 2010s. The Gala opened in 1953, and saw many recreational uses since its heyday as the major local cinema and concert venue. The De La Salle Boy's Band, founded by Brother Victor F.S.C., played under the baton of bandmaster Brother Cyprian F.S.C. at the annual Christmas 'Rocking Spotlight Concert' at the Gala.

The Ritz Ballroom at Grange Cross was nearby venue in the early rock and roll era. Bands which played the venue included John Hardy's Blue Clavons and The Melochords featuring Dickie Rock. Some of the young musicians who played here were graduates of the De La Salle music programme and played with the 'De La Salle Boy's Band'. The local 'Young Shadows' and the 'Casino Showband' (later the Indians) made their national debut live in black and white on RTÉ's Showband Show.

Ballyfermot Youth Service (BYS) is a youth service that has being running since 1985. BYS provides services to young people of the area including outdoor education programmes, drop-in information centres, music and arts programmes, access to the European Youth in Action programme and a Drugs Peer Education programme. St Mary's Youth Club is based in a building opposite Spar on Claddagh Green. The youth club has been opened since 1958. There is also a drama group for children aged 5 and upwards.

The Civic Centre shares space with the Ballyfermot Residents Association (BRA). St Matthew's Community Centre is located adjacent to St Matthew's Church in Ballyfermot Upper (west).[10]

Ballyfermot Public Library serves the area, which has several reading clubs. The library also hosts a nature club.

• Karen Byrne, Professional Dancer known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars (Irish TV Series)[11]
• Mary Byrne (singer) is a local singer who, in 2010, appeared on the British version of The X Factor.
• Willo Flood, former professional footballer who played for Manchester City and Celtic FC
• The Fureys, a traditional Irish music family, grew up locally and began their professional career while living in Ballyfermot. Their father Ted Furey was a traditional fiddler, a music teacher, and a member of Comhaltas Ceoltori Éireann.
• Jonny Hayes, Republic of Ireland soccer international
• Fiach Moriarty; the singer-songwriter grew up in the area
• Declan O'Rourke, the Irish/Australian singer-songwriter, has family connections with Ballyfermot.
• Liam Weldon, sean-nós singer and songwriter, born and grew up in the Liberties but lived for most of his life in Ballyfermot.

Religious institutions serving the area include the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption and the Church of St Matthew, St Laurence's Church, Chapelizod (Church of Ireland), and a number of Christian Evangelist denominations.

• A history of the County of Dublin Part IV (1906, F. Elrington Ball)
• A Topographical Dictionary Of Ireland (1837 Samuel Lewis)