Drumcondra, Dublin

Drumcondra (Irish: Droim Conrach, meaning "Conra's Ridge") is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council.[2] The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area.

Drumcondra

Droim Conrach
Inner suburb
The Royal Canal passing through Drumcondra
Drumcondra
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53.368°N 6.256°W / 53.368; -6.256
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyDublin
Administrative CountyDublin City Council
Elevation
25 m (82 ft)
Population
 (2006)[1]
 • Urban
8,637
Irish Grid ReferenceO158368

History

The village of Drumcondra was the central area of the civil parish of Clonturk, and the two names were used equally for the religious and civil parishes, but the modern suburban district of Drumcondra also encompasses the old Parish of St. Mary. Clonturk had been an alternative name for Drumcondra and the wider area for some time.

The Cat and Cage Pub, on the corner of Drumcondra Road and Church Avenue, was the site of an old postal stop and the point at which rebels, during the 1798 rebellion, seized a postal cart in order to signal to others in north County Dublin to revolt.

The southern stretch of the ‘Slige Midluachra’ passed through Drumcondra and on into the City where it crossed the liffey at a location known as the ‘ford of the hurdles’. The present day Drumcondra main road is built on top of the exact route the ancient highway took, the road was one of five ancient roads to meet at Tara, albeit in myth only, in reality the five roads may have meet at a point on the River Liffey in Dublin.

Local government and subdivisions

The Drumcondra, Clonliffe, and Glasnevin Township Act 1878 was a local act of the Westminster Parliament, sponsored by businessmen in Drumcondra, and created a township called Drumcondra, Clonliffe, & Glasnevin, encompassing Drumcondra and the neighbouring districts of Clonliffe and Glasnevin, governed by a body of town commissioners.[3] The portion of the electoral division of Drumcondra outside the township was renamed Drumcondra Rural. The Dublin Boundaries Act 1900 absorbed the township into Dublin county borough as the wards of Drumcondra and Glasnevin.[4] Part of Drumcondra Rural electoral division was transferred to the city in 1930.[5] The remainder was split into Drumcondra Rural Number One and Drumcondra Rural Number Two in 1971.[6]

Transport
Drumcondra Road Upper
  • The district is served by Drumcondra railway station, on the main Drumcondra road. The station initially opened on 1 April 1901 but closed on 1 December 1910[7] with the termination of Kingsbridge (now Heuston Station) to Amiens Street (now Connolly Station) services. Part of the original building was demolished in late 1918. It reopened on 2 March 1998 as a station on the Maynooth/Longford commuter line.
  • The proposed Metro line from Dublin city centre to beyond Dublin Airport is scheduled to be linked with Drumcondra railway station.[8]
  • Many Dublin Bus routes serve the Drumcondra area, including the 1, 11, 13, 16, 33, 41 and 41C. In addition the Aircoach express coach service to Dublin Airport stops at the railway station.

Features

One of the main sights of Dublin is Croke Park, where Ireland's national games of Gaelic football and hurling may be seen. Boasting a capacity for 82,300 people, it is one of the largest sports stadiums in Europe.[9] 'Croker' (as it colloquially known) is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association and also houses the official GAA Museum (on St Josephs Avenue, which is off Clonliffe Road).[10] The stadium hosts the finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The stadium is a 20-minute walk from Dublin city centre, or a 5-minute bus ride.

Fagan's Public House, Drumcondra Road Lower, where Bertie Ahern took U.S. President Bill Clinton in September 1998. Kennedys Pub on Lower Drumcondra Road is one of the oldest pubs in Drumcondra, predating Fagans by a number of years. Formerly called McPhilips, it has been named Kennedys since 1961.

Fagan's Public House, Drumcondra Road Lower.

Tolka Park, the home of League of Ireland side Shelbourne, is situated on Richmond Road.

The National Council for the Blind at Whitworth Road, is located near the Church of St. George cemetery.

Notable buildings
Map of Drumcondra with notable buildings.

Belvedere House

Formerly the home of the Coghill family, this Georgian building became the residence of the Superior General of the Irish Christian Brothers, and a training centre for the order, in 1874. In 1881, the Congregation bought and moved to Marino House, and sold Belvedere House to Cardinal Cullen, and St Patrick's College, Dublin was established shortly afterwards, with the house become the college president's residence, until St. Patrick's incorporation into Dublin City University in 2016.

Clonturk House

Clonturk House was built in 1830, on Ormond Road, by the City Architect. Renovated in 1880, the stone balustrades from James Gandons Carlisle Bridge (O'Connell Bridge) were moved to Clonturk by its owner. It was run by the Presbyterian Church as accommodation for girls attending school until 1960, when it became part of St. Josephs School for the Blind, when it was used as a home for blind men. Thomas Dudley ("Bang Bang") was cared for by the Rosminians in Clonturk House.

Drumcondra Castle

Originally the site of an Elizabethan castle built circa 1560, the castle built by Meath man James Bathe on ecclesiastical land (belonging to the Priory of the Holy Trinity), granted to him. It was owned for many years by the Bathe family. In 1591, when the Castle was the residence of Sir William Warren, who had married the widow of John Bathe, thus acquiring the lands in Drumcondra for his lifetime, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone married his third wife Mabel Bagenal here after he had eloped with her.[11]

In 1677, James II granted the Drumcondra property to a Giles Martin and in 1703 it was purchased by Captain Chichester Philips. In 1870 it became St. Joseph's Asylum for the Male Blind when the Carmelites the lands of Drumcondra Castle.[12][13] The Rosminians were appointed by the Archbishop of Dublin to run services for the Blind in St. Joseph's, Drumcondra, Dublin in 1955, the School, and since 2012 it is known as ChildVision, in 2014 the Rosminian order sold the lands in St. Joseph's, but took out a 25-year lease on the houses and buildings which it will use for ChildVision.[14] The Grace Park Woods housing estate is being built on the former St. Joseph's lands.

Drumcondra House

Drumcondra House was purchased by Rev. John Hand and in 1842 All Hallows College was established.[13] Daniel O'Connell played a part in the purchase of Drumcondra House for All Hallows, from Dublin Corporation. Designed by the architect Sir Edward Lovett Pearce and was built in 1726 for Sir Marmaduke Coghill, from the nearby Belvedere House. The Cogills rented out the House for a time. All Hallows was sold to Dublin City University by the Vincentian Order in 2016.

Hampton Lodge/Carmelite Convent

For 150 years Hampton House and its lands held the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation on Grace Park Road, housing members of this enclosed order of nuns. The order, which had been based in Blanchardstown, purchased Hampton House and moved in in 1858.[15] Prior to it being a convent, Hampton Lodge was the residence of Thomas Williams, the first secretary of the Bank of Ireland, and his wife Mary Ann Williams; their son Richard Williams lived in Drumcondra Castle. The land and buildings were sold by the order in 2016 and were redeveloped as houses and a nursing home.

Distillery

A distillery, the Dublin Whiskey Distillers (D.W.D.), was founded in the 1870s on the banks of the River Tolka, and known as the Jones Road Distillery (Distillery Road being a continuation of Jones Road). The distillery closed in 1946 and the property was sold. A number of buildings were built and are still standing and a number of buildings although redeveloped retain the names connected with the distillery such as The Corn Mill, The Granary, The Grainstore and Distillery Lofts.

Education

Primary schools
  • Drumcondra N.S. (for boys and girls), Church Avenue, Church Of Ireland.
  • St Patrick's N.S. (for boys), Roman Catholic, parish of Drumcondra.
  • Corpus Christi N.S. (for girls), Home Farm Road, Roman Catholic, parish of Drumcondra.
  • St. Joseph's School For Children with a Visual Impairment, (for boys and girls), Roman Catholic, parish of Drumcondra.[16]

Secondary Schools
  • Dominican College Griffith Avenue (Girls)
  • PobalScoil Rosmini (mixed)
  • Maryfield College (Girls)

Third level

Two campuses of Dublin City University are located in Drumcondra:

Religion

The oldest church in the district is Drumcondra Church (Church of Ireland), located at the bend of Church Avenue, abutting All Hallows College. Several notable people including Georgian-period architect James Gandon are buried in the adjoining graveyard.

The "Old Church of St. George" was built about 1668 in Lower Temple Street (changed to Hill Street in the 1800s), then a part of Drumcondra. The Tower of the Old Church of St. George can still be seen in Hill Street and its gravestones are around the walls of what is now a playground.[17][18][19][20][21]

The "New Church of St. George" was built on the square further up the road at the end of Temple Street in the early 1800s. The original site acquired for the new church was on Whitworth Road, but then the present site was selected, which at the time was open fields. A temporary chapel was built on the Whitworth Road site and its churchyard was retained when St. George's was completed - this site was later taken over by the Whitworth Hospital (later named Drumcondra Hospital). The gravestones can be seen behind the Hospital.[22][23]

Drumcondra is a parish in the Fingal South West deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, served by the Church of Corpus Christi at Home Farm Road. The palace of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin is situated alongside Clonliffe College (the diocesan seminary). Together they occupy an extensive site bounded by Clonliffe Road and the Drumcondra Road (to the South and West) with the River Tolka at the northern extremity.

The Respond! Housing Association has its Dublin office located in High Park, Drumcondra, where it also runs training courses in Housing and Social care provision.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Ukrainian Church in Ireland of Bishop Nicholas the Miracle Worker) hold services in Holy Cross College, Clonliffe.[24]

Graveyards/Cemeteries

There are a number of small burial places in the Drumcondra area

Sport
Tolka Park in Drumcondra.

Drumcondra is home to Croke Park and Tolka Park soccer stadium, the permanent home of Shelbourne F.C. since 1989, 'The Reds' have hosted major European clubs such as Panathinaikos and Steaua Bucharest in the Drumcondra venue. The Club has won the league six times and the FAI Cup four times since moving to Tolka Park. The park was also the base for Drumcondra F.C. (Drums) which was a League of Ireland club from 1928-1972 before it was merged with fellow Dublin club Home Farm, now based in nearby Whitehall. Drumcondra FC, who played their home games at Tolka Park stadium, was a successful side in the post World War II years, winning five Irish league titles between 1948 and 1965 as well as competing in the European Cup and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup on several occasions.[25]

The name lives on today in the shape of Drumcondra FC.[25]

The Ierne Sports and Social Club is situated off Grace Park Road, Rosmini Gaels (GAA) is also based in Drumcondra.

Notable people

See also

Nearby areas

References
  1. "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  2. According to the "Local Government Act, 2001", section 10(2): "The State continues to stand divided into local government areas to be known as counties and cities which are the areas set out in Parts 1 and 2, respectively, of Schedule 5." It is clear from SCHEDULE 5, Local Government Areas (Counties and Cities, PART 1, that "Dublin" is defined as a city (as distinct from a county).
  3. McManus, Ruth (2002). Dublin, 1910-1940: shaping the city & suburbs. Four Courts. p. 308. ISBN 9781851827121.
  4. McManus 2002, p.313
  5. "Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1930, Schedule 1". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  6. "S.I. No. 17/1971 - Dublin County (District Electoral Divisions) Regulations, 1971". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  7. "Drumcondra station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  8. Metro line from the city centre to beyond Dublin Airport Archived 1 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Capacity Croke Park web site
  10. Croke park web site
  11. O'Faolain, Sean The Great O'Neill Mercer Press Cork 1942 p.118
  12. Lets Walk and Talk - Historical Gems in Drumcondra Dublin City Council, www.dublincity.ie
  13. The Missionary College of All Hallows (1842-1891) by Kevin Condon CM, All Hallows College, Dublin.
  14. Religious Order to sell 17 acre campus in Drumcondra by Jack Fagan, Commercial Property, Irish Times, 17 September 2014.
  15. Brief History of the Monastery of the Incarnation - Blanchardstown - Hampton, Drumcondra www.malahidecarmelites.ie
  16. Primary Schools in Dublin 9 Archived 18 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Dictionary of Dublin and its neighbourhood
  18. The Irish Times, 26 Nov 1894, p.3, and 28 Dec 1898 p.6
  19. Dublin Corporation Reports 1892 Vol.I, 370 & Vol.II, 421-2 & 505
  20. Minutes of the Municipal Council of the City of Dublin 1891, 302.
  21. 25i map of 1906-9, Ordnance Survey of Ireland. St. George's Chapel & remains of Grave Yd (Disused) Hill Street
  22. "St. George's church re-opened". The Irish Times. 14 December 1961. p. 9.
  23. Dictionary of Dublin and its neighbourhood, (1908) by E. MacDowell Cosgrave, M.D. Member of Council, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and Leonard R. Strangways, M.A., Senior Moderator, Dublin University : M.R.I.A.. p. 109 Little St. Georges Chapel in Hill St. p. 110 Church of St George in George's Place at the junction of Eccles, Temple and Hardwick Streets.
  24. Church Ukrainians in Ireland, www.ukrainians.ie
  25. About Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Drumcondra FC web site
  26. Matthew Russell in the Irish Monthly
  27. http://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/a-fathers-tribute-the-war-trophies-of-lieutenant-nevill-coghill-vc/
  28. Cottrell, Peter (2008). The Irish Civil War 1922-23. Osprey Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 9781846032707.
  29. "A Workshop in France - Art by Michael Feeney Callan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  30. "The History of the Indian Motorcycle The People behind the Indian". IIndian Motorcycle Classics. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  31. "She's got it covered" The Sunday Times
  32. "Born at this place" Evening Herald
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