Blanchardstown

Blanchardstown
Baile Bhlainséir
Suburb (village core)
Blanchardstown Centre
Blanchardstown
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°23′13″N 6°22′48″W / 53.387°N 6.380°W / 53.387; -6.380Coordinates: 53°23′13″N 6°22′48″W / 53.387°N 6.380°W / 53.387; -6.380
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County Dublin
Government
 • Local Authority Fingal County Council
 • Dáil Éireann Dublin West
Elevation 56 m (184 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
 • Urban 68,156
Irish Grid Reference O055383
Blanchardstown shopping centre

Blanchardstown (Irish: Baile Bhlainséir) is a large outer suburb of Dublin in County Fingal, Ireland, built out from a small village since the 1960s. It is located 10 km north-west of the city centre. It is within the historical barony of Castleknock in the traditional County Dublin, as well as the Dublin 15 postal area and the Dublin West electoral constituency.

Blanchardstown is the largest urban area in Fingal. One of Ireland's largest shopping and leisure centres, the Blanchardstown Centre, is located in the area.

Etymology

The name Blanchardstown comes from the Blanchard family, who were granted their estate some time between 1250 and 1260. The name 'Blanchard' is thought to come from the old French word blanch, meaning white, and could refer to white or fair hair.[2] The townland has an area of over 454 acres.

Geography

Royal Canal Aqueduct

Blanchardstown is just outside Dublin's M50 motorway ring road, slightly to the north of the tolled crossing of the River Liffey. The core of the suburb is the townland of the same name.[3] It is bordered to the east by the suburb of Castleknock, to the west by Clonsilla/Ongar, to the north by Tyrellstown/Hollystown and to the south and south east by Porterstown/Diswellstown.

Dublin's second river, the Tolka runs through the centre of the area, meandering to run just north of the village core, and then further north to Connolly Memorial Hospital and then past Abbotstown.

The Royal Canal and the Dublin-Sligo railway line pass along the southern edge of Blanchardstown proper from east to west.

History

Blanchardstown was a predominantly rural area, with a small village, in western County Dublin, alongside the neighbouring district of Castleknock. Both areas shared a common history until well into the 19th century, when their development diverged.

In the late 1960s, the first housing estates began to be developed. During the 1970s/80s, the village and surrounding housing developments became subsumed into the suburban fabric of Dublin.

The Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown (ITB) was established in 1999.

Gangs

A criminal gang from Blanchardstown became notorious as "The Westies". They controlled the heroin trade in west Dublin. One of its leaders, Bernard Sugg, was shot in a pub in Blanchardstown in 2003,[4] while the others were killed in Spain in 2004.[5]

Transport

Rail

There are three Irish Rail train stations in the wider Blanchardstown area: Castleknock, Coolmine and Clonsilla. Trains on the Maynooth/Longford line connect the city centre, at Dublin Connolly, Tara Street and Dublin Pearse stations, to Maynooth, Longford and Sligo. At Clonsilla station, the Dublin–Navan railway line connects Docklands railway station to Hansfield and Dunboyne.[6]

Coolmine railway station, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.

Bus

Ballycoolin Industrial Estate is served by a private bus company called AMC Ballycoolin, also known as Express Bus.

Bus Éireann services pass through Blanchardstown on Routes 105,109 and 111.[7][8][9]

Dublin Bus routes include 17A, 37, 38, 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D, 39, 39A, 39N, 40D, 70, 76A, 220, 236, 238, 239 and 270.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Two Nitelink bus routes also operate on Friday and Saturday nights to Tyrrelstown Route 39N[25] and Dunboyne Route 70N.[26] Express bus routes include service from Aston Quay and from Coolmine Railway Station to Ballycoolin Industrial Estate.[27][28]

Amenities

St Patrick's Day parade
March 2015

Connolly Hospital, one of Dublin's main hospitals, and a public university teaching hospital, is located in the area, as is the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown.

Local retail outlets include Blanchardstown Centre (a large retail shopping centre with over 180 stores), and WestEnd Shopping Park (a retail park located beside the Blanchardstown Centre). The Carlton Hotel, a 4 Star Hotel north-west of the village, is located by the Blanchardstown Centre complex. There is a SuperValu outlet on Main Street.

Blanchardstown has a large public library, and is also home to the Draíocht Arts Centre.

Education

Primary Level

  • Scoil Bhríde (Cailiní),[29] Church Avenue Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
  • Scoil Bhríde (Buacaillí),[30] Church Avenue Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
  • Sacred Heart of Jesus Primary School,[31] Huntstown, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
  • Scoile Olilibheir, Coolmine, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
  • St Ciaran's Primary School, Hartstown, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
  • Mary Mother of Hope Primary School, Littlepace, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
  • St Phillip the Apostle Primary School, Mountview, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

Second Level

  • Blakestown Community School, Sheepmoor Avenue, Dublin 15.
  • Riversdale Community College, Blanchardstown Rd N, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
  • Hartstown Community School, Hartstown, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
  • Coolmine Community School, Coolmine, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.

Third Level

  • Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB), Blanchardstown Rd N, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

Sport

The National Sports Campus is located in Blanchardstown, and includes the National Aquatic Centre (NAC), a major indoor aquatics facility with a 50m swimming pool, diving pool, leisure pool and aquapark, and fitness centre. The centre hosted the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 2003, and a number of international swimming events since then.

Religion

St Brigid's Roman Catholic Church is situated behind Main Street at Church Avenue. The foundation stone for the church was laid on 13 October 1835 and the first Mass was celebrated there on 29 October 1837. The construction of the Church and its unusual Flemish spire was finally completed in 1863.[32]

In the 19th century, the Roman Catholic parish of Blanchardstown encompassed much of the area now within the Dublin 15 postal district; some of the component areas were quite distinct from Blanchardstown but Catholic parishes had been merged during Penal Laws times. Following the relaxation of the Penal Laws, it became possible for Catholic adherents to consider the construction of additional churches and to repair the existing stock of religious buildings. Church authorities used the opportunity to implement the Tridentine reform which saw the parish as the basic unit of ecclesiastical organisation and the parish priest as the central figure within the parish.[33]

The new parish priest of Blanchardstown in 1839, Fr Michael Dungan, oversaw the construction of a number of new churches, which today serve independent parishes, and invited a number of religious communities to provide for the education of Catholic children. St Brigid's Church, Blanchardstown – not to be confused with a church of the Church of Ireland in nearby Castleknock – was constructed in 1837 upon the foundation of a church that had been built prior to 1731. It is the mother church of 12 other churches constituted out of the parish over the following 156 years.[34]

  • Chapelizod - "Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (separated from Blanchardstown Parish 1883)
    • Navan Road - "Our Lady Help of Christians" (separated from Chapelizod 1953)[35]
  • Castleknock - "Our Lady Mother of the Church" (separated from Blanchardstown 1976)[36]
  • Corduff - "St Patrick's Church" (separated from Blanchardstown 1976)
    • Mountview - "St Philip, the Apostle" (separated from Corduff 1979)[39]
    • Blakestown - "Church of Mary of the Servants" (separated from Corduff 1979)[40]
      • Huntstown - "Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus" (separated from Blakestown 1981)
        • Littlepace - "Chapel of Ease, Mary, Mother of Hope" (in the process of development since 2002)[41]
  • Hartstown - "St Ciarán' Church" (separated Blanchardstown 1979)[42]
  • Mulhuddart / Lady's Well - "St Luke, the Evangelist" (separated from Blanchardstown 1993)

Representation

For the purposes of elections to Dáil Éireann, Blanchardstown is part of the Dublin West constituency, which returns four TDs.

For elections to Fingal County Council, the village is split between the two local electoral areas (LEAs) of Castleknock[43] (which returns 4 councillors), and Mulhuddart[44] (which returns 5 councillors).

Notable people

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 7 June 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Early History". Ask About Ireland. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  3. ↑ Placenames Database of Ireland - Blanchardstown townland
  4. ↑ http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/murder-hunt-as-man-gunned-down-in-new-gangland-killing-25921912.html |publisher=Irish Independent |date=12 November 2003 |last=Khan |first=Frank |title=Murder hunt as man gunned down in new gangland killing
  5. ↑ Ken Foy (13 June 2011). "Garda swoop foils the revival of feared Westies crime gang". The Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  6. ↑ M3 Parkway
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Bus Éireann route 105
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-17. Retrieved 2012-06-12. - Bus Éireann route 109
  9. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Bus Éireann route 105
  10. ↑ - Dublin Bus route 17A
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 37
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 38
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 38A,
  14. ↑ - Dublin Bus route 38B
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 39
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 39A
  17. ↑ - Dublin Bus route 40D
  18. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 70
  19. ↑ - Dublin Bus route 76A
  20. ↑ - Dublin Bus route 220
  21. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 236
  22. ↑ - Dublin Bus route 238
  23. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-22. - Dublin Bus route 239
  24. ↑ - Dublin Bus route 270
  25. ↑ http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/39n/
  26. ↑ 70N
  27. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  28. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  29. ↑ http://scoilbhridec.ie/
  30. ↑ http://www.blanchardstownparish.ie/parish-schools/school-1/
  31. ↑ "Sacred Heart of Jesus".
  32. ↑ St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/looking-at-places/fingal/blanchardstown-through-ti/blanchardstown-village/
  33. ↑ Cronin, Elizabeth, Fr Michael Dungan's Blanchardstown, 1836-1968, Four Courts Press (2002), p. 10.
  34. ↑ Cronin, Elizabeth, Fr Michael Dungan's Blanchardstown, 1836-1968, Four Courts Press (2002), p 56.
  35. ↑ Official website Archived 2013-01-30 at the Wayback Machine. of the Parish of Our Lady Help of Christians.
  36. ↑ Official website of the Parish of Our Lady Mother of the Church, Castleknock.
  37. ↑ Official website of the Parish of St Thomas, the Apostle, Castleknock.
  38. ↑ Official website of the Parish of St Mochta, Porterstown.
  39. ↑ Official website of the Parish of St Philip.
  40. ↑ Official website of the Parish of Mary of the Servants.
  41. ↑ Official website of the Parish of Huntstown-Littlepace.
  42. ↑ Official website of the Parish of St Ciarán, Hartstown.
  43. ↑ "Councillors – Castleknock". Fingal County Council. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  44. ↑ "Councillors – Mulhuddart". Fingal County Council. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
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