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Howth

Howth ( Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the island of Ireland's Eye, which holds multiple natural protection designations.

Howth has been settled since prehistoric times, and features in Irish mythology. A fishing village and small trading port from at least the 14th century, Howth has grown to become a busy and affluent suburb of Dublin, with a mix of suburban residential development, wild hillside and heathland, golf courses, cliff and coastal paths, a small quarry and a busy commercial fishing port. The only neighbouring district on land is Sutton. Howth is also home to one of the oldest occupied buildings in Ireland, Howth Castle, and its estate.

Howth is also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Coolock.

Location and access
Howth is located on the peninsula of Howth Head, which begins around 11 km east-north-east of Dublin's GPO, on the north side of Dublin Bay. The village itself is located just over 14 km by road from Dublin city centre (the ninth of a series of eighteenth-century milestones from the Dublin General Post Office (GPO) is in the village itself). The settlement spans much of the northern part of Howth Head, which was once an island but now is connected to the rest of Dublin via a narrow strip of land (a tombolo) at Sutton. Howth is located in the administrative county of Fingal, within the traditional County Dublin. The village is bounded by the sea and undeveloped land except along two roads, one rising towards the Summit, one running at sea level near the coast, towards Sutton Cross.

Howth is at the end of a regional road (R105) from Dublin. One branch of the DART suburban rail system has its physical terminus by the harbour, the other northern terminus being Malahide's station, which is actually on a through line for mainline rail towards Belfast. Under the bus route network for Dublin overseen by the National Transport Authority, Dublin Bus serves Howth with route H3, and the local route 290 which goes over the hill and through Sutton to Sutton DART station. For decades prior to 2021, Howth was served by the 31 series of routes. There was previously also a tram service.

Howth, in addition to its fishery harbour, hosts a substantial marina, and seasonal boat service to the uninhabited Ireland's Eye. Howth is also a waypoint for aircraft approaching Dublin Airport.

Etymology
The Irish name for Howth is Binn Éadair, meaning Éadar's Peak or Hill. In Old Irish, the name is recorded as Etar, which was first plundered by the Vikings around 819. One of the possible origins of the Irish name is from Étar, wife of one of the five Fir Bolg chieftains who is reported to have died at Howth.

The name Howth is thought to be of Norse origin, perhaps being derived from the Old Norse Hǫfuð ("head" in English). Norse vikings colonised the eastern shores of Ireland and built the settlement of Dyflinn (one of two settlements which became Dublin) as a strategic base between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

History
On the grounds of Howth Castle is a 3000 year old dolmen tomb known as 'Aideen's Grave'. According to legend it is the resting place of the mythological figure Aideen. This legend is the subject of the poem 'Aideen's Grave' by Samuel Ferguson.

In ancient history Ptolemy's second-century map of Ireland shows Howth as an island named Edri Deserta (sometimes rendered as Edros).

11th to 16th centuries
After Brian Ború, the High King of Ireland, defeated the Norse in 1014, many Norse fled to Howth to regroup and remained a force until their final defeat in Fingal in the middle of the 11th century. Howth still remained under the control of Irish and localised Norse forces until the invasion of Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in 1169.

Without the support of either the Irish or Scandinavian powers, Howth was isolated and fell to the Normans in 1177. One of the victorious Normans, Armoricus (or Almeric) Tristram, was granted much of the land between the village and Sutton. According to the historian Samuel Lewis:

"In 1177, Sir Amorey Tristram and Sir John de Courcy landed here at the head of a large military force, and totally defeated the Danish inhabitants in a sanguinary battle at the bridge of Evora, over a mountain stream which falls into the sea near the Baily lighthouse. This victory secured to Sir Amorey the lordship of Howth, of which his descendants have continued in possession to the present day, under the name of St. Laurence, which Almaric, third baron, assumed in fulfilment of a vow previously to his victory over the Danes near Clontarf, in a battle fought on the festival of that saint. The territory of Howth was confirmed to Almaric de St. Laurence by King John...."

Tristam built his first castle overlooking the harbour and the St. Lawrence link remained until 2019 (see Earl of Howth). The original title of Baron of Howth was granted to Almeric St. Lawrence by Henry II of England in 1181, for one Knight's fee.

Howth was a minor trading port from at least the 14th century, with both health and duty collection officials supervising from Dublin, although the harbour was not built until the early 19th century.

A popular tale concerns the clan leader and sometime pirate Gráinne O'Malley, who was rebuffed in 1576 while attempting a courtesy visit to Howth Castle, home of the Earl of Howth. In retaliation, she abducted the Earl's grandson and heir, and as ransom, she exacted a promise that unanticipated guests would never be turned away again. She also made the Earl promise that the gates of Deer Park (the Earl's demesne) would never be closed to the public again, and the gates are still open to this day, and an extra place is set for unexpected guests during formal dinners in the dining room.

19th century

In the early 19th century, Howth was chosen as the location for the harbour for the mail packet (postal service) ship. Construction began in 1807. One of the arguments used against Howth by the advocates of Dún Laoghaire was that coaches might be raided in the badlands of Sutton (at the time Sutton was open countryside). However, due to silting, the harbour needed frequent dredging to accommodate the packet and the service was relocated to Dún Laoghaire in 1809, after £350,000 had been spent on Howth. English King George IV visited the harbour in August 1821, which is remembered today by an imprint of his shoes (see left picture) carved by a local stonemason on the West Pier.

Irish poet and writer William Butler Yeats was a resident of Howth in the 19th century. There is a blue plaque dedicated to Yeats at Balscadden House on Balscadden Road which was his cottage home from 1880 to 1883. The plaque contains the couplet “I have spread my dreams under your feet/ Tread softly because you tread on my dreams” from his poem 'Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven' (1899). Howth would feature in Yeats writings. The first time is the 1893 essay 'Village Ghosts' recounting the paranormal folklore of the village and the second is in the poem 'Beautiful Lofty Things' (1938); "Maud Gonne at Howth station waiting a train".

20th century to present
On 26 July 1914, 900 rifles were landed at Howth by Erskine Childers for the Irish Volunteers. Many were used against the British in the Easter Rising and in the subsequent Anglo-Irish War. Among the members of the Howth branches of the Irish Volunteers and Cumann na mBan who participated in this event were the well-known writers Padraic Colum and Mary Colum. Members of both the Howth Volunteers and Baldoyle section of the Irish Citizen Army participated in the Easter Rising in Dublin city and in Fingal. A strong local branch of Sinn Féin developed in the area and there was considerable local involvement in both the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War.

The harbour was radically rebuilt by the Office of Public Works in the late 20th century (a documentary was done on the much-delayed project in 1986), with distinct fishing and leisure areas formed, and the installation of a modern ice-making facility. A new lifeboat house was later constructed, and Howth is today home to units of both the RNLI (lifeboat service) and the Irish Coastguard.

In 2019, Howth Castle and its demesne, including Ireland's Eye, were sold to Tetrarch Investment group, with an element of the site close to the demesne gate immediately sold on again for development, to Glenveagh Properties.

Natural features
Howth Head is one of the dominant features of Dublin Bay, with a number of peaks, the highest of which is Black Linn. In one area, near Shielmartin, there is a small peat bog, the "Bog of the Frogs". The wilder parts of Howth can be accessed by a network of paths (many are rights of way) and much of the centre and east is protected as part of a Special Area of Conservation of 2.3 km2, as well as by a Special Amenity Area Order.

The peninsula has a number of small, fast-running streams, three of which run through the village, with more, including the Bloody Stream, in the adjacent Howth Demesne. The streams passing through the village are, from east to west, Coulcour Brook (falling to Balscadden Bay), Gray's Brook or the Boggeen Stream (falling to the eastern end of the harbour), and Offington Stream (passing under Findlater's to the western side of the harbour). Other streams are met along the cliff walks, including the Whitewater Brook, with a tributary in a sunken area of plants and ponds, and then the Balsaggart Stream.

The island of Ireland's Eye, part of the Special Area of Conservation, lies about a kilometre north of Howth harbour, with Lambay Island some 5 km further to the north. A Martello tower exists on each of these islands with another tower overlooking Howth harbour (opened as a visitor centre and Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio on 8 June 2001 ) and another tower at Red Rock, Sutton. These are part of a series of towers built around the coast of Ireland during the 19th century.

Special amenity area order (SAAO)
More than half of Howth Head, and of the Howth area, totalling around 1,500 acres, is subject to a Special Amenity Area Order, a provision of Irish law designed to protect areas of natural beauty or biodiversity. Prepared by the local authority, after a consultative process under a community environmental process known as SEMPA, and formally proposed by Brendan Howlin as a minister, the order was developed in cooperation with a unit of Trinity College Dublin. It was made in 1999, confirmed in 2000, and is subject to 5-yearly reviews, the most recent having been conducted in 2015. At the time of its making the majority of the lands covered formed part of the Howth Estate, with the other significant landowners being developers Treasury Holdings (85 hectares) and Gerry Gannon (33 hectares), and Howth Golf Club (48 hectares). The Council stated that the order was needed to protect the environment of the designated area by restricting development there, while recognising the need "to encourage tourism-related developments in the remainder of Howth".

The SAAO area runs from the vicinity of Bottle Quay northeast to Muck Rock, east to the reservoir at Balkill, east and south around the Loughoreen Hills and Black Linn, then to the Summit, turning north along the line of the Coulcour Brook, then taking in a narrow part of Howth village, including the Martello Tower and East Pier, and Ireland's Eye. It also covers a network of over 20 km of designated footpaths and rights of way, and it was stated that "all existing scenic views and prospects from the entire length of public footpaths and roads in the area are to be protected".

Fingal County Council explained the need for the order, noting that between the 1940s and the present day "Howth has been transformed from a rural area to a suburban extension of Dublin city" and that its natural or "semi-natural" areas had shrunk from over 70% to around 40% of land area, while highly developed areas had risen from 14% to 30%.

Flora and fauna
As a semi-isolated area, Howth's flora and fauna have been studied in some detail, and a Flora of Howth, for example, was issued in 1887.

Built heritage
Howth Castle, and its estate, at least part of which is known as Deer Park, are key features of the area. Corr Castle also previously formed part of the estate.

Aideen's Grave
On the grounds of Howth Castle lies a collapsed megalithic dolmen (portal tomb), known locally as Aideen's Grave.

Bailey Lighthouse
At the southeast corner of Howth Head, in the area known as Bail(e)y (historically, the Green Bayley) is the automated Baily Lighthouse, successor to previous aids to navigation, at least as far back as the late 17th century. This is the subject of a picture, Howth Lighthouse, from the Needles, by George Petrie, which appears in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835, with an attached poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon. At the end of the East Pier of Howth Harbour are the Howth Harbour Lighthouse, built in the 19th century and no longer in service, and the pole-mounted light which replaced it.

St. Mary's Church
In Howth village are St. Mary's Church and its graveyard, overlooking the harbour. The earliest church on this site was built by Sitric, King of Dublin, in 1042. It was replaced around 1235 by a parish church, when that function was moved from the church on Ireland's Eye, and then, in the second, half of the 14th century, the present church was built. The building was modified in the 15th and 16th centuries, when the gables were raised, a bell cote was built and a new porch and south door were added. The St. Lawrence family, of nearby Howth Castle, also modified the east end to act as a private chapel; inside is the tomb of Christopher St Lawrence, 2nd Baron Howth, who died in 1462, and his wife, Anna Plunkett of Ratoath.

The College
Also of historic interest is a building known as The College or The Old College, on Abbey Street which was primarily constructed in the late 15th or early 16th century but also with earlier medieval elements.

Other structures
Drumleck Castle on a promontory in the Censure area of Howth was formerly on the Record of Protected Structures but removed as there were no structural elements remaining above ground to warrant retention. Alternative protection remains under the National Monuments Acts 1930–2004, as a Record Monument RMP Ref No. DU019-007.

Amenities and businesses

Howth remains an active centre of the fishing industry, one of Ireland's "tier 2" fishing ports, with some processing performed in the fishing harbour area, and some boat maintenance. There is a State Fisheries Centre, including an ice-making plant, and a dry dock.

The area is active commercially, with a range of retail and leisure outlets, including multiple restaurants, two convenience stores and a post office, although the nearest supermarket is at Sutton Cross and the nearest service stations are in Baldoyle and Bayside.

Howth, having once held at least seven hotels, four still as of 1990, saw the last, the Deer Park Hotel, on the Howth Estate, close in April 2014, although the premises continued to trade as a bar, and base for the Deer Park golf courses and a 'FootGolf' course, and later housed refugees. The area has multiple bed-and-breakfast establishments, and Airbnb hosts. The nearest operational hotel, The Marine Hotel (formerly the Golfers Hotel and the Strand Hotel), is located at Sutton Cross, approximately 2.5 km from Howth harbour. Other hotels that have closed include The Howth Lodge Hotel (formerly the Claremont Hotel), The Baily Court Hotel (formerly The Royal Hotel), The Saint Lawrence Hotel, Sutton Castle Hotel (part of its grounds were located in a remote part of Howth), the Waverley Hotel on Kitestown Road (burned down in the 1960s) and the Asgard Hotel (formerly The Dalriada Hotel) on Balscadden Bay. The Asgard hotel was famously owned by Phil Lynott and operated by his mother Philomena Lynott when it burned down in 1982, later being replaced by apartments.

Recreation
Large numbers of tourists visit Howth annually in order to avail of the views from the summit, to walk the piers, and to taste locally sourced seafood.

Howth is a common area for birdwatching and sailing, and is also popular with anglers. Fish like cod and ray can be caught from Howth's rocky shore marks. Sea mammals, such as seals, are common sights in and near the harbour. It used to be popular to feed the seals but authorities banned the practice for a variety of reasons. Birds seen regularly include razorbill, guillemot, fulmar, kittiwake, cormorant, stonechat, linnet, whitethroat, yellowhammer, skylark, wheatear, swallow, house martin, peregrine, buzzard and kestrel.

Howth is also a destination for cyclists, joggers and hill-walkers alike, particularly on weekends. One attraction is the six-kilometre long Cliff Path Loop. The loop walk takes about two hours to complete, is rated with an easy to moderate difficulty, and begins and ends at the Howth DART [Railway] Station. Another common walk is the original Cliff Walk to Red Rock in Sutton.

Administration and representation
Howth was within County Dublin from the introduction of the shire structure by the Normans, and within North Dublin rural district from its creation under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. In 1918, Howth became a separate urban district with the consent of the Local Government Board for Ireland and despite the opposition of North Dublin rural district council. In 1942, it was transferred to Dublin county borough, with Dublin Corporation superseding the urban district council. In 1985, it was removed from the city and reassigned to the county. In 1994, it was in the area that became Fingal, the successor north of the River Liffey to County Dublin. At the 2019 Irish local elections, the Howth–Malahide local electoral area elected 7 councillors to Fingal County Council.

Howth is in the Dáil constituency of Dublin Bay North and the European Parliament constituency of Dublin.

Popular culture
Howth has been a filming location for movies such as The Last of the High Kings, Boy Eats Girl, Love, Rosie and Sing Street.

Notable residents
Among Howth's better-known residents are or have been:
 * Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions, son of Jim Aiken
 * Robin Allshire, geneticist, was born in Howth in 1960
 * Booker Prize-winning novelist John Banville
 * James Bayley Butler, botanist and biologist, father of Katherine Butler; built a house called Glenlion in the Baily area of Howth
 * Composer Brian Boydell, born in Howth in 1917
 * Broadcaster Gay Byrne and his wife, musician and author Kathleen Watkins, who lived in the Baily region of Howth for decades, and later passed their home to one of their daughters
 * Writer Michael Feeney Callan
 * Actor writer and comedian Gary Cooke who lived on the Claremont Road Howth in the 1970s and 1980s
 * Eminent judge Gerald FitzGibbon who lived here for many years until his death in 1909; his house, Kilrock, was one of the centres of Dublin social life from the 1870s onwards
 * High Court Judge Feargus Flood of the eponymous tribunal
 * Gerry Gannon, builder and property developer
 * Actor and producer Brendan Gleeson, who moved to the Baily region of Howth
 * Bill Graham, journalist and author, who lived in Howth until his death in 1996
 * Kevin Grogan, former Manchester United and Ireland professional soccer player
 * Patrick Hillery, former TD and President of Ireland
 * Johnny Logan (singer), winner of the Eurovision multiple times, lived here for many years, along with his father, tenor Patrick O'Hagan
 * Sir John Lumsden, physician
 * John McColgan and wife Moya Doherty, founders of Riverdance, resident in Howth for many years
 * Barney McKenna of The Dubliners (died 5 April 2012)
 * Brian McKiernan, CEO and majority shareholder in Davy Stockbrokers
 * Broadcaster Seán Moncrieff, resident
 * U2 drummer Larry Mullen, who lives overlooking Burrow Beach
 * The late politician and writer Conor Cruise O'Brien and his wife, the Irish poet Máire Mhac an tSaoi, who lived here for many years
 * Ruairi O'Connor, known for his role as Prince Harry (later Henry VIII) in The Spanish Princess (2019–present) and Michael in the TV series Delicious.
 * Sir Edward Richard Borough, 2nd Baronet, lived at Glenaveena House, later occupied by John O'Hagan; the property was still later turned into the Stella Maris convent
 * European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly Ryan
 * Dolores O'Riordan (1971-2018) of The Cranberries
 * John Pentland Mahaffy
 * Senator and retail pioneer Feargal Quinn (died 2019) and members of his family
 * Lobsang Rampa, English author, lived at Ben Eadair, Balscadden Road, in the late 1950s, as described in his book The Rampa Story (1960)
 * Lynn Redgrave and husband John Clark; raised their family there in the early 1970s
 * David Robinson, horticulturalist
 * Saoirse Ronan, actress, moved from Carlow to Howth with her family, and later bought a house in the Thormanby part of Howth
 * John Sheahan of The Dubliners
 * The Stokes family including Margeret, Whitley (junior), William (junior) and father Dr. William Stokes lived at The Tansey on Ceanchor Road and at Carrrickbrack House
 * Actor Stuart Townsend, born and raised in Howth
 * Ella Webb
 * Vogue Williams formerly of Ceannchor Road, Baily; currently owns an apartment in St. Lawrences with her husband Spencer Matthews
 * William Butler Yeats
 * Scott Young who was a Canadian journalist, sportswriter and novelist, and the father of musicians Neil Young and Astrid Young; lived in Howth in the late 1980s

Transport

 * Howth railway station opened on 30 May 1847, is a two-platform terminal station served by the Dublin Area Rapid Transit.
 * The Hill of Howth Tramway ran around the peninsula between Howth station, the summit and Sutton station until 1959.
 * Small boats run to Ireland's Eye in the summer months. The boats are located at the end of the West Pier Ireland's Eye is used and has a reputation as a spot for birdwatching.
 * Dublin Bus runs the H3 service to Howth Summit via Howth village. The new 6 bus route, which started taking effect in 2020 takes an almost identical route to the H3 however, does not stop at Howth Summit, but Terminates at Howth DART station
 * Howth is also home to the National Transport Museum of Ireland which houses public service and road transport vehicles.

title: Howth


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Jean-Jacques Pierre

Jean-Jacques Pierre (born 23 January 1981) is a Haitian football coach and former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is the former head coach of the Haiti national team.

Club career
Born in Léogâne, Pierre began his career in the youth ranks of Haitian club Cavaly. After impressing with the island club, Pierre moved to Argentina, joining Arsenal de Sarandí. After one season with Arsenal, Pierre joined Deportivo Morón and went on to score seven goals as a defender. His play with Morón earned him a move to historic Uruguayan side Peñarol. While with Peñarol, Pierre was a regular starter for the club and also featured during the Copa Libertadores. He was voted as the best defender of the Uruguayan championship in 2004–05.

In August 2005, he joined French club Nantes. Upon joining Nantes, Pierre quickly became a first team regular. He made his debut for Nantes on 10 September 2005 in a 1–0 loss to Troyes AC. In six seasons in France, he appeared in 143 league matches (including 68 Ligue 1 matches) and scored 4 goals.

International career
Pierre was the captain of the Haiti national under-23 football team and emerged as an important player for the full national squad. He made his full national team debut in a December 2001 friendly match against El Salvador and was a Haiti squad member at the 2002 and 2007 Gold Cups. He played in two World Cup qualifying matches in 2004. According to the Haitian press, on 25 March 2009, Pierre announced his retirement from the national side, citing false accusations against him and that he was not as much valued in the national team as he was with Nantes. However, he returned to the national team and participated in 2010 World Cup qualifying.

Honors
Haiti
 * Caribbean Cup bronze: 2014

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Jean-Jacques Pierre


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Lucan, Dublin

Lucan is a suburban town in County Dublin, located 12 km west of Dublin city centre, on the River Liffey. It is near the Strawberry Beds and Lucan Weir, and at the confluence of the River Griffeen. It is mostly in the local government area of South Dublin, with the exception of the North Lucan areas of Laraghcon, Coldblow and Saint Catherine's Park, which are in Fingal. Road access to Lucan is from the N4, and the M50 motorway at Junction 7.

Etymology
In the Irish language, leamhachán refers to the marsh-mallow plant, used up to modern times in folk medicine (for sprains and chest infections) and sweet manufacture, and so the name could be rendered as "place of marsh-mallow plants" or "land abounding in marsh-mallows." The plant grows in the Liffey Valley and surrounds, as recorded in the 1837 Ainmleabhar Paróiste, reported by Jackson (1914). In 1615, the area was described as 'a marshy place'... The alternative meaning is derived from the Irish for elm, leamhán, and has been more popularised, although both definitions could be equally valid, with both mallows and elms still growing in the Lucan area, and etymological experts unable to definitively choose one meaning over the other, as is evidenced on logainm.ie.

Early history
There is evidence of prehistoric settlement in Lucan as the features that attracted early people such as river access, fishing, well-drained soil and hunting were all around. There is significant prehistoric activity in the Cooldrinagh townland of Lucan, with early Mesolithic flints found in significant quantities, as well as the remains of two small kerbed passage tombs. In the area around Vesey Park, there are remains of a hillfort (Knockanardousk "hill of the high water") that may have been the house and enclosure of an early lord of Lucan in medieval times. This enclosure also contained a souterrain, excavated in the 18th century by George Petrie and of which, some of the finds are in the National Museum of Ireland. Another notable archaeological site is St Finian's Esker church and graveyard, which is listed by both the National Monuments Service and the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. There are two other medieval churches in Lucan also; the Church of the Blessed Virgin, Lucan village (an enclosed gated graveyard & medieval church site with attached chantry or tower house, and the medieval parish church of Aderrig, Lucan, off Tubber Lane.

Sarsfields and Veseys
When Oliver Cromwell came to Ireland, Lucan was a village of 120 inhabitants.

In 1566, Sir William Sarsfield acquired Lucan Manor, and the property became closely associated with the Sarsfield family. Patrick Sarsfield, the Irish Jacobite leader, was born in the castle that had occupied the manor grounds and was granted the title Earl of Lucan by James II.

Lucan House was built on the site of Sarsfield's castle in 1772, by the Rt Hon. Agmondisham Vesey, who was descended from the Sarsfield family. The circular ground floor dining room is said to have been an inspiration for the Oval Office of the White House. The decorative plasterwork was carried out by Michael Stapleton. Over the years, the house passed out of the Vesey family and, since 1942, has been the residence of the Italian ambassador to Ireland. On the grounds of the house is the spa, the waters of which attracted people to the town in previous times.

Developments
The discovery of a sulphurous spa in Lucan in 1758 brought the district into prominence, and it became a destination for weekend parties from Dublin and the surrounding countryside. Much development followed in the vicinity, and by 1795 a ballroom and a later hotel had been erected. Many of the structures in Lucan village were constructed as part of a large redevelopment around 1815. Later, Lucan was a terminus on the combination of tram lines serving Lucan and Leixlip from Dublin city centre.

Transport and access
Lucan village is located north of the N4/M4 national primary route to the west and northwest of Ireland. The village is approximately 5 km west of the M50 Dublin ring road. An outer-orbital distributor called the Outer Ring Road, designated as R136, from the N4 (Woodies) interchange to the N81 Tallaght Bypass, was completed in 2008.

As the first non-toll bridge located to the west of the paid West-Link toll bridge, Lucan Bridge and the roads approaching it witness a large volume of traffic on a daily basis as north and south-bound motorists use it as a rat run to save money. Speaking of the impact this has had on the local community, Fianna Fáil local election candidate Caitríona McClean was quoted as saying "The people of Lucan not only have to deal with the excessive traffic and the inconvenience this has on their daily lives but it also impacts the local environment given the dirt it creates, the air pollution and the noise. Old Rectory and Sarsfield Park residents are particularly impacted [...] with cars bumper to bumper blocking the entrance and exit to their estates during rush hours in particular".

Lucan is located between two major national/commuter railway lines. The original Lucan North (Leixlip) Station on the north/northwest line, and Lucan South station on the south/southwest line, were closed in 1941 and 1947, respectively. The greenfield development of the Lucan townlands as a major residential area was predicated on the prime location between the motorways and railways. Adamstown railway station re-opened in 2007 to serve the area; it is located south of Finnstown, Lucan. This station will also service significant further developments planned to the south of Adamstown townlands and the south/southwest commuter line.

In 2018 it was announced that the Luas is planned to be extended to Lucan under the government's Project Ireland 2040 transport plan.

Dublin Bus provides several bus services to the area. Feeder routes, such as the L52, run through Lucan from Adamstown to Blanchardstown. Some independent bus operators also serve Lucan.

Weston Airport is located to the west of Lucan near the Dublin/Kildare border. This facility conducts pilot training and serves privately-owned light aircraft and helicopters. Its new terminal is located south of the M4 to the east of the Dublin (Celbridge Road) and Kildare border.

King John's Bridge
King John's Bridge in Griffeen Park is reputed to be the oldest surviving bridge in Ireland, having apparently been constructed sometime during the reign of John, King of England from 1199 to 1216. Originally composed of three arches, only one arch survives today - and it is in a ruinous state. The bridge is situated in quiet parkland and crosses the narrow Griffeen River; it is sited close to the ruins of Old Esker Church. Postcards were printed of the bridge in the 1930s such was its notability. South Dublin County Council have proposed €20,000 be made available to carry out conservation work on the bridge to make it a more prominent historical landmark.

Lucan House
Lucan House is a seven-bay two-storey over basement Palladian country villa. Agmonisham Vesey cleared the previous residence and began construction in 1772. The architecture is the work of Vesey and William Chambers, with Michael Stapleton responsible for the plasterwork. The estate passed through the Sarsfield, Vesey and Colthurst families through marriage and also was once the residence of Charles Hugh O'Conor, the third son of Charles Owen O'Conor and then, in 1954, it was purchased by the Italian Government for use as the residence of the Italian Ambassador to Ireland. The remainder of the estate land is now Liffey Valley Park.

Others
Another notable feature is St Finian's medieval church and graveyard at Esker.

Amenities
The Griffeen Valley Park runs along the Griffeen River, with some smaller outlying park areas among housing developments to the west. The main area of the park is split by the Lucan Bypass, with Vesey Park on one side and Griffeen Park on the other. A feature of the park is the old woodland in Vesey Park that was retained when the park was formed. This woodland is most extensive along the Griffeen River and contains mature deciduous and coniferous trees. The most important area on the river is the wet woodland containing the most extensive fern and bryophyte growth recorded in the five parks surveyed. The woodland also provides the habitat for the protected species hypericum hirsutum.

Lucan Library is a part of a network of libraries in South Dublin.

Education
Lucan has a number of schools. St. Mary's Boys National School (BNS) is the oldest school which dates back to 1833. Other schools include St. Mary's Girls Primary School, St. Joseph's Girls Secondary School, Kishoge Community College (mixed), Griffeen Community College (mixed), Coláiste Phádraig (a Christian Brothers secondary school), St. Andrew's (mixed) National School, Lucan Community College, Esker Educate Together primary school, Scoil Áine and St. Thomas's primary schools (Esker, mixed VEC school), Divine Mercy National School (mixed primary), Scoil Mhuire (mixed primary) Adamstown Castle Educate Together, St John The Evangelist primary schools and Adamstown Community College There are two Irish-speaking primary schools, Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada and Gaelscoil Naomh Pádraig (mixed), and an Irish-speaking secondary school, Coláiste Cois Life.

Media
Lucan has a free magazine, The Link, that contains items of local interest. It is distributed to 15,000 homes and 1,000 copies are distributed to local businesses. The Lucan Newsletter, a venue for local organizations to report on activities and meetings, was first published in 1967 and is produced and published weekly by volunteers. Local newspapers include the Liffey Champion which is a weekly newspaper for the Lucan area of South Dublin and North Kildare, The Echo which is published in Lucan as the Lucan Echo, and the Lucan Gazette. Lucan Life started in March 2014 and is the main Lucan Facebook page with followers sharing photos, news and events in Lucan.

Liffey Sound Communications Co-operative Society Limited, a not-for-profit organisation, runs Liffey Sound FM, the local community radio station. Liffey Sound FM is another local media source run entirely by volunteers. The station has been broadcasting since July 2006.

Economy
In terms of retail, the main street contains the newsagent Centra, bookmakers, boutiques, banks, charity shops, IT shops and cafés. The Lucan Shopping Centre includes SuperValu, Dunnes Store, Peter Mark, and McDonald's, along with a Community Library.

The area is primarily a residential one, but employers in the area include the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Citywest and Tallaght in southwest Dublin, Intel in Leixlip, County Kildare, and eBay's European operation in Blanchardstown.

Pieta House
Pieta House is a charity, set up by psychologist Joan Freeman, to provide assistance to people experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts. Its main location is in Lucan centre. As of 2015, the combined Pieta House locations were working with more than 5000 people per year.

Lucan Disability Action Group (LDAG)
Lucan Disability Action Group was established in October 2000, to address the needs of people with disabilities in the Lucan area.

GAA
Lucan has three GAA teams. Lucan Sarsfields, the largest sports organisation in the town, was founded in 1886 and is located on the 12th Lock on the Grand Canal. Lucan Sarsfields won the u/21 Dublin Football Championship and a Minor double of Football and Hurling in 2005. Lucan Sarsfields U21 B team won the Callum Sally Cup in 2005 and again in 2009. The Dublin Hurling captain, Johnny McCaffrey, plays for Sarsfields. Westmanstown Gaels are also located in north Lucan at the Westmanstown Sports Centre, which has diversified from its roots as a leisure centre for the Garda Síochána.

An Irish-language GAA club, Na Gaeil Óga CLG, started their juvenile structure in the area in September 2014, and is currently based in Gaelscoileanna and a Gaelcholáiste in the area, Gaelscoil Naomh Pádraig, Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada and Coláiste Cois Life. The majority of their adult teams play in St Catherine's Park.

Football
Several football teams play in the area: Arthur Griffith Park FC, Griffeen Celtic, Beech Park, Esker Celtic, Ballyowen Celtic, Hillcrest AFC, Lucan United FC, and Liffey Valley Rangers FC.

Boxing
Esker Amateur Boxing Club has hosted the first ever All-Female Amateur Boxing tournament in Ireland. It has grown to become the World's largest female-only boxing tournament in 2019 with 19 countries spread over three continents attending. Esker Boxing Club has been running a long campaign to build its own permanent clubhouse.

In January 2008, Lucan Boxing Club reformed after a few years of hiatus.

Golf
The two main golf courses in Lucan are Lucan Golf Club and Hermitage Golf Club. Both courses are member-run and date back over a hundred years.

Liffey Valley Par 3 is a par 3 golf course that is situated between Leixlip and Lucan.

Basketball
Liffey Celtics Basketball Club is a basketball club for girls aged from 7 up to senior, and boys aged 7 to senior. There are 13 (9 girls & 10 boys) underage basketball teams competing in the Dublin Area Board League and Cup competitions. Training and home matches take place at the Colaiste Cois Life (Lucan), Leixlip Amenities Centre, and Confey GAA (Leixlip). The club has a senior women's team competing in the Basketball Ireland Super League.

Other sports
Lucan Tae Kwon-Do school has been in the area since 1992.

A skatepark was opened in 2007 in Griffeen Valley Park.

The Dublin Dragons American Football Team were also based in Lucan but moved to Tymon Park and rebranded as the South Dublin Panthers.

Awards
In September 2013, Lucan Village claimed the South Dublin title in the Tidy Towns competition.

People
Former or current residents of the town have included:
 * Aaron Callaghan (born 1966) – Football Manager
 * Tommy Carr (born 1961) – Former Dublin GAA inter-county Footballer and Manager
 * Jake Carroll (born 1991) – Professional Footballer
 * Joanne Doyle (born 1973) – Irish dancer with Riverdance
 * Joan Freeman (born 1958) – Founder of Pieta House
 * James Gandon (1743-1823) – Architect
 * Paul Gogarty (born 1968) – Politician, South Dublin County Councillor for Lucan Local Electoral Area (LEA)
 * John and Edward Grimes, known professionally as Jedward (born 1991) – singing duo
 * James Alexander Hamilton Irwin (1876-1954) – Presbyterian minister and a supporter of Irish unity and independence.
 * Derek Keating (1955-2023) - Politician
 * Liam Lawlor (1945-2005) – Politician
 * John McCaffrey (born 1987) – Current Dublin GAA inter-county Hurling Captain
 * Derek McGrath (born 1972) – Professional Footballer
 * Laura Nolan (born 1994) - Choreographer
 * Patrick Sarsfield (1655-1693) – Lucan born Jacobite and Leader in the Irish Army. Earl of Lucan
 * Jack Sheedy – Former Dublin GAA inter-county Footballer and All Ireland Winner
 * Joanna Tuffy (born 1965) - Politician

See Alo

 * Earl of Lucan

title: Lucan, Dublin


text:
Vaya (EP)

Vaya is the fourth EP by American post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, released in 1999.

Writing
"198d" was written about drummer Tony Hajjar's grandmother, who was buried in a mass grave in Lebanon. The title was taken from an inscription on her gravestone.

The sound of the album bridges the musical gap between In/Casino/Out and their following album, Relationship of Command.

Artwork
The EP's cover features a Conion 100CF boombox which belonged to the band, and was used as a frequent prop during Vaya period, appearing in their photoshoots, gig flyers and on stage during most of their live performances. Additionally, it would appear in the music video for "Metronome Arthritis" and was later featured on the label of their 2000 split 7-inch with The Murder City Devils as well as the cover of the 2005 compilation album This Station Is Non-Operational.

Release
The EP was first released in 1999 by Fearless Records. To promote it, the band toured with Rage Against the Machine and the Foo Fighters in November and December 1999. It saw a limited of 500 vinyl release at 2012's Coachella Music Festival to celebrate the band's first performances together in 11 years. The 10-inch was then re-released as a hot-pink vinyl on June 5, 2012, with 1,500 copies in North American and 1,500 copies elsewhere. A vibrant red edition of 1,000 of the 10-inch was also available from Hot Topic stores.

Track listing

 * 1) "Rascuache" – 3:21
 * 2) "Proxima Centauri" – 2:46
 * 3) "Ursa Minor" – 3:22
 * 4) "Heliotrope" – 3:12
 * 5) "Metronome Arthritis" – 4:00
 * 6) "300 MHz" – 3:03
 * 7) "198d" – 4:04

Personnel

 * ATDI
 * Cedric Bixler-Zavala – lead vocals, percussion
 * Jim Ward – guitars, keyboards, vocals
 * Omar Rodríguez-López – guitars
 * Paul Hinojos – bass guitar
 * Tony Hajjar – drums, percussion

 * Another personnel
 * Sean Cummings – production
 * Alex Newport – production, recording engineer, mixing
 * Mike Major – production, recording engineer, mixing
 * Justin Leah – recording engineer
 * Bobby Torres – recording engineer
 * John Matousek – mastering
 * Rick Robot – photography
 * Paul Drake – photography
 * Joe D Foster – layout

title: Vaya (EP)


text:
Mulhuddart

Mulhuddart is an outer suburb situated 12 km (7.456 miles) north-west of Dublin, Ireland. The River Tolka passes near the village.

Mulhuddart is also a civil parish in the barony of Castleknock in the traditional County Dublin.

Placenames
The origins and meaning of the name Mulhuddart are unknown. However a number of explanations are offered, the most likely being that the name came from the Irish Mullach Eadartha meaning "the hill of the milking place". In ancient Ireland, cows were driven out onto upland pastures during the summer months and special places were designated for their milking.

Many townland names surrounding the village owe their origins to Norman settlers who colonised the area after the Norman capture of Dublin in 1170. "Buzzardstown" is so-called after the family of William Bossard and "Tyrrellstown" is named after a branch of the Tyrrells, who were created barons of Castleknock in 1173.

The townland of Goddamendy is perhaps the only townland in Ireland containing a prayer in its name. Tradition has it that when a priest arrived late for the anointing of a dying man, the dead man's relative cursed the priest, who replied "May God amend thee!"

Built heritage
There are a number of antiquities and old houses in the area. These include the ruins of the Church of Mary, Our Lady's Well which was used widely by pilgrims back in the early century, Mulhuddart National School and Parlickstown House. The Ordnance Survey of Ireland Sheet 50 map also shows a graveyard and burial ground at Cloghran.

Muluddart Church, the Church of Mary, stands above the village on a hill. The church stands on a curved mound, suggesting it was built on the site of an earlier church which was protected by an enclosure. The current ruins post-date the Anglo-Norman settlement of the area.

1916 Easter Rising centenary monument
In May 2016, a centenary monument was unveiled at the main junction of Mulhuddart, to commemorate the executed leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. As well as including the names of the executed leaders, the monument is inscribed with the 1916 Proclamation on the front. On the back, it is inscribed with the Democratic Programme adopted by the First Dáil. The memorial was funded entirely by donations from the local community at the cost of €14,000.

Location and access
The N3 dual carriageway now bypasses the village. It is located near Blanchardstown, now one of the largest suburbs of Dublin. It is bordered by County Meath to the west and by the civil parishes of Ward to the north, Finglas to the east and Clonsilla to the south.

Mulhuddart village essentially comprises a main street, which was the old Navan Road, on which there is a petrol station, a few shops and cafés. Though the village has been bypassed, an underpass connects the main street to Blakestown. Mulhuddart includes the suburban localities of Ladyswell, and Manorfield, together with townlands such as Priesttown. Newer estates to the west of the village such as Swallowbrook and Pheasant's Run are within the townland of Mulhuddart.

Located on the outskirts of the village is the Damastown Industrial Estate, one of Dublin's largest industrial estates which includes a large IBM campus employing over 4,000 people. To the north is the village of Tyrrelstown, with a sizable modern housing development.

Public transport in Mulhuddart is provided by Dublin Bus routes 38, 38a, 38b, 39n and 220.

Education
Primary schools in the area include St Patrick's National School (boys and girls, Roman Catholic, in the parish of Corduff), and Scoil An Cheathair Alainn (boys and girls, also Roman Catholic, located in Mulhuddart).

Administration and politics
Mulhuddart is administered by Fingal County Council. For elections to Dáil Éireann, it is in the Dublin West constituency. It is in the European Parliament constituency of Dublin.

Religion
Mulhuddart is a parish in the Blanchardstown deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.

title: Mulhuddart


text:
User talk:Ant P

Hi Ant P, welcome to Wikipedia!

Here are a few helpful links to start you off: Avoiding common mistakes, How to edit a page, How to write a great article, Naming conventions, Manual of Style, Policies and guidelines, Help, Merging pages.

If you need help or are curious about something, feel free to ask on my talk page or the village pump. You can sign your name and a date stamp on comments using four tildes ( ~ ). If you have any further questions, feel free to ask, and I hope you enjoy being a Wikipedian!

– Andre ( talk ) 21:48, 3 Oct 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Ant P


text:
Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool

The Royal Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, it was opened in 1846, and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. As a result, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world. It was known simply as the Albert Dock until 2018, when it was granted a royal charter and had the honorific "Royal" added to its name.

At the time of its construction the dock was considered to be revolutionary in its design because ships were loaded and unloaded directly from or to the warehouses. Two years after it opened it was modified to feature the world's first hydraulic cranes. Due to its open yet secure design, the dock became a popular store for valuable cargoes such as brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory and sugar. However, despite its advanced design, the rapid development of shipping technology meant that, within 50 years, larger and more open docks were required, although the Albert Dock remained a valuable store for cargo.

During the Second World War, the dock was requisitioned by the Admiralty serving as a base for ships of the British Atlantic Fleet. The complex was damaged during air raids on Liverpool, notably during the May Blitz of 1941. In the aftermath of the war, the financial problems of the owners and the general decline of docking in the city meant that the future of the Albert Dock was uncertain. Numerous plans were developed for the re-use of the buildings but none came to fruition and in 1972 the dock was finally closed. Having lain derelict for nearly ten years, the redevelopment of the dock began in 1981, when the Merseyside Development Corporation was set up, with the Albert Dock being officially re-opened in 1984.

Today the Royal Albert Dock is a major tourist attraction in the city and the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom, outside London. The docking complex and warehouses also comprise the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in the UK.

Grand beginnings and early history

The history of the Albert Dock dates back to 1837, when Jesse Hartley first began the development of plans for a combined dock and warehouse system. The plans drawn up by Hartley and fellow civil engineer Philip Hardwick for the Albert Dock were at the time considered quite 'radical', as they envisioned the loading and unloading of ships directly from the warehouses. However, this idea was not new, and as far back as the 1803 Warehousing Act, legislation had been passed to allow this form of development to occur, whilst the concept was first actually used in the construction of St Katharine's Dock in London, which was opened in 1828. As part of the development process, Hartley was eager to test the fire resistance of any particular design by constructing an 18 ft by 10 ft dummy structure, filling it with timber and tar, and setting it alight. After testing several structural designs he settled on the combination of cast iron, brick, sandstone and granite. The design was submitted for planning permission in 1839 although it was not until 1841, when the bill authorising the design of the dock was eventually passed by Parliament, that construction was allowed to begin.

The site chosen for the dock to be built on was an area of land bordered by Salthouse Dock to the east, the entrance channel to Canning Dock to the north and by Duke's Dock to the south. The land earmarked for the site had to be cleared, with 59 tenants being evicted and numerous premises demolished including a pub, several houses and the Dock Trustee's Dockyard. Upon the clearance of this land both the Salthouse and Canning docks were drained to allow entrance passages into the Albert Dock to be constructed, whilst hundreds of "navvies" were employed to dig out the dock basin and construct the new river wall. The dock basin was completed by February 1845, allowing the first ships to enter the Albert Dock, although with the warehouses still under construction this was merely to allow these boats to "lay-up".

The dock complex was officially opened in 1846 by Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria and the man in honour of whom it was named. This event marked the first occasion in Liverpool's history in which a member of the Royal Family had made a state visit to the city and as a result the occasion was marked with a major celebrations. Many thousands of people turned out for the Royal visit with the newspaper The Pictorial Times noting the reception Prince Albert received:

"His reception was most enthusiastic; balconies were erected along the line of procession, and these and the windows of houses were filled with gay and animated parties. There was a most brilliant display of flags, banners & c. [sic]. All business is suspended. There are 200,000 strangers in town, and all the inhabitants are in the streets. All is gaiety and splendour. (The Pictorial Times, 1846)."

The Prince was taken on a processional tour through the city, including a visit to the town hall where the royal address was made, before departing aboard the ferry across to the Cheshire side of the Mersey and then northwards towards the Albert Dock. Again this stage of the procession route was laden with onlookers with The Pictorial Times describing the Prince's entrance into the Albert Dock:

"From the Cheshire side of the river the Fairy crossed to the Liverpool side, and returned along the line of docks amidst the cheers of assembled thousands and the roar of artillery. The sight was really magnificent, all the ships in the docks were decked out in gayest colours and the river was crowded with boats filled with people. At half-past two the fairy entered the dock, where were assembled two thousand ladies and gentlemen, the elite of the town; they cheered enthusiastically, which his Royal Highness returned, and in order to gratify the crowd sailed round the dock. (The Pictorial Times, 1846)."

Despite the official opening taking place in 1846, the construction of the Albert Dock was not fully completed until 1847. In 1848, a new dock office was built and the dock itself was upgraded to feature a hydraulic cargo handling hoist system, the first of its kind in the world. Over the next decade several more buildings were added including houses for the piermaster, his assistant, and the warehouse superintendent; and a cooperage. Warehousing in the dock was also expanded to meet the increasing demand by joining together the eastern and western ends of the Southern Stack.

Changing fortunes and role in the Second World War
The enclosed design of the Albert Dock and the direct loading and unloading of goods from warehouses, meant that the complex was more secure than other docks within Liverpool. As a result, it became a popular store for valuable cargoes including brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory, and sugar. Their openness to natural light and well ventilated stores, meant natural goods such as hemp or sugar could be kept fresher longer. The dock came to dominate Liverpool's far eastern trade, with over 90% of the city's silk imports from China coming through it and more generally half of all the far eastern trade income.

Despite the great prosperity the dock afforded the city, within 20 years of its construction the Albert Dock was beginning to struggle. Designed and constructed to handle sailing ships of up to 1,000 tonnes, by the start of the 20th century only 7% of ships into the Port of Liverpool were sailing vessels. The development of steam ships in the later 19th century meant that soon the dock simply was not large enough, as its narrow entrances prevented larger vessels from entering it. Its lack of quayside was also becoming an issue. Generally steamships could be loaded and unloaded far quicker than sailing ships, and in a cruel twist of irony, the dockside warehouses that had once made the Albert Dock so attractive, were now hindering its future development. Nonetheless the Albert Dock remained an integral part of the dock system in Liverpool, and in 1878 the pump house was built as part of redevelopment that saw the majority of the cranes converted to hydraulic use. In 1899, part of the north stack was converted to allow for ice production and cold storage.

By the 1920s, virtually all commercial shipping activity had ceased at the dock, although its warehouses did remain in use for the storage of goods transported by barge, road or rail. The onset of the Second World War, in 1939, saw the Albert Dock requisitioned by the Admiralty and used as base for the British Atlantic fleet. This included submarines, small warships, and landing craft docking. During the war, the dock was struck on several occasions by German bombs. This included one bombing raid in 1940 that damaged ships within the dock. More destructively, during the May Blitz of 1941, bombing caused extensive damage to the south west stack. By the end of the war, almost 15 per cent of the dock's floor space was unavailable due to bomb damage.

Post War history and decline
By the time the Second World War had finished the Albert Dock's future looked bleak. The owners of the dock, the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB), were in financial crisis and chose not to repair any of the wartime bomb damage, adopting an attitude of "if it's not broke don't fix it, and if it is broke we still won't fix it". At the same time a change in geopolitical orientation towards Europe, coupled with the advent of containerisation, meant the whole docking system in the city of Liverpool suffered as newer, stronger ports emerged elsewhere in the UK. Nonetheless the architectural and technological value of the docks was recognised in 1952 when the Albert Dock was granted Grade I listed building status.

Despite this recognition, the increasing debts of the MDHB meant that by the 1960s the company was eager to get rid of the Albert Dock. Having considered demolishing the buildings and redeveloping the land, the MDHB soon entered negotiations to sell the land to Oldham Estates, a property developer owned by Harry Hyams. Many plans for the site were developed including one that envisioned the development of a mini city that would provide 10m sq feet of letting space, hotels, restaurants, bars and underground parking in the drained dock basin. With the council reluctant to allow such a grandiose development to occur and with the huge public opposition to it (inspired at least in part by the work of Quentin Hughes), Oldham Estates were forced into scaling-down the plan and so in 1970 returned with a new vision known as "Aquarius City", which had as its centrepiece a 44-storey skyscraper. Once again the plan failed to develop and no sooner had it been announced, than the MDHB's financial problems reached crisis point, Oldham Estates withdrew their deposit and the whole scheme fell through.

With the MDHB on the verge of bankruptcy a decision was taken to shut down and sell off the whole of the south docks system. The warehouses were emptied and in 1972 the Albert Dock finally closed down. The Brunswick Dock gates, which separated the South Docks system from the River Mersey, were opened allowing tidal movements in and the process of the clogging up the docks with sewage polluted silt began. In many senses just as the Albert Dock's development had symbolised the prosperity in the Liverpool at the time of its construction, its subsequent decline after the Second World War symbolised the collapse of the local economy as a whole.

Throughout the early 1970s plans continued to emerge for the redevelopment of the Albert Dock site and the whole of the south docks system in general. Many of these plans were quite extreme including Liverpool City Council's suggestion to use the dock basin as a landfill site. The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC), the reincarnation of the now defunct Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, however felt it could get more money by filling in the dock basin with sand and selling it as developable land and not derelict land. One plan for the Albert Dock that was taken more seriously was the idea that it become the new home of Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University). The government was even willing to provide £3m in funding but like so many other plans this too fell by the wayside.

The creation of Merseyside County Council (MCC) in 1974 brought new hope that the Albert Dock could be redeveloped, with the MCC placing a high priority on its development. They soon entered negotiations with the MDHC and in 1979 eventually negotiated a deal to take over the running of the south docks. Despite this seeming step forward political wrangling between the MDHC (the dock owners), Liverpool City Council (the local planning authority) and Merseyside County Council (the group now responsible for redeveloping the docks) continued to hinder any development plans. Fed up with the infighting the newly elected Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher decided that the city was incapable of handling regeneration initiatives itself and under the guidance of the 'Minister for Merseyside' Michael Heseltine, set up the Merseyside Development Corporation in 1981 to take over the responsibility of regenerating and redeveloping Liverpool's south docks.

The MDC and regeneration of the Albert Dock
The creation of the Merseyside Development Corporation (MDC) in 1981 was part of a new initiative launched by the then Conservative government that earmarked the regeneration of some 800 acre of Liverpool's south docks, by using public sector investment to create infrastructure within an area that could then in turn be used to attract private sector investment. Thus the MDC was not directly responsible for regeneration programmes but rather acted as a spearhead, guiding the development process. Upon its formation it immediately created an initial strategy for the area placing a high priority on restoring those buildings that could be restored & demolishing the rest, restoring a water regime within the dock system (including the removal of up to 40 ft of silt) and general environmental landscaping. As part of the strategy two flagship schemes were set up: the redevelopment of a site in Otterspool for the International Garden Festival and the regeneration of the Albert Dock.

In 1982 the MDC entered into negotiations with London-based developers Arrowcroft in order to secure much needed private sector investment. On a visit to the site, Arrowcroft's chairman Leonard Eppel spoke of how the buildings "talked to him" and upon his return to London set about persuading the company's board to take on the project. In September 1983 a deal was signed between Arrowcroft plc and the MDC leading to the creation of the Albert Dock Company, which could now start the process of regenerating the Albert Dock.

One of the first priorities of the regeneration was the restoration of the dock system, which had deteriorated rapidly since the Brunswick Dock gates had been left open. Contaminated silt was removed from the dock basin, dock gates were replaced & bridges restored, whilst the dock walls were repaired. The Albert Dock company appointed Tarmac Construction to renovate the dock's vast warehouses and repair war time bomb damage. Structural surveys carried out by the MDC found the brickwork and foundations to be in very good condition and it was considered a testament to the strict build quality of Hartley's design that a building almost 150 years old was still in such good condition. Development within the Albert Dock was rapid and the newly renovated Edward Pavilion (formerly north east stack) was ready in time for the 1984 Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races. The race was a big success for the city with over one million visitors into Liverpool over a period of four days, of which 160,000 visited the Albert Dock. In total it is estimated that the two flagship regeneration schemes of the MDC, the tall ships race and International Garden Festival, attracted over 3.5 million visitors to Liverpool in 1984. The same year, the renovation of the dock traffic office was completed; it was fitted out and leased to Granada Television.

Spurred by the success of the tall ships race and the International Garden Festival, Arrowcroft pushed on with the Albert Dock's renovation. With the Edward Pavilion refurbishment a success soon the company started on the Britannia and Atlantic pavilions (formerly the south and south east stacks), the latter of which required major structural repairs because of bomb damage it received during World War II. In 1986 the Merseyside Maritime Museum completed its move into the Albert Dock, having moved some exhibitions into the building in 1984. The museum, developed by Merseyside County Council had previously been located in the pilotage building and a salvage shed nearby. 1986 also saw work begin on the largest of the dock warehouses, the Colonnades (formerly west stack). Ground floor shops were created with office space on the mezzanine level and apartments on the remaining floors. The first 37 of these apartments were completed by 1988 and the speed with which they sold was likened to 'sales day at Harrods'.

The Albert Dock was officially re-opened in 1988 by The Prince of Wales, the great-great-great-grandson of Prince Albert, the man who had originally opened the docks. It was timed to coincide with the opening of the newly finished Tate Liverpool, which was dubbed the 'Tate of the north' and at the time the only one outside London. The decision to locate a Tate gallery in Liverpool was seen as a major success for the city, as it made Liverpool home to the National Collection of modern art in the North of England.

In 1988, ITV's new morning television show This Morning, hosted by Richard and Judy, began broadcasting from a studio inside the Albert Dock. As part of the show, weather presenter Fred Talbot used a floating map of the British Isles to report the forecast. Two years later, in 1990, The Beatles Story museum opened, the only Beatles-themed visitor attraction in Britain, providing yet another draw to the Albert Dock.

Throughout the 1990s development continued including a new hotel and the conversion of vacant space for use by larger companies such as Telewest (Now Virgin Media). Finally in 2003, some 22 years after the renovation of the Albert Dock started, the last remaining undeveloped space was brought into use with the opening of a new Premier Lodge hotel in the Britannia Pavilion.

In anticipation of the dock's 175th anniversary in 2021, the owners of the dock applied for a royal charter. At an event at Tate Liverpool on 6 June 2018 the royal charter was handed over. The dock became formally known as Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, to avoid confusion with the Royal Albert Dock in London.

Structural design and construction
When it was constructed the Royal Albert Dock was considered a state of the art docking system. Built almost entirely from cast iron, stone and brick, the Albert Dock was designed to be fireproof, and on completion was the world's first non-combustible warehouse system. It provided 1290000 sqft of warehouse space and its dock basin had a water area of 7.75 acre. In its construction over 23 million bricks were used and 47,000 tonnes of mortar. In total it cost £782,265 (approximately £41m today), whilst today its estimated to be worth £230 million.

The building's design complements many existing construction techniques with, what were considered at the time, radical solutions. The warehouses are supported by large load-bearing walls that range from being 3 ft thick at the base to 19 in on the fourth level. One of the most advanced architectural features is the use of stressed skin roofing, which at the time of construction was virtually unheard of. Huge iron trusses are crossed with rivetted and galvanised wrought iron plates, creating a shape similar to an upturned boat hull that acts to support the roof above. The floors in the warehouses are supported by large iron columns and the spaces between were considered 'highly flexible', as new windows, stairwells and lift shafts could be added without risk to the building's structural integrity.

The advanced design stretches far beyond what can be seen from the ground. The structures are free from wood, but their foundations contain 13,729 piles of timber, which would stretch for 48 mi in length if laid end to end. Such heavily supportive foundations were needed because the construction land was reclaimed from the River Mersey to build on. Given the 'quicksand' nature of the Mersey's tidal silt the piles were needed to provide maximum stability. The resultant effect of the dock being constructed where it was is that the north and west stacks (now Merseyside Maritime Museum and Colonnades) rise and fall with every tide.

One of the most notable features of the Albert Dock are the huge cast iron columns that line the quayside. At 15 ft high and almost 13 ft in circumference, the columns are based upon the Greek Doric style of architecture. Hartley's decision to use cast iron was an economic one as at the time it was cheaper than granite. Nonetheless, because of the huge dock walls that were built, the Albert Dock's construction required so much granite that the dock trustee's had to open their own mine in Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland. The quality of the build materials used as well as the docks sheer size are considered a strong illustration of the great prosperity that the Port of Liverpool afforded the city at the time and the building's style is described as cyclopean classicism.

Albert Dock today
As well as being the number one tourist attraction in Liverpool, the Albert Dock is also the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom outside London, with in excess of four million visitors per year. Amongst the many attractions at the Albert Dock are the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Beatles Story and the Tate Liverpool. There are also two hotels within the Albert Dock: a Holiday Inn and Premier Inn both located in the Britannia Pavilion. All the five warehouses around the dock, referred to as A, B, C, D and E, are Grade I listed buildings. Also listed Grade I is the former dock traffic office. Other buildings around the dock are listed Grade II; they are the former hydraulic pumping station, and the swing bridge leading from the dock towards the Pierhead.

In the aftermath of the dock's regeneration in the 1980s a policy had been adopted to try to attract retailers into the newly created premises within. However, after many years of struggling to compete with other major shopping areas in the city, the Albert Dock Company Ltd announced in 2007 a shift into attracting more bars and restaurants. As of 2008, bars and restaurants resident in the Albert Dock include Maray, Panam Bar & Restaurant, Revolution Bar, and Whats Cooking?

title: Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool


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Palmerstown

Palmerstown (officially Palmerston, see spelling) is a civil parish and suburb in western Dublin on the banks of the River Liffey. It forms part of the South Dublin local authority and the Dublin Mid-West parliamentary constituency. The area is bordered to the north by the River Liffey and the Strawberry Beds, to the west by Lucan, to the south-west by Clondalkin, to the south by Ballyfermot and to the east by the village of Chapelizod. Palmerstown village is situated near the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. The area is situated near the major junction of the M50 motorway and the N4. It lies approximately 7 km west of O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre. The Old Lucan Road, once the main route from the city to the west, passes through the centre of Palmerstown village.

Name origin and spelling
A "palmer" in medieval times was a pilgrim who returned from the Holy Land with a palm branch or leaf. Between 1185 and 1188 Ailred the Palmer and his wife took religious vows and founded a priory and monastic hospital of Crutched Friars outside the West Gate of Dublin, on the road to Kilmainham, which they endowed with all their property. In 1188 Pope Clement III confirmed the priory's grants, including both the parish of Palmerstown west of Kilmainham and the other parish of Palmerstown northwards in Fingal. Gerard Lee notes an association of palmers with leper hospitals, of which there was one dedicated to Saint Laurence in the townland of the Saint Laurence in Palmerstown.

The spelling "Palmerston" rather than "Palmerstown" was fixed by the Ordnance Survey of Ireland in the 1830s; this remains the legal spelling and is officially recognised by South Dublin County Council. Locals generally use "Palmerstown", and road signs have used both. A plebiscite of residents is required for a legal name change. In 2009 a plebiscite to change to "Palmerstown" received a majority of votes cast but not of eligible voters. The area concerned was the townlands of Palmerston Upper and Palmerston Lower with an estimated electorate of 8,000. Supporters of the change argued that the wording of the ballot confused some voters who wanted "Palmerstown" but voted No. They also argue the spelling without W creates confusion with Palmerston Park further east in Rathmines. Opponents argue the cost of changing road signs is prohibitive. Others argue that the name "Palmerston" legally applies only to the civil parish and townland, and that the locality known as "Palmerstown" has a separate identity. In 2014, another plebiscite was held, restricted to the electoral division (ED) of Palmerston Village (bounded by the Liffey, M50, and N4 ) and excluding the adjoining ED of Palmerston West. The electorate was 641, of whom 425 voted in favour and 17 against; the change to "Palmerstown Village" was formally approved at the county council meeting in January 2015.

The title Viscount Palmerston created in 1722 in the Peerage of Ireland derives from the place; its spelling also varied, but the form "Lord Palmerston" is now usual for the Victorian prime minister.

Townlands
The civil parish of Palmerstown is the most northerly parish in the former Barony of Uppercross. Much of Palmerstown has been developed for residential, transportation and commercial purposes over the last half century. Townlands include:
 * Palmerston Lower
 * Palmerston Upper
 * Irishtown
 * Saint Laurence
 * Johnstown
 * Palmerstown Manor
 * Yellow Walls
 * Fonthill
 * Redcowfarm
 * Woodfarm
 * Quarryvale
 * Brooklawn
 * Liffey Valley

Palmerstown village
The townlands of Palmerstown Upper and Palmerstown Lower straddle the old Lucan Road which was the ancient western highway. Many of Palmerstown's local amenities are located in a cluster along the road. Robin Villas and Hollyville were labourers' cottages built at the beginning of the last century. The old national school is now a community centre. Stewarts Hospital, (formerly the residence of the Hely-Hutchinson family, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Philomena, the National School, the Palmerstown House Pub and Restaurant and a variety of general enterprises, including a bank and convenience stores are located here. Stewartscare is a health care facility at the Stewarts buildings and grounds which overlook the meandering Liffey valley. The Stewarts complex houses the administration of the Irish Health Service Executive. Stewarts Sports and Leisure centre is open to the general public. It also hosts an annual summer camp.

Redcow Farm and Glenaulin Park
This area was the location of the first modern housing development in Palmerstown, constructed between 1955 and 1965. Centred on Manor road, this area contains several shops, the local credit union and a doctor's surgery. To the east of Redcow Farm, adjacent to the "California Hills" Park, is Glenaulin Park, a public park also home to St. Patricks GAA club. The park contains a short stretch of a local stream, the Glenaulin Stream, a Liffey tributary most of which runs in culvert.

The name 'California Hills' was given by the children of the area to a small wasteland in Ballyfermot to the northeast of Glenaulin Park, which had been a builders' dump during the construction of the main Palmerstown Estate in the mid to late 1960's. The wasteland had a series of small hills which were in fact mounds of rubble which had been buried under clay and eventually over grown with wild grass. The children of the area sometimes shortened the name to 'The Caliers' and this name is also still in use today. The hills or mounds were flattened some years ago and the area landscaped for communal/public use.

Palmerstown Lower
Mill Lane leads to the original Palmerstown settlement and centre of industry, which once employed over 600 millhands, craftsmen, and labourers. This seventeenth-century low-lying waterside industrial village was complete with flax, seed, oil, flour and cloth mills. The ruin of a pre-Norman church and the remains of the once prosperous thriving community are situated near the river. A small ferry crossed the Liffey here, to where the Wren's Nest pub was situated on the North side. A football ground opposite the river Liffey is home to Palmerstown F.C. Muhammad Ali visited Stewarts Hospital on 15 July 1972 when the hospital was hosting its annual sporting fete.

Palmerstown Manor
Palmerstown's largest housing estate was built in the early 1990s in the south east of the area. Adjacent to the Coldcut and Kennelsfort roads and the M50 motorway, the estate marks the 'border' between Palmerstown with Ballyfermot and Clondalkin.

Woodfarm Acres
The townland of Woodfarm Acres was mostly farmland, with a few council cottages previously existed on the site. This housing development was built during the 1970s. The estate is bounded by the M50 motorway and N4. Adjacent to Woodfarm Acres is another shopping centre containing a local SuperValu market, a gym and other amenities. Access to the local cemetery is adjacent to this centre. The Silver Granite Pub is located nearby, as is Pobalscoil Isolde, a secondary-level community school which opened in the 1980s.

Oakcourt
The Oakcourt housing estate lies in the western part of the 59-acre Johnstown townland, behind Pobalscoil Iosolde. It was originally developed in the 1970s, and expanded in the mid-1990s. The Johnstown townland extends due west from the Georgian Johnstown House (now St. John's College) on Le Fanu Rd. It runs west to Kennelsfort Road and lies between St. Laurence townland (the St. Laurence House is now the West County Hotel) from the River Liffey and Chapelizod in the north, to Ballyfermot Upper/Blackditch on the south.

Transport
Palmerstown has some of the finest transport links of any Dublin suburb. The main public transport is Dublin Bus running via the N4 at Palmerstown village. Scheduled services run east to the city and west to Lucan, Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth. Route 26 operates from Liffey Valley to Dublin city via Kennelsfort Road Upper and Chapelizod. Route 18, a circular city route runs from the Old Lucan Road to Sandymount Green via many south Dublin suburbs including Walkinstown, Crumlin and Rathgar. Route G2 operates via the Coldcut road to Spencer Dock via Dublin city. Routes C1, C2, C3 and C4 operate via the Chapelizod Bypass to Ringsend or Sandymount via Dublin City. Palmerstown railway station on the Dublin and Lucan tramway, later part of the Dublin United Transport Company tram system, opened in November 1881 and closed on 13 April 1940.

Palmerstown Cemetery
Palmerstown Cemetery was originally opened in 1978. It is located on Kennelsfort Road, adjacent to Woodfarm Acres. It is currently being managed as part of the Glasnevin Trust.

title: Palmerstown


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Saggart

Saggart (Teach Sagard) is a village in County Dublin, Ireland, south west of Dublin city, in the local government area of South Dublin. It lies between the N7 (Naas Road), Rathcoole, Citywest and Tallaght. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in Ireland, with its population doubling between 2011 and 2022.

Name
A monk called Mosacra founded a settlement on the site of the village in the 7th century. The name Saggart derives from Teach Sacra which means "house of Sacra" in Irish.

History
A monastery existed just outside the village in the 7th century. The remains of this monastery are found on the grounds of an equestrian centre approximately 1.5 km from today's Saggart Village. After St Mosacra died, it became a nunnery with over 80 nuns living there until the Viking attacks of the 9th century.

By 1207, Saggart, or Tasagart, as it was then called by the Normans, had been made a prebend of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. In 1615, the church was reported as being in good repair but fifteen years later the church is stated to have fallen down, and the Protestant parishioners attended Rathcoole church. The current church was built in 1847.

From 1888 to 1932, the Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway stopped at Saggart.

Historical artifacts
Several objects of archaeological interest are located in Saggart, including a pair of megalithic standing stones in Boherboy, that are known locally as Adam and Eve. Nearby is the Raheen Standing Stone, a megalithic standing stone in a field on the Blessington Road, near Crooksling.

Nature
Saggart lies at the northern end of a mountain valley, the Slade of Saggart, with Brittas at the other side. The River Camac flows through this valley, passing around the village on the way to meet the River Liffey by Heuston Station. The great spotted woodpecker, Ireland's newest breeding bird, has been seen here.

Religion
The Roman Catholic parish boundaries include the areas of Rathcoole and Brittas and the parish works in conjunction with the neighbouring parish of St. Finian's, Newcastle. Dedicated in 1849, the Roman Catholic Church is named after "The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary". The current Parish Priest is Fr. John Gilligan.

Amenities
Saggart is a heritage village. It is home to the Citywest Hotel, which hosts many annual events including the Irish Masters, award ceremonies, and political ard fheiseanna. Citywest Business Campus is located just to the north of Saggart village and is home to many companies. The Citywest Shopping Centre, anchored by Dunnes Stores, is the only major shopping centre in the area and has a pharmacy, cafes and a range of other shops. There is also a service/petrol station, restaurants and a 4,000-seat convention centre at Citywest. The Citywest Business Campus also includes a Dublin City University facility. Jacob's Bar was established as a public house in the village by members of the Jacob family in 1901.

A new walking trail incorporating the Slade Valley is expected to be completed in the coming years. The section of the trail adjacent to Saggart Reservoir is currently under construction and runs alongside the boundary of the site. The development of the Slade Valley trail was marked as one of the Key Actions under the South Dublin County Council Tourism Strategy 2015-2020 where it is intended to take in Rathcoole, Saggart and Brittas with looped access to villages and other attractions.

Luas
Saggart Luas stop is one of two western termini for the Luas Red Line, the other being Tallaght. The line provides a direct link to Dublin city with a journey duration of 45 minutes.

Bus
Saggart is served by the Dublin Bus routes number 69 and W62.

Sport
St Mary's GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club and was founded in 1906.

Coolmine Equestrian Centre was established here in 1989. The equestrian centre is home to the remains of the 7th-century monastery of St Mo Sacra. The centre and CEAD-Ireland host equestrian activities and competitions and CEAD-Fest during the summer months.

Politics
For elections to South Dublin County Council, Saggart is part of the local electoral area of Clondalkin, along with Citywest, Rathcoole and Newcastle. Saggart is part of the Dáil constituency of Dublin Mid-West.

title: Saggart


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Skerries, Dublin

Skerries is a coastal town in Fingal, in the north of County Dublin, Ireland. Skerries was historically a fishing port and later a centre of hand embroidery. These industries declined in the early 20th century, however, and it became both a resort town and a commuter town for Dublin 30 km to the south. Offshore from the town are several islands, one of which is a nature reserve, Rockabill.

Etymology
The name Skerries comes from the Old Norse word sker (sceir), referring to a skerry − a small rocky island or reef which may be covered during high tide. In Irish this is pluralised as na sceirí.

Geography
Skerries is on gently sloping land approaching the coast, which is partly overlooked by low bluffs. There are hills around, including Mill Hill, where a windmill has long been sited. The town itself is built around three long streets - Strand Street, Church Street and Balbriggan Road, and between the surrounding hills and beaches. Skerries South Strand is a long sandy beach (2.5 km; 1½ miles long). Red Island, Mill Hill, Hillside, the nearby Ardgillan Park and Demesne, Barnageeragh and to a lesser extent Baldungan Castle, provide vantages overlooking the town.

The town has five islands off its coast: Shenick Island, St Patrick's, Colt and the island formation of Rockabill, which comprises "The Cow" and "The Calf", separated by a narrow channel. There is also Red Island, which is a tied island.

Rockabill has the largest number of breeding roseate terns in Europe. It is also the farthest set of islands from the town and has a lighthouse which is 4 miles from the nearest path on the mainland at Red Island.

The Martello tower on Shenick Island is one of a number of defensive towers erected during the Napoleonic Wars along the Irish coast by the British. The tower is situated 1 mile from the great windmill and a similar distance from both the Monument on Strand Street and the other Martello tower on Red Island. This forms an almost perfect arc through the major tall secular structures in the town with the Martello tower on Shenick at the centre. Shenick Island is accessible on foot at the lowest tides, but potentially problematic, due to turning tides. The other islands are harder to reach, but it is possible by boat. St Patrick's Island is so-called because Saint Patrick is reputed to have landed on the island.

Invasions and saints
Early writers tell how an island off Skerries was used as a landing place for an invasion, which happened in the second century C.E. This island was either Shenick or Red Island, which would have been a tidal island at the time. When the invaders landed, they formed ranks and at low tide marched to the mainland, where they were promptly defeated at the ancient settlement of Knocknagin, north of Balbriggan. The islands were previously known as the Islands of Cor possibly after the original inhabitants.

As noted, in AD 432, St. Patrick landed on Church Island, and according to the Annals of Inisfallen Saint Mochonna founded a monastery shortly afterwards.

In AD 797, the Vikings (or Danes) carried out one of their earliest raids in Ireland when they plundered the monastery on Church Island. As the origin of the name is Norse and many localities have Norse-based names, it is assumed that the Vikings did settle and occupy the area. Sitric, who was a son of a Dane called Murchard, re-founded the monastery on Church Island in 1120. He dedicated it to St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland. By this time, the Hiberno-Norse who had settled in Ireland had become Christians.

In 1148, Saint Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, arranged a synod on St. Patrick's island to settle differences between the Irish Christians and the Pope. Fifteen bishops, two hundred priests, and other clergy, were present.

The Middle Ages
In 1320, the manor of Skerries was granted to Sir Michael le Veel; his descendants Anglicised their name to Calf.

The Prior of Holmpatrick received permission to build a pier in 1496 from King Henry VII. At this time, Skerries was the property of the monastery of Holmpatrick and was known as the Port of Holmpatrick.

Reformation era
In 1565, after the Reformation, the monastery and its lands became the property of Thomas Fitzpatrick.

In the autumn of 1583, while the Catholic Church was illegal and underground, Archbishop Dermot O'Hurley arranged for a sea captain to smuggle him into Ireland from the French port of Le Croisic and drop him upon Holmpatrick Strand in Skerries. Archbishop O'Hurley, who later became one of the 24 Irish Catholic Martyrs, was met at Skerries by a priest named Fr. John Dillon, who accompanied him to Drogheda.

In 1605 the manor and lands of Holmpatrick were granted to Donogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of Thomond. The last Earl, Henry O'Brien, 8th Earl of Thomond, sold the manor and lands in 1721, including the town of Skerries, to the Hamilton family of Hacketstown. Comparisons between maps of Skerries drawn in 1703 and 1760 suggest that the Hamilton family was responsible for setting out the streets of the town as they are today.

Between 1863 and 1865 a monument to the memory of James Hans Hamilton, the local landlord and MP, was erected in Skerries. In 1897, Hamilton's son was granted the title of Lord Holmpatrick.

Early 20th century
After the 1916 rising, a British destroyer landed troops at Skerries to help the Dublin garrisons suppress the rising. 200 men of the North Staffordshire Regiment landed under the command of Captain Clay. To try to impede their progress to Dublin, local rebels blew up the bridge over the railway in Donabate. During the Irish Civil War in 1922, senior Anti-Treaty IRA leader Harry Boland was mortally wounded, officially while resisting arrest, by two officers of the National Army inside his lodgings at the Skerries Grand Hotel.

Holiday camps
The town's former school holiday camp, Gentours Children's Holiday Camp, was initially a "boys only" camp. Later it became Gentours Children's Holiday Camp.

In the late 1940s, a family holiday camp was built on Red Island by the Quinn family, founders of the Superquinn chain of supermarkets. The camp had 250 bedrooms all under one roof, along with dining and entertainment areas. In this respect, the accommodation at Red Island differed from more typical chalet facilities at other camps, such as Butlin's. The holiday business closed in the early 1970s. The ballroom continued in use as a concert venue, until all the buildings were demolished in the 1980s. Much of the Red Island site is now laid out as a public park.

Late 20th century
With a restoration starting in the late 20th century, the Skerries Mills consists of two restored and working windmills, a watermill, a museum and coffee shop. Now operated as a local amenity and tourist attraction, the sails on one of the windmills were damaged during storms in January 2007, but subsequently repaired.

In common with much of Dublin's hinterland, Skerries saw growth in residential property and associated prices during the late 1990s and early 21st century.

Education
The town has one second-level institution, Skerries Community College, originating from a merger in 1982 of the De La Salle College, Skerries Vocational School, and the local Holy Faith convent school. It is a co-educational school, unlike the institutions from which it formed. There are four primary schools in the town: Réalt na Mara National School, St. Patrick's National School, Holmpatrick National School and Educate Together Skerries National School.

Transport
The town is served by Skerries railway station, with most services terminating at Connolly and Pearse stations, Drogheda, and Dundalk. The 33 and 33A bus routes (operated by Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland respectively) pass through Skerries. The M1 motorway is the nearest major road to the town.

Martello towers

The two Martello towers in Skerries, at Red Island and Shenick Island, are part of a chain of 29 Martello towers in the Greater Dublin Area constructed in the early 19th century. They were built by the British, along the Irish and English coasts. They were to serve as protection from Napoleonic French armies (in the scenario of an invasion) and as an early warning system against an attack. The tower on Red Island was used as part of the Red Island Holiday Camp. Since that was demolished in the 1980s, the tower has stood alone.

Literary references
In Flann O'Brien's book The Dalkey Archive, Skerries is the location of the narrator's meeting with James Joyce. The narrator has heard a rumour that Joyce has returned from the continent and is working in a small country pub. He tracks him down to a place on the outskirts of Skerries, but Joyce denies all knowledge of "that filthy book" Ulysses.

Casey, one of Reegan's subordinate officers in John McGahern's first novel, The Barracks, is described as having previously been stationed in Skerries where he also met his wife, Teresa. In conversation with Elizabeth Reegan, the novel's protagonist, Casey describes his "great life there, near the city; the market gardening, places you couldn't throw a stone without breaking glass", while Teresa recalls the evening she met her husband: "You could still hear the music from the pavilion and it was comin' across from Red Island too, Mick Delahunty playing there that night. There was a big moon over the masts of the fishin' fleet. I knew he was mad for a court".

Music
Musicians from Skerries range from Tony Keeling and the Graduates in the showband days, through to extreme metal band Primordial which was formed in Skerries in the 1980s. Singer-songwriter Ryan O'Shaughnessy originates from Skerries, and represented Ireland in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.

Awards
Skerries has received several awards for its scenery, culture, and community activities. For example, Skerries came second in the 2014 Best Place to Live in Ireland awards. The town is also the only place to have won an award as an entire community at RTÉ & Rehab's People of the Year Awards in 2011. In 2016, Skerries was named Ireland's Tidiest Town by the Supervalu National Tidy Towns competition. Skerries was rated as one of Europe's ten most beautiful cities by the Eating Europe Food Tours blog.

Sport
Local sports clubs include Skerries Harps GAA (the local Gaelic Athletic Association club), Skerries Town Football Club (an association football (soccer) team), and Skerries RFC (the area's rugby union club).

Other clubs include Skerries Sailing Club, which is located by the harbour and is the home to a dinghy and cruiser fleet.

The Measle dinghy was designed locally and introduced in Skerries in 1960.

BirdWatch Ireland, Fingal branch, gives presentations and arranges outdoor events.

The town also hosts the annual Skerries 100 and Killalane motorcycle races.

Religion
Skerries is a parish in the Fingal North deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. Skerries is served by Holmpatrick St Patrick, Church of Ireland, and Skerries Methodist Church.

Folklore
According to local legend, while living on St Patrick's Island near Skerries, Saint Patrick only had a goat as company. On one occasion, while travelling from the island to convert those on the mainland, the goat was reputedly stolen and eaten. The legend then tells that Patrick took away the people of Skerries' ability to speak, reducing them to shrieking and bleating like goats and it was only when they admitted their crime that their voices returned. The goat is sometimes used as a symbol for Skerries.

Notable people

 * Steven Beattie, association footballer
 * Bobby Beggs, Gaelic footballer
 * Bryan Cullen, Gaelic footballer
 * Lyndsey Davey, Gaelic footballer
 * David Drumm, former CEO of Anglo Irish Bank
 * Fontaines D.C. lead singer, Grian Chatten
 * Ciarán Frawley, rugby player
 * Jim Glennon, former rugby player and politician
 * Thomas Hand, Irish revolutionary killed in the Irish War of Independence. Hand Street bears his name and there is a commemorative plaque outside his former house on Baltrasna Lane.
 * Killian Keane, rugby player
 * Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan, author and paleontologist
 * D. P. Moran, Irish nationalist writer
 * Alan O'Connor, rugby player

title: Skerries, Dublin