Drimnagh
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Drimnagh (Irish: Droimneach) is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Southside of the city between Walkinstown, Crumlin and Inchicore, bordered by the Grand Canal to the north and east. Drimnagh is in postal district Dublin 12.
History
Early to Medieval
Drimnagh derives its name from the word druimneach, or country with ridges. A Neolithic settlement discovered, and a funerary bowl found in a burial site. The site was demolished, but the bowl is on view in the National Museum.
The lands of Drimnagh were taken from their Irish owners by Strongbow, who gave them to the Barnwell family, who had arrived in Ireland with Strongbow in 1167 and had settled in Berehaven in Munster. The people of Munster killed the family except for Hugh de Barnwell, and it was this youth who was given Drimnagh as compensation. The lands and castle were considered safe, for they were far enough away from the Dublin mountains which held Irish strongholds.
Modern history
Drimnagh was farmland until the mid-1930s, when some of the first tenement clearances brought city centre residents from one-room hovels to terraced and semi-detached houses in a series of roads named after the mountain ranges of Ireland. The suburb consists of one area close to Drimnagh Castle and Lansdowne Valley, with three-bedroom private housing built by Associated Properties, and another area (the larger part) built by Dublin Corporation and consisting of three bedroom 'Kitchen Houses' and two bedroom 'Parlour Houses' and bordering the Grand Canal and Crumlin. The two areas meet at the parish church, the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, in the centre of Drimnagh, built in 1943.
The Dublin Corporation housing area was originally considered part of an area known as North Crumlin from its construction in the mid-1930s until the introduction of the postal code system during the mid-1970s.
Notable people
- Patrick Bergin, actor
- Gabriel Byrne, actor
- Patricia Cahill, singer
- Michael Carruth, boxer, boxed for Drimnagh but is from Greenhills
- Frank Clarke, Chief Justice of Ireland
- Eamonn Coghlan, athlete
- Aisling Daly, MMA
- Dean Delany, footballer
- Alan Dukes, former Fine Gael leader, born in the area
- Tom Dunne, musician, broadcaster
- Tony Dunne, footballer
- Jimmy Holmes, footballer
- Patrick Kavanagh, Olympic footballer
- James Keane, musician
- Seán Keane, fiddle player of The Chieftains
- Brian Kerr, former Irish international football team manager
- Kevin Moran, footballer
- Rick O'Shea, broadcaster
- Seán Potts, musician
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers, actor and musician
- Philip Sutcliffe, two-time Olympic boxer
- Colm Wilkinson, actor and singer
- Enda Stevens, footballer
Places of interest
- Drimnagh Castle is the only castle in Ireland which still has a moat encircling it, and is one of Dublin's few remaining medieval castles. It dates from the 12th century and was built by the Barnwell family.
- Mourne Road Church[1] is at the centre of Drimnagh.
- Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin is located within Drimnagh.[citation needed]
Sport
- Guinness Rugby Football Club – based at the Iveagh Grounds.
- Good Counsel GAA – have operated in the Drimnagh area since 1954.
- St James Gaels GAA – also based at the Iveagh Grounds.
- Football Clubs include Mourne Celtic, Drimnagh Celtic and St. John Bosco.
- Drimnagh Boxíng Club on Keeper road
- Parkrun every Saturday morning at Brickfield Park.
Education
- Drimnagh Castle CBS is a primary and secondary school for boys which was built in 1954 right next to the site of the castle. Over the past 50 years notable students included the politician Charlie O'Connor; footballers Kevin Moran, Niall Quinn, Dean Delaney and Graham Barrett, and radio presenters Rick O'Shea (RTE), Andy Preston (Ian Moore, FM104), and Chris Murray (Anthony Hanlon, LMFM).
- Our Lady of Good Counsel School on Mourne Road
- St John Bosco Youth Centre
Transport
Drimnagh Luas stop is served by the Luas Red Line. The area is also served by Dublin Bus.