Lusk, Dublin
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| Lusk Lusca
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 Lusk
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| Coordinates: 53°31′34″N 6°10′01″W / 53.526°N 6.167°WCoordinates: 53°31′34″N 6°10′01″W / 53.526°N 6.167°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | Fingal |
| Elevation | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 5,236 |
| Irish Grid Reference | R746888 |
Lusk (Irish: Lusca) is a village in Ireland located 23 km (14 mi) north of Dublin city centre. The name "Lusk" is said to date back to St. MacCullin, who founded a church there c.450. Oral tradition suggests MacCullin may have either lived in or been buried in a cave and that the name "Lusk" derives from an old Gaelic word Lusca meaning 'cave' or 'underground chamber'. This is an untested theory however. The area was known as Bregia in pre-Christian times and is known to have been birthplace to CuChullain's wife, Emer. Thus we find a 20th century tradition among old Lusk families of naming daughters Emer.
In the 21st century, Lusk has an exploding population. The Central Statistical Office notes that 62% of all private dwellings in Lusk were built in the five years between 2001 and 2006. Census figures for the same period show a population explosion from c.2500 to over 5200. During most of the 20th century, the population remained fairly static. Census returns for 1901 and 1911 show a population 'boom' from about 300 to 600. In the early 50s, the Survey Gazetteer of The British Isles quotes a population of 513 for the village. Due to massive emigration in the 50s and 60s the later population actually declined. In the mid 50s for instance, the total number of children in the old NS, boys and girls, hovered around 120. The present NS opened in 1956 with about that number.
The railway station (Rush & Lusk) about 1ml East is shared with the coastal settlement of Rush.
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[edit] History
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As mentioned above the settlement has been associated with St. MacCullin since c.AD 450. The place also had associations with St. Maur, who nowadays connects with Rush (RosEo). The ruins of St. Maur's original church, or more likely its later replacement, are at the top of Whitestown hill, firmly in the parish of Rush. Lusk was plundered and burned several times in the 8th & 9th centuries by marauding Vikings, who eventually built a permanent settlement at Dubh Linn now Dublin.
The only tangible remnant of the early Christian foundation at Lusk is the Round Tower. It stands 27m high (originally some 32m high) which retains its original conical cap or so it seems, as the modern trap-door onto the rooftop suggests otherwise. Inside are nine 'floors' including the basement, which are likely to be due to unrecorded 'improvements' in or after the Middle Ages. The flat-headed doorway, which originally would have been some 15 ft (4.6 m) above the ground is now less than 1m above ground level. The tower either sunk or was buried some 4m over the centuries. The Round Tower is adjacent to a Norman square tower built against it in the 15th century. This building has three matching towers at its corners and is beautifully represented by an 18th cent. picture below. The square tower holds several medieval tombs including that of James Bermingham (1527) and the double-effigy tomb of Christopher Barnewall and his wife Marion Sharl (1589).
Fingal is the name given to that part of present day North County Dublin bounded by the Tolka River to the south and the Delvin River to the north. Fingal is considerably older than Dublin City, which was established by the Norsemen c.900 AD around the 'dubh linn' or black pool. Before Christendom and St. MacCullin, the area was the Celtic "Bregia", birthplace of CuChullain's wife, Emer whose clan (Gae. 'clann': family or tribe) resided in or near what we now know as Lusk.
The Round Tower at Lusk was built by 9th century Christians in an attempt to foil the Vikings, who were interested not only in the easy pickings but also the inhabitants themselves as a source of slave labour. As an interesting aside, a world-famous pipe band formed in 1910 and still as strong as ever is named the Black Raven Pipe Band. The black raven was very special to the Vikings. [See Iceland Daughter of Fire; Katharine Scherman 1976]. The entrance door to Lusk Round Tower, as with all such towers, was originally 4-5m above ground. Ladders were used to reach the entrance and then pulled up. (Refer to similar Round Towers at inter alia Glendalough, Ardmore, Clonmacnoise
On 26 May 2005 there was an attempted armed robbery of Lusk Post office, Main St. During this attempted robbery two gang members were shot dead by Gardai. The total incident lasted 21 seconds. In 2007 a third gang member was given a 10 year jail sentence for his role in the deadly raid www.independent.ie.
[edit] Civic elements
There are four national schools in the area: Lusk NS, Hedgestown NS, Corduff NS and Rush & Lusk "Educate Together".
Lusk is a village and a parish. The population of the village has quadrupled since the millennium and may continue to do so in spite of the current recession with new people from the EU, Africa, South America and many parts of Asia.
Lusk has always been an active village and the tradition not only persists but has added to its activity opportunities with a vengeance. The village accommodates a Soccer club, a GAA club (The Round Towers), a judo club, a motorcycle club, a pipe band (the Black Raven[2]), a ladies club (I.C.A.), kick-boxing club and card players (i.e. whist, bridge, and poker). It goes on to include a Farmers club, a heritage group, a historical society, a Tidy Towns group, a number of golf societies. Those interested in vintage cars, chess, tractors, scouts, machinery, photography, darts, pool, ballet dancing, ballroom dancing, Irish dancing and amateur dramatics are all catered for. There is also a kennel club, huntsmen on horseback, a senior citizens group, horse and dog racing groups, St Vincent de Paul Society, Meals on Wheels. Lusk has something for everyone.
Lusk Community Council Ltd (LCC) was set up to look after the village (as it was then) and liaise with Local Government and Councillors. LCC is a voluntary organisation whose responsibility has been to manage the Carnegie Library hall and the Old Church hall by the Round Tower. They also run the St Patrick’s Day parade each year.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_volume_1_pop_classified_by_area.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ^ ["www.blackravenpipeband.net" Black Raven Pipe Band Website]
