Phibsborough

Phibsborough Church

Phibsborough (Irish: Baile Phib),often now shortened to Phibsboro, is a neighbourhood in Dublin, Ireland.

Location

Phibsborough is located about two km north of the city centre. Designated as postal district 7, Phibsborough is bordered by Glasnevin to the north, Drumcondra to the east, Cabra to the north-west and Grangegorman to the west. The centre of Phibsborough is an intersection commonly known as Doyle's Corner.

Amenities and transport

The Royal Canal passes east to west along the northern boundary, separating Phibsborough from Glasnevin at Cross Guns Brige. A city bound spur of the canal went south beyond the old City Basin (Blessington Street Park) to Broadstone. The canal spur is now covered by a tree-lined linear park. The adjacent park road was built on the old canal bank and now consists of interesting variety of multi-period housing. It is appropriately called The Royal Canal Bank. The one km canal branch separated below the fifth lock of the Royal Canal's main line. It passed Mountjoy Gaol, and went under the North Circular Road by Blacquiere Bridge. It ran along the high banked eastern side of the Phibsborough Road. The Foster Aqueduct carried the canal over the Phibsborough Road to the terminus, a large harbour at Broadstone, directly opposite the Kings Inns at Constitution Hill.

Phibsborough is served by a host of Dublin Bus routes passing through outbound to the north city suburbs: numbers 4, 9, 38, 38a, 38b, 39n, 39x, 40n, 46a, 83, 120, 122 and 140. Inbound services serve the city Centre (An Lar), at the O'Connell and Henry Street intersection, where the Spire of Dublin, which now supplants Dublin's much lamented Nelson's Pillar, reaches skyward. The Broadstone Station and rail sheds were closed in 1937. These buildings constituted the Dublin Terminus, HQ, and railworks of the Midland Great Western Railway. It now serves as the administrative centre and district bus garage by Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus.

The impressive ninteenth century main building, fronted by a classical Egyptian style facade, is currently neglected if not quite derelect. It awaits redevelopment as part of a planned regeneration of the area. Broadstone is to be revived as the new Dublin northwest transit centre, in concert with the construction of the new Dublin Institute of Technology Campus at the adjacent Grangegorman site. This plan envisages reopening of the still intact permanent way route north to Navan. This will provide a DART service to the rapidly developing north Dublin-south Meath corridor.

Dalymount Park, the home of League of Ireland team Bohemian F.C., onece the venue for international football events, is located here. Croke Park, HQ of the G.A.A. Ireland's major international stadium, one of the largest stadia in Europe, is approximately two kilometres east at Ballybough. The National Botanic Gardens are situated in nearby Glasnevin.

A major Dublin teaching hospital, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, which is close to the Temple Street Children's Hospital is located here. In early June 2006 the Government announced plans to develop a new National Children's Hospital on a site adjoining the Mater Hospital. The project still awaits commencement.

History

Memorial to the Irish Volunteers, 'C' Coy., by Leo Broe, at junction of North Circular Road and Royal Canal Bank, a former spur of the Royal canal.

St. Peter's Catholic Church and schools date from 1862. Church construction proved to be a controversial affair, resulting in a long and costly law-suit. This dispute between the architect and builder ended in the Courts. It the required the intervention of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. All Saints Church of Ireland Parish Church, Phibsborough Road, was completed in 1904. The renowned Tractarian, Dr Maturin, was rector for many years, establishing a 'High Church' tradition of worship that endures. The beautiful interior has been restored in recent years, having suffered fire damage in 1968.

At the time of the Easter Rising, the de Valera family home was at 34, Munster Street. Phibsborough has a number of commemorative memorials including one to Sean Healy, a 15 year old member of the Fianna. Sean was one of two Phibsborough Road residents killed during the Rising, the other being James Kelly (18). Other participants in the War of Independence from the area include Harry Boland who was born in Phibsborough and grew up there. His friend Dick McKee was born at Phibsborough Road. One of The Forgotten Ten, Bernard Ryan, lived here until his execution in Mountjoy Jail. The sculpture by Leo Broe at Royal Canal Bank was commissioned in memory of the local contingent of Irish Volunteers, established following a public rally at nearby Parnell Square in 1913.

During his early years, James Joyce and his family lived at No. 7, St. Peter's Road.

“

In silence they drove along Phibsborough Road. An empty hearse trotted by, coming from the cemetery: looks relieved. Crossguns bridge: the Royal canal. Water rushed roaring through the sluices. A man stood on his dropping barge, between clamps of turf. On the towpath by the lock a slacktethered horse. Aboard of the Bugabu.

”

Ulysses, James Joyce

Development

The Phibsborough area along with Glasnevin relates to the north city Central Business District (CBD) very much in the way that Rathmines and Ranelagh relate to the south city CBD. The convenient location combined with easy access and good public transport facilities led to the conversion of larger homes into bedsitter flats during the nineteen sixties. The advent of economic advancement during the Celtic tiger boom saw demand for new apartment and townhouse projects. This also provided an opportunity for the conversion of historic eighteenth and nineteenth century properties. Semi-derelect properties and some architectural curiosities were converted into modern apartments while maintaining in their historic shells. Many Phibsborough families restored their Victorian and Edwardian houses to their original appearance. Numerous landlord renovators have converted bedsitters back to single family homes. Streetscape Victorian and Edwardian elegance was retained, while the lifestyle was augmented by the mod cons of twentyfirst century living. The new apartments cater to the needs of young professionals, close to work and recreational facilities. Developers have also secured planning permission to upgrade the existing Phibsborough Shopping Centre. This attractive area now retains much of its original architecture. The restored terraces of pink, biscuit and red-brick houses complement the converted historic churches, banks and offices. A range of small historic Christian churches are evidence of the well mixed affiliations and religious tolerance of middle class Dublin at the turn of the 19th century.

Several traditional Victorian era 'Dublin' pubs such as Doyles, Smiths, Mc Geoughs (formerly Geoghegans) and The Hut still trade briskly. Recently, the government announced plans to close the appallingly inadequate Mountjoy Gaol and transfer the operations to Thornhill, a purpose built prison in Fingal. The development of the DIT campus at nearby Grangegorman will have a massive impact on the future of the whole quarter. Given the uncertainty resulting from the GFC downturn, however, much of the redevelopment of DIT, Broadstone, Phibsborough Shopping Centre and Dalymount Park has been postponed temporarily.

Music, Arts, Media

The first Phibsborough community arts festival, Phizzfest, took place from 9 to 12 September 2010. Among the writers that took part were Anne Enright and Dermot Bolger.

Notable residents

• Seóirse Bodley, composer and arranger.
• Harry Boland, politician and member of the First Dáil.
• Desmond Cardinal Connell Archbishop of Dublin.
• Michael Gambon, actor.
• Joe Geoghegan, musician with Dublin's Dreams and Toronto's Pendulum'.
• Philip Greene, RTÉ sports broadcaster.
• Robert 'Pino' Harris, Irish franchisee for Hino and Izusu truck sales, and property investor.
• James Joyce, author.
• Gearoid Manning O.P., Provincial Emeritus of the Irish Dominicans.
• Dick McKee, republican revolutionary.
• Bernard Ryan, republican revolutionary.
• Eamon de Valera, former Taoiseach and President of Ireland.

External links

• Bohemian F.C.
• Census of Ireland, Dublin 1911
• Photo tour of the Broadstone Line of the Royal Canal.
• Draft Local Area Plan and Environmental Report for Phibsborough / Mountjoy
• View of Dublin city from Blaquiere Bridge (formerly located between Phibsboro library and the Leo Broe monument), early 19th century.
• Engraving of The Foster Aqueduct from The Dublin Penny Journal, 1835,
• St. Peter's Church, Phibsborough - A History extract from A History of Cabra and Phibsborough, Bernard Neary, 1978.