Rathcoole, Dublin

Rathcoole Rath Cúil
—  Town  —
Rathcoole Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°16′58″N 6°28′22″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	South Dublin
Elevation	148 m (486 ft)
Population (2006)
• Urban	3,200
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	O019268
Website	www.rathcoolevillage.com

Rathcoole (Irish: Rath Cúil, meaning "ringfort of Comhaill") is a suburban village, south west of Tallaght, Ireland, in South Dublin County. It lies just off the N7 national primary road. It borders the nearby village of Saggart.

Geography

There is a park maintained by South Dublin County Council at the eastern end of the Village. Beechwood Lawns is located in between the main street and the park. Forest Hills is the single largest housing development in Rathcoole, lying between Beechwood Lawns and the western end of the village. A recent housing development, Broadfield Manor, is at the southern end of Rathcoole.

Name

Rath is the Irish word for a ringfort, often erected by wealthy farmers or local chiefs. There are several forts in the parish of Rathcoole, and while there is no definite explanation for the name 'Rathcoole,' it could well be Rath Comhaill meaning 'the rath of Comhaill', the father of Fionn. Coole may also come from the Irish word for forest, 'coill'. The rath associated with Rathcoole is in a field between Rathcoole and Saggart.

Historical Notes

The village was the birthplace in 1765 of the United Irishman Felix Rourke. Like nearby Newcastle and Saggart, Rathcoole was on the periphery of the Pale and was the site of many battles with mountain-based rebels, particularly the noted Joyce clan.

In the late 18th century Rathcoole was composed mainly of mud huts, and as late as the early 20th century it consisted of only one street. Today it is home to more than two hundred and fifty businesses^{[citation needed]}.

Representation

Rathcoole is in the Dublin Mid West Dáil Éireann constituency and in the Clondalkin Local Electoral Area for county council elections (with Clondalkin, Newcastle and Saggart).

Education

Holy Family Community School at the western end of the village recently celebrated 25 years. It a secondary school for students form Rathcoole and those commuting from the nearby towns of Clondalkin and Tallaght and the villages of Saggart and Brittas. There is also Holy Family National School located at the western end of Forest Hills and a Gaelscoil in Rathcoole Village.

Amenities

Rathcoole has a well-maintained and landscaped park run by South Dublin County Council and a local community centre which caters for local events and training courses.

One of Rathcoole's best known pubs is An Poitin Stil, which is built on the site of an original inn house dating back to 1649. The other pubs in the area are Muldowneys, Baurnafea House, and The Rathcoole Inn. There are four off-licenses located in Rathcoole: Centra, Spar, An Poitin Stil and Tesco.

Sport

The Rathcoole football club is known as "Rathcoole Boys". The well known GAA club "Commercials Hurling Club" is located just off the Naas Road which has recently been fitted with a new bar in the upstairs of the main clubhouse. It was widely feared that constructing a bar in the middle of this busy road would endanger the lives of patrons, but as of mid-2009 no deaths have been reported. The local basketball club is known as "Rathcoole Rockets". Rathcoole is also well known for its famous former Olympic winning swimmer, Michelle Smith, who won 3 gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Rathcoole is close to a number of golf courses: Slade Valley, Citywest and Beech Park.

Twinned Town

• École-Valentin, fr:École-Valentin France officially twinned since 14 April 2000

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• Rathcoole Community Centre web site
• Village web site
• South Dublin County History
• South Dublin County Images