Castleknock

Castleknock (Irish: Caisleán Cnucha, meaning 'Cnucha's Castle') is a suburb and a suburban village in the west of Fingal county, within the old County Dublin. It is located 8 km (5 mi) west of the centre of Dublin, in Ireland.

Castleknock is also a civil parish in the barony of the same name. A barony is an old administrative division of which the village and suburb form a small part. This barony, one of seven and a half comprising County Dublin, stretches from Cabra to Blanchardstown (from east to west) and from Finglas to Chapelizod (from north to south).

Location and access

The village is located just inside the city's M50 motorway ring road, bordered to the west by the large suburb of Blanchardstown, to the east by the Phoenix Park, to the north by Dunsink and to the south by the village of Chapelizod above the Liffey valley. The Royal Canal and the Dublin-Sligo railway line pass through the area from east to west.

The village of Castleknock is in the Dublin 15 postal area.

Transport

Public transport in Castleknock is provided by Dublin Bus. The privately owned URBus serves Swords via Dublin Airport. A commuter train station on the Western Suburban Maynooth line. Castleknock railway station opened on 2 July 1990. The Navan Road / N3 is the main road artery.

Future plans

As part of the government's "Transport 21" strategy, a Metro line is planned, from the southern suburb of Tallaght, through the neighbourhood of Castleknock, to Dublin Airport. Quoting from the plans:

"The path of the Metro will first swing into Dublin 15 at the south end of Castleknock golf course and proceed past Porterstown playing pitches where it is hoped to have “minimal impact.” The stop at Porterstown will be directly above the current Maynooth train line allowing the potential in the future to integrate the two services. Another stop will be provided at the Millennium Park with the line going around the park’s perimeter rather than cutting through it as had originally been envisaged. It will then proceed around by McDonalds before its major stop in Dublin 15 adjacent to Draíocht, the Civic Offices, and the shopping centre. Its path will then continue around the Westend side of the shopping centre, past Westpoint where it will cross the Navan Road and go up the Snugborough Road."

History

St. Brigid is the patron saint of the village.

Mythic Milesian period

"During the Milesian era Castleknock is named as one of twenty-five places at which Conmhaol of the race of Eber, while holding the sovereignty of Ireland, defeated in battle the descendants of Eremon,' and a Celtic writer mentions that Castleknock was sometimes known as duma meic Eremon, or the duma of the sons of Eremon.' The mention of a duma shows that there was at a very early time an eminence of note at Castleknock ; the duma may have been, Mr. Westropp observes, used for purposes of residence, sepulchre, or outlook, or, as in the case of Duma Selga, for all three."

In a poem relating to the earliest centuries after Christ the origin of the name Cnucha is connected with Conn of the Hundred Battles, and the name is said to have been borne by his foster-mother: —

The nurse of Conn who loved this strip of land

Was Cnucha of the comely head;

She dwelt on the dun with him

In the reign of Conn of the Hundred Fights.

Cnucha, the daughter of Concadh Cas,

From the land of Luimncach broad and green,

Died yonder in that house

To the horror of the Gaels.

The woman was buried, a grief it was.

In the very middle of the hill ;

So that from that on Cnucha

Is its name until the judgment.

Feudal period

The feudal Barony of Castleknock was created by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath and granted in 1177 to Hugh Tyrrell. It was held for three and a half knight's fees, owed to the superior Lord of Fingal. It later passed to the Viscount Gormanston.

20th century

File:Castleknock village old.jpg

Castleknock was a rural village in western County Dublin until the late 1960s, when the first housing estates began to be developed. Castleknock developed in tandem with neighbouring settlement Blanchardstown, both of which grew rapidly from the early 1970s to the present. During the 1970s and 1980s, the village became subsumed into the suburban fabric of Dublin.

Planning controversies

Local representatives have criticised developments which they say are to the detriment of the local character and integrity of the village.

In February 2010, there were concerns about the fate of the old post office when hoarding was erected around the site. However, "proposed work involves a high quality restoration of the building to its former state after many years during which it has remained vacant."

Castleknock today

Features

• Castleknock Castle is located in the grounds of Castleknock College.

• The Abbey of St. Brigid (or Bridget) was founded in A.D. 1184 by the second Baron of Castkeknock, Richard Tyrell, and was run by the Augustinian Canons Regular. Following the English Reformation and the dissolution of the abbeys under Henry VIII of England, the Abbey was destroyed and in 1609 a church was built on the site for the use of the Church of Ireland. The foundation stone of the church, which is in use today, still on the site of the Abbey, was laid in 1803.

• In the neighbouring townland of Diswellstown there is a historic "rag well" - a holy well near which rags were left. Although it still flows, it was "buried" by the County Council, and its site is now marked by a carved flagstone. Nearby the Diswellstown Stream, which rises near Castleknock village, flows west and then turns sharply south, taking in a streamlet from Carpenterstown, before running down to the Liffey in a narrow steep valley.

• Farmleigh- an estate of 78 acres (32 ha) situated to the north-west of Dublin's Phoenix Park. The Government bought the estate from the Guinness family for €29.2 million in 1999 and spent €23 million refurbishing it. Quoting from the article: "One of the main reasons cited by the Government for buying the former Guinness estate was that it would be an official State guest house for visiting heads of State and dignitaries. However, it "was used to accommodate only two visiting dignitaries last year". In the interests of balance, the article goes on to say that "While the house has not been inundated with foreign dignitaries, it has proved popular with the public. Some 245,937 members of the public visited Farmleigh last year".

Amenities and businesses

Retail outlets

In the village proper may be found the Castleknock Village Centre, Castlecourt Shopping Centre and Ashleigh Centre shopping precincts which contain a variety of small local businesses and restaurants. The Post Office is located in the Castlecourt Shopping Centre (having previously been in the Castleknock Village Centre for many years).

Note: the original Post Office is immediately to the left hand side of the two storey corner building visible in the photograph above.

Health care

There are three Health Centres that serve Castleknock and, more generally, the Dublin 15 area, located at Riverside, Corduff and Roselawn.

State bodies

The National Food Centre is in Castleknock.

Education

Primary schools

• St. Brigid's, locally known as Castleknock National School (Church of Ireland)
• St. Brigid's National School (Roman Catholic Church)
• Castleknock Educate Together National School (non-denominational), located beside the Castleknock Tennis Club
• Scoil Thomais (Saint Thomas' School in English) (Roman Catholic Church), located at the corner of "Castleknock Vale" and "Castleknock Rise".
• St Patrick's NS Diswellstown, Castleknock, Dublin 15

Secondary Schools

• Castleknock College for boys, run by the priests of the Vincentian Order (Roman Catholic Church) since 1835, which was exclusively a boarding school until 1987, following which "day" pupils were admitted. It is now "day-only", as the boarding house was closed down in 2006.
• Castleknock Community College, serving both boys and girls, located in Carpenterstown (a townland in the civil parish of Castleknock).
• Mount Sackville School for girls, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny (Roman Catholic Church) since 1864. Although located in the townland of Knockmaroon and close to the village of Chapelizod, the school is within the boundary of the Fingal County. Mount Sackville is a fee-paying school with a student population of over 630 pupils.

Sports and community groups

Sport

• The National Aquatic Centre was established by the Government to be the premier venue for competitive swimming, diving and water polo in Ireland, and contains both sporting facilities and a leisure "water park".
• The largest tennis facility in Ireland, which was home to tennis for the 2004 Special Olympics.
• Gaelic games are played at Castleknock Hurling and Football Club whose new 23-acre (93,000 m²) "Castleknock Community Park" will be the club's home.
• St. Brigid's GAA Club play in Dr. Tom Russell Park (Old Navan Rd, Castleknock) and is one of the largest clubs in the country. The club has five adult teams, including two senior teams and an intermediate team. Russell Park also boasts the largest all-weather pitch in Ireland.
• Golf in Castleknock is well served

• Castleknock Golf Club. Located 1 mile west of the village. Beside Castleknock Hotel
• Luttrellstown Golf Club. Located 2 miles west of the village.
• Municipal course at Elm Green Located about 1 mile south east of the village beside Dunsink.

• The local soccer club Castleknock Celtic FC has over 600 playing members.
• Rugby Union is played at Coolmine RFC.

Community groups

• There are a number of residents associations.
• Riverwood Residents Association
• There is an active Tidy Towns Committee.
• Castleknock Community Centre, in the Laurel Lodge area, hosts a range of social, sporting and charitable groups.

Government and representation

Castleknock is located the Fingal County Council area (following the abolition of County Dublin as an administrative division of the state) and in the 2009 local elections for the Castleknock ward, which covers more than the Castleknock area, the following candidates were elected to the four seats (with percentage share of first preference vote): Joe Higgins (Socialist Party) 28.07%, Eithne Loftus (Fine Gael) 22.45%, Peggy Hamill (Labour) 16.32% and Mags Murray (Fianna Fail) 12.44%.

Castleknock is in the Dublin West electoral constituency.

People

• Colin Farrell, actor
• Eamonn Coghlan, former Olympic athlete
• Amanda Byram, TV presenter
• Rock group Fight Like Apes
• Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• Local Government Act, 2001
• History of Castleknock Church of Ireland
• Official "Transport 21" site
• The National Aquatic Centre
• Castleknock Hurling & Football Club
• Official Castleknock College website
• Official Mount Sackville School website
• Health Centres in Dublin North West
• Castleknock Motte and Bailey at MegalithicIreland