Ballyfermot

Ballyfermot (Irish: Baile Formaid) is a suburb in the city of Dublin, Ireland, located 7 kilometres due west from the city centre, and to the south of the Phoenix Park. It is bordered to the north by Chapelizod, to the south by Walkinstown, to the east by Inchicore, and to the west by Palmerstown and Clondalkin. The River Liffey lies to the north, and the Grand Canal, now a recreational waterway, borders the south. Ballyfermot is designated as postal district Dublin 10.

History

Ballyfermot derives its name from the Old Gaelic for Dermot's Town, Baile Formaid. It was named for a local chieftain, Dermot Mac Giolla Mocholmog, who lived here around the turn of the first millennium. The Mac Giolla Mocholmog were an ancient sept who ruled the cantred of Ui Dunchada. Ancient Ui Dunchada covered much of the medieval Barony of Newcastle. It extended across south west Dublin from the Liffey to north west Wicklow. The sept held sway in commercial activity in and around the Danish city of Dyflin. They had a storehouse at Mocholmog's lane (now St. Michael's Lane) opposite the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity ( Christ Church ).

The 12th century saw the Cambro-Normans expand west from Pembroke in South Wales into Leinster. Under the auspices of the Papal Bull Laudabiliter, the knights and their retinue arrived at Wexford in 1169 as allies of Dermot Mc Murrough of Leinster. Mc Murrough was at war with Roderick O'Connor of Connacht, the Ard Ri, and O'Rourke Breffney. The newcomers moved northwards into the midlands province of Meath, and captured Danish Dyflin.

Through feudal grants and intermarriage the Cambro Norman knights came into possession of land in Ballyfermot. Family names associated with the west Dublin area at this time included O'Cathasaidhe, Fitzwilliam, Le Gros (Large), O'Dualainghe, Tyrell, O'Hennessy, O'Morchain, Dillon, O'Kelly, De Barneval (Barnewall), and Newcomyn (Comyn).

Ballyfermot Castle was built in the fourteenth century by Wolfram De Barneval as a stronghold against the formidable O'Byrnes and O'Tooles. They were relatives of the Mac Giolla Mocholmog who by this time had intermarried with the Normans and were called FitzDermot. The Gaelic Irish families had been discommoded from their aboriginal territory around Naas. They were driven south into the wooded hills. Unlike their FitzDermot relatives, they had not integrated with the Norman Irish. They frequently raided, rustled and burned local bawn enclosures from their inaccessible hillside encampments.

Ballyfermot Castle eventually devolved to the Newcomyn family, who held it well into the seventeenth century. Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland places a Captain Lamplin as living there in 1834, possibly the last resident. The castle is reputed to have been destroyed by fire. Ballyfermot House, known locally as the tiled house, stood on Le Fanu road to the north of the castle's aquaculture pond. Built in the seventeenth century, the house had a quirky slated facade in the Dutch style. It was home to Lt. Joseph Lampier and his wife Bridget Cavanaugh of Goldenbridge around this time. The tiled house was demolished and the aquaculture pond was covered over during the landscaping and railing of Le Fanu Park.

The nineteenth century newspaper publisher and writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, proprietor of the Dublin Evening Mail lived in nearby Chapelizod when not in residence his city townhouse. Ballyfermot and Chapelizod feature in his novel The House by the Churchyard and some of his other works. This house still adjoins St. Laurence's parish churchyard in Chapelizod. The eighteenth century church, alongside the original medieval bell tower, is still in use. It serves the united parish of Ballyfermot, Palmerstown, and Chapelizod in the Church of Ireland. Le Fanu Road is named after him, as is Le Fanu Park, referred to locally as The Lawns. Le Fanu was a mentor of the writer Bram Stoker author of Dracula, who did the theater reviews for his newspaper The Dublin Evening Mail.

At the south end of Le Fanu Park is a mound which covers a local historical site containing the ruins and graveyard of the rectory chapel of St. Laurence. It is believed to have originated as a Ceile Dé monastic establishment of the Celtic Christian Church, although not on the scale of Tallaght Maelruain or Kilnamanagh. The ruins had interesting beehive shape cells, and the church was reputed to display a Sheela Na Gig ( Sile Na Gighe ) over its main portal. It served Ballyfermot and the surrounding townlands into the late seventeenth century.

Among the local people buried here are members of the Newcomyn and Barnewall families. Sir Jacob Newcomyn, Baron of Newcastle is buried here. He was a casualty of the civil wars then raging in Britain and Ireland. His wife, Elizabeth (Barnewall of Drimnagh Castle) who died in 1643 is buried alongside him. The Newcomyns were influential in Irish governance and legal circles. They resided at Ballyfermot Castle which stood in the nearby park. The great park lay to the north and west of the castle. This influential noble family intermarried with the Barnwalls of Drimnagh, the Plunketts of Malahide and the St. Lawrences of Howth. They also married into the Fitzgeralds of Maynooth, and the Nugents, Husseys, Geoghegans and Nagles of Meath and Westmeath. They lost much of their authority and land holdings after the defeat of King James by the forces of William and Mary in 1691. They had supported the defeated Jacobites. Dublin City Council covered the remaining ruin with topsoil, keeping its contents intact for future historical research. Close by was the desmesne home farm, last occupied by the Corrigan family. It was originally surrounded by the walled orchard and gardens.

Local manor houses of note include Johnstown House (St. John's College), Colepark House, Sarsfield House, Sevenoaks, Floraville, Auburn Villa and Gallanstown House. The Ballyfermot townlands were transferred from the Barony of Newcastle to the Barony of Uppercross in the nineteenth century.

The dairy and stud farms in the townlands of Ballyfermot were acquired by the authorities in the 1930s.They were developed into suburban housing estates needed to alleviate the post war housing shortage. This development, along with estates at Drimnagh, Crumlin, Walkinstown in the south city, and Cabra, Finglas and Donnycarney in the north city also provided modern accommodation to facilitate the city slum clearance programs. The first estate was built in the late 1940s at Ballyfermot Lower and was originally called the Sarsfield Estate. The street names reflect this historical theme. The adjacent townlands of Ballyfermot Upper, Johnstown, Blackditch, Cherry Orchard, Raheen and Gallanstown were subsequently developed, and incorporated into Dublin 10.

Commerce

The area is now a centre of national commercial distribution, with easy access to the national trunk roads. Ballyfermot is bordered to the north by the N4, to the south by the N7 and to the west by the M50. There is also relative ease of access to the city centre. Some of the major Irish motor distributors are based in Ballyfermot. They include Toyota, Nissan, General Motors, J. C. Bamford (JCB), Harris Assembly and Hilux. They are centred around Kylemore Road, home to many large companies including Thornton's Recycling, C&C, FBD, and Royal Liver Insurance. The industrial estates include Park West and JFK. There are several hotels in the area. Days Hotel at Park West and Sheldon Park on Kylemore and Bewleys at Newlands are popular. A community based CCTV monitoring scheme for Ballyfermot was launched in early 2003. This is part of the Department of Justice Town Centre CCTV monitoring initiative.

Transport

Currently, Dublin Bus (routes 78, 78A, 79, 79A, 76, 76A, 76B, 18, 26, 210) and Dualway(123) serve the area. An hourly commuter train service is offered by Irish Rail, to Heuston station at Kingsbridge. The local station is Cherry Orchard/ParkWest Station, which is located on the ParkWest Road on the western perimeter of Ballyfermot. The train station was moved from its previous location during 2008. A proposed Dublin Metro route passes to the south. The Luas light rail system also serves Ballyfermot. The south side stop is near the Kylemore and Naas Road intersection.

Amenities

Parks

The California Hills Park is the largest recreational park in the area. The name originated as a colloquialism - there were few designated play facilities in the very early days and the California Hills was the name used by local movie going kids who played 'Cowboys and Indians' there. The name later became official by popular public request, described as a welcome change from the custom of naming parks after political figures. The park covers part of the great esker and overlooks the Liffey Valley from the south. From Le Fanu and Kylemore Roads to the east, it falls away into the landscaped valley of a Liffey catchment. It runs west parallel with the Old Lucan Road. Glenaulin and Drumfin Roads adjoin the park as it stretches in a crescent to Palmerstown. The Chapelizod Bypass runs North West alongside. Kylemore Road joins the motorway near the West County Hotel. California Hills Park has superb high views north over the Strawberry Beds to the Phoenix Park. The Farmleigh desmene clock tower at Castleknock is prominent. The park is used for football, golf practise, cross country runs and walks and includes a children's play area. Ballyfermot Leisure Co-Op is located at the Gurtin Park end of this park.

The magnificent Irish National War Memorial, Memorial Gardens and Park, designed by Sir Edwin Luytens, are accessible from the Sarsfield Road via East Timor Park.

Other parks located in the area include Le Fanu Park, Glenaulin Sports Park, Markievitz Park, East Timor Park, and Cherry Orchard Park. Cherry Orchard Park area is the proposed site for a new Village Centre. Le Fanu Park houses the Ballyfermot Leisure Centre and The Base.

The Grand Canal

The Grand Canal was a legacy of James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster. Fitzgerald was a dynamic economic progressive. His Grand Canal (Ireland) company built this then state of the art facility for Irish trade, commercial and personal transportation in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Canal is now a recreational waterway. It passes along the south side of Ballyfermot. Verdant towpath walkways extend continuously to Hazelhatch, Co. Kildare. An historic bridge crosses the canal near the seventh lock at Killeen.

Medical Facilities

Cherry Orchard Hospital houses the National Infections Monitoring Centre. The centre played a pivotal role in diagnostics and control during the Foot and Mouth Crisis. It also monitors the Bird Flu epidemic. The hospital also plays a major role in the analysis and diagnoses of MRSA. MRSA is a major health hazard for Irish hospitals. During April and May 2009 the hospital played a major role in the monitoring and control of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) outbreak of 2009.

The Ballyfermot Medical Clinic is located on the main throughfare through Ballyfermot at the junction of Drumfinn Road, next to the Ballyfermot Civic Centre. This clinic facilitates Dental and General Practice and general nursing services to the public. Ballyfermot Medical Clinic is owned and operated by the HSE.

The Hermitage Medical Clinic is located in close proximity to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, just off the N4 motorway. The Hermitage Hospital is a 101 bed private facility with specialised medical teams who provide medical, surgical and advanced radiotherapy care to patients. The hospital is privately run. Its principal investors are Sean Mulryan, Larry Goodman, John Flynn and George Duffy M.D.

Public Institutions

Cloverhill Courthouse and Remand Centre are located between Clondalkin, Palmerstown, and Ballyfermot in Dublin 10. Wheatfield Prison is located on the same site adjacent to the Courthouse.

Education

Primary Schools

• De La Salle National School
• Mary Queen of Angels National Schools
• St. Louise's Junior & Senior National Schools
• Dominican Convent Primary School (The Dominican Primary School complex includes St Michael's, St Raphael's and St Gabriel's National Schools)
• St. Ultan's National School

Secondary Schools

• Kylemore College
• St John's College De La Salle
• Dominican Convent Secondary School
• Caritas College

Third Level Colleges

• Ballyfermot College of Further Education

Social and Cultural

The Ballyfermot Community Festival takes place annually. It has developed into a major event over the last few years.

Pubs and restaurants in the area include Downeys, Fitzgerald's, Chasers, Tim Youngs, Decies County, and Fowlers County Bar. The Gala is the largest bingo venue in the area. It also houses a large snooker hall. The Gala has seen many recreational uses since its heyday as the major local cinema and concert venue. It opened in 1953. People who grew up here have fond and nostalgic memories of childhood Saturday matinees, complete with weekly episodes of Batman and Super Man. This serial movie was called 'The Follier Upper'. The De La Salle Boys Band under the baton of bandmaster Brother Cyprian played its annual Christmas ' Rocking Spotlight Concert ' at the Gala.

The junction of Le Fanu Road and Ballyfermot Road known as Grange Cross was the location of champion boxer Eddie Downey's Ritz Ballroom. A popular venue in the early rock and roll era, it featured the capital's top rated rock and showbands. Major attractions included John Hardy's Blue Clavons and The Melochords featuring Dickie Rock. The Young Shadows, a local showband that went on to national fame began here in the early sixties. It made its national debut on RTÉ's Showband Show in August 1963 live in black and white. Pat Long sang with Liam Campelli and Eamon Pollard on guitars, Paddy O' Keefe on bass, Paddy Holgate on drums, Jimmy O' Neill on trumpet and band leader Joe Geoghegan on sax. The ballroom site now houses a complex of modern retail shopping outlets. Fossets Circus used to hoist the Big Top, complete with carousel, swingboats and midway on the Lawns in May and September.

There are a variety of seniors activities, which are sponsored by churches, pubs and clubs. Some of the most successful events and outings are organised by the seniors themselves.

The Civic Centre shares space with the Ballyfermot Residents Association. A ground breaking Irish movement, B.R.A. has been a popular venue for local events since its inception in the seventies, and features a popular weekly disco.

Ballyfermot Public Library serves the area. The is served by several reading clubs.Details of these can be found in the Public Library, The Civic Centre, and the various community centres. The Library also hosts the Nature Club.

St. Matthews Community Centre is located adjacent to St. Matthews Church[1].

The Base is a popular youth centre & child care facility. It is located at Blackditch Road in Le Fanu Park. The Base is a multifaceted community centre and the first facility of its kind in Ireland. A full description of its many activities, facilities, structure and scope are available at www.thebase.ie

Sport

Football

The Cherry Orchard Football Club takes part in the FAI Carlsberg Senior Cup soccer competition. A number of players who started with this team have gone on to play professional football in the English Premiership and its associated Divisions. Footballers Andy Reid Sunderland FC, Willo Flood Celtic FC, Alan Quinn Sheffield United Glenn Whelan Sheffield Wednesday and Patrick McKenna played for Cherry Orchard. Irish international Seán O'Connor plays for Saint Patrick's Athletic in Ireland's Premier League. John Wilkes, the recently retired manager, has been credited with nurturing some of Cherry orchard FC's notable successes. Ballyfermot United FC shares the origins of Cherry Orchard FC with Joe Kelly. The Ballyfermot United FC Social Club is located close to Le Fanu Park. Other clubs include the Black Diamonds, C.I.E. Ranch, O.L.V and the newly formed Orchard Celtic.

GAA

There are two senior Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) clubs. Ballyfermot De La Salle, formed in 1953 as Ballyfermot Gaels and is the biggest sports club in Ballyfermot boasting over 300 successful youth players and 2 senior teams, and Liffey Gaels who play their games in Inchicore to be honest. De La Salle play their senior games in the Drumfin/Glenaulin Sports Park, located on the west side of California Hills Park. They play their junior fixtures at the facilities located behind the De La Salle Primary Schools on Ballyfermot Road. The Liffey Gaels play their home games at East Timor Park on Sarsfield Road.

Rugby Union

Guinness Rugby Football Club (Guinness R.F.C.) is located at the Iveagh Sports Grounds, Crumlin.

Boxing

St. Matthews Boxing Club[2] is located on Drumfinn Road adjacent to the grounds of Mary Queen of Angels National School, close to Ballyfermot Garda Station.

Other Sports

The Pigeon Club near Sarsfield Park reflects a local tradition. Badminton, martial arts, snooker, pool, bowling, squash, handball, raquetball, indoor go-karting, tennis, pitch and putt, fishing, boules, rock-climbing, River Liffey rowing, and table tennis are all represented by local clubs.

Leisure Centres

Ballyfermot Leisure Centre www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/SportsFacilities/LeisureCentres/Pages/BallyfermotLeisureCentre.aspx] is located on Le Fanu Road. The centre is the largest in the area. The facilities include:

• 25 metre six lane pool with moveable floor
• Six 5-a-side all weather football pitches
• Fully equipped gymnasium
• Sauna
• Steam Room
• Large aerobic studio
• Fully Marked Sportshall

Ballyfermot Leisure Co-Op (BLCO)[3] is located on Gurteen Road adjacent to Mary Queen of Angels National School. The facilities include:

• Handball Alley
• Raquetball Court
• 2 Squash Courts
• Indoor Hardfloor Football Pitch
• Badminton
• Boules
• Basketball
• Gymnasium
• Bar
• Sports Tuition

Liffey Valley Fitness[4] is located on the Colcut Road

Sheldon Park Fitness Centre[5] is located on the Kylemore Road,

SanoVitae Health and Fitness Club [6] is located in the Clarion Hotel complex close to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre.

The Little Gym[7] is also located in the Clarion Hotel complex.

Religion

Religious institutions serving the area include the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption and the Church of St. Matthew, St. Laurence's Church, Chapelizod in the Church of Ireland, and a number of Christian Evangelist denominations. There are also centres of spirituality and life awareness serving non traditional believers in the community.

Notable Personalities

Claddagh Road is a folk song about the area written by The Fureys, a local family folk band which achieved major international success. Local identities with residential or educational connections to the area include R.T.E. personality Joe Duffy, a T.C.D. graduate. Eamonn Keane and Shay O'Reilly formed The Indians showband here. Musicians Joe Geoghegan of the Dreams, Maurice Walsh of the Drifters, and singers Declan O'Rourke, Mick Roach, Pat Morris, and Michael O'Doherty began their careers here. In Irish theatrical circles, former residents Aosdána playwright Jimmy Murphy, Fair City actor Pat Nolan, and author activist Liam Ledwidge attended St. John's College. Research scientist Joseph Ó Ruanaidh, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin also have connections with Ballyfermot.

Ballyfermot is home to The College of Further Education. This music, radio, and television arts college is commonly referred to the Rock School. Graduates include the Seoige sisters, Lorraine Keane, Damien Dempsey, Mickey Joe Harte and Mundy. Many active media personalities have studied here. A number of musicians nurtured by the De La Salle Boy's Band went on to future national and international success.

A recently successful folk group, The BeerMats from Ballyfermot appear to be following in the Furey's footsteps. They are currently busy travelling for national and international gigs, and have achieved notable success with their CD's Seven Sober Nights and Easter Lily.