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Firhouse

Coordinates: 53°17′N 6°20′W / 53.283°N 6.333°W / 53.283; -6.333
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Firhouse Village

Firhouse (Irish: Teach Giúise) is a suburb of South Dublin, Ireland, developed from what was historically a rural village.[1] It is located just south of the River Dodder, between Rathfarnham and Tallaght and is in the postal district of Dublin 24.

Etymology

The pronunciation of Firhouse is as contentious an issue as its origin among the local population, some using "Fir" and some "Fur", though the use on historical maps, which tended to be phonetic, of "Furhouse", suggests the probable form.

The origin of the place-name may derive from the Irish word "fir", which means "of the man". It may also come from a manor that was located at the top of the laneway joining Scoil Treasa and Scoil Carmel. Like much of the rest of the area, this laneway, which led up to the main house, was lined with fir trees.

History

Firhouse was historically the site of a small rural settlement near the river bank. In the 14th century, a weir, the City Weir or Great Weir, was made in the Dodder there, named for Balrothery, the district on the north bank opposite, and much of the Dodder's water was diverted to the course of the River Poddle, to supply the then-small Dublin city.

Firhouse was the site, in 1816, of the hanging of the Kearneys, a father and two sons. Following the disappearance of gamekeeper John Kinlen, a bloody axe was found near the Kearneys' pub in Firhouse and they were convicted of the killing. A gallows was built at the scene of the crime, outside their pub, for their hanging. When the son, William, fell through the gallows, it was discovered that he was too tall to be strangled by the rope around his neck, so a hole was dug under the gallows, the hangman then pulled down on his legs and held onto him until he was dead.[2] No public reference to this bloody incident can be found in modern Firhouse.

While there was no bridge near in a south westerly direction until the 20th century, a bridge was made just north of the village. The settlement grew further in the 19th century, and a number of mills existed in the vicinity, including a paper mill across the river.[3] By the 1910s, the village already extended for half a mile, with a school, church, convent, public house and two smithies,[4] but the population remained small until suburban development began in the 1960s and 1970s.

Historical account

A brief history of Firhouse (as "Fir-house") is included in "The History and Antiquities of Tallaght in the County of Dublin",[2] a comprehensive account of the large historic ecclesiastical and later civil parish of Tallaght. Handcock in fact refers to two villages of Fir-house, the main settlement and another he calls "the village of Upper Fir-house."[1] The scholar Gerry Smyth has written a cultural history of Firhouse in his book Space and the Irish Cultural Imagination.[5]

Location and access

Firhouse is located close to the foothills of the Dublin Mountains in an area that was predominantly rural a few decades ago. It is situated on the eastern bank of the River Dodder, 2 km downstream from Tallaght village and a little upriver from Templeogue. Development only began in recent decades, although there were previously a number of mills.

Firhouse is located at Junction 12 on the M50 motorway. Several Dublin Bus routes pass through: the 49 takes a roundabout route through the area along the Firhouse Road, Ballycullen Avenue, Ballycullen Drive and the Ballycullen Road, while the 75 passes by on the Firhouse Road, and the 74 goes down the Ballycullen Road. The 15F also pass through along Killininy Road. Dublin Bus night buses (49N and 15N) serve Firhouse.

Representation

Parts of Firhouse are in the Dublin South–West Dáil Éireann constituency and parts in the Dublin South Dáil Éireann constituency. For local government, Firhouse and Knocklyon areas west of the M50 are in the Tallaght South local electoral area for county council elections.

Amenities

Firhouse in February 2009 with Montpelier Hill and the Hell Fire Club.

The community centre, Firhouse Community and Sports Complex, is home to various sporting teams, and the local scouting den, as well as a youth club. Firhouse has a supermarket, a credit union, and a post office, and the local pubs are The Speaker Conolly, Mortons, The Firhouse Inn, and Delaneys.

Neighbouring Ballycullen is home to the pub "Scholars" and two local "Spar" stores.

Facilities of Knocklyon and Templeogue are within a kilometre, and those of town centre of Tallaght, including local government amenities and a major shopping complex, within 2-4 kilometres.

Firhouse is in the Rathfarnham Garda District.

Education

Local primary schools are Scoil Carmel (a Junior National School) and Scoil Treasa, and there is also a second-level school, Firhouse Community College.

Scoil Carmel and Scoil Treasa

These are National Schools, Scoil Carmel having Junior Infants - Second Class, thus ranging in age from 4 to 8, while Scoil Tresa takes 8 to 12 year olds.

Firhouse Community College

The college was established in 1982 and currently attains around 700 students and 60 staff members. Margret Cavanagh is the current school principal. The majority of the staff members as of 2011 are the same individuals whom first managed the school during the 80s & 90s. The school contains a physical education hall, a multi-sport arena and a large playing field which is around 800ms long which is used for soccer & rugby matches for the home matches of the community college's official squads.[6] The schools 4th years go on a school trip to Delphi, an adventure centre in Mayo.

History

  • 1982 - The College is established in September 1982.
  • 1986 - The school begun the usage of the transition year system which takes place in the 4th year of secondary school under Ireland's educational system.[7]
  • 1991 - Punk cabaret band The Turkey Drumstix[8] perform their public debut at the end-of-year talent show.[9]

Annual Theatrical Performances Annually the transition year students perform a school play, often like many school plays, they are remakes of old classical plays from the 16th up to the 19th centuries.

  • 2009 - Students performed a play remake of the Shakespearean play "Hamlet" in February 2009 [10]
  • 2011 - Students performed a play remake of the classical film "Wizard of Oz" entitled "The Wiz". The play was performed over three consecutive nights in February 2011.

Religion

There is a Roman Catholic Parish entitled Parish of Firhouse which stretches out as far as Hunterswood and has a church named Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Various regions of Firhouse belong to the Parish of Ballyboden. Adjacent to the Dodder valley stands the Victory Center which contains a Christianity theological facility.

Sport

Firhouse Carmel Football Club (Firhouse Carmel F.C.), based at Firhouse Community Centre, caters for over 300 schoolboys and girls from the local area, in 22 teams. Playing grounds are at Carrigwood and Scholars pitches, and 2005 saw Brian Kerr open the purpose-built changing rooms at the Community Centre after years of fundraising. The club is sponsored by Reagans, SuperValu.

Local Leinster Senior League side Firhouse Clover also avail of the clubhouse facilities when training at Firhouse Community College.

Firhouse also has a basketball club.

Firhouse Community College has active clubs including GAA and basketball.

Village status and planning

In 2001 the voluntary group Firhouse Village Community Council was given a mandate at a general meeting to have the title "Firhouse Village" recognised for the area. In pursuing this they obtained EU and National Development Plan grant aid for Firhouse Village Park. While there is no formal definition or legal status of "village" in Ireland, by its name and the fact that grant aid was obtained under the Village Urban Renewal Scheme and E.U. funding, some form of recognition by the local authority that Firhouse was a village in its own right can be inferred, as the Village Urban Renewal Scheme 2000–2006 allocated monies only to villages throughout Ireland outside Dublin City and County.

The most significant planning and development issue to concern Firhouse in recent years has been the decision of South Dublin County Council to grant permission for the rejuvenation of the core area with a mixed development of apartments, offices and retail outlets. The new planning laws that apply to villages that are not served by a rail or Luas line restricted the density of apartments applied for by one of the developers.

See also

References and footnotes

  1. ^ a b Dublin, 1889: Handcock, George Domville: "The History and Antiquities of Tallaght in the County of Dublin", 2nd edition, Chapter 17
  2. ^ a b The History Show, RTE Radio One 12th June 2011, "Public executions through history"
  3. ^ Dublin, 1889: Handcock, George Domville: "The History and Antiquities of Tallaght in the County of Dublin", 2nd edition
  4. ^ Dublin, Ordnance Survey Office: Ordnance Survey Mapping, 1911 and 1935 editions
  5. ^ 'The Location of Criticism, or, Putting the "I" into Ireland', in Gerry Smyth, Space and the Irish Cultural Imagination (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001), pp. 93-129
  6. ^ http://www.firhousecommunitycollege.ie/index.html
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ [3]
  10. ^ [4]
  • [5] - Website for 146th Firhouse Scouts.

53°17′N 6°20′W / 53.283°N 6.333°W / 53.283; -6.333

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