Rolestown
Rolestown, or Rowlestown, is a small village six miles (10 km) north-west of Swords along the R125 in County Dublin, Ireland, about halfway between Swords and Ashbourne. It is located around two parallel roads joined together by an intersecting road which crosses the Broad Meadow River by an old cut stone bridge.
Physical features
Rolestown lies either side of a flood-plain of the Broadmeadow River Valley. The northern part of the village is located on elevated ground. The area centred around the graveyard, old corn mill, bridge and approach to the gates of Rowlestown House, is characterised by distinctive heritage buildings and mature trees.
Structure
The settlement is located between the R125, which leads to Oldtown and Garristown, and the R106, which leads to Ballyboughal and the Naul to the north, and Dublin Airport to the south.
The settlement lacks a core and consists primarily of ribbon development, mainly one-off housing in the form of bungalows. The main focal point is the local church.
Community Structure
Traditionally, the Rolestown area has a distinct relationship with the town of Swords, located 7 km away. Many of the local authority housing estates built in the Swords area were used to house families from the Rolestown/Kilsallaghan area. Most Rolestown families send their children to secondary schools in Swords, and many Swords residents play Gaelic football for Fingal Ravens GFC in Rolestown.
History
Rolestown originated as a small river settlement at a crossing point of the Broadmeadow River several hundred years ago. The 1658 census of Ireland recorded 41 inhabitants of Rolestown (of 120 persons in the Clonmethan area, which included Rowlestown). Around 1700, lands were given to the Catholic Church for a chapel, garden and paddock.
The 1837 (First Edition) Ordnance Survey Map indicated that the village had grown sufficiently for a National School to be constructed on the edge of the village.
The church called Killossery (the church of St. Ossier in Irish) was built near the banks of the river in the seventeenth century. The parish of Killossery consisted of 2500 acres (10 km²) and over 380 inhabitants in the nineteenth century. The parish was so large at one point that it included all of Rolestown and Lispopple. The Big House (Rowlestown House) belonged to the Corbelly family.
The old castle in Killsallaghlan, an area of Rolestown, is surrounded by a wood, hence its name Coill Saileacháin (the Sally Wood). The castle was destroyed in 1641.
Education
Rolestown only has a National School, a primary school for 4 to 12/13 year old children. The original school building excluding prefabricated classrooms was originally built to accommodate the immediate area of Rolestown/Kilsallaghan, it now also has students from several different peripheral towns and villages such as Green Og, Swords, Ballyboughal and Oldtown. The local primary school holds a funday every Summer where there are games and competitions for the school's pupils to do.
Recreation, amenity and open space
There is no public open space currently provided in the village. The primary school has a small junior playing field and a hard surface basketball court to the side of the building. In the surrounding area a number of private leisure facilities are available, including a GAA pitch and club house. There is also a bar/pub with an adjoining restaurant and hotel. There used to be a local shop and petrol station but it closed down a couple of years ago. There is a church hall which serves many purposes. It holds classes on drama, badminton, Tae Kwon Do, soccer and traditional Irish dancing. It holds church committee meetings, Irish CountryWoman's association(I.C.A.) meetings and local fund-raisers such as the sale-of-work and several cake sales throughout the year. The drama society puts on a traditional pantomime every year in mid-January.
Sport
- Fingal Ravens is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.
Public transport
The 41B Dublin Bus Service serves Rowlestown. The route from the city centre via Dublin airport, and Swords terminates in Rowlestown four times daily, reducing to 2/3 weekends. There is no other public transport routes/services passing through or running close to the village. It is anticipated that the growth of the village as proposed will lead to improvements in the bus services.
The Lawn Gates
At the end of the T-junction (after crossing Rolestown Bridge which goes over The Broad Meadow stream)a pair of old white gates lie at the entrance of a field. This field sits in front of the aforementioned Rolestown House. Here, up until the late 1950's/early 1960's, carnivals were held each year. These included sheep-shearing competitions, sheepdog trials and fancy-dress competitions. The carnival was lit with lights going all the way up the field to a large marquee-style tent where at the end of the carnival a dance would be held at night.