Donaghmede

Holy Trinity Parish church (Roman Catholic), Donaghmede

Donaghmede (Domhnach Mide in Irish) is a northside suburb of Dublin, Ireland about 10 kilometres (6 miles) to the north east of the city centre. Donaghmede lies within the postal district Dublin 13.

Location and accesses

Donaghmede is located in the Dublin City Council area close to the border with Fingal County Council. It is near to Kilbarrack, Raheny, Coolock, and Baldoyle, from the western part of which the district was mostly formed (with a little from Coolock). Where it meets Coolock is the housing estate of Clare Hall, which lies in both districts.

Donaghmede has its own rail station, Howth Junction, which is on both the DART line to Howth/Malahide and the Northern Commuter line to Drogheda. Northern Donaghmede will be served by the planned station at Grange Road, on the border with Baldoyle, one side of which will open into the Clongriffin development.

The area is served by Dublin Bus route 29A from the city centre. The 17A bus route, from Kilbarrack to Finglas also serves the area. Also the 43 route, from Swords business park to the city centre. Previously the AerDart service operated from Howth Junction to Dublin Airport but this service was suspended indefinitely in 2005.

The 128 bus, relatively new (2008), travels from Rathmines to Clongriffin, offering cross-city travel, while most, radial, lines travel from suburbs only to the city centre.

Boundaries and environs

The railway line marks the eastern boundary beyond which lies the remainder of Baldoyle. To the north is the N32 / M50 extension and the borders with Coolock and Balgriffin. A green belt area then stretches towards Portmarnock and Kinsealy although this is slowly being built over with new housing developments at the townlands of Clongriffin and Stapolin and within Balgriffin. The Kilbarrack Road acts as the southern boundary and Ayrfield is located to the west.

History and housing developments

Unlike many other suburbs of Dublin, Donaghmede was not a village absorbed by suburban sprawl; rather it was an area of farmland, with a number of large houses with attendant worker’s cottages (many of these latter survive along the Hole in the Wall Road that leads to Portmarnock, but none of the original "big houses" exist today).

Within Donaghmede are a number of housing developments, notably Donaghmede, Grangemore, The Donahies, Grange Abbey, St Donagh’s, Millbrook, Newgrove Estate and Howth View. The bulk of these developments were constructed between circa 1970–1974.

The new locality of Clongriffin, with several component housing estates, and various amenities, is being constructed in northern Donaghmede, just across the railway from Baldoyle, and backing on to Fr. Collins Park.

Amenities

Civic facilities

There is a Dublin Public Libraries branch library in the main shopping centre. A municipal fire station is located just across the boundary with Kilbarrack.

Parks

The redeveloped Fr. Collins Park was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin in May 2009 and is Ireland’s first "sustainable park" with five 50KW wind turbines protruding from the central linear water feature and providing power for public lighting, maintenance depots and football club changing rooms. The park also features a skate-park, 2 playgrounds, 6 playing pitches, picnic areas with outdoor chess/draughts boards, natural woodlands and a peripheral running/cycling track. Further information on the park including pictures, opening times etc. can be found on the Dublin City Council website.

Other green spaces lie around the main complex of schools, around the church and along the Kilbarrack Stream and above its culverted course.

Retail

Donaghmede Shopping Centre stands on the site of the original Donaghmede House. Dunnes Stores is the anchor tenant. Proposals to redevelop the centre have been in discussion for some years and as of 2007, permission for some redevelopment has been given. However a number of local residents groups, such as the Donaghmede Estate Residents Committee, and some public representatives, have opposed the development. As well as the main mall, some stores at the centre, and the Donaghmede Inn pub, (locally known as The Dusty Bin) have direct access from outside.

Tesco Ireland operates a small shopping centre in nearby Kilbarrack and also opened a hypermarket as the centrepiece of the "Clare Hall Shopping Centre" in 2004; the Clare Hall estate also has a small shopping precinct.

Education

There are four primary (two junior, Scoil Bhride and St. Kevin's, two senior, Holy Trinity and Naomh Colmcille) and three secondary schools (Grange Community College, Donahies Community School and Gaelcholáiste Reachrann) in the area, and a vertical school - catering for children from Junior Infants to Sixth - St. Francis of Assisi Primary School - in the Belmayne estate in nearby Balgriffin.

Religion

Holy Trinity Parish church (Roman Catholic), a distinctive cruciform building with a triangular profile, is located opposite the shopping centre on Grange Road, and serves the combined parish of Donaghmede, Clongriffin and Balgriffin.

Sport

There are a number of soccer and Gaelic football clubs in Gaelic Athletic Association club. These include Wyteleaf United, Trinity Gaels GAA club, and Trinity Donaghmede FC (previously called "Donaghmede Celtic and Trinity Sports and Leisure Football Club")as well as new club Carndonagh Athletic Football Club. The area is also well served by the famous Trinity Boys Boxing for further details go to www.trinityboysboxing.ie.The Trinity Sports and Leisure Complex is situated beside Father Collins Park. (The park however is to due be redeveloped as part of the "Clongriffin" development, and Trinity Sports and Leisure Club is in dispute with the City Council over a proposal to build a leisure centre for Clongriffin and Baldoyle within 200m of their complex.)

Politics and community representation

Donaghmede is part of the Dáil Éireann constituency of Dublin North East, whose three elected representatives are Tommy Broughan of the Labour Party, elected in 1992; Terence Flanagan of Fine Gael, elected in 2007; and Michael Woods of Fianna Fáil, elected in 1977. Fianna Fáil have held at least one seat in the constituency since 1937.

Donaghmede gives its name to a local electoral area within the Dublin City Council area, which also includes Raheny and other localities.

The Donaghmede area currently has 5 local councilors. Sean Kenny and Anne Carter of the Labour Party, Tom Brabazon of Fianna Fáil, Killian Forde who was originally elected as a Sinn Féin candidate but defected to Labour in January 2010, and Pat Crimmins of Fine Gael.

Donaghmede has a range of residents associations, and a collective forum which speaks on major issues such as the Shopping Centre.

Features

In the lower part of what is now Donaghmede is the Kilbarrack Stream or Donough Water, a small local river. This is culverted through the coastwards part of the area, including the area which once featured the popular St. Donagh's Well, a holy well with a regular pattern.

Notable residents

Among Donaghmede's more famous former residents are Conor Duffy and Shane Lynch of Boyzone, musician Damien Dempsey, Republic of Ireland and Birmingham City F.C. footballer Stephen Carr, award-winning independent filmmaker James McDonald, Bobby O'Leary who competed in the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992, Alan McCormack, Irish Road Race champion who competed in Olympics Montreal 1976 as a cyclist, brother Paul who won Ireland's premier stage race (An Ras Tailteann) twice and competed in the Seoul Olympics of 1988 in the cycling event and JJ, their father, also Irish road race champion in cycling. Pat Walsh, 1964 All Ireland boxing champion lived in The Donahies from 1971, to his death in 2005. Also from Donaghmede is Irish International and 2010 Irish Champion Craig Bonney from local club Trinity Boys Boxing Club.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland