DONAGHMEDE

'Donaghmede' (''Domhnach Mide'' in Irish) is a northside suburb of Dublin, about 6 miles to the north east of the city centre. The postal code for Donaghmede is Dublin 13.

Contents

Location and accesses

Boundaries and environs

History and housing developments

Amenities

Politics and Community Representation

Points of note

References

See also

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. Previously the Aerdart service operated from Howth Junction to Dublin Airport but this service was suspended indefinitely in 2005.

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, a part of Coolock, is located to the west.

History and housing developments

Unlike many other suburbs of Dublin, Donaghmede was not a village consumed by the 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

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. As well as the main mall, some stores at the centre, and the Donaghmede Inn pub, 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.
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.
There are four primary (two junior, Scoil Bhride and St. Kevin's, and two senior, Holy Trinity and Naomh Colmcille) and three secondary schools (Grange Community College, Donahies Community School and Gaelcholáiste Reachrann) in the area.
Holy Trinity Parish church (Roman Catholic), a distinctive triangular building, is located opposite the shopping centre on Grange Road.
There are a number of soccer and Gaelic football clubs including Trinity Donaghmede FC (Previously Donaghmede Celtic and Trinity Sports and Leisure Football Club), Trinity Gaels. Trinity Sports and Leisure Complex is situated beside Father Collins Park although this is to be redeveloped as part of the "Clongriffin" development.

Politics and Community Representation

It is located in the Dublin North East constituency and gives its name to a local electoral area (LEA), which also includes Raheny and other localities, within the Dublin City Council area.
Donaghmede has a range of residents associations, and a collective forum which speaks on major issues such as the Shopping Centre.

Points of note

In the lower part of what is now Donaghmede is Grange Stream, a small local river. This is culverted thorugh 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.
Among Donaghmede's more famous former residents are Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch of Boyzone, musician Damien Dempsey, and Republic of Ireland and Newcastle United footballer Stephen Carr.
Donaghmede and the surrounding areas are monitored from Coolock Garda Station, and featured heavily in the media in 2006 after there were a number of alleged gang-related shootings and murders in the area. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Donaghmede has on occasion been associated with a dissident republican groups such as the Real IRA [5][6]. Meanwhile it is believed that the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) remain active in the area following the elimination of a number of local drug dealers.[7][8]

References

See also

★ List of towns in the Republic of Ireland