MALAHIDE

'Malahide' (from the Irish ''Mullach Íde'') is a picturesque coastal suburban town, with large housing estates on three sides, near Dublin city, located in Fingal^[1][2], in the traditional County Dublin, Ireland.

Contents

Location and access

Name

History

Today

Amenities

Leisure and organisations

Education

Religion

Transport

Famous Residents

See also

References

External links

Location and access

Malahide is situated 16 kilometres north of Dublin city, lying between Swords, Kinsealy and Portmarnock. It is situated on an estuary, on the opposite side of which is Donabate.

The village is served by the DART, with its own station, also a limited stop on the Dublin-Belfast line, and the area by Dublin Bus.

Name

The modern name Malahide (Mullach Íde) derives from around the 12th century, and may (from Mullach h-Íde) mean the ''sandhills of the Hydes'', referring to a Norman family from the Donabate area.^[3][4]

History

While there are some remnants of prehistoric activity, Malahide is known to have become a persistent settlement from the coming of the Vikings, who landed in 795, and used Malahide Estuary (along with Baldoyle) as a convenient base. With the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, the last Danish King of Dublin retired to the area in 1171. From the 1180's, the history of the area is tied to that of the Talbot family of Malahide Castle, who were granted extensive lands in the area and over the centuries following developed their estate, and the small harbour settlement.
By the early 19th century, the village had a population of over one thousand, and a number of local industries, including salt harvesting, while the harbour continued in commercial operation, with landings of coal and construction materials. By 1831, the population had reached 1223. The area grew in popularity in Georgian times as a seaside resort for wealthy Dublin city dwellers. This is still evident today from the fine collection of Georgian houses in the town and along the seafront, and Malahide is still a popular spot for day-trippers, especially in the summer months.
In the 1960's, developers began to build housing estates around the village core of Malahide, launching the first, ''Ard na Mara'' in 1964. Further estates followed, to the north, south and west, but the village core remained intact, with the addition of a "marina apartment complex" development to the east.

Today

Malahide grew from a population of 1500 in 1960 to between 20,000 and 25,000 in 2006, and is still a rapidly growing dormitory town for the Dublin area. It is often noted as one of Dublin's wealthiest suburbs. It has the lowest unemployment rate of any town in the Republic of Ireland.

Amenities

Malahide, despite the surrounding, and ongoing, development, has retained a village atmosphere in the centre, and retail facilities are on a modest scale, including a single small supermarket in a modest shopping centre, and many shops on the central streets. There is a broad range of pubs and restaurants, and a mid-sized hotel, the Grand Hotel.
There is an ancient covered well, St. Sylvester's, on the old main street (Old Street, previously Chapel Street), which used to have a "pattern" to Our Lady each August 15th.

Malahide also possesses a substantial marina.

Near to the village itself is Malahide Castle and demesne, including, gardens, which were once the estate of Baron Talbot of Malahide.

Leisure and organisations

The Malahide area has more than twenty residents' associations, sixteen of which (May 2007) work together through the Malahide Community Forum, which publishes a quarterly newsletter, ''The Malahide Guardian''.
There is an active historical society (with a small museum at Malahide Castle Demesne), a Lions club, a camera club, a musical and drama society, a chess club and a photography group which has published calendars.
Aside from Malahide Castle Demesne, there are a number of smaller parks (with further spaces planned, for example, at RObswall and Seamount). There are several golf courses nearby, and GAA, soccer, tennis, rugby, yacht clubs and Sea Scouts.

Education

There are five schools in the environs of Malahide, four primary and one secondary.

Religion

There are two Roman Catholic parishes, a Church of Ireland parish and a Presbyterian church built in 1956 as the first Presbyterian church in the Republic of Ireland since 1922 (it is one of two churches of the Congregation of Howth and Malahide)^[5].

Transport

★ Malahide railway station opened on 25 May 1844.^[6] It is now one of the northern termini of the DART system, (the other being Howth.

Famous Residents

★ Westlife member Nicky Byrne, who, with his wife Georgina Ahern, celebrated the christening of twin sons in July 2007 at St. Sylvester's Church.

★ Other famous Malahide residents include Ronan Keating, Brendan Gleeson and Stephen Rea.

See also

★ List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

References

1. County of Fingal in statute. Available: http://193.178.1.79/2001/en/act/pub/0037/sec0010.html Retrieved: 27th August 2007.
2. Abolition of County Dublin. Available: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1993/en/act/pub/0031/sec0009.html Retrieved: 27th August 2007.
3. Archiseek
4. Visit Malahide
5. Perhaps uniquely in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, there is a single congregation of Howth and Malahide, with one Kirk Session, but two buildings. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland accessed 6 July 2007 the congregation's website accessed 7 July 2006.
6. Malahide station

External links

★ Malahide Online, the Community Internet Site for Malahide

★ Malahide Tourism Website: Good information and pictures of Malahide

★ Irelandscape: More pictures of Malahide.

★ Malahide Castle

★ Malahide Historical Society

★ Church of Ireland, Malahide

★ Pope John Paul II National School

★ St Oliver Plunkett Primary School

★ Malahide Sea Scouts

★ Malahide Golf Club

★ Malahide United Football Club

★ Malahide Rugby Club

★ St Sylvesters GAA Club

★ Malahide Yacht Club

★ Malahide Camera Club