Blanchardstown - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Blanchardstown is a large suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

of Dublin in the district of Fingal

Fingal

Fingal is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. With its county seat located in Swords, it has a population of 239,992 according to the 2006 census...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. It is within the historical barony of Castleknock. It is located 10 km north-west of the city centre. The suburb is in the Dublin 15 postal area, the Dublin West electoral constituency, and Fingal

Fingal

County (following the abolition of County Dublin

County Dublin

County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...

as an administrative division of the state). It is that Council's largest urban area. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 68,156 in Blanchardstown and its immediate environs.

Location and access

Blanchardstown is just outside the city's M50 motorway

M50 motorway (Ireland)

The M50 motorway is a motorway in Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the north-eastern, northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. The northern end of the route is located at the entrance to the Dublin Port Tunnel. Anti-clockwise it heads northwest through the tunnel...

ring road, slightly to the north of the tolled crossing of the River Liffey

River Liffey

The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...

. It is bordered to the east by the suburb of Castleknock

Castleknock

Castleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....

, to the west by Clonsilla

Clonsilla

Clonsilla is a suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland.-Location and access:Originally a small village in its own right, Clonsilla is now a large residential suburban area, with Ongar and other localities developing their own subsidiary identities...

/ Ongar

Ongar, Dublin

Ongar is a new area of housing developments in the outer suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, built on the site of a former stud farm in rural Clonsilla near Clonee. It lies in Dublin 15.-Location:...

, to the north by Tyrellstown / Hollystown and to the south and south east by Porterstown / Diswellstown. The Royal Canal

Royal Canal of Ireland

The Royal Canal is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from the River Liffey at Dublin to the River Shannon at Cloondara in County Longford in Ireland. It fell into disrepair, but since has been restored for navigation...

and the Dublin-Sligo railway line

Dublin-Sligo railway line

The Dublin to Sligo line is a main line railway route operated by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland. It starts in Dublin Connolly station, terminating at Mac Diarmada railway station in Sligo...

pass along the southern edge of Blanchardstown proper from east to west.

The townland of Blanchardstown is in the civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

of Castleknock which is in turn in the Barony of Castleknock

Barony of Castleknock

The Barony of Castleknock meaning "Cnucha's Castle" is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. It takes its name from the suburban village of the same name - Castleknock. The town with the biggest population in the barony is Blanchardstown.-Location:It is one of...

. The barony

Barony (Ireland)

In Ireland, a barony is a historical subdivision of a county. They were created, like the counties, in the centuries after the Norman invasion, and were analogous to the hundreds into which the counties of England were divided. In early use they were also called cantreds...

(an old administrative division) is one of seven and a half comprising County Dublin

County Dublin

and stretches from Cabra to Blanchardstown (from east to west) and from Finglas

Finglas

-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland...

to Chapelizod

Chapelizod

Chapelizod is a picturesque Irish village preserved within the city of Dublin, Ireland. It lies in the verdant wooded valley of the River Liffey, on the way to the slopes of the Strawberry Beds, below the Phoenix Park. The village is associated with Iseult of Ireland and the location of Iseault's...

(from north to south).

Transport

Public transport in Blanchardstown is provided by Dublin Bus

Dublin Bus

Dublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...

, Urbus and a commuter train station on the Western Suburban Maynooth

Maynooth

Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...

line. Located 200m from the easternmost point of Blanchardstown proper, Castleknock railway station

Castleknock railway station

Castleknock is a railway station in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland.The station opened on 2 July 1990.It lies on the Dublin to Longford commuter route and is served by Western Commuter services from Pearse Station to Maynooth and Docklands to Clonsilla....

opened on 2 July 1990. The Dublin Bus routes are: 37 38/A/B/C, 39/A/B/C/X, 70/A/X/N, 76a, 220, 236, 237, 238, 239 and 270. The privately owned URBus serves Swords

Swords, Dublin

Swords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...

via Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...

.

The Navan Road / N3 is the main road artery. The recently constructed interchange provides for auxiliary lanes at the M50 and N3 junction according to the NRA

National Roads Authority

The National Roads Authority is a state body in the Republic of Ireland, responsible for the national road network. The NRA was established as part of the Roads Act 1993 and commenced operations on 23 December 1993 in accordance with S.I. 407 of 1993.County councils remain responsible for local...

Future plans

As part of the government's "Transport 21" strategy, a Metro line was planned, from the southern suburb of Tallaght

Tallaght

Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...

, through the neighbourhood of Castleknock, to Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport

. Quoting from the plans:

"The path of the Metro will first swing into Dublin 15 at the south end of Castleknock golf course and proceed past Porterstown playing pitches where it is hoped to have “minimal impact.” The stop at Porterstown will be directly above the current Maynooth train line allowing the potential in the future to integrate the two services. Another stop will be provided at the Millennium Park with the line going around the park’s perimeter rather than cutting through it as had originally been envisaged. It will then proceed around by McDonalds before its major stop in Dublin 15 adjacent to Draíocht, the Civic Offices, and the shopping centre. Its path will then continue around the Westend side of the shopping centre, past Westpoint where it will cross the Navan Road and go up the Snugborough Road."
However, on 12th August, 2011 the Irish Times reported that Metro North would be "deferred".

History

Blanchardstown has grown up in the shadow of its near neighbour, Castleknock, and they have a shared common history until well into the 19th century, when their development diverged.

Feudal period

The name Blanchardstown comes from the Blanchard family, who were granted their estate some time between 1250 and 1260. The name 'Blanchard' is thought to come from the French word blanch, meaning white, and could refer to white or fair hair.

20th century

Blanchardstown was a rural village in western County Dublin until the late 1960s, when the first housing estates began to be developed. Blanchardstown developed in tandem with neighbouring settlement Castleknock, both of which grew rapidly from the early 1970s to the present. During the 1970s and 1980s, the village became subsumed into the suburban fabric of Dublin.

Features

St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church is located in behind the Main Street on Church Avenue. The foundation stone for the Church was laid on 13 October 1835 and the first Mass was celebrated there on 29 October 1837. The construction of the Church and its unusual Flemish spire was finally completed in 1863.

Retail outlets

In Blanchardstown proper may be found the Superquinn Shopping Centre, the Plaza centre and the Moy Mel Centre. The Roselawn Shopping Centre is located in the road behind the Superquinn Shopping Centre (though the two are not connected directly). Further afield there are the shopping centres of Castleknock

Castleknock

Castleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....

.
Blanchardstown Shopping Centre is a vast shopping centre and retail park that acts like a town within the town. Opened in 1996, the centre comprises a central shopping mall and three separate retail parks. The total complex stretches over some 107 acre (0.43301402 km²). Fingal county council offices and public library are located on the grounds of the Blanchardstown Centre, as are many other public facilities such as the Driocht theatre and arts space, a post office, medical centre and more.

Large employers

Multinational companies like IBM

IBM

International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb , often referred to as BMS, is a pharmaceutical company, headquartered in New York City. The company was formed in 1989, following the merger of its predecessors Bristol-Myers and the Squibb Corporation...

, Symantec

Symantec

Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...

, eBay

EBay

eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...

, Xerox

Xerox

Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...

and Paypal

PayPal

PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....

are located in the area.

Chamber of Commerce

There is a Dublin 15 Chamber of Commerce, which speaks for local business interests. It makes a series of awards each year.

Future Development

The Planning Authority, Fingal County Council, had reservations about the piecemeal delelopment of the village and the impact that it was having in terms of changes to the village's character, traffic congestion, an expansion of business services and connectivity to the wider Blanchardstown area. It commissioned a report to look into the matter. Quoting from the report:

"There is a significant quantum of residential infill development to the rear of Main Street, which provides a strong local base for the retail uses. ...The development of the Town Centre with its large shopping units and free parking has inevitably put some pressure on the convenience and comparison goods sectors. However it is notable that there has been an expansion of services in the form of small offices providing a wide range of professional services. These are located in houses along the Main Street and this has led to visual disamenity arising from excessive and unsuitable signage, provision of front garden parking and inappropriate alterations to the houses to accommodate the business uses."

Education

As with many settlements in Ireland, the boundaries of Blanchardstown are somewhat vague, which can lead to a lack of clarity in determining what is a "local school".

Primary schools

For a more comprehensive lst of schools in the wider hinterland, see the external link below.

St Francis Xavier Junior National School (girls and boys, Roman Catholic), in the parish of Blanchardstown (near Roselawn)
St Francis Xavier Senior National School (girls and boys, Roman Catholic), in the parish of Blanchardstown (near Roselawn)
Scoil Bríde "B" (boys, Roman Catholic), in the parish of Blanchardstown
Scoil Bríde "C" (girls, Roman Catholic), in the parish of Blanchardstown
Scoil Oilibhéir, a Gaelscoil (girls and boys, Roman Catholic), in the parish of Blanchardstown (near Coolmine)
St. Mochta's (Scoil Naisiunta Naomh Mochta in Irish) (girls and boys, Roman Catholic), in the parish of Porterstown-Clonsilla
Sacred Heart National School (girls and boys, Roman Catholic), in the parish of Huntstown (near Mulhuddart)
Castleknock Educate Together
Educate Together
Educate Together is an organisation in the Republic of Ireland which sets up and runs multidenominational, coeducational schools. It was founded in 1984 as a result of the Dalkey School Project to found a multidenominational primary school....

National School (non-denominational), located beside Castleknock Tennis Club
St Patrick's national school (boys and girls, Roman Catholic), located in the parish of Corduff.

Secondary Schools

The schools in Blanchardstown include Blakestown Community School, Hartstown Community School, Coolmine Community School, Riversdale Community College, Luttrellstown Community College, Castleknock Community College, Pobail Scoil Setanta, Mount Sackville and Castleknock College.

Sporting

GAA - St. Peregrines Club
GAA - Official St. Peregrines Club website
GAA - St. Brigid's Club
St. Brigids
Saint Brigid's GAA Club is based in Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland and serves the communities of Castleknock, Clonsilla, Blanchardstown, Laurel Lodge, Corduff and the Greater Dublin 15 area...
Boxing - St Brigids Boxing Club
FC - Verona
FC - Corduff
FC - Huntstown Villa
FC - St Mochtas
FC - Tyrrelstown
FC - Mountview Boys
FC - Whitestown United
FC - Insaka

Community

The Blanchardstown Active Retirement association which meets in "St Brigid's Community Centre". The Active Retirement Movement helps older people to enjoy their mature years by offering organised opportunities for a wide range of activities- holidays, outings, socials, creative and learning programmes, indoor and outdoor sports. BARA

There is an active Tidy Towns Committee.
"St. Brigid's Community Centre", situated beside the Church is one of the longest established community facilities in Dublin 15.
Blanchardstown Brass Band was established in 1826 and have their band room adjacent to the church car park in Blanchardstown. Every year the band undertakes about 20 engagements at public parks, local festivals and private functions. In 1923, the band (then known as St. Brigids Brass & Reed Band) was engaged in fund raising to build their own rehearsal hall. It is reflective of the disturbed conditions of the nation existing at the time that when the house-to-house collecters were making their rounds, one of the collectors noted that "the Rector at Mount Hybla was so relieved at hearing it was not a hold up, he gave us two pounds". In 1979, on the occasion of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland, the band led the procession of people coming from the west of the City to the Mass in the Phoenix Park. Over half a million people attended the Mass on the day.Blanchardstown Brass Band
St. John Ambulance Brigade - Castleknock (Dublin 15) Division
Blakestown Community & Resource Centre, Blakestown Way, Dublin 15. http://www.blakestowncrc.com The Centre holds various activities in its Sports Hall including Gymnastics, Martial Arts and Irish Dancing, it also has Meeting Rooms available. The Centre consists of the Cozy Kitchen Coffee Bar, An Internet Cafe, The Sports Hall, Meeting Rooms and also the offices of various Community Groups. The Centre is renowned for its Charitable Events that have raised money for many different charities including the Haiti Earthquake.

Government and representation

In the 2009 local elections for the Castleknock ward, which covers the Blanchardstown area, the following candidates were elected to the four seats (with percentage share of first preference vote):

Joe Higgins (Socialist Party) 28.07%
Eithne Loftus (Fine Gael) 22.45%
Peggy Hamill (Labour) 16.32%
Mags Murray (Fianna Fáil) 12.44%.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.