Malahide
Encyclopedia
Malahide is a coastal suburban town, near Dublin city, located in the administrative county 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...

, within the traditional 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...

, 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 has a village-like centre and extensive residential areas to the south, west and northwest.

Name

The modern name Malahide may come from “Mullach Íde” meaning “the hill of Íde” or “Íde’s sand-hill”. It could also mean “Sand-hills of the Hydes” (from Mullac h-Íde) probably referring to a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 family from the Donabate
Donabate
Donabate is a small suburban coastal town in Ireland, some 20 km north-northeast of Dublin City. The town is situated on a peninsula which it shares with the town of Portrane. This peninsula lies on Ireland's east coast, between the Rogerstown Estuary to the north and Broadmeadow Estuary to...

 area. According to the Placenames Database of Ireland the name Malahide is possibly derived from the Irish “Baile Átha Thíd” meaning “the town of the ford of Thíd”. Malahide Bay was anciently called Inber Domnann, the river-mouth of the Fir Domnann
Fir Domnann
The Fir Domnann were an ancient Irish people located in the west and north of Connacht, in Irrus Domnann, from which Erris in County Mayo now takes it's name. In Irish mythology they make up one third of the Fir Bolg. They are probably related to the British Dumnonii, and to the Irish Laigin...

.

Location and access

Malahide is situated 16 kilometres north of the city of Dublin, lying between 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 :...

, Kinsealy
Kinsealy
Kinsealy is an outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland, about 7km from the city centre, in the administration of Fingal County Council, within County Dublin....

 and Portmarnock
Portmarnock
Portmarnock is a small suburban village to the north of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the administrative county of Fingal.-Location:Portmarnock lies on the coast and, owing to its proximity to Dublin city, is a form of dormitory village north-northeast of the city centre...

. It is situated on the Broadmeadow estuary, on the opposite side of which is Donabate
Donabate
Donabate is a small suburban coastal town in Ireland, some 20 km north-northeast of Dublin City. The town is situated on a peninsula which it shares with the town of Portrane. This peninsula lies on Ireland's east coast, between the Rogerstown Estuary to the north and Broadmeadow Estuary to...

.
]

The village is served by the DART
Dublin Area Rapid Transit
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on the Trans-Dublin route, from Greystones in County Wicklow, through Dublin to Howth and Malahide in County Dublin.Trains are powered via a 1500V DC overhead catenary...

 and the train, run by Irish Rail. The 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...

 42 and 32a day-time routes and 42N Nite-Link route serve the town from Dublin City Centre and the 102 bus route serves local areas.

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
Baldoyle
Baldoyle is a small coastal area on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the part of the historic County Dublin now administered as Fingal.-Location and Access:...

) 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 1180s, the history of the area is tied to that of the Talbot family of Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle, parts of which date to the 12th century, lies, with over of remaining estate parkland , close to the village of Malahide, nine miles north of Dublin in Ireland.-History:...

, 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 1000, 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
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 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 1960s, 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 northwest, south and west, but the village core remained intact, with the addition of a "marina apartment complex" development adjacent to the village green.

Today

Malahide grew from a population of 67 in 1921 to 1500 in 1960 and later to between 20,000 and 25,000 in 2006, and is still a rapidly growing town for the Dublin area. Most of the population lives outside the core, in residential areas such as Seapark, Biscayne, Robswall, Chalfont, Yellow Walls, Ard Na Mara, Seabury
Seabury
Seabury is a residential area in , Malahide, a village in the county of Fingal, in the Republic of Ireland....

and Gainsborough.

Amenities

In Malahide village there are extensive retail facilities and services including fashion boutiques, hair and beauty salons, florists, food outlets, and a small shopping centre. Traditional shopfronts and several cobble-lock side streets give the village an intimate and welcoming feel. There are a broad range of pubs (including Gibney's, Smyth's and Duffy's) and restaurants and the 150-room 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 15.
Malahide also has a substantial marina.
]

Near to the village itself is Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle, parts of which date to the 12th century, lies, with over of remaining estate parkland , close to the village of Malahide, nine miles north of Dublin in Ireland.-History:...

 and demesne, including, gardens, which were once the estate of Baron Talbot of Malahide
Baron Talbot of Malahide
Baron Talbot of Malahide, in the County of Dublin, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1831 for Margaret Talbot, widow of Richard Talbot, heir of the ancient Lords of Malahide. She was succeeded by their eldest son, the second Baron. In 1839 he was created Baron Furnival, of...

.

Politics

Malahide is part of the Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

 constituency of Dublin North, whose four elected representatives are James Reilly of Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

, elected in 2007; Brendan Ryan
Brendan Ryan (Dublin politician)
Brendan Ryan is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency at the 2011 general election. He was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011 on the Administrative Panel...

 of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...

, elected in 2011; Clare Daly
Clare Daly
Clare Daly is an Irish Socialist Party politician and trade union activist. She was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency at the 2011 general election. She was previously a Socialist Party councillor for the Swords electoral area on Fingal County Council.-Early life:Daly was...

 of United Left Alliance
United Left Alliance
The United Left Alliance is an electoral alliance of left-wing political parties and independent politicians in the Republic of Ireland, formed to contest the 2011 general election...

, elected in 2011; and Alan Farrell
Alan Farrell
Alan Farrell is an Irish Fine Gael politician and a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2011 general election. He was a member of Fingal County Council from 2004 to 2011 for the Howth/Malahide electoral area having been elected at his first attempt...

 of Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

, elected in 2011.

Past sitting TDs have included Nora Owen (Fine Gael), Sean Ryan (Labour), and the Fianna Fáil member G.V. Wright
G. V. Wright
Thomas Wright, usually referred to by the nickname G.V., is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency....

, who was disgraced after an incident in which he drove his car into a nurse while over the legal alcohol limit for driving.

Malahide forms part of the Howth/Malahide Local Electoral area of Fingal County Council. The current Malahide based representatives of the five seat area are Alan Farrell (Fine Gael) and Eoghan O'Brien (Fianna Fáil). Although not resident of Malahide, the other three representatives are Peter Coyle (Labour - Portmarnock), Cian O'Callaghan (Labour - Sutton) and Joan Maher (Fine Gael - Bayside).

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, the renowned Enchiriadis choirs, 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.

Sport

There are also a wide variety of sports clubs within the Malahide area. Rugby, soccer, GAA sports, sailing, hockey, golf, cricket and basketball are all well represented.

Basketball

Malahide Basketball Club was formed in 1977 and currently fields 3 senior ladies teams and 10 junior girls teams (from under 10 to under 18). They train and play all their home matches at Malahide Community School.

Hockey

Originally Malahide Hockey Club now amalgamated with Fingal Hockey Club (formerly Aer Lingus) to become Malahide Fingal Hockey Club. An all female club they currently field four senior teams and have a junior section of nine teams aged between 7 and 16. All teams for play and train in Broomfield Malahide.

Cricket

Malahide Cricket Club
Malahide Cricket Club
Malahide Cricket Club was founded in 1861 and is situated within Malahide Castle demesne, near the railway station. The club has over 400 members and is open all year round. The club currently fields 20 teams...

 (http://www.malahidecc.org) was founded in 1861 and is situated within Malahide Castle demesne, near the railway station. The club has over 400 members and is open all year round. The club currently fields 20 teams (5 Senior Men’s, 3 Ladies, 12 youth and a Taverners side). Both the men’s and women’s premier teams compete (in their respective leagues) at the highest grade of cricket played in Ireland. The club is currently seeking an international standard (ODI - One Day International) pitch within Malahide Demesne which it hopes to complete by the summer of 2010. This project will also see the development of a 2nd "club" pitch on the nearby Lady Acre within Malahide Demesne.

Soccer

Malahide United AFC (http://www.malahideunited.com/) was founded in 1944 and currently fields 60 schoolboy/girl teams, from Under 7 to Under 18, and 4 senior teams. They have two Academies, the first one catering for the 5, 6 and 7 year olds and the second one for the 8, 9 and 10 years olds. With over 1,000 registered players, Malahide United is one of the largest clubs in Ireland. The home ground is Gannon Park, which comprises two 11-a-side pitches, one 7-a-side pitch, one 11-a-side floodlit all-weather pitch, one floodlit 5-a-side/warm up all-weather pitch and full clubhouse facilities.

Further pitches are used in Malahide Castle (two 7/9-a-sides and three 11-a-sides) with a further 11-a-side pitch in Broomfield, Malahide

Aston Village FC was established back in 1994. Their current home ground is Malahide Castle and a local company is their main sponsor. They have three strong senior teams competing in both the U.C.F.L and the A.U.L leagues. Although small in size they still cater for up to 100 senior players with ages ranging from 16 – 43 years of age.

Rugby

Malahide Rugby Club
Malahide RFC
Malahide RFC is an Irish rugby team based in Malahide, Fingal County. Newly promoted this season 2010 /2011 they will play in Division Two of the Leinster League in the 2011 /2012 season. The club was originally founded in 1922 but disbanded in 1944 because of a lack of members during World War II...

 is located in a modern clubhouse and sports ground opposite the scenic Malahide estuary on Estuary Road. Originally founded in 1922, Malahide Rugby Club had to disband during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 due to lack of available players. However, in 1978 the club was reformed and now fields three senior men's teams, one women's team, four youth teams and six "mini" rugby teams.

Sailing

There are two sailing clubs (including Swords Sailing & Boating Club), Malahide Yacht Club, Fingal Sailing School, DMG Sailsports and a 350-berth marina.

Golf

Malahide Golf Club opened in 1892, moving to a new location in 1990. It has a 2-storey clubhouse completed in May 1990, with 1,000 square metres, including bars, a restaurant, conference room and a snooker room. The 17th is a notoriously difficult hole known to locals as "Cromwell's Delight", due to its narrow fairways and dominant bunkers.

Education

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

Religion

The area has two Roman Catholic parishes, a Church of Ireland parish and forms part of a Presbyterian community, with a 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).

Transport

Malahide railway station
Malahide railway station
Malahide railway station serves Malahide in Fingal . It was built by George Papworth for the Dublin and Drogheda Railway and opened on 25 May 1844....

 opened on 25 May 1844. It is now one of the northern termini of the DART
Dublin Area Rapid Transit
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on the Trans-Dublin route, from Greystones in County Wicklow, through Dublin to Howth and Malahide in County Dublin.Trains are powered via a 1500V DC overhead catenary...

 system, (the other being Howth
Howth railway station
Howth DART station , opened on 30 May 1847, serves Howth Head and the harbour town of Howth in County Dublin, Ireland, in the administration of Fingal...

). The station features a heritage garden and an attractive ironwork canopy. The ironwork in the canopy contains the monogram of the Great Northern Railway ('GNR'), who operated the route prior to nationalisation of the railways.

The railway crosses the Broadmeadow estuary on a Broadmeadow viaduct
Broadmeadow viaduct
The Broadmeadow viaduct, in Ireland, carries the main Dublin to Belfast railway across the Broadmeadow Estuary, about 13 kilometres north of Dublin, just north of Malahide. It is approximately 180 metres long and it is a section of a longer crossing constructed as an embankment...

 known locally as The Arches. The original viaduct was a wooden structure built in 1844, which was replaced with an iron structure in 1860 and a pre-cast structure in 1966-7.

Viaduct collapse

On 21 August 2009 the 18:07 train from Balbriggan
Balbriggan railway station
Balbriggan railway station serves Balbriggan in County Dublin. It is the northern limit of the Dublin suburban rail network and of the short hop zone.The station opened on 25 May 1844 and closed for goods traffic on 2 December 1974...

 to Connolly
Dublin Connolly railway station
Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre...

 was passing over the viaduct when the driver noticed a subsidence and the embankment giving way on the northbound track. The train passed over the bridge before it collapsed and the driver alerted authorities.

An inquiry is investigating the possibility that sea bed erosion is the primary cause of the collapse.

A member of Malahide Sea Scout
Sea Scout
Sea Scouts are members of the international Scouting movement, with a particular emphasis on water-based activities, such as kayaking, canoeing, sailing, and rowing. Depending on the country and the available water these activities are on lakes, rivers or sea in small or large ships. Sea Scouting...

s, Ivan Barrett, had contacted Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...

 five days before the collapse about possible damage to the viaduct and a change in water flow around it.

People

  • Malahide was the hometown of U2
    U2
    U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...

     musicians Adam Clayton
    Adam Clayton
    Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...

     and The Edge
    The Edge
    David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...

    .
  • Notable Malahide residents Ronan Keating
    Ronan Keating
    Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...

    , Brendan Gleeson
    Brendan Gleeson
    Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor. His best-known films include Braveheart, Gangs of New York, In Bruges, 28 Days Later, the Harry Potter films, The Guard and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty...

    , Westlife's Nicky Byrne
    Nicky Byrne
    Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne, Jr is a singer-songwriter, radio presenter and former footballer. From 1998 until 2012 he was the oldest member of Irish pop band, Westlife....

    , Cecilia Ahern, Vincent Browne
    Vincent Browne
    Vincent Browne is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post and a part time barrister....

     and Olympic sailors David Burrows & Ciara Peelo.

See also

  • List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Dublin)
  • List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

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