Portmarnock
Encyclopedia
Portmarnock is a small suburban village
to the north of Dublin, Ireland
. It is in the administrative county of Fingal
.
Portmarnock is situated between Malahide
and Baldoyle
, along the northern commuter railway line out of Dublin (also the Dublin-Belfast line); Portmarnock railway station
opened on 25 May 1844, is now on the DART
network. Portmarnock, on the Baldoyle to Malahide coast road, is served by Dublin Bus
routes 102, 105, 32, 32A, 32B, 32X, 42, 42N (Nitelink) and 142.
At sea, Portmarnock could be said to border Sutton
and perhaps Howth
in the form of Ireland's Eye
. The beach is monitored by a life guard during the summer season from early April to the start of October.
Portmarnock lies in the Dublin North East
Dáil Éireann constituency.
times, with a number of remains of activity in the area still evident today, such as flints and other tools having been excavated at the northern fringe of Portmarnock. Further, the remains of a ring fort are visible from the air at the south of the town. The son of Queen Maedhbh of Connaught
- Maine - is also said to have been buried locally.
Portmarnock's beach was the starting point for two,important pioneering flights.. On 23 June 1930 Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith
and his crew took off in the Southern Cross (aircraft)
on the second, westbound transatlantic flight (to Newfoundland
, then they continued on to Oakland, California, completing a circumnavigation of the world.. The first solo westbound transatlantic flight began from Portmarnock beach as on 18 August 1932 Jim Mollison
, a British pilot, took a de Havilland Puss Moth
from Portmarnock to Pennfield Ridge
, New Brunswick
,Canada.
(Ref: Shooting Suns and Things:transatlantic fliers at Portmarnock, Desmond Gallagher
Like many of Dublin's coastal settlements, Portmarnock is home to a Napoleonic Martello tower
.
. That golf course and its accompanying hotel are built around the former home of the Jameson
distilling family. Anne Jameson's son was Guglielmo Marconi
(she married Giuseppe Marconi), who invented the wireless and carried out the first transatlantic morse code
transmission in 1902 from Nova Scotia
, Canada to England.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
to the north of Dublin, 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 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...
.
Location
Portmarnock lies on the coast and, owing to its proximity to Dublin city, is a form of dormitory village 15 km (9.3 mi) north-northeast of the city centre. In the 2002 census the population was 8,376, although this shows a decrease to 7,973 in the preliminary 2006 census statistics.Portmarnock is situated between Malahide
Malahide
Malahide is a coastal suburban town, near Dublin city, located in the administrative county of Fingal, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. It has a village-like centre and extensive residential areas to the south, west and northwest.-Name:...
and 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:...
, along the northern commuter railway line out of Dublin (also the Dublin-Belfast line); Portmarnock railway station
Portmarnock railway station
Portmarnock railway station serves Portmarnock in County Dublin.The station opened on 25 May 1844.- External links :*...
opened on 25 May 1844, is now on 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...
network. Portmarnock, on the Baldoyle to Malahide coast road, is served 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...
routes 102, 105, 32, 32A, 32B, 32X, 42, 42N (Nitelink) and 142.
At sea, Portmarnock could be said to border Sutton
Sutton, Dublin
Sutton is a residential suburb of Dublin's Northside, Ireland, at the base of Howth Head, the peninsula which forms the northern edge of Dublin Bay.-Location and geography:...
and perhaps Howth
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
in the form of Ireland's Eye
Ireland's Eye
Ireland's Eye is a small uninhabited island off the coast of County Dublin, Ireland, situated directly north of Howth Harbour. The island is easily reached by regular tourist boats...
. The beach is monitored by a life guard during the summer season from early April to the start of October.
Portmarnock lies in the Dublin North East
Dublin North East (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin North–East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
Dáil Éireann constituency.
Name
The district's name derives from the Irish word port – meaning port – and Saint Marnoch or Mernoc, said to have arrived in what is now Portmarnock in the 5th century AD.History
The area had been settled in NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
times, with a number of remains of activity in the area still evident today, such as flints and other tools having been excavated at the northern fringe of Portmarnock. Further, the remains of a ring fort are visible from the air at the south of the town. The son of Queen Maedhbh of Connaught
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
- Maine - is also said to have been buried locally.
Education
- There are in all two primary schools - St. Marnock's and St. Helen's - and also a secondary school, Portmarnock Community SchoolPortmarnock Community SchoolPortmarnock Community School is a public secondary school situated in the coastal suburban village of Portmarnock, Co. Dublin. The school educates 811 students and was built by the Department of Education and Science in 1979.-History:...
.
Portmarnock Strand
Adjacent to Portmarnock is a narrow beach which extends onto a sandy peninsula with beaches on all sides. Portmarnock's beach is nicknamed The Velvet Strand due to the beautiful smooth sand along the beach, and is popular with wind- and kite-surfers.Portmarnock's beach was the starting point for two,important pioneering flights.. On 23 June 1930 Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith
Charles Kingsford Smith
Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith MC, AFC , often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he earned global fame when he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia...
and his crew took off in the Southern Cross (aircraft)
Southern Cross (aircraft)
Southern Cross is the name of the Fokker F.VIIb/3m trimotor monoplane which in 1928 was flown by Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew in the first ever trans-Pacific flight, from the mainland United States to Australia, about ....
on the second, westbound transatlantic flight (to Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, then they continued on to Oakland, California, completing a circumnavigation of the world.. The first solo westbound transatlantic flight began from Portmarnock beach as on 18 August 1932 Jim Mollison
Jim Mollison
James Allan Mollison was a famous Scottish pioneer aviator who set many records during the rapid development of aviation in the 1930s.-Early years:...
, a British pilot, took a de Havilland Puss Moth
De Havilland Puss Moth
|-See also:-References:* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London, Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10010-7-External links:*...
from Portmarnock to Pennfield Ridge
RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge was a Royal Canadian Air Force training base located in coastal Charlotte County, New Brunswick in the hamlet of Pennfield Ridge....
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
,Canada.
(Ref: Shooting Suns and Things:transatlantic fliers at Portmarnock, Desmond Gallagher
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
.
Links golf
Portmarnock is famous for its world class golf course which formally opened on December 26, 1894, while another links course, opened in the 1990s, was designed by German golfer Bernhard LangerBernhard Langer
Bernhard Langer is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion, and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 90s, being the first official number one ranked player in 1986...
. That golf course and its accompanying hotel are built around the former home of the Jameson
Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jameson is a single distillery Irish whiskey produced by a division of the French distiller Pernod Ricard. Jameson is similar in its adherence to the single distillery principle to the single malt tradition, but Jameson combines malted barley with unmalted or "green" barley...
distilling family. Anne Jameson's son was Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
(she married Giuseppe Marconi), who invented the wireless and carried out the first transatlantic morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
transmission in 1902 from Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada to England.
Sport
- The sandy peninsulaPeninsulaA peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
to the south of the village is home to Portmarnock Golf ClubPortmarnock Golf ClubPortmarnock Golf Club was established in 1894, and lies just North of Dublin, in Portmarnock, Fingal, Ireland. The course was laid out by William Pickeman on land owned by the distiller John Jameson, and originally consisted of just 9 holes, with another nine being added two years later.Portmarnock...
, which has hosted many golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournaments, including the 1991 Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
and the Irish OpenIrish Open (golf)The Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour, currently played at the end of July or early August each year. The event has been played in many locations on the island; its current home is the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry in southwestern Ireland...
on many occasions. - There are several active sports clubs, such as Portmarnock Tennis Club, Portmarnock A.F.C., AUL Premier A side Seaview Celtic F.C., and the Portmarnock Sport & Leisure Club which encompasses 16 sporting activities. Shamrock Rovers supporters club Seaside Hoops is also based in Portmarnock.
- Naomh Mearnóg is the local Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland