Ballyfermot (Irish: Baile Formaid) is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is located seven kilometres (5 miles) west of the city centre, south of Phoenix Park. It is bordered by Chapelizod on the north, by Bluebell on the south, by Inchicore on the east, and by Palmerstown and Clondalkin on the west. The River Liffey lies to the north, and the Grand Canal, now a recreational waterway, lies to the south of Ballyfermot. Ballyfermont lies within the postal district Dublin 10. Cherry Orchard, which is also a suburb, is sometimes considered to be within Ballyfermot.
The place nameBallyfermot—rendered in IrishBaile Formaid[2] and sometimes Baile Thormaid[3]—is derived from the Middle Irishbaile ("farmstead"),[4] and the Old Norse personal name Þormundr.[5] It is also referred to colloquially by Dubliners as Ballyer for short.[6]
History
The 12th century saw the Cambro-Normans expand west across the Irish Sea from Pembroke in Wales into Leinster. After the Treaty of Windsor in 1175, through feudal land grants and intermarriage, the Cambro Norman knights came into possession of land in south and west Dublin, along with the local Irish chieftain who supported them, Mac Giolla Mocolmog.[7] Family names associated with the area at this time included Mac Giolla Mocolmog (FitzDermot), O'Cathasaidhe, Fitzwilliam, Le Gros (Grace), O'Dualainghe, Tyrrell, O'Hennessy, O'Morchain, Dillon, O'Kelly, De Barneval (Barnewall), and Newcomyn (Newcomen).
In 1307, the manor of Ballyfermot was held by William Fitzwilliam and his wife Avice, who leased part of it to Thomas Cantock, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. The land passed from the Fitzwilliams to their relatives, the Clahulls from Dundrum, and later to the Barnawalls of Drimnagh Castle.[7]
Ballyfermot Castle was constructed on the site of a Norman motte and baily.[7] Located northwest of the intersection of Le Fanu and Raheen Roads, it was the centre of the Upper (west) and Lower (east) Ballyfermot townships. Built in stone by Wolfram De Barneval in the fourteenth century, it was a stronghold against the O'Byrne and O'Toole families. These native Gaelic families had been discommoded from their original lands near Naas.[citation needed]
The castle was inherited by Robert Newcomen, who enhanced it and held it into the mid-seventeenth century. Its political importance subsequently declined with the Newcomens, culminating with the suicide of Thomas Gleadowe-Newcomen in 1825. It later housed a school. The castle defence wing to the south and east is reputed to have been destroyed by fire. Ballyfermot House, known locally as 'the tiled house', was built by the Verveer family.[7] In his A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland,Samuel Lewis places a Captain Lampier and his wife Bridget (Cavanaugh of Goldenbridge) (Lieutenant Joseph Lamphier, 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers and Bridget Mary Cavanagh) as living there in 1834. It stood to the north of the castle's aquaculture pond. Built in the early eighteenth century, the house had a slated façade in the Dutch style.[citation needed]
The nineteenth century newspaper publisher and writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, proprietor of the Dublin Evening Mail, lived in nearby Chapelizod when not in residence his city townhouse at Merrion Square. Ballyfermot and Chapelizod feature in his novel The House by the Churchyard and some of his other works. This large Georgian house still adjoins Church Lane next to St. Laurence's parish churchyard in Chapelizod. The eighteenth-century church, alongside the original medieval bell tower, is still in use. It serves the united parish of Ballyfermot, Palmerstown, and Chapelizod in the Church of Ireland. Le Fanu Road is named after him, as is Le Fanu Park, referred to locally as The Lawns. Le Fanu was a mentor of the writer Bram Stoker author of Dracula, who did the theatre reviews for his newspaper The Dublin Evening Mail.
A short distance from the castle site at the south-east end of Le Fanu Park is a mound which covers the ruins and churchyard of the rectory church of St Laurence. It is believed to have roots in Celtic Christianity, perhaps a minor branch of the Tallaght Maelruain or Kilnamanagh monasteries. It was connected to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem at Kilmainham in the 13th century. The churchyard ruins survived into the 1960s. This church served Ballyfermot and the surrounding townlands into the late 17th century.[7]
Other manor houses of note include Johnstown House (St John's College), Colepark House, Sarsfield House, Sevenoaks, Floraville, Auburn Villa and Gallanstown House. The Ballyfermot townlands were transferred from the Barony of Newcastle to the Barony of Uppercross in the late nineteenth century, under the Local Government Act of 1898.[citation needed]
The dairy and stud farms of Ballyfermot were acquired by the authorities in the 1930s. They were developed into suburban housing estates needed to alleviate the post war housing shortage. This development, along with estates at Drimnagh, Crumlin, Walkinstown and other pockets in the south city, and Cabra, Finglas and Donnycarney along with smaller pockets in the north city provided modern accommodation to facilitate the Dublin City Council public/private housing programs. Initially leased to waiting lists, these homes were sold to their residents, even prior to similar government initiatives in the United Kingdom. The first estate was built in the late 1940s at Ballyfermot Lower. South of Sarsfield House and Ballyfermot Road it was originally called the Sarsfield Estate. The street names reflect this historical theme. Gradually, the adjacent townlands to the south of Ballyfermot Road and north of Grange Cross - Ballyfermot Upper, Blackditch, Cherry Orchard, Raheen and Gallanstown were similarly developed. Johnstown, a townland of Palmerstown, located around Johnstown House (St John's College De La Salle) south of Chapelizod was developed for residential housing. Now divided along the Drumfin/Glenaulin/Sports Park perimeter, the west portion was retained by Palmerstown, while the east portion became the township/electoral district of Drumfin in Dublin City (Local Government Act 1993), and included in postal district Dublin 10.[citation needed]
During the 1970s Ballyfermot suffered from a lack of facilities and opportunities for its residents;[8] however, these conditions have improved over time.
Politics
In local government elections, Ballyfermot is part of the Ballyfermot-Drimnagh Ward. Since the local elections in 2024, the local elected representatives on Dublin City Council are:[citation needed]
The area is now a centre of national commercial distribution, with access to the national trunk roads.[citation needed] Ballyfermot is bordered to the north by the N4, to the south by the N7 and to the west by the M50.
A number of Irish motor distributors are based in Ballyfermot. They include Toyota, Nissan, General Motors, J. C. Bamford (JCB), Harris Assembly and Hilux. They are centred around Kylemore Road, home to companies such as Thornton's Recycling, C&C, FBD, and Royal Liver Insurance. The industrial estates include Park West and JFK.[citation needed]
There are several hotels in the area, including Days Hotel at Park West and Sheldon Park on Kylemore and Bewleys at Newlands.[citation needed] A community based CCTV monitoring scheme for Ballyfermot was launched in early 2003. This is part of the Department of Justice Town Centre CCTV monitoring initiative.[citation needed]
Transport
Dublin Bus (routes G1, G2, 60) and Go-Ahead Ireland (routes L55, S4, W2) serve the area. An hourly commuter train service is offered by Irish Rail, to Heuston station at Kingsbridge. The local station is Cherry Orchard/Park West Station, which is located on the Park West Road on the western perimeter of Ballyfermot. The Luas light rail system also serves Ballyfermot. The south side stop is near the Kylemore and Naas Road intersection. A Luas line to Lucan proposes passing through the centre of Ballyfermot village before going on to serve Liffey Valley and Lucan village.[citation needed]
Amenities
Parks
The California Hills Park (also known as Glenaulin Park) is the largest recreational space in the area. The name originated as a colloquialism - there were few designated play facilities in the very early days of suburban development and the California Hills was the name used by local movie-going kids who played 'Cowboys and Indians' there. The name later achieved official recognition due to popular usage.[citation needed] The park covers part of the great esker east of Dublin, and overlooks the Liffey Valley from the south. From Le Fanu and Kylemore Roads to the east, it falls to the landscaped valley of a Liffey tributary, the Glenaulin Stream. It runs west toward Glenaulin and Drumfin Roads which adjoin the park as it stretches in a crescent through Palmerstown. The Chapelizod Bypass runs northwest alongside and Kylemore Road joins the motorway near the West County Hotel. California Hills Park has views north over the Strawberry Beds to the Phoenix Park and the Farmleigh clock tower at Castleknock is a prominent landmark. California Hills include's Gales-Drumfinn Avenue Park, known locally as "The Gaels", used for football, golf practice, cross country runs and walks and includes a children's play area. There is an entrance to the park beside the Ballyfermot Leisure Co-Op, near the GAA Sports Park, on Gurteen Road.
Other parks located in the area include Le Fanu Park, Glenaulin Sports Park, Markievicz Park and Cherry Orchard Park. Le Fanu Park houses the Ballyfermot Leisure Centre and The Base.[citation needed]
Grand Canal
The Grand Canal was constructed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is now a recreational waterway. It passes along the south side of Ballyfermot. Towpath walkways extend continuously to Hazelhatch, County Kildare. A historic bridge crosses the canal near the seventh lock at Killeen.[citation needed]
The Ballyfermot Medical Clinic is closed but a new Primary Care and Mental Health Centre has been opened beside Cherry Orchard Hospital. Services include GP, community nursing, physiotherapy, dental, addiction and community welfare. Mental Health facilities include a day hospital, day centre and outpatients clinic. This is run by the HSE.
The Hermitage Medical Clinic is located in close proximity to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, just off the N4 motorway. The Hermitage Hospital is a 101-bed private facility with specialised medical teams who provide medical, surgical and advanced radiotherapy care to patients. The hospital is privately run. Its principal investors are Sean Mulryan, Larry Goodman, John Flynn and George Duffy GP.[10]
National (primary) schools serving the area include Mary Queen of Angels National School, St Louise's Junior & Senior National Schools, Dominican School Campus (which includes St Michael's, St Raphael's and St Gabriel's N.S), and St Ultan's National School.[citation needed]
Due to the large amount of secondary schools in the area many merged into one which leaves Ballyfermot with two secondary schools: St Setons Secondary School and Kylemore College.
The merge between the secondary schools was necessitated due to a shortage of students between the schools.
A fictional "Ballyfermot School" was created for the children's television programme Roy, and many of the episodes were set there.[11]
Social and cultural
The Ballyfermot Community Festival takes place annually.[citation needed]
The local civic centre shares space with the Ballyfermot Residents Association (BRA).[citation needed] St Matthew's Community Centre is located adjacent to St Matthew's Church in Ballyfermot Upper (west).[12] The is also a public library in Ballyfermot.[13]
Ballyfermot Youth Service (BYS) is a youth service that has been running since 1985.[14] It provides services to young people of the area including outdoor education programmes, drop-in information centres, and music and arts programmes.[citation needed] St Mary's Youth Club has also based in the area since 1958.[citation needed]
The Gala was a local auditorium until its closure in the 2010s.[15] It was opened in 1953 and was used for several recreational uses, including as a local cinema, snooker and bingo hall.[15]
Demographics
On the outskirts of Ballyfermot and Bluebell, there is a relatively high Irish Traveller population, mostly located in the Labre Park area.[16][17]
There are two senior Gaelic Athletic Association clubs serving Ballyfermot. Ballyfermot De la Salle GAA Club is active primarily in Ballyfermot, while the Liffey Gaels GAA clubhouse is on the border between Ballyfermot and Inchicore and also serves the parish of Inchicore.[citation needed] Another GAA club was present in the 1990s under the name St. Laurences GAA, which later merged with nearby Quarryvalle GAA in Clondalkin.
Ballyfermot De La Salle[21] is the largest Gaelic football club in the area. The club, which originated in 1953 as Ballyfermot Gaels, play their senior home games in the Drumfin/Glenaulin Sports Park, located on the west side of California Hills Park. The club plays in the California Hills and Markievicz Park areas as well as in Glenaulin Park.[citation needed] The club's colours are similar to that of Kerry, as a tribute to the first parish priest, Kerryman Charles Canon Troy, who sponsored the club.[citation needed]
Another club, Liffey Gaels, was founded in 1951. It was known as Rialto Gaels for over twenty years. In the 1970s, it changed its name to SS. Michael and James's to reflect the association with these schools.[citation needed] In 1984, a local juvenile club, Donore Iosagain, amalgamated with SS. Michael and James's and the club was renamed the Liffey Gaels. Today their immediate catchment area is Inchicore and the parishes of St Michael's, St James', St Catherine's, Rialto and Donore Avenue. The Gaels play their home games Liffeyside at East Timor Park on Sarsfield Road in Inchicore.[citation needed]
Boxing
St Matthew's Boxing Club[22] is located on Drumfinn Road adjacent to the grounds of Mary Queen of Angels National School, close to Ballyfermot Garda Station.[22] Cherry Orchard Boxing Club was founded by volunteers in 2012 to cope with the demand for the sport in the area after the summer Olympics. The club used facilities in the Orchard Community Center, Cherry Orchard Grove until a permanent home for the club was built with the help of Dublin City Council on the site.
Equestrian
Cherry Orchard Equine Centre[23] is an equine, education and training centre that offers a number of services to the local area located at Cherry Orchard Green, Ballyfermot. One of the main services it provides is horse riding lessons for children and adults in the community. It was established in 2001 in response to children not attending school in order to tend to the horses kept in Ballyfermot.[24] The problem of horses being kept in the Dublin suburb has spanned generations despite lack of proper facilities and horsemanship knowledge.[25] This centre was established in order to combat this issue and provide people with the skills required to care for a horse.
Leisure centres
Ballyfermot Leisure Centre is located on Le Fanu Road. Ballyfermot Leisure Co-Op (BLCO) is located on Gurteen Road adjacent to Mary Queen of Angels National School. Liffey Valley Fitness is located on the Colcut Road. Sheldon Park Fitness Centre[26] is located on the Kylemore Road. SanoVitae Health and Fitness Club[27] is located in the Clarion Hotel complex close to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. The Little Gym[28] is also located in the Clarion Hotel complex.
Religion
Religious institutions serving the area include the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (sometimes shorted to 'Church of the Assumption') and the Church of St Matthew, St Laurence's Church, Chapelizod (Church of Ireland), and a number of Christian Evangelist denominations.
The Fureys, traditional Irish music family; grew up locally and began their professional career while living in Ballyfermot; their father Ted Furey was a traditional fiddler, music teacher, and member of Comhaltas Ceoltori Éireann[citation needed]
The River Liffey is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water and supports a range of recreational activities.
The Southside is the part of Dublin city that lies south of the River Liffey. It is an informal but commonly used term. In comparison to the city's Northside, it has historically been regarded as wealthier and more privileged, with several notable exceptions.
Blanchardstown is a large outer suburb of Dublin in the modern county of Fingal, Ireland. Located ten kilometres (6 mi) northwest of Dublin city centre, it has developed since the 1960s from a small village to a point where Greater Blanchardstown is the largest urban area in Fingal.
Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey and east of the River Dodder, about two kilometres east of the city centre. It is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge. Areas included in Ringsend are the south side of the Dublin Docklands, and at the west end is the area of South Lotts and part of the Grand Canal Dock area. Neighbouring areas include Irishtown, Sandymount and the Beggars Bush part of Ballsbridge to the south, and the city centre to the west. A key feature of the area is the chimneys of Poolbeg power station.
Lucan is an outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland, located 12 km west of Dublin city centre, on the River Liffey. It is near the Strawberry Beds and Lucan Weir, and at the confluence of the River Griffeen. It is mostly in the local government area of South Dublin, with the exception of the North Lucan areas of Laraghcon, Coldblow and Saint Catherine's Park, which are in Fingal. Road access to Lucan is from the N4, and the M50 motorway at Junction 7.
Palmerstown is a civil parish and suburb in western Dublin on the banks of the River Liffey. It forms part of the South Dublin local authority and the Dublin Mid-West parliamentary constituency. The area is bordered to the north by the River Liffey and the Strawberry Beds, to the west by Lucan, to the south-west by Clondalkin, to the south by Ballyfermot and to the east by the village of Chapelizod. Palmerstown village is situated near the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. The area is situated near the major junction of the M50 motorway and the N4. It lies approximately 7 km west of O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre. The Old Lucan Road, once the main route from the city to the west, passes through the centre of Palmerstown village.
Inchicore is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Located approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of the city centre, Inchicore was originally a small village separate from Dublin. The village developed around Richmond Barracks and Inchicore railway works, before being incorporated into the expanding city bounds. Inchicore is a largely residential area and is home to the association football club St Patrick's Athletic FC.
Adamstown is a planned suburban development in western County Dublin, located circa 16 km from Dublin city centre, in the jurisdiction of South Dublin County Council. The first new town in Ireland since Shannon Town in the 1960s, the development-in-progress is based on a 220 hectare Strategic Development Zone site south of the N4 road and Lucan, west of Liffey tributary the Griffeen River and north of the Grand Canal. No date has been set for the official granting of any specific long-term official status but development is underway since 2005 and as of 2015, perhaps 4,500 of a planned population of 25,000 were resident. As per the 2022 census, the population is just above 10,000. The planned scale of development is 9,000 to 10,000 dwellings, with aligned supporting infrastructure including public transport links.
Drimnagh is a suburb in Dublin, Ireland to the south of the city between Walkinstown, Crumlin and Inchicore, bordered by the Grand Canal to the north and east. Drimnagh is in postal district Dublin 12.
Walkinstown is a suburb of Dublin in Ireland, six kilometres southwest of the city centre. It is surrounded by Drimnagh to the north, Crumlin to the east, Greenhills to the south, and Ballymount, Bluebell, and Clondalkin to the west. Its postal code is Dublin 12.
Greenhills is a suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is in County Dublin and lies between Kimmage, Tallaght, Ballymount, Templeogue, Terenure and Walkinstown, which the area of Greenhills was historically part of, and includes several residential developments. Greenhills is in the Dublin postal district of Dublin 12 and the local government area of South Dublin.
Chapelizod is a village preserved within the city of Dublin, Ireland. It lies in the wooded valley of the River Liffey, near the Strawberry Beds and the Phoenix Park. The village is associated with Iseult of Ireland and the location of Iseult's chapel. Chapelizod is under the administration of Dublin City Council.
Cherry Orchard Football Club is an association football club based in the Cherry Orchard area of Ballyfermot, Dublin in Ireland. Their senior team plays in the Leinster Senior League (LSL). They have also competed in the FAI Cup, the FAI Intermediate Cup, the FAI Junior Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. The club also has reserve teams playing in the LSL and enter teams in the Dublin and District Schoolboys/Girls League (DDSL). A number of players, who progressed through the Cherry Orchard youth system, have gone onto play for professional clubs in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Several have also represented the Republic of Ireland national team at international level.
Bluebell is a small suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Situated approximately 6 kilometres south-west of the city centre, on the Camac, a Liffey tributary, the suburb borders the Grand Canal and Ballyfermot to the west, Walkinstown & Drimnagh to the east, Inchicore to the north, and Clondalkin to the south.
The R112 road is a regional road in south Dublin, Ireland. It begins at the junction with the R148 road at Chapelizod and arcs southeastwards, then eastwards across the middle of south Dublin, ending at the Mount Merrion junction of the R138. The road is a single-carriageway, with cycle lanes on some stretches. Improvements to the road have been made over the last 10 years, the most significant being at Dundrum Cross where the road was widened to make room for the new Luas bridge and Dundrum bypass.
Liffey Gaels GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in based in the Inchicore and Ballyfermot areas of Dublin.
Cherry Orchard is a suburb and townland within South Dublin, Ireland. It is located near Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Drimnagh, Kilmainham and Clondalkin.
↑ Oftedal, Magne (1976), "Scandinavian place-names in Ireland", in Almqvist, Bo; David, Greene (eds.), Proceedings of the Seventh Viking Congress. Dublin 15-21 August 1973, Royal Irish Academy, pp.125–133.
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