Balscaddan (, also spelt Balscadden) is a village in

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished for administrative purposes in 1994. ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is the most northerly village of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, approx 5 km north of

Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , IPA: �bˠalʲəˈbʲɾʲɪɟiːnʲ is a coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland, approximately 34 km from Dublin City. The 2016 census population was 21,722 for Balbriggan and its environs. ...

and close to the Meath border. Balscaddan is also the name of the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

around the village, and the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

of which it is part. The district has a population of under 700 people, and the area around the village is completely rural in character, although close to the expanding Balbriggan. The village is not to be confused with Balscaddan Bay which is located on

Howth Head Howth Head ( ; ''Ceann Bhinn Éadair'' in Irish) is a peninsula northeast of the city of Dublin in Ireland, within the governance of Fingal County Council. Entry to the headland is at Sutton while the village of Howth and the harbour are on t ...

and which takes its name from the same source.

History

Balscadden village is said to derive its name from the Irish ''Baile na Scadán'' (The Town of the Herrings); this is odd because the village is situated at least two miles from the coast. Local tradition relates that in days gone by herrings were transported inland from a small fishing port, in the townland of Bremore, commonly called Balscadden Bay or "Cromwell's harbour." The fish was prepared at Balscadden village for transportation to the

market. Balscaddan was the birthplace of Saint Benignus, who was a disciple of

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

and eventually became the

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

in the 5th century.

Sport

Balscadden FC was formed in 2006 and currently plays in the AUL Division 1. The team plays its home games at the Ringcommon Sports centre and consists of players from the Balscaddan and Balbriggan areas.

O'Dwyers GAA O'Dwyers GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based at Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan, County Dublin, Ireland, serving the communities of Balbriggan, Balrothery, Balscadden and surrounding areas. Its principal grounds are at Bremore Park, but it ...

is the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

club.

Education

Balscadden has one mixed primary school, St. Benignus National School, located in the village which caters for approximately 250 pupils.

Religion

Balscadden is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in the Fingal North deanery of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin The Archdiocese of Dublin ( ga, Ard-Deoise Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the eastern part of Ireland. Its archepiscopal ...

. The parish church is the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady. The original church in Balscadden was built in 1412. However, it was destroyed by soldiers led by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

during his reign of terror. The present church was built in 1819 at a total cost of

IR£ The pound (Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin cir ...

500, as a symbol of the Balscadden community's resilience and determination. Today, its quaint rustic nature makes it a very popular venue for weddings. The

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

Church of Balscaddan was formerly merged with

Balrothery Balrothery () is a village and civil parish located in Fingal, Ireland. The town has historically been called in Irish ''Baile Ruairí'' (Town of Ruairí). The 2016 census population for Balrothery was 2,017. Geography The village is located ...

parish in 1871.

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20050819035406/http://www.balscaddendistrict.com/
Census 2006 Preliminary Report — Table 4: Population of each Province, County, City, urban area, rural area and Electoral Division, 2002 - 2006

References

{{Authority control Civil parishes of the barony of Balrothery East Townlands of Fingal