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Blanchardstown () is a large outer
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of Dublin in the modern county of
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. Located 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. It is within the historical
barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal. In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...
in the traditional County Dublin, as well as the Dublin 15 postal area and the
Dublin West Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cens ...
electoral constituency. One of Ireland's largest shopping and leisure complexes — the Blanchardstown Centre and adjacent facilities — is located in the area.


Etymology

The name Blanchardstown comes from the Blanchard family, who were granted their estate sometime between 1250 and 1260. The name 'Blanchard' is thought to come from the old French word 'blanch' meaning white, in turn potentially referring to white or fair hair.


Geography

Blanchardstown is just outside Dublin's M50 motorway semi-ring road, slightly to the north of the tolled crossing of the River Liffey. The core of the suburb is the townland of the same name, containing the village and the Roselawn housing area. It is bordered to the east by the suburb of
Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal. In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...
, to the west by Coolmine, which includes some areas, including the Blanchardstown Centre and surrounding retail parks, central to the district, and Clonsilla/ Ongar, to the north by Tyrellstown and Hollystown, and to the south and south-east by Porterstown and Diswellstown. The stretch of suburban housing from Castleknock Way north to the Old Navan Road and Talbot Court, including Laurel Lodge, has an ambiguous status - all of it is in the townland of Blanchardstown. The townland has an area of over 454 acres and is within the historical
Barony of Castleknock The barony of Castleknock ( ga, Caisleán Cnucha meaning "Cnucha's Castle") is one of the baronies of Ireland. Originally part of the Lordship of Meath, it was then constituted as part of the historic County Dublin. Today, it lies in the modern ...
. The River Tolka, the second river of Fingal, and Dublin, runs through the centre of the area, meandering to run just north of the village core, and then further north to pass the Connolly Memorial Hospital and then Abbotstown. The
Royal Canal The Royal Canal ( ga, An Chanáil Ríoga) is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the River Shannon and was built in direct competition ...
and the Dublin-Sligo railway line pass along the southern edge of Blanchardstown proper from east to west.


History

Blanchardstown was a predominantly rural area, with a small village, in western County Dublin, alongside the neighbouring district of Castleknock. Both areas shared a common history until well into the 19th century, when their development diverged. In '' A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland'', published in 1837, Blanchardstown is described as "a village .on the road to Navan, containing 57 houses and 342 inhabitants". In the late 1960s, the first housing estates began to be developed. During the 1970s and 1980s, the village and surrounding housing developments became subsumed into the suburban fabric of Dublin. The Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown (ITB) was established in 1999 and, since amalgamation in 2019, is one of the three campuses of the new Technological University Dublin along with Grangegorman and Tallaght campuses. During the late 1990s a criminal gang from Blanchardstown, known as "
The Westies The Westies were a New York City-based Irish American organized crime gang, responsible for racketeering, drug trafficking, and contract killing. They were partnered with the Italian-American Mafia and operated out of the Hell's Kitchen nei ...
”, controlled the heroin trade in west Dublin. One of its leaders was shot in a pub in Blanchardstown in 2003, while others were killed in Spain in 2004.


Transport


Rail

There are three Irish Rail train stations in the wider Blanchardstown area:
Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal. In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...
,
Coolmine Coolmine () is a primarily residential suburb of Dublin, Ireland, in the jurisdiction of Fingal. It is also a townland in the civil parish of Clonsilla. Location and access Coolmine is located between the suburban areas of Blanchardstown (to ...
and Clonsilla. Trains on the Maynooth/Longford line connect the city centre, at Dublin Connolly,
Tara Street Tara Street is a major traffic route in Dublin, Ireland, partly due to the current one-way traffic flow in the city centre.
and
Dublin Pearse Pearse railway station ( ga, Stáisiún na bPiarsach) or Dublin Pearse is a railway station on Westland Row on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland. It is Ireland's busiest commuter station and second busiest station overall (behind Dublin Conno ...
stations, to Maynooth,
Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...
and
Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
. At Clonsilla station, the
Dublin–Navan railway line The Dublin-Navan line (via Clonsilla) is a partially-open commuter rail line between Dublin and the town of Navan in County Meath. Since September 2010, train services operate from Docklands Station to M3 Parkway, with an extension to Navan itsel ...
connects Docklands railway station to Hansfield and Dunboyne.


Bus

Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland routes include 17A, 37, 38, 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D, 39, 39A, 39N, 40D, 70, 76A, 220, 236, 238, 239 and 270. Two Nitelink bus routes also operate on Friday and Saturday nights to Tyrrelstown Route 39N and Dunboyne Route 70N. Express bus routes include service from Aston Quay and from Coolmine Railway Station to Ballycoolin Industrial Estate. Ballycoolin Industrial Estate is served by a private bus company called AMC Ballycoolin, also known as Express Bus.
Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidia ...
services pass through Blanchardstown on Routes 105,109 and 111.


Amenities

Connolly Hospital, one of Dublin's main hospitals, and a public university teaching hospital, is located in the area, as is the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown. Local retail outlets include Blanchardstown Centre (a large retail shopping centre with over 180 stores), and
WestEnd Shopping Park Blanchardstown () is a large outer suburb of Dublin in the modern county of Fingal, Ireland. Located northwest of Dublin city centre, it has developed since the 1960s from a small village to a point where Greater Blanchardstown is the largest ...
(a retail park located beside the Blanchardstown Centre). The Carlton Hotel, northwest of the village, is located by the Blanchardstown Centre complex. There is a SuperValu outlet on Main Street. Blanchardstown has a large public library and is also home to the Draíocht Arts Centre. There is a large Garda station on Blanchardstown's main street.


Education

There are a number of primary schools (
national schools In Ireland, a national school () is a type of primary school that is financed directly by the state, but typically administered jointly by the state, a patron body, and local representatives. In national schools, most major policies, such as the ...
) in Blanchardstown, including Scoil Bhríde (Cailiní) and Scoil Bhríde (Buacaillí) on Church Avenue, Sacred Heart of Jesus Primary School (Huntstown), Scoile Olilibheir (Coolmine), St Ciaran's Primary School (Hartstown), Mary Mother of Hope Primary School (Clonee), and St Phillip the Apostle Primary School (Mountview). Second-level schools (
secondary schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
) serving the area include Blakestown Community School, Riversdale Community College,
Hartstown Community School Hartstown Community School is an Irish Secondary School located in Hartstown, Clonsilla. It serves the area of Hartstown, Huntstown and other localities in the Clonsilla Clonsilla () is an outer suburb of Dublin in Fingal, Ireland. Clons ...
, and Coolmine Community School. The Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown (part of TU Dublin) is a third-level institution with a campus on Blanchardstown Road.


Sport

The National Sports Campus is located in Blanchardstown and includes the
National Aquatic Centre The National Aquatic Centre (NAC) ( ga, Ionad Náisiúnta Uisce) is an indoor aquatics facility in Blanchardstown, Fingal, Ireland. The State-owned complex houses a 50-metre swimming pool with an associated diving pool, an aquapark and leisur ...
, a major indoor aquatics facility with a 50m swimming pool, diving pool, leisure pool and aquapark, and fitness centre. The centre hosted the
2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games ) , Nations participating = 166 , Athletes participating = , Events = 23 sports , Opening ceremony = , Closing ceremony = , Officially opened by = Mary McAleese and Nelson Mandela , Torch Lighter ...
and a number of international swimming events since then. There are several GAA clubs in the Blanchardstown area, including St. Brigids, Castleknock and St. Peregrines, Clonsilla. There are also a number of association football (soccer) clubs in the area.


Religion

St Brigid's Roman Catholic Church is situated behind Main Street at 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. In the 19th century, the Roman Catholic parish of Blanchardstown encompassed much of the area now within the Dublin 15 postal district; some of the component areas were quite distinct from Blanchardstown but Catholic parishes had been merged during Penal Laws times. Following the relaxation of the Penal Laws, it became possible for Catholic adherents to consider the construction of additional churches and to repair the existing stock of religious buildings. Church authorities used the opportunity to implement the Tridentine reform which saw the parish as the basic unit of ecclesiastical organisation and the parish priest as the central figure within the parish. The new parish priest of Blanchardstown in 1839, Fr Michael Dungan, oversaw the construction of a number of new churches, which today serve independent parishes, and invited a number of religious communities to provide for the education of Catholic children. St Brigid's Church, Blanchardstown – not to be confused with a church of the Church of Ireland in nearby Castleknock – was constructed in 1837 upon the foundation of a church that had been built prior to 1731. It is the mother church of 12 other churches constituted out of the parish over the following 156 years. * Chapelizod - "Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (separated from Blanchardstown Parish 1883) ** Navan Road - "Our Lady Help of Christians" (separated from Chapelizod 1953) * Castleknock - "Our Lady Mother of the Church" (separated from Blanchardstown 1976) ** Laurel Lodge / Carpenterstown - "St Thomas, the Apostle" (separated from Castleknock 1983) * Porterstown - "St Mochta's" (separated from Castleknock 1986. The present church was constructed in 1890 as a
Chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...
for Blanchardstown.) *
Corduff Corduff (Irish language, Irish: ''An Chorr Dhubh'') is a northwestern suburb of Dublin, in Fingal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a part of the wider Blanchardstown area and is part of the Dublin 15 postal district. As of 2016, the electoral ...
- "St Patrick's Church" (separated from Blanchardstown 1976) ** Mountview - "St Philip, the Apostle" (separated from Corduff 1979) ** Blakestown - "Church of Mary of the Servants" (separated from Corduff 1979) *** Huntstown - "Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus" (separated from Blakestown 1981) **** Littlepace - "Chapel of Ease, Mary, Mother of Hope" (in the process of development since 2002) * Hartstown - "St Ciarán' Church" (separated Blanchardstown 1979) * Mulhuddart / Lady's Well - "St Luke, the Evangelist" (separated from Blanchardstown 1993)


Representation

For the purposes of elections to
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...
, Blanchardstown is part of the
Dublin West Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cens ...
constituency, which returns four TDs. For elections to
Fingal County Council Fingal County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Fhine Gall) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of Fingal, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolit ...
, the suburb is split between the two local electoral areas (LEAs) of Castleknock (which returns 4 councillors), and Mulhuddart (which returns 5 councillors).


Notable people

*
Joan Burton Joan Burton (born 1 February 1949) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Tánaiste and Leader of the Labour Party from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Social Protection from 2011 to 2016, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2 ...
, former Labour TD, Tánaiste and government minister *
Jade Jordan Jade Jordan (born 1988) is an Irish actor and writer. She has appeared in film in '' Rosie'' (2018), and '' You Are Not My Mother'' (2021), and on television in ''Doctors'' (2018), ''The Virtues'' (2019), '' Kin'' (2021), '' Redemption'' (2022), ...
, actor and author *
Siva Kaneswaran Siva Michael Kaneswaran ( ta, சிவ மைக்கல் கணேசுவரன்) (born 16 November 1988) is an Irish singer best known for being a member of the boy band The Wanted. Early life Kaneswaran grew up in Corduff Blanchar ...
, musician with '' The Wanted'' * William Mooney, cricketer * Alan Moore, sports journalist * John Troy, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin *
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
, Fine Gael TD, Tánaiste and former Taoiseach


Gallery

File:Blanchardstown Shopping Centre - geograph.org.uk - 624414.jpg, Blanchardstown Centre File:Draíocht Arts Centre Blanchardstown (2019).jpg, Draíocht Arts Centre File:Blanchardstown Garda Station 2020.jpg, Blanchardstown Garda Station File:Justin's veg shop Blanchardstown.jpg, Shop on Blanchardstown's main street


References

{{Authority control Townlands of the barony of Castleknock