Clontarf () is a largely affluent coastal suburb on the

Northside Northside or North Side may refer to: Music * Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, England * NorthSide, an American record label * NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark * "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vinc ...

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 ...

in the city's

Dublin 3 Dublin postal districts have been used by Ireland's postal service, known as ''An Post'', to sort mail in Dublin. The system is similar to that used in cities in Europe and North America until they adopted national postal code systems in the 19 ...

postal district. Historically there were two centres of population, one on the coast towards the city, and the fishing village of Clontarf Sheds, further north on the coast at what is now Vernon Avenue. Clontarf has a range of commercial facilities in several locations, mainly centred on Vernon Avenue. It adjoins Fairview, Marino,

Killester Killester () is a small residential largely affluent suburb of Dublin, Ireland on the Northside of the city in the Dublin 3 and Dublin 5 postal districts. It was the site of a church and convent or monastery centuries ago, and later a small vill ...

and

Raheny Raheny () is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE ( Mervyn Archdall). The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint Anne ...

. Clontarf is in the jurisdiction of

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council wa ...

. Clontarf was a core site of the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the forc ...

in 1014, in which

Brian Boru Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...

, High King of Ireland, defeated the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

of Dublin and their allies, the Irish of

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

. This battle, which extended over a wide area, from modern Ballybough to Kilbarrack, at least, is seen as marking an end to the Irish-Viking Wars.

Etymology

The name ''Cluain Tarbh'' means "meadow of the bull", ''cluain'' being "meadow" and ''tarbh'' meaning "bull" in Irish.

Geography

Clontarf is on the northern side of Dublin city, northeast of the city centre, along the coast. It is bounded to the west and south by Fairview Park and the suburb of Marino, to the north by the suburbs of

and Artane and to the northeast by

Saint Anne's Park Saint Anne's Park ( ga, Páirc Naomh Áine) is a public park situated between Raheny and Clontarf, suburbs on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is owned and managed by Dublin City Council. The park, the second largest municipal park in Dub ...

and the suburb of

. The southern boundary of Clontarf lies on one side of the estuary of one of Dublin's three main rivers, the

River Tolka The River Tolka (; , "the flood"), also once spelled ''Tolga'', is one of Dublin's three main rivers, flowing from County Meath to Fingal within the old County Dublin, and through the north of Dublin city, Ireland (the other main rivers are t ...

. The Wad River, another of Dublin's secondary watercourses, joins the Tolka estuary right at the city end of Clontarf's coastline, while the

Naniken River The Naniken River ( ga, An Nainicín) is a minor river on the north side of Dublin city, Ireland, one of more than forty watercourses monitored by Dublin City Council. It is culverted for its upper course, visible in St Anne's Park for its ent ...

runs through St. Anne's Park and reaches the sea at the Raheny end of the district, its mouth marking the civil parish boundary between Clontarf and Raheny. The district is fairly level, rising slightly inland.

Bull Island Bull Island (Irish: ''Oileán an Tairbh''), more properly North Bull Island (Irish: ''Oileán an Tairbh Thuaidh''), is an island located in Dublin Bay in Ireland, about 5 km long and 800 m wide, lying roughly parallel to the shore off Cl ...

– sometimes the North Bull Island to distinguish it from the sandbank of the South Bull – is also shared with Raheny. It is connected to Clontarf at its northern end by a historic wooden bridge, in the locality of

Dollymount Dollymount (), often known as "Dollyer" to Dubliners, is a coastal suburban area on the north coast of Dublin Bay, within Clontarf, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, just east of Saint Anne's Park. Dollymount Strand The famous Wooden Bri ...

. While most of the island is city property, the (North) Bull Wall and breakwater, related road and path, and the Bull (Wooden) Bridge belong to the Dublin Port Company and are closed for a day each year to assert this. At the end of the breakwater is a statue of ''Our Lady, Star of the Sea'' ( ga, Réalt na Mara), erected to watch over mariners and dockworkers. Clontarf is a

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 ...

in the ancient

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 ...

Coolock Coolock () is a large suburban area, centred on a village, on Dublin city's Northside (Dublin), Northside in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Coolock is crossed by the Santry River, a prominent feature in the middle of the district, with a linear ...

, in turn comprising multiple townlands.

Clontarf Island

There used to be an island, called Clontarf Island, off the coast of Clontarf near the mouth of the Tolka, as shown on maps such as that of

John Rocque John Rocque (originally Jean; c. 1704–1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed map of London published in 1746. Life and career Rocque was born in France in about 1704, one of four children of a ...

in 1753, with a single dwelling, and at some periods (notably in the 19th century), bathing facilities. The island was also used as a refuge from the plague in 1650. Construction work on the

Great South Wall The Great South Wall ( ga, Balla an Bhulla Theas) (also sometimes called the South Bull Wall), at the Port of Dublin, extends from the tip of the Poolbeg peninsula more than four kilometres out into Dublin Bay. It was the world's longest sea wa ...

and the Bull Wall in

Dublin Port Dublin Port ( ga, Calafort Átha Cliath) is the seaport of Dublin, Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximatively two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the ...

changed the flow of water in

Dublin Bay Dublin Bay ( ga, Cuan Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dub ...

, threatening its existence, though it was in fact eventually destroyed by a large storm in 1844.

Access

Clontarf lies between the coastal and inland roads from Dublin to Howth, and its seafront is served by the 130, 104 and H2 bus routes, while the inland parts are covered by buses on the Howth Road, such as the H1, H2 and H3. The area's historic railway station, on Howth Road, closed many years ago, but a new railway station,

Clontarf Road railway station Clontarf Road railway station ( ga, Bóthar Chluain Tarbh) is a railway station in Dublin, Ireland, on the DART commuter rail line. Location It is located at the south-western end of Clontarf Road on Dublin's Northside, on the border between ...

, the first stop north of the city centre on the

Dublin Area Rapid Transit The Dublin Area Rapid Transit system (stylised as DART) is an electrified commuter rail railway network serving the coastline and city of Dublin, Ireland. The service makes up the core of Dublin's suburban railway network, stretching from Grey ...

system, is located between Clontarf and Fairview.

History

Following the defeat of the Vikings and the Leinstermen at the

in 1014, the High King of Ireland Brian Boru (Brian Boroimhe) is said to have been killed with a battle axe while he was found in prayer in his tent, by a Danish Viking named Brodu. So great was the fighting which ensured among competing kings afterwards that event that one analyst stated they, '...turned the country into a trembling sod'. Clontarf itself enjoyed relative peace for over 100 years until the arrival of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

in 1172. Shortly afterwards, Clontarf was granted to Adam de Pheypo, a follower of Strongbow. He built the first Clontarf Castle. A settlement at Clontarf has been dated to at least the 12th century, and in the 19th century remains from earlier times were thought to have been found. Clontarf features on the 1598 map "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles" by

Abraham Ortelius Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the ''Theatrum Orbis Terraru ...

as "Clantarfe". The manor and church of Clontarf were held by the

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

and subsequently the

Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

, and there was a holy well in the area, near what is now The Stiles Road, until recent times (another spring, named for Brian Boroimhe, of uncertain age, still exists, on Castle Avenue near the sea). A manor house and a small associated village were located on the slight ridge overlooking the sea where the Clontarf Castle Hotel is now situated. The manor house was rebuilt many times, with the current hotel dating largely to the early 19th century. The

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

on the site is a 19th-century replica of the original Templar structure on the site. The adjoining ruined church is the old

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 ...

parish church, which dates to the mid-17th century and includes what may be the earliest use of red brick in Ireland. clontarf Castle - geograph

Clontarf Castle Clontarf Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chluain Tarbh) is a much-modernised castle, dating to 1837, in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland, an area famous as a key location of the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. There has been a castle on the site since 1172. In mod ...

was burnt in 1641 by the Governor of Dublin, Sir Charles Coote, apparently in revenge for the disloyalty of the then owner, George King. The castle, estate and district were given in 1649 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 ...

to John Blackwell, who assigned his interest to

John Vernon John Keith Vernon (born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz; February 24, 1932 February 1, 2005) was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada. He was best known for playing Dean Wormer ...

, Quartermaster-General of Cromwell's army in Ireland, although this is described in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of 1837 as “conferred by the Crown on Admiral Vernon”. The

Vernon family The Vernon family was a wealthy, prolific and widespread English family with 11th-century origins in Vernon, Normandy, France. Their extant titles include Baron Vernon and Vernon baronets of Shotwick Park. Vernon of Shipbrook, Cheshire William d ...

subsequently occupied the Castle for nearly three hundred and fifty years. In 1659, the population of Clontarf was 79. Fishing, oyster-catching and farming remained the main occupations over the following centuries, with a major fish-curing industry at ''the Sheds'', near the foot of Vernon Avenue (the Public House at the site still bears the name), around 1 km from the original village. In the 18th century, this developed into a secondary settlement, of fishermen and small farmers, living in basic cabins and with drying sheds for the fish. It is prominently marked on navigation maps for Dublin Bay dating to the 18th century. However, as with many such 'informal' settlements in Ireland, ''Clontarf Sheds'' became the site for a 19th-century Roman Catholic church – the

St. John's Church, and the Roman Catholic St. Anthony's are closer to the original settlement – and then outgrew the original village. The 1837 Lewis report remarked that "The land in this Parish is reported to be in the very highest state of cultivation..."

19th century

In the early 19th century, Clontarf had become a holiday resort for the citizens of Dublin, who came out from the city to enjoy bathing in the sea or in the hot and cold seawater baths erected by Mr. Brierly. A horse omnibus service from the city was started and Clontarf became a fashionable place to live – Samuel Lewis lists twenty-seven major houses, apart from Clontarf Castle, in which resided wealthy and important gentry.Among them were Thomas Gresham, founder of the

Gresham Hotel Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin, formerly The Gresham Hotel, is a historic Star (classification)#Hotel ratings, four-star hotel on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a Dublin institution and landmark building which ...

and W.C. Colville, owner of major property holdings in the centre of Dublin The Confirmation list for 1824 includes four titled ladies – Lady Charlemont, Lady Caroline Clements, Lady Maria Caulfield and Lady Emily Caulfield. Clontarf had an important role in the career of the prominent Irish nationalist leader

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

who sought to hold on this location, symbolic because of its association with the

in 1014, a mass meeting calling for

repeal A repeal (O.F. ''rapel'', modern ''rappel'', from ''rapeler'', ''rappeler'', revoke, ''re'' and ''appeler'', appeal) is the removal or reversal of a law. There are two basic types of repeal; a repeal with a re-enactment is used to replace the law ...

of the Act of Union. The meeting was banned by then-

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

, Sir

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

, and despite appeals from his supporters, O'Connell refused to defy the authorities and he called off the meeting, as he was unwilling to risk bloodshed. A key arrival at Clontarf was Sir

Benjamin Lee Guinness Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, 1st Baronet (1 November 1798 – 19 May 1868) was an Irish brewer and philanthropist. Brewer Born in Dublin, he was the third son of the second Arthur Guinness (1768–1855), and his wife Anne Lee, and a grandson of ...

, son of Arthur Guinness II and his partner in running the brewery, who purchased various lands in Clontarf and Raheny, combining them to form St. Anne's Estate (the remnants of which form

). By the late 19th century Clontarf was becoming urbanised, initially as a holiday resort for wealthy Dubliners, but rapidly as a suburb of the city. A tram line was laid along the coast, increasing activity in the area.

Amenities

Clontarf's most notable amenity is its seafront, with a promenade running continuously from Alfie Byrne Road to the wooden bridge at Dollymount, totalling 4.5 km in length. From 1911 to 1958 the promenade was improved with a variety of shelters and lifeguard stations added by the

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660-1661, even more sign ...

. The most notable of these structures date from the 1930s and were designed by Herbert Simms, which are primarily executed in pre-cast concrete. More shelters were added later, in the 1950s. The seafront is used by runners, walkers, sailors and cyclists. Among the features of the promenade is an

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...

Moai Moai or moʻai ( ; es, moái; rap, moʻai, , statue) are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island, Rapa Nui in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main mo ...

replica statue, a diplomatic gift from the ambassador of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, which is located just across the road from The Sheds pub. Maoi sculpture Clontarf 3

Also on the promenade is Clontarf's privately owned open-air seawater swimming pool, once a recreational destination with hot and cold baths, closed in 1996, then becoming derelict. But in 2017 it was redeveloped with a restaurant and bar open to the public within licensed hours. Originally scheduled to open in autumn 2017, it eventually did so in February 2018, but it was announced in January 2018 that public-access swimming would not initially be offered, only, under certain conditions, swimming for clubs, unless a six-figure public subsidy was made available. The city council noted that this might breach planning conditions, as the substantial development on the publicly owned promenade was approved on an assumption of public swimming potential. There is also a public slipway, across the road from the Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club clubhouse. Clontarf also reaches into

, which it shares with

. As well as extensive walks and green areas, the park contains numerous sporting facilities, such as playing pitches and non-sport amenities. These include an Arts Centre in the Red Stables, featuring artists' stores and studios, a coffee shop and markets on some weekends, along with a large rose garden which is located alongside the

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 ...

pitches. Clontarf also has access to the

North Bull Island Bull Island (Irish: ''Oileán an Tairbh''), more properly North Bull Island (Irish: ''Oileán an Tairbh Thuaidh''), is an island located in Dublin Bay in Ireland, about 5 km long and 800 m wide, lying roughly parallel to the shore off C ...

in the area known as

. The island contains the amenity of Dollymount Strand as well as two golf courses. The island is also known for its wildlife, and the lagoon and mudflats between the island and the mainland are a favourite spot for birdwatching. Clontarf is home to a wide range of businesses, many of which are members of the local Chamber of Commerce. There is a supermarket on Vernon Avenue, and there are, for example, a number of public houses, restaurants, convenience stores, bank branches, pharmacies and medical practitioners.

Schools

Local primary schools are the Belgrove National School group on Seafield Road West, Greenlanes NS (mixed, Church of Ireland patronage), off Seafield Road East, and Howth Road NS (mixed, Presbyterian patronage), on the border with Fairview. Greenlanes and Howth Road Presbyterian have "junior" and "senior" divisions, while the Belgrove group actually consists of four legally-distinct schools, all formally named for

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

and each with its own roll number, staff and principal, on a common campus, which also holds the premises of Clontarf GAA club. At second level, the area holds Holy Faith School (a former convent school for girls, now in the patronage of The Le Cheile Schools Trust), and the mixed

Mount Temple Comprehensive School Mount Temple Comprehensive School is a secondary school in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, and has, as a primary objective, the provision of state-funded second-le ...

, which, while it appears to be in Donnycarney, is actually in a remote pocket of Clontarf. Other popular schools are St. Paul's College, Raheny for boys, followed by CUS Leeson Street, and Belvedere College S.J. both in the city centre, Loreto College, St Stephens Green for girls, and the Institute of Education (mixed, 4th to 6th year only). Special education facilities exist at the premises of the Central Remedial Clinic and the Irish Wheelchair Association.

Churches

Clontarf today has three Roman Catholic parishes (for more see

Parish of Clontarf (Roman Catholic) Founded in the early days of Irish Christian parish structures, the Parish of Clontarf assumed in 1829 the mantle of Union Parish for a large area of north Dublin, Ireland, a role previously filled by the Parish of Coolock, into which Clontarf ...

), a

Church of Ireland Parish of Clontarf The Parish of St. John the Baptist, the Church of Ireland Parish of Clontarf, Dublin, Clontarf, Dublin is a religious community located on the north shore of Dublin Bay, bounded by the Parishes of North Strand to the west, Coolock to the north, a ...

, a Presbyterian congregation and a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

parish. In addition to existing churches, there is a ruined church near Clontarf Castle, and the current Catholic Church of St Anthony is built behind the old St Anthony's Church, still in use as a hall; this building was previously Clontarf Town Hall. Historically Clontarf has had a strong Protestant community for many years, with the Church of Ireland parish being one of the most populated Anglican parishes in the country up to the 1950s. In the 1911 census, 39% of the population of Clontarf were Protestant, 25% being

, 8.5% Presbyterian and 5.5% Methodist. Relations between all the faith communities have always been good in Clontarf and mixed marriages were part of life even in 1911. Dublin - Clontarf and Scots Presbyterian Church - 20220207143645

Dublin - Clontarf and Scots Presbyterian Church - 20220207143645

Sport and social organisations

Clontarf has many clubs whose members take part in sporting activities, including

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

and

Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...

. Clontarf has a strong rugby club, their senior XV reaching two all-Ireland league finals under former coach Phil Werahiko. The

Clontarf Cricket Club Ground Castle Avenue cricket ground, also known as Clontarf Cricket Club ground, is a cricket facility in the suburb of Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. It is the primary of the two grounds of Clontarf Cricket Club, the secondary being at Mount Temple Comp ...

, based at the same premises as the rugby club, was the host for the final of the

2005 ICC Trophy The 2005 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament held in Ireland between 1 July and 13 July 2005. It was an international one-day tournament played over 50 overs per side between 12 Associate Members of the International Cricket Council. It served a ...

cricket tournament. It has hosted various cricket internationals, most recently against Australia in the summer of 2010, and is the home ground of the

Ireland cricket team The Ireland cricket team represents all of Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and organises the international team. Ireland participa ...

in the Republic of Ireland. Ireland are due to play another ODI against England in August 2011 at the ground. The Clontarf Cricket Club senior 1st XI have won the Leinster Senior Cup in 2007 and 2008. Clontarf is home to a number of GAA clubs that compete in the Dublin county championship in Gaelic football, ladies football, hurling and camogie. Founded in 1961,

Clontarf GAA Clontarf GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. Notable players * Chris Barrett *Jack McCaffrey * Noel McCaffrey *Jim Ronayne James William Ronayne (31 March 1877 – 6 August 1936) was an Irish hu ...

are based on Seafield Road and play their home matches at St Anne's Park in Raheny.

Scoil Uí Chonaill CLG Scoil Uí Chonaill is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Dublin, Ireland. History Scoil Uí Chonaill CLG was founded in 1950 by Brother Jim Scully, Principal of O’Connell School, initially to provide Gaelic games for pupils and pas ...

are located on the Clontarf Road and have been competing since 1953. The area also has two tennis clubs - Clontarf Lawn Tennis Club on Oulton Road, and Clontarf Parish Lawn Tennis Club on Seafield Road. Tennis is also played at the private Westwood Club, on the border between Clontarf and Fairview. Clontarf Taekwon-do Club, based in Belgrove Boys' school, has been in existence since 2013. The club competes at National, International, European and World level in Taekwondo.

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

has long been associated with Clontarf with its local Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club, one of the- oldest yacht clubs in Dublin Bay, celebrating its centenary in 1975. The area used for sailing is tidal, which limits the number of hours per day when sailing is possible.

Hydroplane racing Hydroplane racing (also known as hydro racing) is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries. Racing circuits International professional outboard hydroplane racing The Union Int ...

In the 1930s Clontarf was the base for the North Dublin branch of the Motor Yacht Club of Ireland. It is assumed that the racing took place in the "Blue Lagoon", the space between the Bull Island and Dollymount.The Motor Yacht Club of Ireland by Vincent Delany The Clontarf Scout Troop was established in 1931. Clontarf also has two

Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

companies - the 12th, attached to Clontarf Church of Ireland, and the 39th, attached to the Presbyterian parish, and a

Girls' Brigade The Girls' Brigade is an international, interdenominational Christian youth organisation. It was founded in 1893 in Dublin, Ireland. The modern organization was formed as the result of the amalgamation of three like-minded and similarly structur ...

company (5th Company Clontarf Presbyterian) attached to Clontarf & Scots Presbyterian Church. This company was 100 years old in 2008 and was the first active company in the world to reach this age. Clontarf is also home to the Central Remedial Clinic (whose swimming pool has some public access hours) and to the Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital of Ireland (since 1876), as well as a major centre of the Irish Wheelchair Association. There is no current local newspaper but past journals included "Clontarf's Eye".

Governance and representation

The districts of Clontarf, Dollymount and Ballybough, in the barony of Coolock and the county of Dublin, were joined to form a township governed by

town commissioners Town commissioners were elected local government bodies that existed in urban areas in Ireland from the 19th century until 2002. Larger towns with commissioners were converted to urban districts by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, with ...

under the Clontarf Township Act 1869. It became an

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

under the

Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, ...

. In 1900, the urban district was abolished and the area was transferred from the county into the jurisdiction of the city of Dublin. It is one of the main components of the Clontarf

local electoral area A local electoral area (LEA; ga, Toghlimistéir Áitiúil) is an electoral area for elections to local authorities in Ireland. All elections use the single transferable vote. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 166 LEAs, with an average po ...

for elections to

. Clontarf is in the Dáil constituency of Dublin Bay North for national elections. Brian Boru well Clontarf Dublin

Points of note

On Castle Avenue is a water outlet in a wall, believed locally to be from the spring known as Brian Boru's well, reputed to be the one mentioned in accounts of the Battle of Clontarf, where Brian Boru's men refreshed themselves during the battle. Clontarf shelter over mine (sunny)

Clontarf was the original home of the

Grove Social Club The Grove Social Club was an Irish alternative discothèque social club which ran for many years in Clontarf (1967-1975) and later Raheny (1975-1997), Northside suburbs of Dublin, Ireland. History The Grove opened in 1967 on Mount Prospect Aven ...

disco which ran from 1967 to 1997. It started in 1967 in Mount Prospect Avenue in Clontarf, Belgrove Football Club (from which the social club got its name). It moved to St. Pauls College, Sybil Hill Road, Raheny, in 1975 when the old pavilion was burnt down. Along the coastal promenade, there is a circular rain shelter, which forms a cap over a former lead mine, which ran out under the shallow waters of the bay, as recorded in Cosgrave's "North Dublin"; it was closed due to persistent flooding.

People

Harry Boland Harry Boland (27 April 1887 – 1 August 1922) was an Irish republican politician who served as President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood from 1919 to 1920. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1918 to 1922. He was elected at the 1918 ...

and

Gerald Boland Gerald Boland (25 May 1885 – 5 January 1973) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Justice from 1939 to 1948 and 1951 to 1954, Minister for Lands from 1936 to 1939, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1933 to 1936 ...

, revolutionaries, lived at 15 Marino Crescent in the early 20th century. * Richie Boucher, former

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...

chief executive *

Gerry Breen Gerry Breen is an Irish former Fine Gael politician and Lord Mayor of Dublin. Born in Clontarf in Dublin, educated in Coláiste Mhuire and UCD (B Comm), Breen first entered politics in 1981 when he joined Fine Gael. At the 1999 local election ...

, politician, former Lord Mayor of Dublin * Sharon Commins, aid worker who was kidnapped in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

in July 2009, was born and lived in Clontarf * Maria Doyle, actress, born in Clontarf *

Joe Duffy Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of ''Liveline'', an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RT� ...

, broadcaster and presenter with RTÉ * Ciara Ní É, broadcaster and poet * Barry Fitzgerald (real name William Shields) and his brother,

Arthur Shields Arthur Shields (15 February 1896 – 27 April 1970) was an Irish actor on television, stage and film. Early years Born into an Irish Protestant family in Portobello, Dublin, Shields started acting in the Abbey Theatre when he was 17 years old. ...

, lived at 13 Vernon Avenue; Barry Fitzgerald also lived on Seaview Avenue *

Paddy Glackin Paddy Glackin (born 5 August 1954) is an Irish fiddler and founding member of the Bothy Band. He is considered one of Ireland's leading traditional fiddle players. Biography Paddy Glackin was born on 5 August 1954 in Clontarf, Dublin. His fath ...

, fiddler *

Bernadette Greevy Bernadette Greevy (3 July 1940 – 26 September 2008) was an Irish mezzo-soprano. She was founder and artistic director of the Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival.''The Irish Times'', "Festival seeks to promote opera among young peopl ...

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

singer * Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, of Guinness brewing fame, was born in St. Anne's House (the house lies in the Clontarf part of the estate, while the majority of the park is in Raheny), as was his elder brother

Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, (10 November 1847 – 7 October 1927) was an Irish businessman and philanthropist. A member of the prominent Anglo-Irish Guinness family, he was the head of the family's eponymous brewing business, ma ...

. *

Cian Healy Cian Healy (born 7 October 1987) is an Irish rugby union rugby player. He plays for Leinster, and has also won over 100 caps for the Ireland national team. He was named as part of the Lions squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Austra ...

, Irish rugby international *

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, '' Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. He won an Academy ...

, went to school in the area (he was born in

Rosses Point The Rosses (officially known by its Irish language name, ''Na Rosa''; in the genitive case ''Na Rosann'') is a geographical and social region in the west of County Donegal, Ireland, with a population of over 7,000 centred on the town of Dungloe, ...

, County Sligo), lived on Victoria Road *

Ray Kennedy Raymond Kennedy (28 July 1951 – 30 November 2021) was an English footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal and Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy played as a forward for Arsenal, and then played as a le ...

, RTÉ journalist & newscaster *

Declan Kiberd Declan Kiberd (born 24 May 1951) is an Irish writer and scholar with an interest in modern Irish literature, both in the English and Irish languages, which he often approaches through the lens of postcolonial theory. He is also interested in th ...

, academic *

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...

, of

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...

, musician, lived at 28 Castle Avenue. *

Jack McCaffrey Jack McCaffrey (born 19 October 1993) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for Clontarf. Early and personal life His father Noel also represented Dublin in football. McCaffrey attended Belvedere College private school and studied medicine at Univ ...

, Dublin Gaelic footballer and winner of several All-Ireland's and All-Stars *

Noel McCaffrey Noel McCaffrey is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Clontarf club and for the Dublin county team. Noel was awarded an All Star for his performances for Dublin in 1988. He studied medicine and is now a lecturer in the School of H ...

, former All-Star Dublin Gaelic footballer and All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal winner *

Christy O'Connor Snr Patrick Christopher "Christy" O'Connor (21 December 1924 – 14 May 2016) was an Irish professional golfer. He was one of the leading golfers on the British and Irish circuit from the mid-1950s. O'Connor won over 20 important British and Irish t ...

, professional golfer *

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

, former Ireland rugby captain *

Maureen Potter Maria Philomena Potter (3 January 1925 – 7 April 2004), known as Maureen Potter, was an Irish singer, actress, comedienne and performer. Early life Potter was born in Dublin and educated at St. Mary's school in Fairview. She had a long career ...

, actress and comedian who lived in Fairview and Clontarf until her death in 2004; buried in the St John the Baptist cemetery on Castle Avenue, with her gravestone reading "In Loving Memory...Super Trouper" Retrieved on 17 December 2008. * John Rawson, Viscount Clontarf, a leading statesman in the reign of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, last Prior of the local branch of the

Order of St. John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

* Jim Ronayne, former Dublin Gaelic footballer and All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal winner *

Gerry Ryan Gerard Ryan (4 June 1956 – 30 April 2010) was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). He presented '' The Gerry Ryan Show'' on radio station RTÉ 2fm each weekday morning from 1988 until ...

, RTÉ DJ, grew up in Clontarf, lived on Kincora Avenue, and during his married life, on Castle Avenue *

Erwin Schrödinger Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (, ; ; 12 August 1887 – 4 January 1961), sometimes written as or , was a Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist with Irish citizenship who developed a number of fundamental results in quantum theory ...

, scientist, moved to

and lived on Kincora Road in Clontarf *

Bryan Smyth Bryan Smyth is an Irish singer, television presenter, actor, and artist. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. Biography Smyth came to light as a singer at a young age; as a boy soprano he found himself in demand in many churches in Dublin. He s ...

, actor, singer and television presenter *

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...

, author of ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

'', was born at 15

Marino Crescent Marino Crescent () is a Georgian Dublin, Georgian crescent of 26 houses at the junction of Marino, Dublin, Marino, Fairview and Clontarf in Dublin 3, Ireland. It is the only Georgian crescent in Dublin. History The crescent was built by Charle ...

in 1847 *

Emma Teeling Emma Caroline Teeling is an Irish zoologist, geneticist and genomicist, who specialises in the phylogenetics and genomics of bats. Her work includes understanding of the bat genome and study of how insights from other mammals such as bats mi ...

, professor at UCD, specialised in the study of bats and genetics *

John Teeling John James Teeling (born January 1946) is an Irish academic and businessperson, notable for the wide range of businesses he has developed or overhauled over several decades. In particular, he broke the Irish Distillers monopoly which existed ...

, academic turned entrepreneur, operator of mines in various countries and developer of Cooley Distillery and other whiskey projects *

Marty Whelan Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...

- DJ and presenter * Sir Patrick White, High Court judge and the principal landowner here in the 1540s and 1550s

Notes

References

External links

Chapter 24 of 'The Neighbourhood of Dublin' by Weston St. John Joyce (1920)

Clontarf Township layer
on

OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...

Dublin Historic Maps: Dublin Townships and Urban Districts, between 1847 and 1930
{{Authority control Towns and villages in Dublin (city)