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Clondalkin ( ; ) is a suburban town situated 10 km south-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland, under the administrative jurisdiction of
South Dublin , image_map = Island of Ireland location map South Dublin.svg , map_caption = Inset showing South Dublin (darkest green in inset) within Dublin Region (lighter green) , area_total_km2 ...
. It features an 8th-century round tower that acts as a focal point for the area. Clondalkin forms part of the Dublin Mid-West Dáil constituency. Clondalkin is also the name of a civil parish 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 ...
of Uppercross, and is also used in relation to some local religious parishes.


History


Prehistory

Neolithic tribes first settled in the area around 7,600 years ago, taking advantage of the site's favourable location on the River Camac, overlooking the River Liffey and the inland pass between the mountains and the river. Evidence of the presence of the Cualann Celtic people (an early tribe possibly noted on as the
Cauci The Cauci (Καῦκοι) were a people of early Ireland, uniquely documented in Ptolemy's 2nd-century ''Geography'', which locates them roughly in the region of modern County Dublin and County Wicklow. Theories From the early 19th century, comp ...
on Ptolemy's world map) can be found in various mounds and raths.


Christian era

Clondalkin is believed to have been founded by Saint Cronan Mochua as a monastic settlement on the River Camac over 1,400 years ago (possibly late 6th or early 7th centuries). The round tower was built perhaps two centuries later (circa 790 AD) as part of the monastery. This would make it an unusual tower, as most scholars assume that the main period of their construction was between the start of the 10th century and the end of the 12th century, and that this one was built in the 10th or 11th century. By the 8th century, Saint Fugillus was Bishop of Clondalkin and noted gospel manuscripts were produced – the most famous of these being the Clondalkin mass book which is on display in Karlsruhe, Germany.


Viking arrival

Clondalkin was sacked by Vikings in 832 AD, and the monastery was burned to the ground. One of the early Norse kings of Dublin,
Amlaíb Conung Amlaíb Conung ( non, Óláfr ; died c. 874) was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century. He was the son of the king of Lochlann, identified in the non-contemporary ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' as Gofraid, and br ...
, built a fortress on the site in the middle of the 9th century. In 867 a force led by Cennétig mac Gaíthéne, king of Loígis, burned the fortress at Clondalkin and killed 100 of Amlaíb's followers. The monastery was later restored and, with help from other surrounding monasteries, influenced the Viking settlers in their conversion to Christianity. The district remained under Norse control until the Viking defeat by
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 Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Bri ...
at the famous
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.


Norman era

Clondalkin witnessed another historic event during the Norman invasion in 1171 when there was a battle there between Richard de Clare (Strongbow) and the last High King of Ireland Ruaidhrí Ua Conchabhair. Clondalkin is a civil parish 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 ...
of Uppercross. An
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of the parish, consisting of the single townland of Blundelstown, is located in the neighbouring barony of
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
to the west.


17th century and beyond

Centuries later, Clondalkin was the scene for some of the fighting in the
1641 Rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantation ...
, when the Gaelic Irish in Ulster, and later in the rest of the kingdom, and the Old English in the Pale of Leinster rebelled against rule from Westminster. (Ireland had its own parliament at this time, but it was severely limited in its powers, e.g. by Poynings' Law.) Clondalkin Paper Mill was established at the start of the 19th century by Thomas Seery and Son. Having changed ownership over the years, activity peaked during the First World War as the focus moved to war production. Productivity slowed until the mill closed its doors for the last time in 1987.


Historical features

A focal point for Clondalkin is the eighth-century round tower, one of the four remaining towers in the historic County Dublin. Acknowledged as one of the oldest in the country, it is 25.6 metres high and has its original conical cap. In July 2017, The Round Tower Heritage Centre opened in the village core, the result of a €3.5 million investment into enhancing the historic Round Tower with an interactive interpretive centre and a monastic-style garden. The centre addresses the history of Clondalkin and the round tower. Clondalkin is also home to St Brigid's Well, which is said to have been established as a well for baptising pagans by Saint Brigid in the 5th century. It was believed that the well possessed powers of healing. Tully's Castle is a castle and a National Monument.


Amenities and businesses

The Clondalkin area had a population of approximately 46,000 as of 2016. Retail facilities serving the population include branches of four major supermarket chains. The village centre also has several small businesses including solicitors, restaurants, pubs, hairdressers and pharmacies. Clondalkin has a branch of South Dublin Libraries in a building which used to house a Carnegie Library. North Clondalkin Library, opposite the Immaculate Heart of Saint Mary's Church, was due to open in late 2019. There is also a post office. Wheatfield Prison and Cloverhill Prison are two prisons near Clondalkin. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Arytza, Wyeth, Takeda and Pfizer all have significant data centres and development facilities in the Grange Castle Business Park. In March 2014, Clondalkin became the 51st "Fairtrade town" in Ireland. Farmers from Belize and El Salvador, along with local councillors and community representatives, attended a ceremony in Clonburris National School to mark the occasion.


Transport

Clondalkin is served by public transport to Dublin city centre, to nearby suburbs, and to neighbouring settled areas such as Tallaght.
Dublin Bus Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. ...
provide bus routes including the 13, 68, 69, 40 and 151. There are also alternative bus routes provided by
Go-Ahead Ireland Go-Ahead Transport Services (Dublin) Limited, known as Go-Ahead Ireland is a bus operator in Dublin that commenced trading in September 2018. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. History With the aim of improving efficiency, in 2015 the ...
such as the 76 and 239. Many of these run from areas near Clondalkin, such as Rathcoole and Newcastle, into the city centre via Clondalkin. Some services, such as the 76, do not service the city centre. The
Luas Luas (pronounced ; Irish for "speed") is a tram/ light rail system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, both li ...
Red Line runs from the Red Cow interchange park and ride station providing links to the town square in Tallaght and Dublin city centre. However, the Luas station is approximately fifteen to twenty minutes' walk from Clondalkin village. Clondalkin railway station opened on 4 August 1846 and was closed for goods traffic on 9 June 1947. It was reopened during the 1990s for commuter services. Commuter trains are operated by
Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal InterCity, Commuter, DART and f ...
(Irish Rail) and run between
Heuston station Heuston Station ( ; ga, Stáisiún Heuston; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iar ...
in Dublin and Kildare Town in
County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
. A new station, to replace rather than supplement the previous station, has been built at Fonthill, north of Bawnogue. The original Clondalkin station was demolished in 2008 to facilitate a four-line track, allowing express trains to pass through without affecting local services on the Kildare line.
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 stop to collect and set down passengers at Newlands Cross, on the N7 road near Clondalkin. These services have destinations all over the west and south of the country; services to the north do not pass Newlands Cross. As of 2007, Clondalkin was included on the preferred route for the proposed
Dublin Metro MetroLink is a proposed metro line for the city of Dublin. It was first recommended in the then Irish Government's 2005 Transport 21 transport plan. The sole line is proposed to run from Estuary on Dublin's northside to Charlemont on the south ...
West line.


Media

Two local newspapers, the ''Clondalkin Echo'' and ''Clondalkin Gazette'', serve the area. The latter is published by Gazette Group Newspapers (part-owned by the '' Irish Times''), and was launched in October 2005. The Clondalkin News is delivered free into households in Clondalkin.


Sport


GAA

The town's oldest sports club is the Round Towers GAA Club, which was founded in December 1884 and is located on Convent Road. Club members have represented Dublin in the inter-county competition since the nineteenth century, when Tom Errity won several All-Ireland Senior Football medals in the 1890s. More recently, Jim Gavin won an All-Ireland senior medal with Dublin in 1995 and several as a manager in the 2010s.


Soccer

The towns main association football team is Clondalkin Celtic F.C. formed in 1969 with teams competing in the Leinster Senior League, Dublin and District Schoolboys League. The town's two main previous association football teams were Moyle Park Past Pupils FC, and Neilstown Rangers (past winners of the
FAI Junior Cup The FAI Junior Cup is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for junior association football clubs from the Republic of Ireland. The inaugural winners were Brideville. The competition's most successful club is Fairvi ...
). St Francis Boys FC have been at home at John Hyland Park, Baldonnel, close to Clondalkin since relocating from their original home in
The Liberties The Liberties ( Irish: ''Na Saoirsí'' or occasionally ''Na Libirtí'') is an area in central Dublin, Ireland, located in the southwest of the inner city. Formed from various areas of special manorial jurisdiction, separate from the main city ...
. Some other local teams include Booth Road Celtic, Castle Park F.C., Moorefield United, and Knockmitten United. The latter is a senior and schoolboy football club which was founded in 2008 with the amalgamation of Hillview and Monksfield. Collinstown FC, Liffey Valley Rangers and Clondalkin Celtic F.C. are also emerging soccer clubs in the area.


Rugby

Rugby union is played at Clondalkin Rugby Club, Kingswood, who were winners of the 2006 Spencer Cup and 2006 Under-18 Premier League. The club was formed in 1973–74 and fields four senior teams and several underage and youth teams.


Boxing

Bernard Dunne Bernard Dunne (born 6 February 1980) is an Irish former professional boxer and a former WBA (Regular), and European Super Bantamweight champion. On Saturday 21 March 2009, Dunne defeated Ricardo Cordoba in the 11th round to become the WBA ( ...
the former WBA
Super Bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations o ...
World Champion is from Neilstown in Clondalkin. Kenny Egan, winner of a silver medal for boxing in the
2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...
, comes from Clondalkin, originally Woodford estate.


Basketball

Dublin Lions Basketball Club has teams playing in Division 2, 3 and 4 of the Dublin Men Basketball League, teams in Senior 2, 5 and 6 of Dublin Ladies Basketball League. There are also children's teams and an academy for ages 4 to 10. The club is based between Coláiste Bride and Moyle Park College. The National Baseball Facility in Ireland, O'Malley Field, is located in Corkagh Demesne Park, in southwest Clondalkin. This is the home of the Irish national baseball team.


Education

Clondalkin has primary and secondary schools of different denominations. Among its primary schools are: Sacred heart of Shruleen, St. Ronans, Clonburris National School, Sacred Heart National School, St. Joseph's Boys National School, Scoil Íde, Scoil Áine, St John's National School (Church of Ireland), Scoil Mhuire, Talbot S.N.S and Scoil Nano Nagle. The secondary schools are: Moyle Park College (for boys), Deansrath Community College, Coláiste Bríde (for girls), Collinstown Park Community College and St. Kevin's Community College. Clondalkin also contains three Gaelscoileanna (Irish-language schools) – Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin and Gaelscoil na Camóige at primary level and Coláiste Chilliain at second level.


Local organisations

Community organisations include a unit of
Toastmasters International Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of promoting communication, public speaking, and leadership. History The organization grew out of a single c ...
, an Order of Malta branch and several youth groups including Clondalkin Youth Theatre (associated with the Irish National Association for Youth Drama). The town is also home to St Joseph's Pipe band; Established in 1937, the band has won several All-Ireland Championship Titles. The Clondalkin Youth Band, also based locally, was founded in 1986. Scouting Ireland meet in the Scout Hall most evenings. Boy's and Girl's Brigades, girl guides and Brownies meet at St John's Parish Hall. Local drama groups are Clondalkin Drama Group and Clondalkin Youth Theatre. The Clondalkin Tidy Towns group started in 2012. They were awarded the South Dublin County Community Group of the Year 2012 and were also nominated for a Pride of Place award for 2012. The
Civil Defence Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitig ...
established a unit in Deansrath during 2010. It specialises in auxiliary fire fighting, emergency medical services and swift-water technical rescue. A notable task assigned to the Clondalkin unit of Dublin Civil Defence was responding to flooded homes next to the Camac River in Clondalkin Village on 24 October 2011.


Irish language

''Áras Chrónáin'' promotes
Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and wa ...
and culture (e.g. music and
dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
). ''Muintir Chrónáin'' have been awarded the main national
Glór na nGael Glór na nGael (; "voice of the Gaels") is an Irish-language organisation funded by Foras na Gaeilge which promotes Irish in three sectors: the family, community development, and business. It was established as a competition between community gro ...
awards in 1978 and 1988 and hosted
Oireachtas na Gaeilge Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, “The Irish (language) Gathering”) is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish langu ...
in 1991. The national director of
Oireachtas na Gaeilge Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, “The Irish (language) Gathering”) is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish langu ...
is Liam Ó Maolaodha from Clondalkin. The grassroots Irish language project Pop-Up Gaeltacht was co-founded by Clondalkin native Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh. There are an estimated 1,500 Irish-speaking pupils in Clondalkin, attending the two
Gaelscoil A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary an ...
eanna (Irish language primary schools) and
Gaelcholáiste A Gaelcholáiste is a secondary school on the island of Ireland (in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) located outside Gaeltacht areas, where Irish is the primary language of teaching and communication. Gaelcholáistí are su ...
(Irish language secondary school). The idea of designation for Clondalkin as a Gaeltacht Network region was raised in 2012, based on proposed amendments to the definition of "Gaeltacht," to be "based on linguistic criteria instead of on geographic areas".


Politics and local government

Clondalkin is included in the Dublin Mid-West
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 reads: ...
constituency. Four TDs were elected to Dáil Éireann in 2020 – two from Sinn Féin, one from
People Before Profit People Before Profit ( ga, Pobal Roimh Bhrabús, PBP) is a left-wing to far-left Trotskyist political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. History PBP was established in 2005 as the ...
and one from Fine Gael. Clondalkin is mostly in the Clondalkin Local electoral area for county council elections (along with Rathcoole,
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
and Saggart), with parts in the Tallaght Central local electoral area.


People

*
Karl Bermingham Karl Bermingham (born 6 October 1985) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He began his career in the Premier League with Manchester City spending the first three years of his professional career, also having ...
, footballer * Mic Christopher, singer-songwriter *
Brendan Courtney Brendan Courtney (born 24 June 1971 in Dublin) is an Irish TV presenter and fashion designer. He was the first openly gay presenter in Ireland. He has hosted ''Wanderlust'' on RTÉ Two, '' The Brendan Courtney Show'' on TV3. Career Courtney be ...
, television presenter * Seán Dillon, footballer *
Bernard Dunne Bernard Dunne (born 6 February 1980) is an Irish former professional boxer and a former WBA (Regular), and European Super Bantamweight champion. On Saturday 21 March 2009, Dunne defeated Ricardo Cordoba in the 11th round to become the WBA ( ...
, boxer * Corrina Durran, member of girlband Wonderland * Kenny Egan, boxer * Jim Gavin, footballer and manager * Mary Kennedy, television host *
Cathal Mac Coille Cathal Mac Coille (born 1952) is a retired Irish broadcaster, researcher and journalist. He was a co-presenter of ''Morning Ireland'' on RTÉ Radio 1 for most of the period from 1986 until his retirement in 2017. He currently writes opinion pie ...
, broadcaster and journalist * Sinéad Mulvey, singer, represented Ireland in the
2009 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EB ...
* Adrienne Murphy, model and Miss Universe Ireland 2012 * Derek Murray, footballer * Graham Norton, comedian and presenter * Neil O'Donoghue,
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
er * Eoin Ó Murchú, writer and journalist *
Stephen Quinn Stephen Jude Quinn (born 1 April 1986) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Mansfield Town. He has also represented the Republic of Ireland national team. He started his career with League of Ireland club St Patric ...
, footballer *
Dermot Ryan Dermot J. Ryan (26 June 1924 – 21 February 1985) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland from 1972 until 1984. Early life and education Born Dermot Joseph Ryan in 1924, to Andrew Ryan a medical doctor and Therese nee McKenna, in ...
, Archbishop of Dublin (1972–1984) *
Aidan Turner Aidan Turner (born 19 June 1983) is an Irish actor. He played the roles of Ross Poldark in the 2015–2019 BBC adaptation of '' The Poldark Novels'' by Winston Graham, Dante Gabriel Rossetti in '' Desperate Romantics'', Ruairí McGowan in '' ...
, actor *
Katharine Tynan Katharine Tynan (23 January 1859 – 2 April 1931)Clarke, Frances (2013)"Hinkson (née Tynan), Katharine Tynan" in ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). was an Irish writer, known mainly for her novels and p ...
, novelist *
Glenn Whelan Glenn David Whelan (born 13 January 1984) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bristol Rovers. He has represented the Republic of Ireland national football team. Whelan started his career at Manchester Ci ...
footballer * Arthur Wolfe, 1st Viscount Kilwarden * Simon Young, broadcaster


Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate).Climate Summary for Clondalkin
Weatherbase.com. Retrieved on 12 October 2013.


References


External links




Clondalkin's Gaelscoils/Gaelcholáiste
{{Authority control Towns and villages in South Dublin (county) Towers in the Republic of Ireland Civil parishes of Newcastle, County Dublin Civil parishes of Uppercross