Father Collins Park ( ga, Páirc Athair Ó Coileáin ) is a public park located in

Dublin 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 c ...

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 ...

, near the boundary of Dublin city and Fingal. Its official address is

Donaghmede Donaghmede () is a residential suburb on the northern side of Dublin, Ireland, formed from parts of Baldoyle, Coolock and Raheny in the 1970s. It contains a mid-size shopping centre and a ruined chapel, and lies within the jurisdiction of Du ...

, and it is located near the new development at

Clongriffin Clongriffin ( ga, Cluain Ghrífín) is a community in northern Donaghmede,Dublin: Dublin City Council, Minutes of full Meeting of Council, April 2009, Q. 36 - City Manager's answer. on the northern fringe of Dublin, Ireland. The settlement w ...

, with

Balgriffin Balgriffin ( ga, Baile Ghrífín, meaning "Griffin's town") is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies within southern Fingal in the traditional County Dublin and it is partly in the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council and partly that of Fingal C ...

a little to the west. It is owned and managed by Dublin City Council.

History

Father Collins Park is situated on part of an historic site that is significant from the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

era, or more specifically, the

Norman period The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

. The park comprises part of the original and extensive Grange of Baldoyle, farmland supporting the Priory of All Saints (on the site of which

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

now stands), which had a chapel, now called ''Grange Abbey'', the ruins of which still stand. During the early days of the

Reformation in Ireland The Reformation in Ireland was a movement for the reform of religious life and institutions that was introduced into Ireland by the English administration at the behest of King Henry VIII of England. His desire for an annulment of his marriage ...

, the monastic settlements along the north east coast of Dublin (including Grange Abbey and accompanying farmland) were seized ''en masse'' at the behest of

Henry VIII of England 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 ...

, who later gave it to the Corporation of Dublin. To date,

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 was ...

continue to own and oversee swathes of the medieval monastic settlements of 'Grange of Baldoyle', including Grange Abbey, Father Collins Park, and the smaller park which retains the link along Hole in the Wall Road. (See also

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 ...

and Civil parishes in Ireland.) The park was originally opened in memory of a former

parish priest 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 ...

, Father Joe Collins, who worked to ensure public access to the lands. Having been

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bo ...

since at least early medieval times, the park initially comprised natural

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s, ancient hedgerow, open spaces and playing fields for sports. The redeveloped park was reopened by the

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Th ...

, Eibhlin Byrne, and the

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin ( ga, Ard-Easpag Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the head of the Archdiocese of Dublin in the Catholic Church, responsible for its spiritual and administrative needs. The office has existed since 1152, in succession to a regula ...

, Diarmuid Martin, on 27 May 2009. Father Collins Park continues to be owned and maintained by

Development

Layout

Redevelopment work on what is now Ireland's first wind-powered and sustainable public park began in September 2007 to a design by Argentinian architectural practice, Abelleyro and Romero. It includes sustainable features such as: wetlands which treat and store surface water from the park to prevent run-off, wind turbines to power the park, a green roof on the sports pavilion, use of Irish materials such as Carlow limestone, use of recycled materials in the concrete paving of the promenade and also the playground surfaces and newly planted native hedgerows. With five 50 kW

wind turbines A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. Wi ...

, it provides power for the projection of water from the central lake, the public lighting, maintenance depots, and sport club changing rooms. The park has since won a number of awards such as The Sustainability Award 2010, Best Public Space 2010, and Best Public Park & Best Environmentally Friendly Initiative for 2010. More recently, it was short listed by the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture 2011. The approximately 54 acres (or 26

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

s) encompasses some natural

; for sports, a 1.5 km peripheral running/cycling track, six playing pitches and six fitness stations; for leisure, a promenade, a concert amphitheatre and picnic areas with outdoor chess/draughts boards; and for activity, two playgrounds and a skate-park.

Nature

Father Collins Park is approximately 3 km inland from Baldoyle Bay, with its estuaries and wetlands, which are protected by the

National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland) The National Parks and Wildlife Service () manages the Irish State's nature conservation responsibilities. As well as managing the national parks, the activities of the NPWS include the designation and protection of Natural Heritage Areas, Special ...

. Declared a

Statutory A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

Nature Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in 1988, the inner estuarine part of the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

and wetlands of Baldoyle Bay are of high significance protected as a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

(SAC). They support several habitats that are listed on the EU

Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...

. Under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on W ...

, it is designated as a wetland of international importance. Consequently, during the seasons of migration, the open lands of Father Collins Park continue to host migrating birds. Undisturbed lands remain an important refuge and hub for Arctic and European migratory birds. This includes an internationally important population of

brent geese The brant or brent goose (''Branta bernicla'') is a small goose of the genus '' Branta''. There are three subspecies, all of which winter along temperate-zone sea-coasts and breed on the high-Arctic tundra. The Brent oilfield was named after ...

which inhabit the estuary.

References and notes

External links

Holy Trinity Parish note on the park
{{coord, 53.405442, N, 6.160351, W, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title Donaghmede Parks in Dublin (city)