![Railcar departing Broombridge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Railcar_departing_Broombridge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1049445.jpg)
Ongar is an outer western suburb of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
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 ...
. Developed on a greenfield basis since 2001, it comprises the
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
s of Castaheany (northerly) and "Hansfield or Phibblestown" (southerly), within the ancient
Barony of Castleknock, County Dublin. It is close to
Castleknock,
Blanchardstown
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 u ...
and
Clonsilla
Clonsilla () is an outer suburb of Dublin in Fingal, Ireland.
Clonsilla is also a civil parish in the barony of Castleknock in the historic County Dublin.
Location and access
Clonsilla used to be a small village in the inner western part of ...
. The development has a number of amenities on the main street, there are several schools in the area, and the nearby railway line at
Hansfield railway station
Hansfield railway station is a railway station in Fingal, Ireland. It lies on the Docklands to M3 Parkway Commuter service and serves the housing estates of Ongar and Barnwell in the townland of Hansfield.
Services at Hansfield station
Th ...
connects to the
Luas Green Line
The Green Line () is one of the two lines of Dublin's Luas light rail system.
The Green Line was formerly entirely in the south side of Dublin city. It mostly follows the route of the old Harcourt Street railway line, which was reserved for pos ...
and ultimately the
N3 national route / M3 motorway. Employers in the nearby business parks and "Greater Blanchardstown" include
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
,
Hewlett Packard,
IBM, Kepak and
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...
.
History
The area was a new build, developing the lands of the stud farm called ''Ongar'', once the residence of Hollywood star
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...
and her husband
Prince Aly Khan
Prince Ali Salman Aga Khan (13 June 1911 – 12 May 1960), known as Aly Khan, was a Pakistani diplomat of Iranian and Italian descent. He was the son of the Aga Khan III, and the father of Aga Khan IV.
A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, ...
.
Another part of the area covers the farm and lands belonging to Phibblestown House (built c. 1840).
Building of the new suburban development started in 2001 on the site of the former stud farm and was ongoing as recently as 2009. The
facade of Ongar House has been preserved, and the house itself was sold in 2013. In 2019 Ongar House was refurbished and is now an apartment block.
Ongar and its surrounding areas were built up with a mix of housing types - apartments, duplexes and houses - and with a concentration of services on one street.
Location and access
Ongar is centred on the
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
of "Hansfield or Phibblestown" and is contained within the old
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 authorit ...
of
Clonsilla
Clonsilla () is an outer suburb of Dublin in Fingal, Ireland.
Clonsilla is also a civil parish in the barony of Castleknock in the historic County Dublin.
Location and access
Clonsilla used to be a small village in the inner western part of ...
. The village of
Clonee
Clonee () is a village and a townland in County Meath, Ireland. It borders Fingal to the east at the townlands of Huntstown and Littlepace, and is sometimes used in addresses for housing in those townlands. The River Tolka passes the village.
G ...
is 2 kilometres to the north, while
Clonsilla
Clonsilla () is an outer suburb of Dublin in Fingal, Ireland.
Clonsilla is also a civil parish in the barony of Castleknock in the historic County Dublin.
Location and access
Clonsilla used to be a small village in the inner western part of ...
is roughly 2 km to the east, and
Blanchardstown Shopping Centre
The Blanchardstown Centre is one of Ireland's largest shopping centres, located in Blanchardstown, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It opened in October 1996 and was extended in 2004 to create extra retail space. It lies in the administra ...
, and the actual village of Blanchardstown, are 3−3.5 km away. Ongar is in the
Dublin 15
Dublin 15, also rendered as D15, is a postal district in the suburbs of Dublin in Fingal, Ireland. It is west of the GPO in Dublin city.
Geography and political subdivisions
Dublin 15 covers a large area, rising from the River Liffey to at ...
postal district.
The
Royal Canal passes to the south, and small streams run in the area.
Road
To the north is the
Littlepace
Huntstown and Littlepace ( ga, Baile an Huntaigh agus An Bealach Beag) is a set of modern housing developments that forms a remote suburb of Dublin city in the county of Fingal in Ireland. It was built in the townlands of Littlepace (westerly) a ...
interchange of the
N3 national route, which just after becomes the M3 motorway. Pedestrian access is possible to the townland of Castaheany to the north where the tree-lined avenue, house and walled garden of Phibblestown House have been preserved. In this townland, a primary and secondary school are located.
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.
...
routes 39 and 39A serve Ongar.
Commuter rail
Ongar is served by
Hansfield railway station
Hansfield railway station is a railway station in Fingal, Ireland. It lies on the Docklands to M3 Parkway Commuter service and serves the housing estates of Ongar and Barnwell in the townland of Hansfield.
Services at Hansfield station
Th ...
, which opened in June 2013 and is a 10/15 minute walk from Ongar. The station is on the Dublin Docklands to
Dunboyne railway station
Dunboyne railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dunboyne in County Meath, Ireland.
Dunboyne station features car parking for up to 300 cars, operated by APCOA Parking, enabling it to serve as a small park & ride stop for comm ...
/
M3 Parkway railway station
M3 Parkway is a Park and Ride railway station in County Meath beside Dunboyne and the M3 Motorway (Pace Interchange Junction 5).
It is the terminus station on the Docklands to M3 Parkway Western Commuter service (during peak times Monday to ...
commuter route, its position on the Dunboyne commuter line sees it served by 45 trains daily, with a peak journey time of 25 minutes to Docklands or Connolly Station, itself a spur off the Dublin to Maynooth commuter route to the west of Clonsilla Station. Connection to the
Luas Green Line
The Green Line () is one of the two lines of Dublin's Luas light rail system.
The Green Line was formerly entirely in the south side of Dublin city. It mostly follows the route of the old Harcourt Street railway line, which was reserved for pos ...
, and ultimately the whole Luas system, is possible via 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 ...
Broombridge stop.
Amenities
![Manor Square - Ongar, Dublin 15](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Manor_Square_-_Ongar%2C_Dublin_15.jpg)
As a greenfield development, Ongar's master plan provided for a new "main street" on which most commercial development would be concentrated, with the intention that it would emulate a traditional Irish village. As of 2018, this street has a playground, public house, supermarket, newsagent's, grocery shops, off-licence, bakery, betting shop, medical centre, hairdressers, florist and a number of eating places.
Education
Castaheaney ''Educate Together'' Primary School moved to a permanent location in Ongar in June 2008. Scoil Benedict opened in 2010, having been located temporarily in Littlepace during construction. Coláiste Pobail Setanta secondary school is in nearby Phibblestown and was opened in 2008; it shares a campus with Scoil Ghrainne Primary school.
An
Educate Together
Educate Together () is an educational charity in Ireland which is the patron body to "equality-based, co-educational, child centred, and democratically run" schools. It was founded in 1984 to act as the patron body for the new multidenomination ...
school complex, West Blanchardstown Primary and Secondary School, has received government funding to build schools in or near Ongar, close by the new Hansfield Station - and having been scheduled to open in September 2014 was still pending as of August 2018.
Community
In 2018, Ongar entered the
Tidy Towns competition, scoring 236 points out of 450. A 3-year plan was also submitted, to involve areas of improvement such as "streetscape & public places," "green spaces and landscaping," "nature and biodiversity" and "tidiness and litter control".
Several routes for cycling and walking have been created in the area, and Fingal County Council has worked with the local schools and community to improve amenities for pedestrians and cyclists.
Ongar is the location of an Irish language organisation, ''Pobal Gaeilge 15'', which serves Dublin 15. There are local Irish language classes, a parent and child group, as well as social nights and an annual 'Féile'.
Sport
The area is served by two
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...
clubs,
Erin go Bragh GAA
Erin go Bragh GAA are a Dublin-based Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Clonee, Littlepace/Castaheaney/ Ongar district in Dublin 15. The club currently fields one team in junior football (AFL11 North County and Junior E Championship), ...
, which moved to nearby Littlepace in 2003, and Westmanstown Gaels at the
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
sports grounds in Westmanstown, near Clonsilla. For soccer, Clonee United, also based in Littlepace, was formed in 2003 through the amalgamation of two clubs, Casta Celtic, formed in 2002, and Little Pacers F.C., established in 2000, while Santos Soccer Club plays beside the Phibblestown Community Centre. Erin Go Bragh and Clonee United run under-age "nurseries". The Ongar Chasers basketball club is in Phibblestown Community Centre. Ongar Karate Club is in the Ongar Community Centre, beside Scoil Benedict.
Gallery
File:Ongar Playground.jpg, Ongar Playground
File:Ongar Village Main Street.jpg, Main Street
File:OngarSquare.JPG, Ongar Square
File:Ongar, a suburb in Dublin, Ireland at sunset.jpg, Ongar Green sunset
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
External links
Ongar Community Council website(archived 2012)
''Irish Times'' article - 'A new community like Ongar is a blank canvas'(2012)
{{Fingal
Places in Fingal
Towns and villages in Fingal
Castleknock (barony)