Priorswood () is a

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 origi ...

and district in northern Coolock, 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 ...

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 ...

. It is in the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council and forms part of the Dublin 17 postal district.

Etymology and history

Priorswood took its name from a large house, Friarswood, situated off Belcamp Lane, near the Malahide Road, or from the townland of the same name. The house was itself named for a historic priory, thought to be that of the knights based at Clontarf and Kilmainham.

Location and access

Priorswood Rd, Coolock, Dublin - panoramio

The area is located in the northern part of the civil parish of Coolock, on formerly rural land, and borders

Darndale Darndale ( meaning ''daffodil'') is an area on the Northside of Dublin, in Ireland, featuring a high concentration of social housing. It is located in the north of the sprawling suburb of Coolock. Darndale lies within the Dublin 17 postal distr ...

to the east, Clonshaugh to the west and Coolock itself to the south. The modern-day estates that make up the area are found west of Darndale, north of the Greencastle Road, east of the Clonshaugh Industrial Estate and south of the R139; the part which lies north of the R139 has no or few residents. The Turnapin Stream, one of the two main tributaries which form the Mayne River, runs through the northern part of the area. The core of the district is the

of the same name in the

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 ...

of Coolock. Priorswood is accessible by taking the Priorswood Road off the Blunden Drive/Darndale Roundabout on the Malahide Road, and via the Clonshaugh Road from the N32, and is within 2.5 km of Dublin Airport. It is served by the

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. ...

route number 27,27x,27c,27b on the Malahide Road.

Amenities

Priorswood largely comprises residential property, along with a parish church, and St Francis of Assisi Junior and Senior National Schools (on Clonshaugh Drive), and a special junior post-primary school for Traveller children. Clonshaugh Shopping Centre is found next to the church and includes a dentist, protein store, newsagent, pub, pharmacy and other outlets. Belcamp Park (and Darndale Park) are located to the north. There is a

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 ...

sports ground opposite the main Traveller settlement. The socio-economic profile of the Priorswood area is similar to that of neighbouring Darndale, and the housing stock in the area is almost totally local authority housing, though of a different form to the bulk of Darndale. Although defined distinctly, Darndale and Priorswood are often mentioned together.

Developments

The Bewley's Airport Hotel was built in neighbouring Clonshaugh, just as the N32 branches towards the Baskin, and a Hilton Hotel and a number of retail and service outlets at the nearby ''Northern Cross'' development, on the lands of the former Belcamp College in Balgriffin. Bewley's have a tea and coffee packing plant west of the Northern Cross development and a number of companies are also based there.

Religion

Priorswood is a

parish 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 m ...

in the Fingal South East deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. It is served by the Church of St Francis of Assisi.

Representation

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

, Priorswood is in the constituency of Dublin Bay North.

References and footnotes

{{coord, 53, 24, 21, N, 6, 11, 42, W, source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Townlands of County Dublin