Rathgar (), is a 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 ...
in Ireland. It was originally a village which from 1862 was part of the township of
Rathmines and Rathgar
Rathmines and Rathgar is a former second-tier local government area within County Dublin. It was created as the Township of Rathmines in 1847. In 1862, its area was expanded and it became the Township of Rathmines and Rathgar. In 1899, it became ...
; it was absorbed by the growing city and became a suburb in 1930. It lies about three kilometres south of the city centre.
Location
Rathgar is situated in the
southside Southside or South Side may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region
Canada
* South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of Newf ...
of Dublin. It lies beside
Dartry
Dartry () is a small suburb of Dublin, Ireland, often referred to as a corridor between Rathmines area and Milltown. Among the locations in Dartry are Dartry Road, Temple Road, Orwell Park and Palmerston Park.
Boundaries
Part of Dartry Road ...
,
Harold's Cross
Harold's Cross () is an affluent urban village and inner suburb on the south side of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district D6W. The River Poddle runs through it, though largely in an underground culvert, and it holds a major cemetery, Mou ...
,
Rathmines
Rathmines () is an affluent inner suburb on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It lies three kilometres south of the city centre. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to t ...
, and
Terenure
Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area.
Location and transport
Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...
. Other nearby suburbs are
Crumlin,
Kimmage
Kimmage ( or ''Camaigh uisce'', meaning "crooked water-meadow", possibly referring to the meandering course of the River Poddle), is a suburb on the south side of the city of Dublin in Ireland.
Location
Kimmage is to the south of Dublin city c ...
,
Milltown,
Ranelagh
Ranelagh ( , ; ) is an affluent residential area and urban village on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district of D06.
History
The district was originally a village known as Cullenswood just outside Dublin, surrounded by lande ...
, and
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council a ...
. The
Grand Canal flows to the north. The majority of the area lies within 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 ...
and straddles the postal boundary of Dublin 6.
Rathgar is in the
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 ...
constituency of
Dublin Bay South.
History
Rathgar, in the Middle Ages, was a farm belonging to the Convent of St Mary de Hogges, at present-day
College Green College Green or The College Green may refer to:
* College Green, Adelaide outdoor venue at the University of Adelaide
* College Green, Bristol, England
* College Green (Dartmouth College), New Hampshire, primarily known as "the Green"
* College ...
.
At the
Dissolution of the Monasteries, Rathgar was granted to the Segrave family: they built Rathgar Castle, ownership of which subsequently passed to
John Cusacke
John Cusacke (died 1626) was a wealthy merchant, landowner and local politician in seventeenth-century Dublin, who served as both Mayor and Sheriff of Dublin city.
He was born in County Meath, eldest of the ten children of Patrick Cusacke of Bal ...
, who was
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 ...
in 1608.
The castle remained in the possession of the Cusack family for over a century, but gradually decayed and was a ruin by the end of the eighteenth century. No trace of it remains today, though it is thought to have been located at present day 44-49 Highfield Road.
In 1649 the
Duke of Ormonde
The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Ormonde have a long and complex history. An earldom of Ormond has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.
History of Ormonde titles
The earldo ...
commander of the Anglo-Irish
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
army established his camp at Rathgar during the
Siege of Dublin.
He was then routed at the
Battle of Rathmines
The Battle of Rathmines was fought on 2 August 1649, near the modern Dublin suburb of Rathmines, during the Irish Confederate Wars, an associated conflict of 1638 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It has been described as the 'decisive battl ...
nearby by
English Republican forces under
Michael Jones.
The village began to develop in the eighteenth century. Rathgar Avenue may be the oldest street, while Highfield Road was developed in 1753.
Zion Church and Christ Church Rathgar were built in the 1860s.
Amenities
Rathgar is a largely residential suburb with amenities that include primary and secondary schools, nursing homes, child-care and sports facilities, and
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
to the city centre. The housing stock largely comprises red-brick late
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
and
Victorian era terraces and much of the area lies within an
architectural conservation
Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of any Cultural property, immovable cultural property are prolonged through carefully planned interve ...
zone.
Dodder Park
Dodder Park is a suburban linear park in Dublin, Ireland, consisting of over 100 hectares of fragmented parkland and remnant countryside. is located in Rathgar.
One of the main schools in the area is
The High School, Dublin
The High School is a 12–18 mixed, Church of Ireland, independent secondary school in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland.
It was established in 1870 at Harcourt Street before moving to Rathgar in 1971 and amalgamated with The Diocesan School for Girl ...
, which moved to the area from its original location on Harcourt Street in 1971. The High School follows a liberal
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
heritage,
but also has students of Jewish heritage.
Other schools include Stratford College on Zion Road, which was founded in the 1950s by members of the
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
Community in Dublin.
St Louis High School, Rathmines was opened in 1913 and provides education for girls. It is a member of
The Le Cheile Schools Trust.
St Mary's College, which provides education for boys, have sports facilities in
Kenilworth Square, Rathgar. The rest of the school is in Rathmines. Rathgar is also the home of a school called Rathgar Junior School.
Rathgar has a number of retail outlets, including a small
Supervalu supermarket, and several restaurants.
Health care
St. Luke's Hospital is based on Highfield Road, and specialises in cancer treatments.
Mount Carmel Community Hospital
Mount Carmel Community Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Pobail Mount Carmel) is a short-stay rehabilitation hospital in Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland.
History
The hospital was founded by the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary and officially opened by ...
, located on Orwell Road, re-opened as a short-stay nursing home in September 2015.
Religion
Churches
Churches serving the area include Christ Church Rathgar (part of the
Presbyterian Church in Ireland
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI; ga, Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn; Ulster-Scots: ''Prisbytairin Kirk in Airlann'') is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in ...
) which is at the junction of Rathgar Road and Highfield Road in the village centre. The
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
of The Three Patrons (named after the three
Patron Saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
s of Ireland:
St Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...
,
St Bridget and
St Columba) on Rathgar Road. It is also known as "The Servants' Church" because, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the place of worship for the large number of servants who worked and lived in the large houses in the area.
Theological College
The
Church of Ireland Theological College and the
Zion
Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Names ...
Church of Ireland at the junction of Zion and Bushy Park Road are also in Rathgar.
Synagogues
The Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation (Knesset Orech Chayim) have their Synagogue on Leicester Avenue, Rathgar. The orthodox Dublin Hebrew Congregation have their synagogue in nearby
Terenure
Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area.
Location and transport
Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...
.
Convents
The Marist Sisters have a convent at 51 Kenilworth Square
Diplomatic missions
The embassy of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, including its consular office, is located on Orwell Road in Rathgar. Barbados also has an
honorary consulate
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
address in Rathgar.
Notable residents
*
Andrija Artukovic Andrija ( sr-cyr, Андрија, ) is the South Slavic variant of Greek ''Andreas'' (Andrew). It may refer to:
*Andrija Stipanović, basketballer
*Andrija Žižić (born 1980), Croatian basketballer
*Andrija Kaluđerović (born 1987), Serbian foot ...
(1899–1988), convicted
Croatian war criminal and Holocaust perpetrator, apparently lived in Rathgar for a period following the Second World War, after fleeing justice via a
ratline, and was possibly aided by anti-British sentiment in Ireland.
*
Arnold Bax
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral musi ...
(1883–1953), composer and poet who rented a villa in Bushy Park Road for a short time. He described the view in his autobiography:
*
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
(1882–1941), novelist and short-story writer was born in Brighton Square.
*
Jack Lynch (1917–1999),
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
who had a home on Garville Avenue
*
David Marcus (1924–2009), Cork-born editor and writer who lived in the area
*
Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Louise McDonald (born 1 May 1969) is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland since June 2020 and President of Sinn Féin since February 2018. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central const ...
(b.1969), politician
*
Ulick O'Connor (1928–2019), writer and historian who was born in Rathgar and lived at Fairfield Park
*
Seumas O'Sullivan (1879–1958), poet and editor who spent much of his life in Rathgar
*
George Dawson Preston
George Dawson Preston FRSE (1896–1972) was a 20th century British physicist specialising in crystallography and the structure of alloys. He was one of the first to use x-rays and electron diffraction to study the crystal structure of metals ...
(1896–1972), physicist born in Rathgar
*
Dorothy Price (1890–1954), physician
*
George William Russell
George William Russell (10 April 1867 – 17 July 1935), who wrote with the pseudonym Æ (often written AE or A.E.), was an Irish writer, editor, critic, poet, painter and Irish nationalist. He was also a writer on mysticism, and a centra ...
(1867–1935), lived in Rathgar for a time
*
Kate Sheppard
Katherine Wilson Sheppard ( Catherine Wilson Malcolm; 10 March 1848 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent member of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand and the country's most famous suffragist. Born in Liverpool, England, she emig ...
(1848–1934) a prominent New Zealand suffragette. After her father died, her Irish mother brought the family to Kenilworth Square in Rathgar. Later they emigrated to New Zealand. Sheppard maintained her connection with the square and returned several times (including after speaking engagements in London) to stay with her aunt at Kenilworth Square.
*
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 ...
(1847–1912) writer who lived at Orwell Park for a time
*
John Millington Synge
Edmund John Millington Synge (; 16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909) was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, collector of folklore, and a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival. His best known play ''The Playboy of the Western World'' was poorly r ...
(1871–1909), writer and playwright who lived at 4 Orwell Park (as did Bram Stoker)
*
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...
(1882–1975), a politician whose presidential office was moved to 53 Kenilworth Square in 1921 when his house in
Blackrock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a Enterprise risk management, risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackR ...
was raided. It was in this house that Arthur Griffith presented Lloyd George's proposals for the Anglo-Irish Treaty to de Valera four days before the Treaty was signed in London.
*
Francis Sheehy Skeffington
Francis Joseph Christopher Skeffington (later Sheehy Skeffington; 23 December 1878 – 26 April 1916) was an Irish writer and radical activist, known also by the nickname "Skeffy".Dara Redmond"Officer who exposed pacifist's murder", ''The Irish ...
(1878 - 1916) and
Hanna Sheehy Skeffington (1877 - 1946) lived for a time at 8 Airfield Road.
References
External links
Christ Church Rathgar, Presbyterian churchResidents Association
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in Dublin (city)