Clonliffe () is an area 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 ...

of Dublin,

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 ...

, between

Ballybough Ballybough () is an inner city district of northeast Dublin city, Ireland. Adjacent areas include the North Strand and Clonliffe. Location Ballybough is an inner city district of northeast Dublin. Neighbouring districts include Drumcondra to ...

and Drumcondra in the

Dublin 3 Dublin postal districts have been used by Ireland's postal service, known as '' An Post'', to sort mail in Dublin. The system is similar to that used in cities in Europe and North America until they adopted national postal code systems in the 1 ...

postal district.

Location

Clonliffe Road, previously known as Fortick's Lane, is a wide thoroughfare that forms the central artery of the area. It is nearly a mile in length. Near the area's border with Drumcondra there is an entrance to Holy Cross College, and to the grounds of the residence of the

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

. The main access to

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

GAA sports ground is from Jones Road, the principal turn-off on the south side of Clonliffe Road. The historical area of Clonliffe was bounded by the

River Tolka The River Tolka (; , "the flood"), also once spelled ''Tolga'', is one of Dublin's three main rivers, flowing from County Meath to Fingal within the old County Dublin, and through the north of Dublin city, Ireland (the other main rivers are t ...

, down to the

North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London in England. It runs from Chiswick in the west to Woolwich in the east via suburban North London, connecting ...

(possibly as far South as

Aldborough House Aldborough House (sometimes Aldboro House) is a landmark Georgian building in Dublin, Ireland. Built as a private residence by 1795, the original structure included a chapel (since lost) and a theatre wing. The house was used for periods as a ...

History

Clonliffe as a named townland is mentioned in 1192, and the name is thought to mean "herb meadow" or from "the plain of the Liffey" in reference to the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River ...

. Clonliffe Road was originally known as Fortick's Lane, named for the previous owner of Clonliffe House, Tristram Fortick. Clonliffe House, also known as the Red House, is the earliest extant building in the area. Frederick Jones moved into the House and renamed the house and the road Clonliffe. The house was described in a poem by

Thomas Caulfield Irwin Thomas Caulfield Irwin (4 May 1823 – 20 February 1892) was an Irish poet, writer, and classical scholar. He was born in Warrenpoint, County Down, to a prosperous family. He was educated privately. He travelled to Europe and Africa but later bec ...

"There was a long, old road anear the town, Skirted with trees: One end joined a great highway; one led down To open shores and seas. There was no house on it save only one Built years ago: Dark foliage thickly blinded from the sun Its casements low"

At the corner of Clonliffe Road and Ballybough Road, there is an area which was historically used as a burial place for those who died by suicide. Criminals were also buried at this plot, and historican Eamonn Mac Thomáis states that the bodies of the

highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footp ...

, Larry Clinch, and his gang were displayed there after their execution. Clonliffe College 2

In the mid-19th century, it was proposed that a university be located at Clonliffe. In 1854, Holy Cross College (also known as Clonliffe College) was founded as the Dublin diocesan seminary for Dublin by Cardinal Paul Cullen (1803-1878). The grounds of

Clonliffe College Holy Cross College (also known as Clonliffe College), located in Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra was founded in 1854 as the Catholic diocesan seminary for Dublin by Cardinal Paul Cullen. History The College was founded in 1859 by the then Archbish ...

form a large portion of the area today. The college is adjacent to the residence of the Archbishop of Dublin, which is located just North of

Stadium.

Clonliffe Harriers {{Use Irish English, date=February 2022 Clonliffe Harriers is a Dublin-based athletics club. They were founded in 1886, and are the oldest athletic club in Ireland. They have been based in Morton Stadium since the 1950s. The club has top-class int ...

is an athletics club based in

Morton Stadium Morton Stadium, or the National Athletics Stadium, is an athletics stadium in Santry Demesne, Santry in Ireland. Often called Santry Stadium, it is the centre for athletics events in Dublin city and the home track of Clonliffe Harriers. It has ...

. Under the Drumcondra, Clonliffe, and Glasnevin Township Act 1878, it became part of the township of

Drumcondra, Clonliffe and Glasnevin Drumcondra, Clonliffe and Glasnevin is a former second-tier local government area within County Dublin. It was created as a township in 1878. In 1899, it briefly became an urban district, before being abolished in 1900, with its area absorbed int ...

, within

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

. The area was absorbed into the city 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 1900.

Donnelly's Orchard

Donnelly's Orchard was a small housing scheme that

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660-1661, even more sign ...

undertook in 1923. Their intention was for this development to be finished in time to qualify for the Million Pound Grant. This area was a 12 acre plot on the banks of the River Tolka, previously used for allotments. Trustees seemed to be happy for this space to be used for housing, when the use of this space for allotments had ceased. Dublin Corporation's own housing department was too busy to undertake this project at this time, so the Corporation asked Messrs McDonnell and Dixon to undertake the task. The houses planned to be built were cottages, containing a parlour, living room, three bedrooms, a scullery and an indoor sanitary facilities. Although, not everyone in the council agreed and in the meeting in April 1923 there was a proposal for smaller houses to be built so the people associated with the Corporation would be able to afford the rent. In 1933, the development was built to the size it stands at today. 10 four roomed cottages and 138 three-roomed cottages were built. During the same time, baths and hot water systems were installed in the previous housing developments in the area. The 1938 Ordnance Survey Plan displays the completed scheme, which include the same design elements that are present in Drumcondra today; such as cul-de-sacs and short terraces with substantial garden space front and rear to the house.

References

{{coord missing, County Dublin Streets in Dublin (city) Christianity in Dublin (city)

Location

History

Donnelly's Orchard

See also

References