Dundrum (), originally a village in its own right, is an outer suburb of
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
Dublin 16
Dublin postal districts have been used by Ireland's postal service, known as ''An Post'', to sort mail for addresses in Dublin. The system is similar to that used in cities in Europe and North America until they adopted national postal code sys ...
. Dundrum is home to the
Dundrum Town Centre
Dundrum Town Centre is a shopping mall, shopping centre located in Dundrum, Dublin, Dundrum, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of Ireland's two largest shopping centres with over 131 shops, 47 restaurants, 3 amusement facilities ...
, the largest shopping centre in Ireland.
History
One of the earliest mentions of the area concerns the location of the original St. Nahi's Church in the 8th century on which site today's 18th-century church currently stands. The ancient name for Dundrum is " Taney" which derives from ''Tigh Naithi'' meaning the house or place of Nath Í.
Modern archaeological excavations near the church have revealed three enclosures associated with the church, the earliest dating from the 6th century, and one of the finds included an almost complete Flemish Redware jug from the 13th century.
The first reference to the placename of Taney occurs in the Charter of St. Laurence O'Toole to
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
in 1178 as "half of Rathnahi" and in the following year in a
Papal bull
A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it.
History
Papal ...
of
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181.
A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...
to the same archbishop as "''Medietatem de Tignai''". Variations of the spelling continued until the mid-16th century.
When the Normans arrived in 1169, a series of fortifications were built around
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. A castle was built in Dundrum as part of this series of outer fortifications around the 13th century. Later in 1590, a newer castle was built by ''Richard Fitzwilliam'' as part of a strategic line of castles within
the Pale
The Pale ( Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast s ...
. The original village clustered around Dundrum Castle and was a rural defensive outpost against assaults and raids from Irish tribes and families such as the ''O'Tooles'' and the ''O'Byrnes''. In 1619, a relation, William FitzWilliam, 3rd Viscount FitzWilliam was granted the castle in recognition of his courage while defending against these assaults but was driven out in 1642. He returned by 1646 but left again, never to return, in 1653. His family held onto the Fitzwilliam seat until 1790. The castle was never reoccupied and exists today as ruins overlooking the Dundrum bypass and the shopping centre. Excavations in 1989 recovered green glazed pottery known as "''Leinster Ware''", shells from oysters and cockles, animal bones, and shards of pottery from ''Saintongue'' in France probably used for storing wine.
The arrival of Richard Fitzwilliam and the building of the castle established commercial activity in the region. The village was home to "''The Manor Mill''" where corn was ground into flour. An overflow waterfall was also used by a paper mill and an ironworks.
In 1813, the original Roman Catholic church (Holy Cross) on Main Street was built. It was replaced by a larger building in 1878 and marked when Dundrum was constituted a separate parish from the area previously covered by Booterstown. A large extension was built in 1956. The church is built in a Gothic style from Dublin granite with Portland and Bath stone used for the surrounds of windows and doors.
In 1818, Christ Church (Church of Ireland) on Taney Road was opened as a replacement for a smaller church that stood on the same site. Selling pew sites raised funding for the new building, and the sale of 18 pews on the ground and 8 on the gallery raised nearly £400. The architect for the new church was William Farrell.
In the summer of 1846,
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...
travelled from Scotland to Dundrum to spend time with his close friend
Charles Gavan Duffy
Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG, His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of ''The Nation (Irish news ...
, one of the co-founders of
Young Ireland
Young Ireland (, ) was a political movement, political and cultural movement, cultural movement in the 1840s committed to an all-Ireland struggle for independence and democratic reform. Grouped around the Dublin weekly ''The Nation (Irish news ...
. Joining Duffy were "most of the writers and orators on whom their contemporaries bestowed the sobriquet of Young Ireland".
The village expanded greatly after the arrival of the
Dublin and South Eastern Railway
The Dublin and South Eastern Railway (DSER), often referred to as the Slow and Easy, was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland from 1846 to 1925. It carried 4,626,226 passengers in 1911. It was the fourth largest railway operation in Ireland op ...
(DSER) in 1854. By 1876, the ''Manor Mill'' became a laundry and was the largest employer of female labour in the region, The laundry hooter was a regular sound in its day, and would sound at 7.50 am for thirty seconds, then at 8 am to start work, and also at 13.50, 14.00, and finally at 16.50 and 17.00.
In 1881, a local builder, John Richardson, erected 26 cottages known as the ''Pembroke Cottages.'' The Manor Mill Laundry bought six of these cottages for its workers.
In 1893, a Dublin solicitor named Trevor Overend purchased a 19th-century farmhouse. Today, this building is named Airfield House and is open to the public.
The Dun Emer Press was founded at Dundrum by Elizabeth Yeats, assisted by her brother
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature, 20th-century literature. He was ...
Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
. Originally, the library was used as an entertainment facility for the community and the upper floor was equipped with a stage and even a kitchen. The building was also used as a school until the 1950s.
Development
In 1971, Dundrum was one of the earliest places in Ireland to open a purpose-built shopping centre (the first being in
Stillorgan
Stillorgan (, also and previously or ), formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and contains many housing estates, shops and oth ...
). A much bigger shopping centre opened just south of Dundrum in March 2005. Known as
Dundrum Town Centre
Dundrum Town Centre is a shopping mall, shopping centre located in Dundrum, Dublin, Dundrum, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of Ireland's two largest shopping centres with over 131 shops, 47 restaurants, 3 amusement facilities ...
, it contains within the complex one of the largest cinemas in Ireland, opened in early October 2005. Plans to redevelop the old shopping centre included proposed space for hotels, apartments and more retail outlets. However this was postponed and the older retail units were leased to new tenants, and the old 'Dundrum Shopping Centre' was rebranded as 'Dundrum Village Centre'.
Amenities
In the village centre are the old shopping centre, with a
Lidl
Lidl ( ) is a trademark, used by two Germany, German international discount supermarket, discount retailer chain store, chains that operates over 12,600 stores. The ''LD Stiftung'' operates the stores in Germany and the ''Lidl Stiftung & Co. K ...
supermarket, an Insomnia cafe, a furniture store and a butcher's shop. Across the road to one side is the Dundrum College of Further Education (operated by the local
Education and Training Board
An Education and Training Board (ETB) () is one of sixteen statutory local education bodies that deliver a wide range of education services in Ireland. ETBs manage a large number of secondary schools, further education colleges and training centres ...
), while to the other side is the public library. The
Dundrum Town Centre
Dundrum Town Centre is a shopping mall, shopping centre located in Dundrum, Dublin, Dundrum, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of Ireland's two largest shopping centres with over 131 shops, 47 restaurants, 3 amusement facilities ...
contains a wide range of shops and service outlets.
Transport
Luas
The
Luas
Luas (, Irish language, Irish: ; meaning 'speed') is a tram system in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line (Luas), Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line (Luas), Red Line ...
Balally
Balally (), County Dublin
County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leins ...
(which serves the shopping centre) and Dundrum, before the line passes over the large cable-stayed
William Dargan Bridge
William Dargan Bridge, opened in 2004, is a 162 metre cable-stayed bridge in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland. It carries the Green Line (Luas), Green Line of the Luas over the busy Taney junction, of the R112 road, R112 and R117 road, R117 Regional ...
, at Taney Cross. It is the largest engineering structure on the line.
The Luas route substantially follows the original
Harcourt Street railway line
The Harcourt Street Railway Line () was a railway line that ran from '' Harcourt Street'' in Dublin through the southern suburbs to Bray. It was one of the Dublin and South Eastern Railway's two northern main lines, the other being the coastal ...
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
to
Bray
Bray may refer to:
Places France
* Bray, Eure, in the Eure ''département''
* Bray, Saône-et-Loire, in the Saône-et-Loire ''département''
* Bray-Dunes, in the Nord ''département''
* Bray-en-Val, in the Loiret ''département''
* Bray-et-Lû ...
. Closed in 1958, the alignment was preserved intact for several decades until it was taken over by the Luas. Dundrum railway station opened on 10 July 1854 and closed on 1 January 1959.
The planned Dublin Metro, Metrolink was proposed to stop at Dundrum's Luas stop on its way from Swords to
Sandyford
Sandyford () is a suburb of Dublin, located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland.
Sandyford Business District makes up much of the suburb and encompasses 4 business parks: Sandyford Business Park, Stillorgan Business Park, Central Park and S ...
. If completed according to original proposals, MetroLink would replace the current Luas services that run along the Luas Green Line. As of February 2019 however, it was questioned whether these plans would be completed as proposed.
Bus
A number of bus routes serve Dundrum. These are operated by
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus () is an Irish State-owned enterprise, state-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 145 million passengers in 2023. It is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann ...
Eden Quay
Eden Quay () is one of the Dublin quays on the northern bank of the River Liffey in Dublin. The quay runs the bank between O'Connell Bridge and Butt Bridge. The quay is bisected by Marlborough Street (Dublin), Marlborough Street and Rosie Hack ...
to Dundrum)
* L25 (
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
to Dundrum)
Go-Ahead Ireland
Go-Ahead Transport Services (Dublin) Limited, trading as Go-Ahead Ireland, is a bus operator in Dublin that commenced trading in September 2018. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
History
With the aim of improving efficiency, in 2015 t ...
:
* 161 (
Rockbrook
Rockbrook () is a small area, once site of a small settlement, now semi-suburban, in County Dublin, Ireland. It is in the local government area of South Dublin.
Location
Rockbrook is situated approximately from Templeogue, south of Ballyboden, ...
)
* S6 (
Blackrock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational investment company. Founded in 1988, initially as an enterprise risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager ...
to
Tallaght
Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.
Up to th ...
).
In addition, private operator Dublin Coach serves
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport () is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south of the town of Swords.
In 2024, over 34 ...
George Johnstone Stoney
George Johnstone Stoney (15 February 1826 – 5 July 1911) was an Irish physicist known for introducing the term ''electron'' as the "fundamental unit quantity of electricity". He initially named it ''electrolion'' in 1881, and later named it ...
, the first person to posit the existence of the
electron
The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
, resided in Dundrum for much of his adult life. Dundrum was also the home of
Séamus Brennan
Séamus Brennan ( ; 16 February 1948 – 9 July 2008) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism from 2007 to 2008, Minister for Social and Family Affairs from 2004 to 2007, Minister for Transport ...
, former Minister of Social and Family Affairs, and is the family home of cyclist Stephen Roche. The operatic singers Charles Manners and
Fanny Moody
Frances "Fanny" Moody (23 November 1866–21 July 1945) was an operatic soprano of the late Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian eras, billed as 'The Cornish Nightingale'.Radio One DJ
Annie Mac
Annie Macmanus (born 18 July 1978), known professionally as Annie Mac, is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, includ ...
. RTÉ host Derek Mooney lives in Holy Well. Oscar-winner
Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Awar ...
grew up here. Many of
Eavan Boland
Eavan Aisling Boland ( ; 24 September 1944 – 27 April 2020) was an Irish poet, author, and professor. She was a professor at Stanford University, where she had taught from 1996. Her work deals with the Irish national identity, and the role o ...
's poems depict the urban landscape of the area. Former
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice.
Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
leader
Eamon Ryan
Eamon Michael Ryan (born 28 July 1963) is an Irish former Green Party politician who served as Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport from June 2020 to January 2025, and was Leader of the Green Par ...
was born in Dundrum. The
Christian Scientist
Activists, politicians, and military figures Activists
*Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone (1882-1985) – Native American singer and activist
* Bonnie Carroll – President and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
*Henry ...
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
Winner, cyclist Stephen Roche is from Dundrum, as is his son
Nicolas Roche
Nicolas Roche (; born 3 July 1984) is an Ireland, Irish cyclist, who competes in gravel cycling for his own NR GRVL team. He is also a former professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2021 for ...
(although Nicolas was actually born in France).
Dundrum is home to athletics club Dundrum Athletic, and football side Dundrum Athletic F.C.
The local GAA club is Naomh Olaf
See also
*
List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland
This is a link page for cities, towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland, including townships or urban centres in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and other major urban areas. Cities are shown in bold; see City status in Ireland for a ...