Lucan ( ; ) is a suburban village to the west 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 ...

, Ireland, located 12 km from Dublin city centre, on the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, 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 Tributary, tributaries include t ...

. It is near the

Strawberry Beds Strawberry Beds or The Strawberry Beds () is a locality and small settlement 7 km to the west of Dublin, Dublin City, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, located on the northern banks of the River Liffey between Chapelizod and Lucan, Dublin, Luc ...

and Lucan Weir, and at the confluence of the River Griffeen. It is mostly in the local government area of

South Dublin South Dublin () is a county in Ireland, within the province of Leinster and the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished for administrative purposes in 1994. South Dublin Cou ...

, with the exception of the North Lucan areas of Laraghcon, Coldblow and Saint Catherine's Park, which are in

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which ...

. Lucan is in a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

and

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of the same name, in the barony of Newcastle. Road access to Lucan is from the N4, and the M50 motorway at Junction 7.

Etymology

In the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

, refers to the marsh-mallow plant, used up to modern times in folk medicine (for sprains and chest infections) and sweet manufacture, and so the name could be rendered as "place of marsh-mallow plants" or "land abounding in marsh-mallows." The plant grows in the Liffey Valley and surrounds, as recorded in the 1837 , reported by Jackson (1914).Jackson, M., 2014. 'Hill's Mills Lucan, County Dublin 1914', Dublin Historical Record, Vol 67, No. 2, pp 85-100. In 1615, the area was described as 'a marshy place'... The alternative meaning is derived from the Irish for elm, leamhán, and has been more popularised, although both definitions could be equally valid, with both mallows and elms still growing in the Lucan area, and etymological experts unable to definitively choose one meaning over the other, as is evidenced on logainm.ie.

History

Early history

Evidence of prehistoric settlement in the Lucan area includes sites in the Cooldrinagh townland of Lucan, with early Mesolithic flints found in significant quantities, as well as the remains of two small kerbed passage tombs. In the area around Vesey Park, there are remains of a hillfort (Knockanardousk "hill of the high water") that may have been the house and enclosure of an early lord of Lucan in medieval times. This enclosure also contained a souterrain, excavated in the 18th century by George Petrie and of which, some of the finds are in the National Museum of Ireland. Another notable archaeological site is St Finian's Esker church and graveyard, which is listed by both the National Monuments Service and the

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) maintains a central database of the architectural heritage of the Republic of Ireland covering the period since 1700 in complement to the Archaeological Survey of Ireland, which focuses on arc ...

. There are two other medieval churches in Lucan also; the Church of the Blessed Virgin, Lucan village (an enclosed gated graveyard & medieval church site with attached chantry or tower house, and the medieval parish church of Aderrig, Lucan, off Tubber Lane.

Sarsfields and Veseys

When

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

came to Ireland, Lucan was a village of 120 inhabitants. In 1566, Sir William Sarsfield acquired Lucan Manor, and the property became closely associated with the Sarsfield family.

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan ( 1655 – 21 August 1693) was an Irish army officer. Killed at Battle of Landen, Landen in 1693 while serving in the French Royal Army, he is now best remembered as an Irish patriot and military hero. Born ...

, the Irish Jacobite leader, was born in the castle that had occupied the manor grounds and was granted the title Earl of Lucan by James II. Lucan House was built on the site of Sarsfield's castle in 1772, by the Rt Hon. Agmondisham Vesey, who was descended from the Sarsfield family. The circular ground floor dining room is said to have been an inspiration for the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval room has three lar ...

of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. The decorative plasterwork was carried out by

Michael Stapleton Michael Stapleton (born Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland, in 1747, died 8 August 1801, in Dublin) is regarded as having been the most skilled Stucco, stuccodore working in the neoclassical or Robert Adam, "Adam" style that dominated Dublin interior dec ...

. Over the years, the house passed out of the Vesey family and, from 1942 until 2024, was the residence of the Italian ambassador to Ireland.

Developments

The discovery of a sulphurous

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

in Lucan in 1758 brought the district into prominence, and it became a destination for weekend parties from Dublin and the surrounding countryside. Several developments followed in the vicinity, and by 1795 a ballroom and a later hotel had been erected. Many of the structures in Lucan village were constructed as part of a large redevelopment around 1815. Later, Lucan was a terminus on the combination of tram lines serving Lucan and Leixlip from Dublin city centre. Described by Weston St. John Joyce in 1912 as a "pretty town", as of the early 21st century, Lucan's village core "remained largely intact". Between 1971 and 1976, Lucan's population increased from 4,245 to 12,451. By the time of the 2006 census it had a population of approximately 37,300. This growth was precipitated by development of housing estates in the surrounding area with a study, undertaken in the early 21st century, noting a disconnect between Lucan village and some of the surrounding housing developments.

Transport and access

Lucan village is located north of the N4/M4 national primary route to the west and northwest of Ireland. The village is approximately west of the M50 Dublin ring road. An outer-orbital distributor called the Outer Ring Road, designated as

R136 R136 (formerly known as RMC 136 from the Radcliffe Observatory Magellanic Clouds catalogue) is the central concentration of stars in the NGC 2070 star cluster, which lies at the centre of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. W ...

, from the N4 (Woodies) interchange to the N81 Tallaght Bypass, was completed in 2008. As the first non-toll bridge located to the west of the paid

West-Link The West-Link () is a set of twin bridges over the River Liffey in Dublin. A toll bridge, the West Link forms the central section of the Western Parkway route of the M50 ring road motorway. History Plans were announced for the construction o ...

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

, Lucan Bridge and the roads approaching it witness a large volume of traffic on a daily basis as north and south-bound motorists use it as a

rat run Rat running (also known as rodent running or cut-through driving) is the practice by motorists of using residential side streets or any unintended short cut such as a parking lot, delivery service lane or cemetery road instead of the intended ...

to save money. Speaking of the impact this has had on the local community,

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

local election candidate Caitríona McClean was quoted as saying "The people of Lucan not only have to deal with the excessive traffic and the inconvenience this has on their daily lives but it also impacts the local environment given the dirt it creates, the air pollution and the noise. Old Rectory and Sarsfield Park residents are particularly impacted ..with cars bumper to bumper blocking the entrance and exit to their estates during rush hours in particular". Lucan is located between two major national/commuter railway lines. The original Lucan North (Leixlip) Station on the north/northwest line, and Lucan South station on the south/southwest line, were closed in 1941 and 1947, respectively. The greenfield development of the Lucan townlands as a major residential area was predicated on the location between the motorways and railways. Adamstown railway station re-opened in 2007 to serve the Adamstown area; it is located south of Finnstown, Lucan. A123abx

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 ...

provides several bus services to the area. Feeder routes, such as the L52, run through Lucan from Adamstown station to

Blanchardstown Blanchardstown () is a large outer suburb of Dublin in the modern Counties of Ireland, 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 Blanchards ...

. Some independent bus operators also serve Lucan. Weston Airport is located to the west of Lucan near the Dublin/

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

border. This facility conducts pilot training and serves privately-owned light aircraft and helicopters.

Features

King John's Bridge

King John's Bridge in Griffeen Park is reputed to be the oldest surviving bridge in Ireland, having apparently been constructed sometime during the reign of

John, King of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

from 1199 to 1216. Originally composed of three arches, only one arch survives today, and is in a ruinous state. The bridge, which is a designated protected structure, is situated in quiet parkland and crosses the narrow Griffeen River; sited close to the ruins of Old Esker Church. Postcards were printed of the bridge in the 1930s such was its renown.

Lucan House

Lucan House is a seven-bay two-storey over basement

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

country villa. Agmonisham Vesey cleared the previous residence and began construction in 1772. The architecture is the work of Vesey and William Chambers, with

responsible for the plasterwork. The estate passed through the Sarsfield, Vesey and Colthurst families through marriage and also was once the residence of Charles Hugh O'Conor, the third son of

Charles Owen O'Conor Charles Owen O'Conor, O'Conor Don PC (Ire) (; 7 May 1838 – 30 June 1906),John P. McCarthyIreland: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present p. 379 was an Irish politician. Life The eldest son of Denis O'Conor, he was educated at ...

and then, in 1954, it was purchased by the Italian Government for use as the residence of the Italian Ambassador to Ireland. The remainder of the estate land is now Liffey Valley Park.

Ruined medieval church

Another notable feature is St Finian's medieval church and graveyard at Esker.

Amenities

The Griffeen Valley Park runs along the Griffeen River, with some smaller outlying park areas among housing developments to the west. The main area of the park is split by the Lucan bypass, with Vesey Park on one side and Griffeen Park on the other. A feature of the park is the old woodland in Vesey Park that was retained when the park was formed. This woodland is most extensive along the Griffeen River and contains mature deciduous and coniferous trees. An area of the park, along the river, contains a wet woodland with extensive

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

and

bryophyte Bryophytes () are a group of embryophyte, land plants (embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic Division (taxonomy), division referred to as Bryophyta ''Sensu#Common qualifiers, sensu lato'', that contains three groups of non-vascular pla ...

growth. The woodland also provides a habitat for the protected species . Lucan Library is part of a network of libraries in South Dublin.

Education

Lucan has a number of schools. St. Mary's Boys National School (BNS) is the oldest school which dates back to 1833. Other schools include St. Mary's Girls Primary School, St. Joseph's Girls Secondary School, Kishoge Community College (mixed), Griffeen Community College (mixed), Coláiste Phádraig (a Christian Brothers secondary school), St. Andrew's (mixed) National School, Lucan Community College, Esker Educate Together primary school, Scoil Áine and St. Thomas's primary schools (Esker, mixed

VEC Vec may mean: Mathematics: * vec(''A''), the vectorization of a matrix ''A''. * Vec denotes the category of vector spaces over the reals. Other: * Venetian language (Vèneto), language code. * Vecuronium, a muscle relaxant. * vec, a sentient mor ...

school), Divine Mercy National School (mixed primary), Scoil Mhuire (mixed primary) Adamstown Castle Educate Together, St John The Evangelist primary schools and Adamstown Community College There are two Irish-speaking primary schools, Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada and Gaelscoil Naomh Pádraig (mixed), and an Irish-speaking secondary school, Coláiste Cois Life.

Media

Lucan has a free magazine, ''The Link'', that contains items of local interest. The ''Lucan Newsletter'', used by local organizations to report on activities and meetings, was first published in 1967 and is produced and published weekly by volunteers. Local newspapers include the '' Liffey Champion'' (a weekly newspaper for the Lucan area of

and North

), '' The Echo'' (published in Lucan as the ''Lucan Echo''), and the ''Lucan Gazette''. Liffey Sound Communications Co-operative Society Limited, a not-for-profit organisation, runs

Liffey Sound FM Liffey Sound FM is an Irish not-for-profit community radio that broadcasts to the suburban town of Lucan, County Dublin, and its surrounding areas on the frequency 96.4 MHz. The station is operated by Liffey Sound Communications Co-Operative Soc ...

, the local community radio station. Liffey Sound FM is another local media source run entirely by volunteers. The station has been broadcasting since July 2006. Lucan Shopping Centre - geograph

Economy

In terms of retail, the main street contains the newsagent

Centra Centra is a convenience shop chain that operates throughout Ireland. The chain operates as a symbol group owned by Musgrave Group, the food wholesaler, meaning the individual shops are all owned by individual franchisees. The chain has three ...

, bookmakers, boutiques, banks, charity shops, IT shops and cafés. The Lucan Shopping Centre includes SuperValu, Dunnes Store, Peter Mark, and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

, along with a Community Library. The area is primarily a residential one, but employers in the area include the

Liffey Valley Shopping Centre Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is a shopping centre located in Dublin, Ireland which comprises 80 stores and 20 restaurants. The centre opened on and is located near the junction of the M50 motorway and N4 road closely surrounded by Lucan to ...

Citywest Citywest () is a suburban development on the southwestern periphery of Dublin, originally developed as a "business campus." It contains a large hotel with a convention centre, a small shopping centre and a small but expanding residential eleme ...

and

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 southwest Dublin,

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

in Leixlip, County Kildare, and

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

's European operation in

Local organisations and charities

Pieta House is a charity which provides assistance to people experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts. It first opened, in Lucan, in 2006. Lucan Disability Action Group was established, in October 2000, to address the needs of people with disabilities in the Lucan area.

Sport

GAA

Lucan has three

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

(GAA) teams. Lucan Sarsfields, the largest sports organisation in the town, was founded in 1886. Its grounds are located on the 12th Lock on the Grand Canal. Lucan Sarsfields were runners up on the 2013 Dublin Senior Hurling Championship final. Club members have included the former Dublin hurling captain Johnny McCaffrey. Westmanstown Gaels are also located in north Lucan at the Westmanstown Sports Centre, which has diversified from its roots as a leisure centre for the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

. An

Irish-language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenou ...

GAA club, Na Gaeil Óga CLG, started their juvenile structure in the area in September 2014 and is based in Gaelscoileanna and a Gaelcholáiste in the area, Gaelscoil Naomh Pádraig, Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada and Coláiste Cois Life. The majority of the club's adult teams play in St Catherine's Park.

Football

Several football teams play in the area: Arthur Griffith Park FC, Griffeen Celtic, Beech Park, Esker Celtic, Ballyowen Celtic, Hillcrest AFC, Lucan United FC, and Liffey Valley Rangers FC.

Boxing

Esker Amateur Boxing Club hosted the first-ever All-Female Amateur Boxing tournament in Ireland. As of 2016, it had grown to become Europe's largest female-only boxing tournament. Another boxing club, Lucan Boxing Club, was reformed in 2008 after several years of hiatus.

Other sports

The two main golf courses in Lucan are Lucan Golf Club and Hermitage Golf Club. Both courses are member-run. Another nearby course, Liffey Valley Par 3, is situated between Leixlip and Lucan. Liffey Celtics Basketball Club is a basketball club for girls and boys aged 7 and upwards. It was formed in 2003, and enters teams into competitions organised by the Dublin Area Board. The club's senior women's team competes in the Basketball Ireland Super League. The club was named Basketball Ireland "Club of the Year" in 2011.

Awards

In September 2013, Lucan Village claimed the South Dublin title in the Tidy Towns competition.

People

Former or current residents of the town have included: * James Abankwah (born 2004) – professional footballer * Millenic Alli (born 2000) – professional footballer * Aaron Callaghan (born 1966) – football manager * Tommy Carr (born 1961) – former Dublin GAA inter-county footballer and manager * Jake Carroll (born 1991) – professional footballer * Joanne Doyle (born 1973) – Irish dancer with Riverdance * Joan Freeman (born 1958) – founder of Pieta House *

James Gandon James Gandon (20 February 1743 – 24 December 1823) was an English architect best known for his work in Ireland during the late 18th century and early 19th century. His better known works include The Custom House and the surrounding Beresfor ...

(1743-1823) – architect * Paul Gogarty (born 1968) – politician and Teachta Dála for Dublin Mid-West * John and Edward Grimes, known professionally as

Jedward John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward, are Irish media personalities and singers. They are Monozygotic, identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in The X Factor (British TV series) series 6, th ...

(born 1991) – singing duo * James Alexander Hamilton Irwin (1876-1954) –

Presbyterian minister Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session (o ...

and a supporter of Irish unity and independence. * Derek Keating (1955-2023) - politician *

Ciarán Kelly Ciarán Kelly may refer to: * Ciarán Kelly (footballer, born 1980) * Ciaran Kelly (footballer, born 1998) {{hndis, Kelly, Ciaran ...

(born 1998) – professional footballer *

Liam Lawlor Liam Lawlor (19 October 1944 – 22 October 2005) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He resigned from the Fianna Fáil in 2000 following a finding by a party standards committee that he had failed to co-operate with its investigation into pl ...

(1945-2005) – politician * Salvatore of Lucan, pseudonym of Salvatore Fullam (born 1994) – Irish artist * Darragh Markey (born 1997) – professional footballer * John McCaffrey (born 1987) – Dublin GAA inter-county hurler * Derek McGrath (born 1972) – professional footballer * Laura Nolan (born 1994) - choreographer *

(1655-1693) – Lucan born Jacobite leader. Earl of Lucan * Jack Sheedy – Dublin GAA inter-county footballer and All Ireland winner * Joanna Tuffy (born 1965) - politician and councillor for Lucan electoral area

References

External links

South Dublin County History

South Dublin County Images
{{Dublin residential areas Towns and villages in South Dublin (county) Civil parishes of Newcastle, County Dublin Townlands of County Dublin