Milltown () is a suburb and

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 ...

on the southside 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 Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Milltown was the site of several working mills on the

River Dodder The River Dodder () is one of the three main rivers in Dublin, Ireland, the others being the River Liffey, Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the River Tolka, Tolka. Course and system The Dodder rises on the northern s ...

and is also the location of the meeting of the River Slang with the Dodder. It is located adjacent to other suburban areas such as Windy Arbour, Ranelagh,

Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...

Dartry Dartry () is a small suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, often referred to as a corridor between Rathmines area and Milltown, Dublin, Milltown. Among the locations in Dartry are Dartry Road, Temple Road, Orwell Park and Palmerston ...

Clonskeagh Clonskeagh or Clonskea (; , meaning "meadow of the Crataegus monogyna, Whitethorn"), is a small southern suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The district straddles the River Dodder. Location and access The district is adjacent to ...

, and Donnybrook.

History

The townland of Milltown, also known as Milton, was so named from at least the 14th century. Both Milltown and

were liberties of Dublin following the 13th-century

Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land in Ireland over which the List of English monarchs, monarchs of England then claimed sovere ...

. In his 1903 work, ''A History of the County Dublin'', the historian Francis Elrington Ball describes Milltown as being the "scene of industrial enterprise" from a "very early period" and that as "early as the fourteenth century the existence of a mill is mentioned". Ball also states that "mediaeval quarrying operations carried on at Milltown" provided stone for repairs to Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral. By the 18th century, the area was home to several mills - including two corn mills, an iron mill and paper mill. A former

mill race A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a m ...

was taken from just above the

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

located 100m downstream from the Nine Arches Viaduct. It ran towards a mill which was located in what is now Dodder Park. The remnants of this mill can still be seen. Historically used as a fording point on the River Dodder, a bridge was built at Milltown in the 17th century. This bridge, known as "(Old) Milltown Bridge" or "Packhorse Bridge", is recorded in the Record of Monuments and Places and classified as a protected structure. A newer bridge was later built at Milltown, and by the early 20th century the older structure was used only for pedestrian traffic. The newer Milltown Bridge was built on the site of the former ford, which was in use up until at least the late 18th century.

Transport

Milltown is marked by a landmark 19th-century railway bridge across the river, which was part of the Harcourt Street railway line which ran from Harcourt Street to Bray. This bridge, and sometimes the area immediately surrounding it, became known as the ' Nine Arches'. Milltown railway station opened on 1 May 1860 and finally closed on 31 December 1958. On 30 June 2004, the bridge was re-opened for 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 ...

light rail system which runs from Broombridge to Bride's Glen. There is also a Luas stop a few yards north of the former station. Milltown is also served 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 ...

route 44 which runs from

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) () is a Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland, university based on the Northside, Dublin, Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Highe ...

(DCU) to Enniskerry.

Sport

The area is still associated with Shamrock Rovers football club, who played there at

Glenmalure Park Glenmalure Park, often simply known as Milltown, was a football stadium on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland. Located in the suburb of Milltown, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developer ...

on land leased from the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, from 1926 until 1987 when it was controversially sold to developers. Milltown Golf Club celebrated its centenary in 2007.

Administrative area

Milltown is located along the River Dodder, which in this area, marks the boundary between the two council areas of

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

and

Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council () is the local authority of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that succeeded the former Dublin County Council on its abolition on 1 January 1994 a ...

. Milltown lies in both, with the village falling within Dublin City.

Education

Alexandra College, a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

girls' school Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

, is located in Milltown, as is the Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre, the only

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in Ireland. The

have a long presence at Milltown with a secondary school for boys,

Gonzaga College Gonzaga College SJ is a voluntary Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1950, Gonzaga College is under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), one of five Jesuit secondary schools in Ir ...

on its lands at Milltown Park. The Jesuit Training College evolved into the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy a recognised college of the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

. The National College of Industrial Relations was also founded by Jesuits on its lands in Milltown, which eventually moved to the IFSC becoming the

National College of Ireland National College of Ireland (NCI) (''Coláiste Náisiúnta na hÉireann'' (''CNÉ'') in Irish) is a not-for-profit, state-aided third-level education institution in Dublin. It was founded in 1951 as a joint venture between the Jesuits in Ir ...

. The Franciscan Brothers of the Third Order Regular, noted for their having secretly taught the boys of the Catholic population for decades in underground schools, had formed a monastery and school here, after the relaxation of the Penal Laws which had forbidden Catholic education. In 1818 they transferred their monastery to Mountbellew in

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. Mount St. Mary's was formerly the seminary of the Marist Fathers,Marist Fathers Ireland.
students for the priesthood would study theology with the Jesuits in Milltown Park, and also study for degrees in Arts or Science in UCD, while based in Mount St. Marys.

References