Rathcoole () is an outer suburban village in
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 Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
,
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 ...
, south-west of the city 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 ...
, and in the
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
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 ...
.
Rathcoole is also a
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 ...
in the
historical barony of
Newcastle
Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
.
Etymology
is the Irish word for a ringfort, a circular embankment often erected by wealthy farmers or local chiefs. There are several forts in the civil parish of Rathcoole, one of which is in a field between the village and Saggart village. There is no definite explanation for the name "Rathcoole", but it could be meaning ''the ringfort of Cumhaill'', the father of
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer a ...
. Coole may also come from the Irish word for forest, .
Geography
Rathcoole lies in the southwest corner of
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 Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
, just off the
N7 national primary road
A national primary road () is a road classification in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of road has the pr ...
, southwest of
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 west of
Saggart
Saggart () is a village in County Dublin, Ireland, south west of Dublin, Dublin city, in the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government area of South Dublin. It lies between the N7 road (Ireland), N7 (Naas Road), Rathcoole, ...
village. Close by to the north are
Baldonnel and
Casement Aerodrome
Casement Aerodrome () or Baldonnel Aerodrome is a military airbase to the southwest of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland situated off the N7 road (Ireland), N7 main roads in Ireland, road route to the south and south west. It is the headquar ...
, home of the
Irish Air Corps
The Air Corps () is the air force of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Organisationally a military branch of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Ireland, the Air Corps utilises a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft to carry out ...
. Also in this part of the county are
Newcastle
Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
and, further away,
Brittas.
Around Rathcoole are several streams, primarily draining the western end to the Griffeen River but south of the eastern end linking to the
River Camac
The River Camac (sometimes spelled ''Cammock'', or, historically, ''Cammoge'' or ''Cammoke''; Irish: or ) is one of the larger rivers in Dublin and was one of four tributaries of the Liffey critical to the early development of the city.
Cou ...
, both tributaries of 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 ...
.
Aside from the village core, the area has several housing developments.
History
Like neighbouring Saggart and nearby Newcastle, Rathcoole was on the periphery of the
Pale and was the site of many battles with mountain-based rebels, particularly the Byrnes and O'Tooles.
The village had a licence to hold a trading fair three times a year, a tradition that lapsed in the 19th century.
Rathcoole was the birthplace in 1765 of the
United Irishman Felix Rourke, and another local, a member of the Clinch family of Rathcoole House, was executed after the
1798 rebellion
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The main organising force ...
.
In the late 18th century, Rathcoole was composed mainly of mud huts,
and as late as the early 20th century it consisted of only one street.
Mercer's Charter School

In 1743-45, a new charter school was constructed in the village with the funds from the endowment of Mary Mercer. The school had earlier been located at
Mercer's Hospital
Mercer's Hospital () was a hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was converted into a clinical centre and medical library for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1991.[The King's Hospital
The Hospital and Free School of King Charles II, Oxmantown, also called The King's Hospital (KH; ) is a Church of Ireland co-educational independent day school, day and boarding school situated in Palmerstown, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, ...]
school in 1970. The building was later used as a glebe house for over a century.
, the building is still standing but has been badly damaged by fire.
Rathcoole House
Rathcoole is home to Rathcoole House, which was part of a wider estate. The house was built in 1750 and initially belonged to the Clinch family, later passing to the Sheils of Coolmine, who owned it from 1831 to 1962. The house had two main floors above ground and five bays, with a kitchen, milling room and stores in the basement, and a hall, dining room and drawing room on the ground floor. Part of the house was demolished in 1933 and was bought in 2013 by a private investor. , it is a privately owned residence.
Amenities
Rathcoole has a landscaped park, run by South Dublin County Council, at the eastern end of the village. There is also a community centre which hosts local events and training courses.
There is a small supermarket, a bank, a credit union, and two service stations on the N7. One of Rathcoole's best-known pubs is ''An Poitin Stil'', which is built on the site of an original inn dating back to 1649. The other pubs in the area are Muldowneys, Baurnafea House, and The Rathcoole Inn.
A pub existed for many years a short distance outside the town on the Naas Road (now
N7) named The Blackchurch Inn. For a number of days in November 2019, this pub was temporarily closed by the
Food Safety Authority of Ireland due to high levels of
E.coli and
coliforms which were found in drinking water and ice samples during an inspection, but re-opened some days later. The pub was closed as of April 2022.
Transport
Rathcoole is served by the
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 number 69, which runs from here to
Dublin city.
At ''An PoitÃn Stil'' there is a bus stop which is a stop for route 126 which goes from Newbridge to Dublin city.
Near the Avoca store, there is a bus stop with the W6 bus which goes from Maynooth to The Square via Newcastle in Tallaght.
The
Saggart Luas stop, the western terminus for the
Red Line on 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 ...
, is approximately from Rathcoole.
Education
Holy Family Community School, at the western end of the village, opened in 1981. It is a
community school for second-level students from Rathcoole and those commuting from the nearby towns of
Clondalkin
Clondalkin () is a suburban village in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, approximately west of Dublin city centre. It is within the administrative jurisdiction of South Dublin County Council, South Dublin.
Clondalkin is also the na ...
and Tallaght and the villages of Saggart and Brittas. There is also Holy Family National School located at the western end of Forest Hills, and a
Gaelscoil
A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language- medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary a ...
, Scoil Chrónáin, in Rathcoole village itself.
Sport
The local
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
(association football) club is Rathcoole Football Club. Commercials Hurling Club, a
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) club, is located just off the
Naas Road. The local basketball club is Rathcoole Rockets.
Coolmine Equestrian Centre was established in the area in 1989. It provides horse riding lessons and guided horseback trips. The centre became an "equestrian academy" and is known locally as CEAD-Ireland. The academy hosts festivals and other events during the summer.
People
*
Bill Attley, Irish trade unionist and football referee
*
Darragh Ennis, a chaser on ITV's ''
The Chase''
*
Dermot Kennedy
Dermot Joseph Kennedy (born 13 December 1991) is an Irish singer and songwriter. He is known for his 2019 singles " Outnumbered" and " Power Over Me", his 2020 single " Giants", and his feature on the 2020 Meduza single " Paradise". He is signed ...
, singer-songwriter
*
Paddy Reilly, folk singer and guitarist
*
Michelle Smith who won three gold medals and a bronze medal at the
1996 Summer Olympic Games
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in Atlanta
*
Pat Taaffe, Irish national hunt jockey
Representation
Rathcoole is in the
Dáil constituency of
Dublin Mid-West and in the
local electoral area
A local electoral area (LEA; ) is an electoral area for elections to Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authorities in Ireland. All elections in the Republic of Ireland, elections use the single transferable vote. Republic of Ir ...
of Clondalkin for election to
South Dublin County Council
South Dublin County Council () is the local authority of the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 to succeed the former Dublin County Council before its abolitio ...
(the local electoral area also covers an area including Clondalkin, Newcastle and Saggart).
Twinning
*
École-Valentin
École-Valentin is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
Population
Geography
The town, located north of Besançon, is crossed by the National Road 57. It is part of the Besançon urba ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
-
twinned since 14 April 2000.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
External links
Rathcoole Community CouncilVillage web site(archived 2004)
{{Dublin residential areas
Towns and villages in South Dublin (county)
Civil parishes of Newcastle, County Dublin