The Coombe, Dublin - Misplaced Pages

Street in Dublin, Ireland "The Coombe" redirects here. For other uses, see Coombe (disambiguation).

The Coombe
Other
Clockwise from top: Coombe campus of the British and Irish Modern Music Institute; the Coombe Hospital Memorial; Spitalfields pub

Native name	An Com (Irish)
Namesake	Named after the Coombe Stream (from Irish com, "coom", valley)
Length	450 m (1,480 ft)
Width	15 metres (49 ft)
Location	Dublin, Ireland
Postal code	D08
Coordinates	53°20′20″N 6°16′41″W / 53.339°N 6.278°W / 53.339; -6.278
west end	Pimlico, Ardee Street
east end	Francis Street, Dean Street
Known for	Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital

The Coombe (/ˈkuːm/; Irish: An Com) is a historic street in the south inner city of Dublin, Ireland. It was originally a hollow or valley where a tributary of the River Poddle, the Coombe Stream or Commons Water, ran. The name is sometimes used for the broader area around, in which the Poddle and its related watercourses featured strongly.

History

In the late 17th century economic development started to house the clothiers who were moving into this then suburban area. Woolen manufacture was set up by settlers from England, while many French settlers Huguenots took up silk weaving, using skills they had acquired in their home country. The Dutch constructed their own traditional style of house, known here as Dutch Billies, with gables that faced the street. Thousands of weavers became employed in the Coombe, Pimlico, Spitalfields and Weavers' Square.

This was in response to legislative changes and free trade policies from the newly independent Grattan's Parliament (1782). Prior to these changes, English woollen manufacturers felt threatened by the Irish industry and heavy duties were imposed on Irish wool exports. The Navigation Act was passed to prevent the Irish from exporting to the whole colonial market. In 1699 the English government passed the Wool Act which prevented export to any country whatsoever, which effectively put an end to the industry in the Liberties by the mid-eighteenth century. Later, under the repealed legislation, late in the following century, a revival took place by importing Spanish wool into Ireland. This was helped from 1775 by the Royal Dublin Society, but the events of 1798 and 1803, in which many weavers took part (and represented well in historical fiction The Silk Weaver by Gabrielle Warnock), and the economic decline that set in after the Napoleonic Wars and the Act of Union, prevented any further growth in this industry in the Liberties.

A Weavers' Hall was built by the Weavers' Guild in the Lower Coombe in 1682 and by 1745, when the building of a new hall was required, it was a Huguenot, David Digges La Touche, who advanced the £200 needed. The silk and poplin industries grew successfully in the first half of the 18th century. However, these industries, which were supported as mentioned by the Royal Dublin Society, were almost ruined by an act passed by the English government, which prevented the society from supporting any house where Irish silk goods were sold. When war was declared against France and raw materials were difficult to obtain, the silk weavers suffered greatly.

The Tenter House was erected just off the Coombe in 1815 in Cork Street, financed by Thomas Pleasants. Before this, the poor weavers of the Coombe had either to suspend work in rainy weather or use the alehouse fire and thus were (as Wright expresses it) "exposed to great distress, and not infrequently reduced either to the hospital or the gaol."

Parishes

In the year 1708, an act of parliament was passed setting up a new Church of Ireland parish, St. Luke's, for the area. In conformity with the act, a Glebe House Was erected on the Coombe for the Vicar and the church of St. Luke was built just off the Coombe. Over the next few years new parish buildings including a school, an almshouse and a widows' house, were built along the Coombe to provide for the increasing population.

Coombe Hospital

Main article: Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital

On 10 October 1770 Lord Brabazon laid the foundation stone of the new Meath Hospital in the Coombe. In 1774 it became the County Dublin Infirmary and in 1822 the patients were transferred to the new Meath Hospital at Long Lane. A few years later Mrs. Margaret Boyle founded the Coombe Lying-In Hospital in the vacated building. The Guinness family became benefactors and built a dispensary block. In 1967 the hospital was relocated to new premises in Cork Street. The old building was demolished to make way for a Dublin Corporation housing development, retaining the portico.

The Aldermen of Skinners Alley

Off the Coombe once ran Skinners Alley, famous for its society of Aldermen. When King James II displaced the Protestant Corporation of Dublin to make room for Catholics, a few members of the original body sought refuge for themselves and the regalia of the city in this obscure nook. After the battle of the Boyne, they emerged from their concealment, presented themselves to King William and were by him accepted as the lawful representatives of Dublin. As the anniversary of their reinstatement came around, the corporators celebrated their deliverance with a banquet. In course of time, a convivial society was formed, calling themselves 'The Aldermen of Skinners Alley'.

Their song went as follows:

When tyranny's detested power
had leagued with superstition,
and bigot James, in evil hour
began his luckless mission,
still here survives the sacred flame,
here freedom's sons did rally
and consecrate to deathless fame
the Men of Skinners Alley.

References and sources

Notes

An Com/The Coombe http://www.logainm.ie/en/1165873 Retrieved 22 October 2016
M'Cready, C. T. (1987). Dublin street names dated and explained. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Carraig. p. 25. ISBN 1-85068-005-1. OCLC 263974843.
Clerkin, Paul (2001). Dublin street names. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 43. ISBN 0-7171-3204-8. OCLC 48467800.
^ Bennett, p.44
^ M'Gregor, A New Picture of Dublin, 1821
Lecky, History of England in the Eighteenth Century, Chapter VII
Warnock, Gabrielle (1998). The Silk Weaver. Galway: Trident Ltd. ISBN 1900724197.
Wright
^ D.A. Chart, The Story of Dublin (London, 1932), p.263.

Sources

Gilbert, John (1854). A History of the City of Dublin. Oxford: Oxford University.
George Newenham Wright (2005). "An Historical Guide to the City of Dublin". Online book. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
Craig, Maurice (1969). Dublin: 1660–1860. Dublin: Allen Figgis.
Bennett, Douglas (1992). Encyclopedia of Dublin.

v t e Streets in Dublin city
North of River Liffey (Northside)	Abbey Street Amiens Street Arbour Hill Bachelors Walk Benburb Street Beresford Place Blackhall Place Bloom Lane Buckingham Street Capel Street Cathal Brugha Street Cathedral Street Clonliffe Road Dominick Street Dorset Street East Wall Road Eccles Street Eden Quay Foley Street Gardiner Street Great Denmark Street Henrietta Street Henry Street Home Farm Road Jervis Street Marino Crescent Marlborough Street Mary Street Moore Street North Brunswick Street North Circular Road North Earl Street North Frederick Street North Great George's Street North Strand Road O'Connell Street Parnell Street Queen Street Seán McDermott Street Sheriff Street Store Street Summerhill Parade Talbot Street
South of River Liffey (Southside)	Ailesbury Road Anglesea Road Aungier Street Baggot Street Bow Lane West Boyne Street Bride Street Britain Quay Bull Alley Street Camden Street Christchurch Place Clanbrassil Street Clare Street Clyde Road College Green College Street The Coombe Coppinger Row Cork Street Crampton Court Cuffe Street Dame Lane Dame Street Dawson Street D'Olier Street Earlsfort Terrace Ely Place Eustace Street Fenian Street Fishamble Street Fleet Street Fownes Street Fumbally Lane Georges Quay Golden Lane Grafton Street Harcourt Street Harcourt Terrace Hawkins Street Herbert Park Herbert Road Heytesbury Street High Street Hume Street James's Street Kildare Street Lansdowne Road Leeson Street Lincoln Place Marrowbone Lane Merrion Road Merrion Street Misery Hill Molesworth Street Morehampton Road Mount Street Lower Nassau Street Northumberland Road Newbridge Avenue New Bride Street Park Avenue Parliament Street Patrick Street Pearse Street Raglan Road Sandymount Avenue Shelbourne Road Ship Street Little Shrewsbury Road Sir John Rogerson's Quay South Circular Road South Great George's Street South William Street St Andrew's Street Steeven's Lane Stephen Street Sydney Parade Avenue Tara Street Thomas Street Tritonville Road Werburgh Street Westland Row Westmoreland Street Wexford Street Wicklow Street Winetavern Street Wood Quay York Street

Streets in Dublin city

North of River Liffey
(Northside)

South of River Liffey
(Southside)

v t e Residential areas of County Dublin
North of River Liffey (Northside)	Abbotstown Applewood Arbour Hill Artane Ashtown Baldoyle Balgriffin Ballybough Ballyboughal Ballygall Ballymun Balrothery Bayside Beaumont Blanchardstown Brackenstown Broadstone Cabra Carpenterstown Castleknock Chapelizod Clonee Clongriffin Clonliffe Clonsilla Clontarf Coolock Coolmine Corduff Damastown Darndale Dollymount Donabate Donaghmede Donnycarney Drumcondra East Wall Fairview Finglas Garristown Glasnevin Grangegorman Harmonstown Holywell Howth Huntstown Kilmore Kilmore West Kilbarrack Killester Kinsealy Knocksedan Littlepace Loughshinny Lusk Malahide Man of War Marino Mulhuddart Naul North Strand North Wall Oldtown Ongar Oxmantown Palmerstown Phibsborough Poppintree Portmarnock Portrane Point Village Priorswood Raheny Rathbeale Rolestown Rush Santry Sheriff Street Skerries Smithfield Spencer Dock Springhill Stoneybatter Strawberry Beds Summerhill Sutton Swords Tyrrelstown Waterville Whitehall
South of River Liffey (Southside)	Adamstown Back of the Pipes Balally Ballinteer Ballsbridge Ballyboden Ballybrack Ballyfermot Ballymount Ballyroan Barnacullia Belfield Blackrock Bluebell Booterstown Brittas Cabinteely Carrickmines Chapelizod Cherrywood Churchtown Citywest Clondalkin Clonskeagh The Coombe Cornelscourt Crumlin Dalkey Dartry Deansgrange Dolphin's Barn Donnybrook Drimnagh Dundrum Dún Laoghaire Edmondstown Firhouse Foxrock Glasthule Glenageary Glencullen Goatstown Grand Canal Dock Greenhills Harold's Cross Inchicore Irishtown Islandbridge Jobstown Johnstown Killiney Kill of the Grange Kilmacud Kilmainham Kilnamanagh Kilternan Kimmage Knocklyon Leopardstown Liberties Loughlinstown Lucan Milltown Monkstown Mount Merrion Newcastle Oldbawn Palmerstown Perrystown Pimlico Poolbeg Portobello Ranelagh Rathcoole Rathfarnham Rathgar Rathmichael Rathmines Rialto Ringsend Rockbrook Saggart Sallynoggin Sandycove Sandyford Sandymount Shankill South Lotts, Ringsend Stepaside Stillorgan Tallaght Templeogue Terenure Walkinstown Whitechurch Windy Arbour

Residential areas of County Dublin