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Shankill (Seanchill in Irish, meaning "old church") However there is little evidence of any religious activity or a church in the area at the time when this name was first used, and so it is said that the name actually comes from the Irish "Sean Coillte", meaning "old woods". It is a suburb of Dublin on the southern boundary of County Dublin and County Wicklow and has a population of 13,242 as of 2006
Geography
The townland of Shankill was originally located on lands further northwest at Puck’s Castle. Today, the area of Shankill is taken to include the lands of Rathmichael and Shankill, an area of around 1,600 acres. The townland is bordered roughly by the points between Carrickgollogan hill (252m) to the west, Ballycorus lead mines to the northwest, Loughlinstown hospital to the north, stretching to the coast from Rathsallagh river to the southern boundary of Tyrell’s land.
The modern village centre consists mainly of a single street, with many amenities such as shops, pubs and other services. The village is located on the road between Shankill church and Bray.
To the north of modern Shankill is Killiney hill, to the south, the large town of Bray, County Wicklow.
History
Dark Ages
Shankill features a number of antiquities, including raths and cromlechs. Around 1230, there were primeval forests that were cleared under the orders of the owner of Shankill, Archbishop Luke. Courts for serious crimes in the style of assizes were conducted at Shankill during this period. Parts of the townland were protected by fortified gates, to keep indigenous Irish tribes out.
The manor of Shankill was overrun by the Irish and completely destroyed a century later. In response to these incursions, a large garrison was re-instated. The Irish were restrained from entering and the land eventually was re-let as grazing land.
Middle Ages
The Lawless family feature prominently in the history of Shankill. In 1408, family members had control of the seigniory of Shanganagh. Several Lawlesses became residents of Shankill by the 1480s.
Several castles which still stand today, Shankill Castle and Shanganagh Castle, as well as a strong house, called Puck's Castle, were built in between 1400 and 1500. This is supposed to have been built by Archbishop Peter Talbot, to defend the lands of Ballycorus and Rathdown from incursions from the Irish families to the south, including the O'Toole clan.
The Walsh family comes into prominence in the 1500's, building defensive structures throughout Shankill.
From 1640 onwards, the Irish were subdued in numerous battles, which led to greater agricultural use of the lands and consequent prosperity. Shankill was taken into the Rathmichael parish, becoming more populous.
The Walshes quit the lands of Shankill, primarily due to the Act of Commonwealth that redistributed landowners and tenancies. After this, the Lawless families regained possession for the third time of all of Shankill. The last Lawless died in 1795, whereupon the lands became the possessions of the third Sir William Domvile, resident of nearby Loughlinstown House. The Domvile family was granted the lands surrounding Loughlinstown under the Restoration.
19th Century - Baronetcy Of William Domvile
Shankill and Rathmichael were at that time the property of Sir Charles Compton William Domvile (1822 – 1884). Domvile was known as an uncompromising and ruthless landlord, and sought to change the usage of land from the smallholdings that existed at the time of his inheritance of the estate
Domvile intended to build grand Georgian style housing developments, squares and streets, to gentrify the area, making it attractive for wealthy Dublin based professionals to live. It must be remembered that at this time Shankill was essentially a rural village. Several large houses of architectural merit are noted in the section below.
During Domvile’s time, new roads and streets were laid out, as well as large water mains which feed a relief tank from Vartry Reservoir, continuing on to Stillorgan reservoir.
However, Domvile was an impetuous man, and acted unreasonably with his tenants and prospective buyers of estates on his holdings. His personal debts mounted as a result of his financing two large estates at Shankill and Santry, ultimately resulting in his bankruptcy.
The net outcome of Domvile’s actions was to halve the population of Shankill and Rathmichael during the 1860’s. He evicted over 100 tenants, during a period of grinding poverty, and many were forced to renegotiate their tenancies at usurious rates. Many of the evicted ended up in the local workhouse, the Rathdown Work Union, which is now the site of Loughlinstown hospital.
A landowner with holdings adjacent to the Shankill townland, Benjamin Tilly, granted quarter-acre holdings to several of the evicted tenants. Tilly’s land straddled the townland border into Shanganagh, and the new holdings along the Shanganagh Road became known as Tillystown. In 1871, there were over 60 houses, and at the turn of the century, the village became known as Shankill proper.
In 1911, a large tract of land to the west of Shankill, known as New Vale, was developed as labourer’s cottages.
20th Century Development
Shankill initially comprised large agricultural tracts broken into smallholdings for tenant farmers, and larger, grander estates with fine country houses, many which still exist today. Large housing estates have been built on many of these estates, of varying size and quality. Recently, tracts of land such as the caravan park and young offenders prison have been sold to developers, who have built higher density housing than the larger plot housing estates constructed in the 1970s.
There are a large number of local authority housing developments, notably Rathsallagh and Shanganagh Cliffs estates, located near Shankill DART station, stretching to the coast line. Smaller developments are also found on Quinn’s Road.
In recent times, several property developers have purchased adjacent large houses with the intention of developing apartment/flat complexes.
Architectural Features / Local Antiquities
There are several antiquities in the area including ruined churches and standing stones. Several castles and defensive type structures remain, including Puck's Castle, Shankill Castle, Shanganagh Castle (ruins) and a Martello Tower (ruins).
Some houses of architectural note include Clontra, a coastal Gothic mansion, Crinken Castle House, the Crinken House (formerly variously a hotel and prison), and Shanganagh House, an imposing mansion now surrounded by housing estates built during the 1960s. Clontra was built for Dublin solicitor James Lawson and designed by eminent 19th century architects Sir Thomas Newenham Deane and Benjamin Woodward in their trademark Italian medieval style. They are better known for their work on the Kildare Street Club and the Museum building at Trinity College, Dublin. The local library is itself of note, formerly a courthouse built in an old Victorian style of granite and mock Tudor features. There are also some follys such as a mock round tower built of red brick in the Castle Farm Farmyard.
Traces of South Dublin's industrial heritage remain, such as the lead mine chimney. Other features of note include the 'upside down' houses by the Harcourt Street railway line bridge, which was the site of the original post office, and has its guest rooms downstairs, and its kitchen and living room upstairs.
Shankill was accessible via the original Kingstown-Bray train line, which is now 5 metres from the sea in some places. A coastal wall was built from Killiney to Bray to try to stop the erosion; traces of this can still be seen along the beach. The medieval village of Longnon was sited some 200 yards east of Quinn’s Road beach, but was completely obliterated by coastal erosion.
- Ballycorus Leadmines
Site of the longest continuous stone flue, and ancillary lead ore smelter, on Carrickgollogan hill. Granite flue is visible from much of southeast Dublin.
- Dorney Court House
Large estate with stand of Sequoia and Scots Pine trees.
Tudor-style Carnegie Library, architect R. M. Butler, 1912
- Clontra House
Gothic Mansion designed by Deane and Woodward, on 15 acres of parkland on coast.
- Ferndale House
Large estate on several acres, seat of the Lord Plunkets.
- Mullinastill House
Former mill house, listed structure, set for several film scenes.
- Defunct train line, spur at Tyrell’s land to main Dublin-Bray line. Closed in 1860s
- Puck’s Castle
Castle, in ruins, 15th century. Said to be a refuge for James II fleeing the Battle of the Boyne.
- Rathmichael Church
Built under Charles Domvile, designed by Deane and Woodward.
- Rosedale House
Victorian country house, built by Guinness master brewer Penny.
- Shanganagh Castle
Large mansion on extensive lands on border of Shankill and Co. Wicklow.
- Shanganagh Park House
A Georgian era mansion, surrounded by lands developed for housing by Dublin Corporation in the 1960s.
- Shankill Castle
In existence since 1229, first built by Archbishop Luke, site of the ancient Shankill church.
Amenities
There are two pubs in Shankill; Brady's/Mickey Byrnes, and The Corbawn Tavern, and the village is well served by grocery and convenience stores. The local Credit Union has a substantial office on the main street. There is also a public library, several schools and, until recently, one of Dublin's few remaining campgrounds - the site of which has been developed into a flat complex.
Shankill has three schools – Saint Anne's National School, Rathmichael Parish School and Scoil Mhuire. It is also home to a large Nionra, an Irish language school. The village has a Catholic church; the church in nearby Rathmichael is Church of Ireland. Like its namesake, the Shankill district of Belfast, Dublin's Shankill also has its own Falls Road. Occasionally the primary schools and community groups in both Shankills hold football or other sporting events to promote better North-South relationships. Shankill man Charlie Martin received an Honorary MBE in April 2006 for his work in this field. Sporting facilities in the area include two soccer teams, Vale View Shankill FC, which caters for senior and schoolboy football, and RSFC who cater for junior football. There is also a Bowling Club and Tennis Club in the village.
Residents of Note
International golfer Harrington has a residency in Shankill.
- Des Cahill
2fm sports commentator and pundit Cahill has a house in rural Shankill.
- Chris Horn
Chris Horn is the founder of multinational technology company IONA.
Transport Network
There is also a Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) station in Shankill. It is the third last stop on the south side of the line. The old Harcourt Street railway line also connected close to the village centre. The Dublin Transportation Office's Platform for Change strategy envisages reopening this as a metro connection, connecting with the existing Luas green line. The N11 national route used to run through the village, until the M11 bypass was built nearby. The newly completed southeast motorway section of the M50 connects to the M11 at Rathmichael, a neighbouring townland.
Future Development
DLR LAP
Local Authority Housing
Shankill is administered by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
References
- 2006 Census
- The Mining Company of Ireland Ltd., short history of mining operations at Ballcorus
- An Taisce catalogue of photographs of Irish Carnegie Libraries
External links
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53°13′34″N 6°07′26″W / 53.226°N 6.124°W / 53.226; -6.124
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