Balgriffin

Balgriffin(Irish:Baile Ghrífín,meaning "Griffin's town ") is a suburb ofDublin,Ireland.It lies on the administrative boundary between Dublin City and the county ofFingalin the traditionalCounty Dublin.

Balgriffin is also acivil parishin the ancientbaronyofCoolock.^[1]

Location

Aerial photo showing Balgriffin, including Belmayne, in the immediate foreground, with the Donaghies housing estate and more of Donaghmede in the background

Balgriffin is situated approximately 8 km (4.97 mi) fromDublincity centre. It is a civil parish of 540 acres in thebaronyofCoolock.For elections toDáil Éireann,it is in theDáil constituencyofDublin Fingal,having previously been in the constituency ofDublin North-East.It is in the Dublin 13 postal district.

The area'slocal governmentadministration is divided betweenDublin City CouncilandFingal County Council.

Geography

The two main branches of theMayne River(sometimes referred to as the "Moyne" ), the Turnapin Stream and the Cuckoo Stream, run through the plains of the district, picking up smaller streams. The Turnapin flows in the southern part of the area, coming from the old Belcamp Estate and running north of the main Belmayne development, while the Cuckoo comes east near Limekiln Lane and forms the northern boundary of the Fingal Burial Ground. Flooding sometimes hits Limekiln Lane. The Turnapin and the Cuckoo merge in eastern Balgriffin and the Mayne then flows out to Baldoyle Bay (Balgriffin Road becomes Moyne Road as it approaches the coast).

Access and transport

The hamlet of Balgriffin is served by Balgriffin Road from the east (Portmarnock), the R139 fromDublin AirportandDonaghmedeon its southern edge, and by Malahide Road from the north (KinsealyandMalahide) and south (Dublin city centre,FairviewandCoolock).

Dublin Busprovides the district of Balgriffin with services on the 15,^[2]42 and 43 routes,^[3]the cemeteries being served by the 42 and 43.

History

Balgriffin is an old district that can be found on maps, many held inDublin City Archiveand Dublin County Archive, going back hundreds of years. In 1388 Robert Burnell, judge of theCourt of Exchequer,was lord of the manor of Balgriffin; his descendants who were also lords of the manor ofCastleknock,were still at Balgriffin in the seventeenth century. Historically, it has remained as a lightly settled area of fields with ahamletat a crossroads, at which now stands an 18th-centurypublic house,some cottages, avillage greenand hall, and twocemeteries– the older of which is to the west, the newer, civic, one to the east.^[4]^[5]In 1542,Henry VIIIgranted Conn Bacach O'Neill an estate in Balgriffin as a part of the settlement ofsurrender and regrantthat granted the former King of Tir Eoghan the new titled ofEarl of Tyrone.^[6]

The best-known feature of the area is the early St Doulagh's Church; it is also said thatmagnatede Burgo (Burke) had a base close by.

Development

Until recent years a small rural settlement, Balgriffin experienced several developments, including St. Samson's and Castlemoyne, and most notably the substantial one calledBelmayne,infamous for its provocative advertising, and which remains unfinished.^[7]This development was, in February 2011, the subject of urgent fire safety works, but without the evacuation of residents experienced in nearby Priory Hall, Donaghmede.^[8]

Amenities

The historic pub has been joined over the last decade by shops and eating facilities in southern Balgriffin.

Features

Approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) north of the hamlet of Balgriffin isSt Doulagh's Church.^[9]At first amonastery,it is now a well known and much reveredChurch of Irelandchurch. It was built in the5th centuryand renovated in the12th century.^[10]

At the time of its inception, the WelshSaint Samsonmade a pilgrimage to Dun Etair (Irish:Binn Éadair) (ContemporaryHowth) and is said to have founded the monastery that is now St Doulagh's Church.^[11]^[12]The church was originally under the patronage of St. Samson. As Balgriffin was in the past referred to as Ballygriffin and Griffinstown, the place name indicates that it was indeed settled by aWelshperson.^[13]

Religion

St Doulagh's Church, Balgriffin has been servingAnglicanparishioners since theReformation in Ireland.^[14]

Donaghmede Parish served BalgriffinRoman Catholicparishioners since its inception in 1974, with a Mass hall and then Holy Trinity Church.^[15]The parish is today known as Holy Trinity Parish and serves Donaghmede including Clongriffin, and Balgriffin including Belmayne. With the growth of population as the Belmayne housing development was populated, Balgriffin Mass Centre was opened, operating from the information centre on Belmayne Avenue, but this no longer functions.

References

^"Balgriffin civil parish".Placenames Database of Ireland.
^"Changes on Routes 15, 15a, 15b, 15e, 15f, 65, 65b, 74, 74a, 128 and 140 - Dublin Bus".Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2012.Retrieved6 April2012.
^Dublin Bus Timetables 42, 43, 128
^Balgriffin Cemetery
^Fingal Cemetery
^"Sir Sidney's Memoirs of his government in Ireland 1583" ULSTER JOURNAL OF ARCHEOLOGY First Series, Volume III, 1885. Pg. 46, footnote #6
^Dublin, Ireland: The Irish Times[1],retrieved Feb 23 2012^{[dead link]}
^Dublin, Ireland: The Irish Times[2],retrieved Feb 23 2012Archived25 October 2012 at theWayback Machine
^St Doulagh's Church (Dublin City Council)Archived2011-10-25 at theWayback Machine
^"St.Doulagh's Church".19 December 2005.
^The life of St Samson of Dol by Thomas Taylor (Kessinger Publishing, LLC (July 25, 2007)): CNRSISBN 0-548-09467-5
^The emergence of monasticism: from the Desert Fathers to the early Middle Ages By Marilyn Dunn (Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2003): CNRSISBN 1-4051-0641-7)
^Irish Saints of November: Duilech of Clochar MEMOIR OF THE CHURCH OF ST. DUILECH
^"St.Doulagh's Church".United Parishes of Malahide, Portmarnock & St Doulagh's. Archived fromthe originalon 11 July 2012.Retrieved22 October2011.
^Holy Trinity Church, Donaghmede-Clongriffin-Balgriffin Parish

Sources

Bond, A. and Mabin, N.,Article drawn from "Saints of the British Isles"
Jones, Kathleen,Saint Samson of Caldey Isl, Wales & Dol Isl, Brittany (Catholic Ireland Net)
Hudleston, G. Roger,Saint Samson (Catholic Encyclopedia)

53°24′N6°10′W/ 53.400°N 6.167°W/53.400; -6.167

[1] "Balgriffin civil parish".Placenames Database of Ireland.

[2] "Changes on Routes 15, 15a, 15b, 15e, 15f, 65, 65b, 74, 74a, 128 and 140 - Dublin Bus".Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2012.Retrieved6 April2012.

[3] Dublin Bus Timetables 42, 43, 128

[4] Balgriffin Cemetery

[5] Fingal Cemetery

[6] "Sir Sidney's Memoirs of his government in Ireland 1583" ULSTER JOURNAL OF ARCHEOLOGY First Series, Volume III, 1885. Pg. 46, footnote #6

[7] Dublin, Ireland: The Irish Times[1],retrieved Feb 23 2012^{[dead link]}

[8] Dublin, Ireland: The Irish Times[2],retrieved Feb 23 2012Archived25 October 2012 at theWayback Machine

[9] St Doulagh's Church (Dublin City Council)Archived2011-10-25 at theWayback Machine

[10] "St.Doulagh's Church".19 December 2005.

[11] The life of St Samson of Dol by Thomas Taylor (Kessinger Publishing, LLC (July 25, 2007)): CNRSISBN 0-548-09467-5

[12] The emergence of monasticism: from the Desert Fathers to the early Middle Ages By Marilyn Dunn (Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2003): CNRSISBN 1-4051-0641-7)

[13] Irish Saints of November: Duilech of Clochar MEMOIR OF THE CHURCH OF ST. DUILECH

[14] "St.Doulagh's Church".United Parishes of Malahide, Portmarnock & St Doulagh's. Archived fromthe originalon 11 July 2012.Retrieved22 October2011.

[15] Holy Trinity Church, Donaghmede-Clongriffin-Balgriffin Parish

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