Castletroy
Encyclopedia
Castletroy is a rapidly growing and predominantly middle-class suburb of Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and is the largest suburb in Munster. Its population is estimated at 40,000 as of 2010.
Annacotty
Annacotty is a town on the outskirts of Limerick, Ireland, from the centre of the city. It is situated where the old N7 main road between Limerick and Dublin crosses the Mulkear River, upstream of where it flows into the River Shannon....
and Monaleen. With the creation of the University of Limerick
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...
, as well as the growth of Limerick itself, this began to change. Castletroy is one of the fastest-growing residential areas in Ireland and has now completely engulfed the old villages of Annacotty
Annacotty
Annacotty is a town on the outskirts of Limerick, Ireland, from the centre of the city. It is situated where the old N7 main road between Limerick and Dublin crosses the Mulkear River, upstream of where it flows into the River Shannon....
and Monaleen (Móin a lín - field of flax). Monaleen parish has one of the most beautiful buildings as its main landmark: Monaleen Church.
Castletroy includes three primary schools Milford NS, Monaleen NS and a Gaelscoil
Gaelscoil
A gaelscoil is an Irish-medium primary school in Ireland, of a sort found outside the traditionally Irish-speaking regions, especially in urban areas....
, the secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, Castletroy College
Castletroy College
Castletroy College is a mixed community secondary school in Newtown, Castletroy, County Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in December 2000 and has over 100 rooms. It has over 1000 students.-Sport:...
, and a number of hotels including the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel and Castletroy Park Hotel. It is also host to both Milford and Monaleen Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
Clubs.
The population in of Castletroy is now approximately 32,506 people, of which 16,573 are students. Castletroy Golf Course is well known and divides Monaleen and Castletroy itself. Kilbane, Castletroy Heights, Monaleen Heights and Monaleen Park were the original housing developments and were once surrounded by farmland. These houses are the oldest and most sought after properties in the area.
Recent developments include numerous sprawling housing estates. Newtown local shopping centre, the main Castletroy shopping centre, extends to some 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) is located off Dublin road at Kilmurray roundabout and includes Superquinn supermarket and 24 mall shops, McDonald's restaurant and an eight-screen cinema, "Storm", which opened its first screen on 19 May 2005.
Several attempts have been made by Limerick City Council to expand its area of control to include Castletroy, which remains under the control of Limerick County Council. The National Technology Park is home to some major business in Castletroy such as 'Vistakon', a contact lens division of Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
and O2
O2 plc
Telefónica Europe plc is a European broadband and telecommunications company that trades as O2 . The company originated as a collection of worldwide telecommunications companies, known in the later half of the 1990s as BT Wireless, and a global mobile data business known then as Genie Internet,...
, a major mobile phone operator.
Also in Castletroy is a small and little-known Jewish graveyard. It dates from the late 19th century when Limerick had a sizable Jewish community. However, the Jews were mostly driven from the city in what was called the "Limerick Pogrom" (see History of Limerick
History of Limerick
The history of Limerick , stretches back to its establishment by the Vikings as a walled city on King's Island in 812, and its charter in 1197....
, History of the Jews in Ireland
History of the Jews in Ireland
The history of the Jews in Ireland extends back nearly a thousand years. Although the Jewish community has always been small in numbers , it is well established and has generally been well-accepted into Irish life.-Early history:The earliest reference to the Jews in Ireland was in the year 1079...
). In 1990 the site was renovated and reopened by Chief Rabbi Mervis.