Firhouse
Encyclopedia
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, developed from what was historically a rural village. It is located just south of the River Dodder
River Dodder
The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers of the Dublin region in Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.-Course and system:...
, and is in the postal district of Dublin 24. Firhouse is adjacent to Knocklyon
Knocklyon
Knocklyon is a suburb of Dublin in Ireland, situated south west of Dublin city, and north of the Dublin Mountains.There is currently a debate among locals whether the correct name is cnoc linn, or cnoc liamhna....
, Templeogue
Templeogue
Templeogue is a suburb of southwest Dublin, Ireland. The original Irish name Teach Mealóg refers to a chapel named after Saint Mel that was built there in about 1273....
and the Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
area.
Etymology
The pronunciation of Firhouse is as contentious an issue as its origin among the local population, some using "Fir" and some "Fur", though the use on historical maps, which tended to be phonetic, of "Furhouse", suggests the probable form.The origin of the place-name may derive from the Irish word "fir", which means "of the man". It may also come from a manor that was located at the top of the laneway joining Scoil Treasa and Scoil Carmel. Like much of the rest of the area, this laneway, which led up to the main house, was lined with fir trees.
History
Firhouse was historically the site of a small rural settlement near the river bank. In the 14th century, a weir, the City Weir or Great Weir, was made in the Dodder there, named for Balrothery, the district on the north bank opposite, and much of the Dodder's water was diverted to the course of the River PoddleRiver Poddle
The River Poddle , is one of the best known of the more than a hundred watercourses of Dublin. It is the source of the name "Dublin", the city being named after a pool that was once on its course...
, to supply the then-small Dublin city.
Firhouse was the site, in 1816, of the hanging of the Kearneys, a father and two sons. Following the disappearance of gamekeeper John Kinlen, a bloody axe was found near the Kearneys' pub in Firhouse and they were convicted of the killing. A gallows was built at the scene of the crime, outside their pub, for their hanging. When the son, William, fell through the gallows, it was discovered that he was too tall to be strangled by the rope around his neck, so a hole was dug under the gallows, the hangman then pulled down on his legs and held onto him until he was dead. No public reference to this bloody incident can be found in modern Firhouse.
While there was no bridge near in a south westerly direction until the 20th century, a bridge was made just north of the village. The settlement grew further in the 19th century, and a number of mills existed in the vicinity, including a paper mill across the river. By the 1910s, the village already extended for half a mile, with a school, church, convent, public house and two smithies, but the population remained small until suburban development began in the 1960s and 1970s.
Historical account
A brief history of Firhouse (as "Fir-house") is included in "The History and Antiquities of Tallaght in the County of Dublin", a comprehensive account of the large historic ecclesiastical and later civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Tallaght. Handcock in fact refers to two villages of Fir-house, the main settlement and another he calls "the village of Upper Fir-house." The scholar Gerry Smyth has written a cultural history of Firhouse in his book Space and the Irish Cultural Imagination.
The Hell Fire Club
The Hell Fire Club is located at the top of Mt Peiler.It is known to be a place of evil.Some say if you walk around it 13 times backwards the you will see the devil but this has been tested and we now know it is only o myth.Location and access
Firhouse is located close to the foothills of the Dublin Mountains in an area that was predominantly rural a few decades ago. It is situated on the eastern bank of the River DodderRiver Dodder
The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers of the Dublin region in Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.-Course and system:...
, 2 km downstream from Tallaght village and a little upriver from Templeogue
Templeogue
Templeogue is a suburb of southwest Dublin, Ireland. The original Irish name Teach Mealóg refers to a chapel named after Saint Mel that was built there in about 1273....
. Development only began in recent decades, although there were previously a number of mills.
Firhouse is located at Junction 12 on the M50 motorway
M50 motorway
The term M50 motorway may refer to:*M50 motorway , a major road in Dublin*M50 motorway , a road in the United Kingdom*M50 motorway , Madrid third outer ring road...
. Several Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...
routes pass through: the 49 takes a roundabout route through the area along the Firhouse Road, Ballycullen Avenue, Ballycullen Drive and the Ballycullen Road, while the 75 passes by on the Firhouse Road, and the 74 goes down the Ballycullen Road. The 15F also pass through along Killininy Road. Dublin Bus night buses (49N and 15N) serve Firhouse.
Representation
Parts of Firhouse are in the Dublin South West Dáil Éireann constituencyDublin South West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
and parts in the Dublin South Dáil Éireann constituency
Dublin South (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
. For local government, Firhouse and Knocklyon areas west of the M50 are in the Tallaght South Local Electoral Area
Tallaght South (Local Electoral Area)
Tallaght South is a local electoral area in South Dublin County. It comprises much of Tallaght, including Oldbawn, Killinarden and parts of Jobstown, and the Bohernabreena housing area, and a number of nearby districts, such as Firhouse and Ballinascorney...
for county council elections.
Amenities
Neighbouring Ballycullen is home to the pub "Scholars" and two local "Spar" stores.
Facilities of Knocklyon and Templeogue are within a kilometre, and those of town centre of Tallaght, including local government amenities and a major shopping complex, within 2-4 kilometres.
Firhouse is in the Rathfarnham Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
District.
Education
Local primary schools are Scoil Carmel (a Junior National School) and Scoil Treasa, and there is also a second-level school, Firhouse Community College.Scoil Carmel and Scoil Treasa
These are National Schools, Scoil Carmel having Junior Infants - Second Class, thus ranging in age from 4 to 8, while Scoil Tresa takes 8 to 12 year olds.Firhouse Community College
The college was established in 1982 and currently attains around 640 students and 60 staff members. Margret Cavanagh is the current school principal. The majority of the staff members as of 2011 are the same individuals whom first managed the school during the 80s & 90s. The school contains a physical education hall, a multi-sport arena and a large playing field which is around 800ms long which is used for soccer & rugby matches for the home matches of the community college's official squads. The schools 4th years go on a school trip to DelphiDelphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
, an adventure centre in Mayo
Mayo
- Places :Ireland* County Mayo* Mayo * Mayo * Mayo * Mayo East * Mayo North...
.
History
- 1982 - The College is established in September of 1982.
- 1986 - The school begun the usage of the transition year system which takes place in the 4th year of secondary school under Republic of Ireland's educational system.
Annual Theatrical Performances
Annually the transition year students perform a school play, often like many school plays, they are remakes of old classical plays from the 16th up to the 19th centuries.
- 2010 - Students performed a play remake of the Shakespearean play "HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
" in February 2009
- 2011 - Students performed a play remake of the classical film "Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
" entitled "The Wiz". The play was performed over three consecutive nights in February 2011.
- 2012 - Students of the current Transition year will be performing a remake of the 1970s television series SmikeSmikeSmike is a pop musical adaptation of a small part of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, that was televised for the BBC in 1973. The musical is based on the character Smike from that novel. The TV production starred Beryl Reid as Mrs Squeers, Andrew Keir as Mr Squeers, Leonard Whiting as Nicholas,...
which of course itself is a remake of Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novel Nicholas Nickelby. The show will be performed for four nights in a row in February 2012.
Religion
Firhouse attains its own Roman Catholic Parish entitled Parish of Firhouse. the parish stretches out as far as Hunterswood. A church entitled Our Lady of Mount Carmel is situated within Firhouse although various regions of Firhouse are claimed under the territory of the Parish of Ballyboden. Despite this territorial disagreement most individuals do not apparently worry about this situation. Adjacent to dodder valley stands the Victoria Center which contains a Christianity theological church. Religion is thought as a subject in all of the primary and secondary schools within the region.Chronology
- 1960s - The town Firhouse is constructed
- 1982 - The Firhouse Community College secondary school is officially established.
- 1986 - The usage of the transitional year system in Firhouse Community College is established.
- 2005 - The Firhouse Carmel F.C. club house is officially opened by the 17th Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland national football teamThe Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
manager Brian Kerr.
Sport
- Firhouse Carmel Football Club (Firhouse Carmel F.C.), based at Firhouse Community Centre, caters for over 300 schoolboys and girls from the local area, in 22 teams. Playing grounds are at Carrigwood and Scholars pitches, and 2005 saw Brian Kerr open the purpose-built changing rooms at the Community Centre after years of fundraising. The club is sponsored by Reagans, SuperValu.
Local Leinster Senior League side Firhouse Clover also avail of the clubhouse facilities when training at Firhouse Community College.
- Firhouse also has a basketball club.
History
- 2009 - the Firhouse community college GAA Under-14s side beat crumlin secondary school GAA side 4-5 to 2-8 in the All-Dublin U-14 school championships in O'toole park, crumlin on December 10th, 2009.
- 2010 - Firhouse Community College's U-17 Girls Basketball team wins the South Dublin Juvenile Girls Basketball Championship. The side won by 14-12. It was reported that the winning score was scored within the remaining 10 seconds of the match. The game transpired on January 29th, 2010
- 2011 - The Firhouse Community College boys under-13 won the Gardaí Dublin Championship on April 11th, 2011.
Village status and planning
In 2001 the voluntary group Firhouse Village Community Council was given a mandate at a general meeting to have the title "Firhouse Village" recognised for the area. In pursuing this they obtained EU and National Development Plan grant aid for Firhouse Village Park. While there is no formal definition or legal status of "village" in Ireland, by its name and the fact that grant aid was obtained under the Village Urban Renewal Scheme and E.U. funding, some form of recognition by the local authority that Firhouse was a village in its own right can be inferred, as the Village Urban Renewal Scheme 2000–2006 allocated monies only to villages throughout Ireland outside Dublin City and County.The most significant planning and development issue to concern Firhouse in recent years has been the decision of South Dublin County Council to grant permission for the rejuvenation of the core area with a mixed development of apartments, offices and retail outlets. The new planning laws that apply to villages that are not served by a rail or Luas line restricted the density of apartments applied for by one of the developers.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland.
External links
- http://www.firhousescouts.com/ - Website for 146th Firhouse Scouts.