Greenhills
Encyclopedia
Greenhills is a suburb situated in Templeogue in the Southside
of the city of Dublin, Ireland
. It sits between Walkinstown
, Kimmage
, Tallaght
, Terenure
and Templeogue
. It is generally understood to comprise the Greenhills Estate (the "saints" roads, e.g. St Josephs's road, St James's Road, St Peter's Road) as well as Greenpark, Limekiln and Temple Manor. Some would also include the estates of Fernhill, Mountdown, and Glenmurray in a broader definition. Its postcode is Dublin 12.
upon which the Greenhills Road now runs, is believed to have housed settlements as long ago as 1800 BC. An urn dating from that time, found in the late 1890s in the former quarry between the Greenhills Road and St Columba's Road, is on display in the National Museum of Ireland
.
The name comes from the sand-based hills that were formerly prevalent in the area. Most of these were excavated for building work; the last remaining hill,known locally as the "Horseshoe," was flattened in 2003. This was in fact artificially created when Greenhills Park was laid out, probably to create a playground aread that was never built. It was located in the centre of Greenhills Park.
, and the largest in the area administered by South Dublin County Council
(SDCC). Tymon is a particularly well-developed local park, with the local River Poddle
and its associated man-made lakes providing a backdrop. The M50
motorway splits the Greenhills side of the park from Kilnamanagh and the Tymon North estate (both Tallaght). A smaller park, Greenhills Park, colloquially known as "Comp
Field," is also administered by the SDCC and is used almost exclusively for football
.
There is also a well-known Catholic church, the Church of the Holy Spirit. It is particularly famous for its verdigren copper roof, which has been said to be reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House
. The church stands alongside a local community centre
, which was completed in the 1990s, and the clubhouse of local football club Greenhills AFC, formerly Greenhills Boy's AFC.
Greenhills is home to a number of schools, including, at primary level, St Paul's Junior and Senior Girl's National Schools and St Peter's Boy's National School, and at secondary level St Paul's Secondary (girls) and Greenhills College VEC (boys). Greenhills College is also a key centre for Post Leaving Certificate courses and adult education in general.
Greenhills also has a large Scouting unit (65th Greenhills), which runs various activities throughout the year, including camping, hiking and pioneering. The scout troop are the current holders of the Montpellier Scout County Shield. They currently have over 100 youth members and over 20 adult members.
The Traders is the only public house in Greenhills, although the Cherrytree and the Kestrel House (Walkinstown), The Laurels and The Pines (Perrystown) and the Cuckoo's Nest (Kilnamanagh) are also frequented by locals.
, Walkinstown Road towards Drimnagh
, Cromwellsfort Road towards Kimmage
and Crumlin, Bunting Road towards Crumlin and St Peter's Road towards Greenhills and Templeogue
.
Greenhills is served by Dublin Bus
with routes 9 and 15A terminating at Limekiln Avenue and routes 50, 77, 77A & Nitelink 77N using the Greenhills Road.
, a gold-medal winner in the welterweight boxing division at the 1992 Barcelona
Summer Olympic Games
, was from St Peter's Road and retains close ties to the area. Football
remains one of the chief sports in the area, through local clubs such as Greenhills FC and Manortown United, while Gaelic football
is also popular, with local clubs such as Robert Emmets GAC
, St Jude's (Templeogue), Faughs (Templeogue) and St. James Gaels
. Community Games
athletics
was also particularly popular in both Greenhills and Limekiln, although with the ageing demographic of the area participation in all sports has dropped off. Rounders is also a dominant sport in the Limekiln area with the Limekiln Rounders Club having won many trophys and medals for the area, some of which are all Ireland winning medals. Rounders is played in Tymon Park every week and groups of all ages enjoy playing.
(SDCC) area, and in local government elections is part of the Tallaght Central Local Electoral Area
. As of 2009, the local elected representatives on SDCC are Eamonn Walsh (Fianna Fáil
), Mick Duff (Labour), Colm Brophy (Fine Gael), Pamala Kearns (Labour), Sean Crowe (Sinn Féin
) and Dermot Looney (Labour). Cllr. Looney is the only local representative resident in Greenhills.
Greenhills is part of the Dublin South West
Dáil constituency. The elected TDs for the area are Brian Hayes
(Fine Gael), Sean Crowe
(Sinn Féin), Eamonn Maloney
(Labour), and Pat Rabbitte
(Labour).
Southside (Dublin)
The Southside is not an official administrative area but a colloquial term referring to the area of County Dublin bounded to the north by the River Liffey to the east by Dublin Bay, to the south and west by the boundaries of County Dublin...
of the city of Dublin, Ireland
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,...
. It sits between Walkinstown
Walkinstown
Walkinstown is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Southside of the city, approximately 6 kilometres south-west of Dublin city centre. The suburb borders Crumlin to the east, Drimnagh to the north, Greenhills to the south and Ballymount, Bluebell and Clondalkin to the west...
, Kimmage
Kimmage
Kimmage is a small suburb on the Southside of Dublin near Crumlin, Greenhills, Harold's Cross, Rathfarnham, Templeogue, and Terenure. The name "Kimmage" comes from the Irish cam uisce, which means "winding" river. The River Poddle flows through Kimmage, and flows on to join the River Liffey...
, 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...
, Terenure
Terenure
Terenure is a mainly residential suburb of Dublin, Ireland, largely in the administrative area of Dublin City Council but with parts in the administrative county of South Dublin County .-Location and transport:...
and 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....
. It is generally understood to comprise the Greenhills Estate (the "saints" roads, e.g. St Josephs's road, St James's Road, St Peter's Road) as well as Greenpark, Limekiln and Temple Manor. Some would also include the estates of Fernhill, Mountdown, and Glenmurray in a broader definition. Its postcode is Dublin 12.
Name and history
The area was mostly farmland until expansion in the 1950s and 1960s led to the building of new housing estates. However, Greenhills, situated just below the eskerEsker
An esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
upon which the Greenhills Road now runs, is believed to have housed settlements as long ago as 1800 BC. An urn dating from that time, found in the late 1890s in the former quarry between the Greenhills Road and St Columba's Road, is on display in the National Museum of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...
.
The name comes from the sand-based hills that were formerly prevalent in the area. Most of these were excavated for building work; the last remaining hill,known locally as the "Horseshoe," was flattened in 2003. This was in fact artificially created when Greenhills Park was laid out, probably to create a playground aread that was never built. It was located in the centre of Greenhills Park.
Local landmarks and facilities
Tymon Park is situated in the old townland of Greenhills and is located to the south of the Limekiln estate. It is the second largest park in Dublin, after the Phoenix ParkPhoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
, and the largest in the area administered by South Dublin County Council
South Dublin County Council
South Dublin County Council is the local authority for the county of South Dublin in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition, and one of four councils in the Dublin Region...
(SDCC). Tymon is a particularly well-developed local park, with the local River Poddle
River 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...
and its associated man-made lakes providing a backdrop. The M50
M50 motorway (Ireland)
The M50 motorway is a motorway in Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the north-eastern, northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. The northern end of the route is located at the entrance to the Dublin Port Tunnel. Anti-clockwise it heads northwest through the tunnel...
motorway splits the Greenhills side of the park from Kilnamanagh and the Tymon North estate (both Tallaght). A smaller park, Greenhills Park, colloquially known as "Comp
Field," is also administered by the SDCC and is used almost exclusively for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
.
There is also a well-known Catholic church, the Church of the Holy Spirit. It is particularly famous for its verdigren copper roof, which has been said to be reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. The church stands alongside a local community centre
Community centre
Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...
, which was completed in the 1990s, and the clubhouse of local football club Greenhills AFC, formerly Greenhills Boy's AFC.
Greenhills is home to a number of schools, including, at primary level, St Paul's Junior and Senior Girl's National Schools and St Peter's Boy's National School, and at secondary level St Paul's Secondary (girls) and Greenhills College VEC (boys). Greenhills College is also a key centre for Post Leaving Certificate courses and adult education in general.
Greenhills also has a large Scouting unit (65th Greenhills), which runs various activities throughout the year, including camping, hiking and pioneering. The scout troop are the current holders of the Montpellier Scout County Shield. They currently have over 100 youth members and over 20 adult members.
The Traders is the only public house in Greenhills, although the Cherrytree and the Kestrel House (Walkinstown), The Laurels and The Pines (Perrystown) and the Cuckoo's Nest (Kilnamanagh) are also frequented by locals.
Transportation
On of the key features of the area is the Walkinstown Roundabout, or Walkinstown Cross, a major junction which serves seven major local roads - the Greenhills Road into Tallaght, Ballymount Road towards Ballymount and the M50, Walkinstown Avenue towards BallyfermotBallyfermot
Ballyfermot is a suburb in the city of Dublin.Celebrities such as the famous Furey Brothers and the brilliant Keenan family have all resided in Ballyfermot.Ireland, located 7 kilometres due west from the city centre, and to the south of the Phoenix Park...
, Walkinstown Road towards Drimnagh
Drimnagh
Drimnagh is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Southside of the city between Walkinstown, Crumlin and Inchicore, bordering the Grand Canal to the north and east. Drimnagh is in postal district Dublin 12.-Early to Medieval:...
, Cromwellsfort Road towards Kimmage
Kimmage
Kimmage is a small suburb on the Southside of Dublin near Crumlin, Greenhills, Harold's Cross, Rathfarnham, Templeogue, and Terenure. The name "Kimmage" comes from the Irish cam uisce, which means "winding" river. The River Poddle flows through Kimmage, and flows on to join the River Liffey...
and Crumlin, Bunting Road towards Crumlin and St Peter's Road towards Greenhills and 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....
.
Greenhills is served by 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...
with routes 9 and 15A terminating at Limekiln Avenue and routes 50, 77, 77A & Nitelink 77N using the Greenhills Road.
Sport
Brian Kerr, the former Irish international football manager, currently lives in Greenhills, having been brought up close-by in Drimnagh. Michael CarruthMichael Carruth
Michael Carruth is a southpaw Irish Olympic boxer from Dublin who won the welterweight gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Carruth has just finished a stint as expert boxing analyst for RTEs Olympic coverage...
, a gold-medal winner in the welterweight boxing division at the 1992 Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
, was from St Peter's Road and retains close ties to the area. Football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
remains one of the chief sports in the area, through local clubs such as Greenhills FC and Manortown United, while Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
is also popular, with local clubs such as Robert Emmets GAC
Robert Emmets GAC
Robert Emmets GAC are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Perrystown, Dublin, Ireland.-Competitions:Their two adult men's football teams play Adult Junior football in AFL Division 7 and AFL Division 11B and Parsons Cup and Mooney Cup , respectively.Their juvenile teams play U12 "C" FC...
, St Jude's (Templeogue), Faughs (Templeogue) and St. James Gaels
St. James Gaels
St. James Gaels or Gaeil Naomh Sheamais in Irish are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Dublin, Ireland.St James Gaels GAA Club was formed in July 1994 as the result of the amalgamation of An Caisleán and Guinness GAA Clubs. Both of these clubs had been in existence for many years but...
. Community Games
Community Games
The Community Games is an Irish independent voluntary organisation and National Governing Body providing opportunities for children and young people to grow and develop in a positive and healthy way while experiencing a wide range of sporting and cultural activities...
athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
was also particularly popular in both Greenhills and Limekiln, although with the ageing demographic of the area participation in all sports has dropped off. Rounders is also a dominant sport in the Limekiln area with the Limekiln Rounders Club having won many trophys and medals for the area, some of which are all Ireland winning medals. Rounders is played in Tymon Park every week and groups of all ages enjoy playing.
Administration
In administrative terms, Greenhills is in the extreme north-west of South Dublin County CouncilSouth Dublin County Council
South Dublin County Council is the local authority for the county of South Dublin in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition, and one of four councils in the Dublin Region...
(SDCC) area, and in local government elections is part of the Tallaght Central Local Electoral Area
Tallaght Central (Local Electoral Area)
Tallaght Central is a local electoral area in South Dublin County. It comprises parts of Clondalkin and Ballymount, much of Tallaght itself , and also Templeogue and large parts of Terenure...
. As of 2009, the local elected representatives on SDCC are Eamonn Walsh (Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
), Mick Duff (Labour), Colm Brophy (Fine Gael), Pamala Kearns (Labour), Sean Crowe (Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
) and Dermot Looney (Labour). Cllr. Looney is the only local representative resident in Greenhills.
Greenhills is part of the Dublin South West
Dublin 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...
Dáil constituency. The elected TDs for the area are Brian Hayes
Brian Hayes (politician)
Brian Hayes is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency and also the Minister of State at the Department of Finance.-Early life:...
(Fine Gael), Sean Crowe
Seán Crowe
Seán Crowe is an Irish Sinn Féin politician, and is a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency.Crowe was born in Dublin and has lived there all his life, currently in Tallaght...
(Sinn Féin), Eamonn Maloney
Eamonn Maloney
Eamonn Maloney is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency at the 2011 general election....
(Labour), and Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011...
(Labour).