Ballyfermot

Ballyfermot Castle was built in the fourteenth century as a stronghold against the raids of the formidable Wicklow clans of O’Byrne and O’Toole. Gaelic relatives of Mac Giolla Mocholmog (Fitzdermot) clan, discommoded from their original lands around Naas, they had not integrated with the Normans. They frequently raided and rustled the area bawn enclosures from their inaccessible encampments in the hills to the south. This castle eventually devolved to the Newcomyn De Barneval (Barnewall) family, who held it late into the seventeenth century. Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland places Captain Lamplin as living there in 1834, possibly the last resident. The castle is reputed to have been destroyed by fire.

The famous 19th century newspaper publisher and writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, proprietor of the Dublin Evening Mail lived nearby. Ballyfermot and Chapelizod feature in his novel The House by the Churchyard and some of his other works. This house still adjoins St. Laurence’s parish churchyard in Chapelizod. The church, rebuilt in the reign of Queen Anne, alongside the original medieval bell tower, is still in use. It serves the united parish of Ballyfermot, Palmerstown, and Chapelizod in the Church of Ireland. Le Fanu Road is named after him, as is Le Fanu Park, a local recreation area. It is referred to locally as The Lawns. Le Fanu was a mentor of the writer Bram Stoker of Dracula fame, whom he employed at The Dublin Evening Mail.

At the south end of Le Fanu Park is a mound, which covers a rare local historical site. This is the ruin and churchyard of the rectory church of St. Laurence of the pre-reformation parish of Ballyfermot, Palmerstown and Chapelizod. It is believed to have originated as a Ceile Dé establishment of the Celtic Christian church era, up to the twelfth century, although not on the scale of Tallaght Maelruain or Kilnamanagh. Its ruins had interesting beehive shape cells, and the old church was reputed to display a Sile Na Gighe over its main portal. It served Ballyfermot Upper and Lower, and the surrounding townlands into the late seventeenth century. Buried here are members of the Newcomyn and Barnewall families. Sir Jacob Newcomyn, Baron of Newcastle, buried here in 1643, was a casualty of the civil wars then raging in Britain and Ireland. His wife, Eleanor (Barnewall of Drimnagh) died later, and is buried alongside him.

The Newcomyns, an influential family in Irish governance and legal circles, resided at Ballyfermot Castle. This medieval pile stood in the park nearby, complete with moat and fish pond.

These Norman Irish nobles intermarried extensively with, along with the Barnewalls of nearby Drimnagh Castle, the Plunketts of Malahide and elsewhere, and the St. Lawrences of Howth, the Fitzgeralds of Maynooth, the Nugents, Husseys, Geoghegans and the Nagles of Meath. They lost much of their holdings and titles after the Williamite civil wars.

It was decided to cover the churchyard ruin with topsoil, keeping its contents intact. This is now a popular children’s play area.

Close to the ancient churchyard was the castle’s (run-down) Home Farm, last occupied by the Corrigan family. It was surrounded by a large overgrown area, formerly the desmene orchard and gardens. It has recently been developed for housing.

Local manor houses of note include Johnstown House (St. John’s College), Colepark House, Sevenoaks, Floraville, Auburn Villa and Gallanstown House.

Townlands in the Barony of Newcastle, in the County of Dublin, the bucolic dairy and stud farms at Ballyfermot Upper and Lower were acquired by the government in the 1930s. They were developed into suburban housing estates to alleviate the post war housing shortage and baby boom. This development, along with estates at Drimnagh, Crumlin, Walkinstown, in the south city, and Cabra West, Finglas West, Ballymun and Donneycarney in the north city, provided modern accommodation to facilitate a slum clearance program by Dublin City Council. The first estate built in Ballyfermot Lower was originally called the Sarsfield Estate. The street names reflect this theme. Construction began in the late 1940s, and has continued over the years. The adjacent farming townlands of Johnstown, to the north west (a townland of Palmerstown), Blackditch and Cherry Orchard to the south west, and Raheen and Gallanstown to the south, were subequently developed, and incorporated into the area now called Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.

Today

The area is a centre of national commercial distribution, with easy access to the national trunk roads. Ballyfermot is bordered to the north by the N4, to the south by the N7 and to the west by the M50. There is also relative ease of access to the city centre. Some of the major Irish motor distributors are based in Ballyfermot. They include Toyota, Nissan, General Motors, JCB, Harris Assembly and Hilux. They are centred around Kylemore Road, home to many large companies including Thornton’s Recycling, C&C, FBD, and Royal Liver Insurance. The industrial estates include Park West and JFK.

There are several hotels and a range of pubs and restaurants in the area.

A community based CCTV monitoring scheme for Ballyfermot was launched in early 2003. This is part of the Dept of Justice Town Centre CCTV monitoring initiative.

Famous people

Claddagh Road is a folk song about the area written by The Fureys, a local family folk band, which achieved major international success.

Celebrated indentities with residential or educational connections to the Ballyfermot area include TV presenter Joe Duffy and TV presenter Lorraine Keane. Her father, Eamonn Keane with the late Shay O’Reilly formed The Indians showband. Singer Declan O’Rourke, fiddle player Steve Wickham of The Waterboys, rock musican and agent Joe Geoghegan of the Dreams, guitarist Aaron Mooney of Fifteen Minutes, drummer Tommy Walsh of the Drifters, showband and cabaret stars Mick Roach, Pat Morris, and Michael O’Doherty began their careers here. In Irish theatre circles, notable former residents are playwright and Aosdána member Jimmy Murphy and Fair City actor Pat Nolan.

Research scientist Seosamh Ó Ruanaidh, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin also have connections with Ballyfermot.

Ballyfermot is home to The College of Further Education, a renowned music, radio, and television arts school also known as the Rock School. Notable graduates from the Rock School include Damien Dempsey, Eurovision star Mickey Joe Harte and Mundy. Many of the newer faces in Irish media (especially in radio & TV) have studied there.

The famous De La Salle Band nurtured young musicians here in the 1950s and 60s. Many band members went on to notable success both here and abroad.

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