Land between Chapelizod Road & Liffey: who owns it?

Seanchai

I was walking through the Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge today, along the River Liffey looking across at the UCD and Garda boat clubs. Along the southern walk from Islandbridge to Chapelizod (c. 1.5km?) I noticed on the northern side of the Liffey next to the boat clubs and Chapelizod road, there was loads of space, including an old ruin of a house. Anybody know if the house/building was important? The space is well overgrown and could surely be used for something productive. There is also loads of wooded space on the northern side of the Liffey, between the Liffey and the new N4.

Does anybody know who owns it all? You can see the land I'm talking about, between what looks like a GAA pitch and an athletic track, on Google Maps here If it's the state it would make a superb facility for society. The walk along the Liffey between Islandbridge and Chapelizod is one of the nicest and most surprising walks I've been on in Dublin.

mikemac1

It is indeed a lovely walk

There were plans in 2008 for a pedestrian footbridge from the southern side on St Laurances Rd over to the north side. As there is currently no crossing between Islandbridge and Chapelizod.
Plan were very advanced and the design was finished and with Dublin City Council but it was cancelled due to lack of funding.

Historically the area is known as Longmeadows.
For no other reason then it was long meadows!
Ballyfermot after all was a farming area with many dairy farms up until the 1950's.
The Ranch pub for example. However if you go back far enough the deeds to the pub probably say Inchicore, where Inchicore ends and Ballyfermot begins is a topic that will never be resolved!

Longmeadows name lives on, for example you go further up the road you'll come to Longmeadows pitch n' putt club which recently got a spanking new clubhouse.
Fiver for a day's access, up for a few rounds OP? :cool:

The area south of St Laurances Rd was owned by the De La Salle Brothers who sold up in the 90's.
The land that was used for allotments (and an unoffical dump!) became the Steeples housing estate.
Pieta House now run where the brothers lived, the Domincian Sisters own a house just up the road.



The land north and south you're talking about is owned by Dublin City Council who maintain it.
If there are major projects they work with the OPW, Office of Public Works.

I know the abandoned house, there isn't realy much of a story behind it I'm afraid.
The park and surrounding areas had cottages for working men and their families.
The OPW still owns the house but not all the houses are occupied anymore and this one, well the OPW don't want to spend money doing it up.
I'm happy to be corrected, that's just what I know about it

Seanchai

mikemac1 wrote: »

It is indeed a lovely walk

There were plans in 2008 for a pedestrian footbridge from the southern side on St Laurances Rd over to the north side. As there is currently no crossing between Islandbridge and Chapelizod.
Plan were very advanced and the design was finished and with Dublin City Council but it was cancelled due to lack of funding.

Historically the area is known as Longmeadows.
For no other reason then it was long meadows!
Ballyfermot after all was a farming area with many dairy farms up until the 1950's.
The Ranch pub for example. However if you go back far enough the deeds to the pub probably say Inchicore, where Inchicore ends and Ballyfermot begins is a topic that will never be resolved!

Longmeadows name lives on, for example you go further up the road you'll come to Longmeadows pitch n' putt club which recently got a spanking new clubhouse.
Fiver for a day's access, up for a few rounds OP? :cool:

The area north of St Laurances Rd was owned by the De La Salle Brothers who sold up in the 90's.
The land that was used for allotments (and an unoffical dump!) became the Steeples housing estate.
Pieta House now run where the brothers lived, the Domincian Sisters own a house just up the road.



The land north and south you're talking about is owned by Dublin City Council who maintain it.
If there are major projects they work with the OPW, Office of Public Works.

I know the abandoned house, there isn't realy much of a story behind it I'm afraid.
The park and surrounding areas had cottages for working men and their families.
The OPW still owns the house but not all the houses are occupied anymore and this one, well the OPW don't want to spend money doing it up.
I'm happy to be corrected, that's just what I know about it

Excellent, highly informative post, Mike. I never heard of Longmeadows, but sure enough it appears on www.logainm.ie. Just found out from Google Maps that the unnamed two GAA pitches on the left after John of God's in Islandbridge are the Civil Service Hurling Grounds (there was no name at the front).

I just realised today, when walking over the bridge in Chapelizod, that we were on an island on that spot, with the Liffey having split on the Dublin side to surround the bridge and meet up the far end. Is there a name for that island in Chapelizod?

mikemac1

The Bridge Inn right on the corner claims to be the only pub in Dublin right on the Liffey.
I was very skeptical, sounds like marketing speak.
But thinking about it I think it might actually be true. Sure there are lots of pubs in Dublin on quays and beside the Liffey but this one is actually on it.

Nice pub, Martin is the owner, sound lad. Tell him I sent ya,
He'll do you a nice toasted sandwich and a hot port after your long walk.

In the evening times they open the windows and let bored customers throw out that days bread to the duck and swans.
Yeah, I'm easily amused, I like it, very cute and novel!

Yep, the island is easy to miss.

And when you think about a fastish flowing water on a narrow channel you of course get........a waterwheel

Lots and lots of articles about the old mills in Chapelizod.
However the Scots beat us at our own game :eek:
They opened the whiskey mill and sold Irish whiskey to the Irish!

http://www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com/?pg=phoenix_park_distillery_dublin.php

That link is great, lots and lots of pics of the old waterwheel, the distillery and the warehouses.

Check out the pics!

This was once one big complex but it shut down in the 20's. It's all apartments now
The name lives on, Distillery Road and Distillery House.
You could say the apartments in modern Chapelizod look like the industrial buildings in old Chapelizod. Well maybe, just maybe

As for the name, I'm afraid there is just no imagination in the part of Irelad.
It's "The Island", that's it, nothing more.

uberwolf

Seanchai wrote: »

Just found out from Google Maps that the unnamed two GAA pitches on the left after John of God's in Islandbridge are the Civil Service Hurling Grounds (there was no name at the front).

not exclusively the Civil Service Hurling Grounds though, afaik there is also a football club affiliated with the grounds (albeit it may be in hibernation).

mikemac1

I nearly forgot

If you like local history head into The Villager pub, it's across from the Spar shop

Lots of pubs have old photos but this pub has the photos plus local news.

Like the landlord threatening eviction if his agent caught you making poitin :eek:
The area is surrounded by hills and woods, be no bother to make some up.
In fact if it's anything like where I grew up the poitin maker was the local national school teacher

Loads of other notices, stuff like market days or cricket games

But yeah, a lot of scolding from the landlord.

Who says going drinking is not educational?;)

TJD Murphy

The De La Salle campus built c.1950, encompassing 3 school buildings, a school hall and monastery is recognisable by its distinctive green copper roofs and can be seen from across the Liffey Valley in Phoenix Park.

While the DLS Brothers sold some of their land south of St.Laurence's road to developers in the 1990's, they still own, occupy and maintain the monastery,
'Mount La Salle' and its lands. There are about ten Brothers living in the monastery, all of whom are officially retired. However, some of the Brothers still play an active role in the school, with Bro. Ultan teaching students with learning disabilities and maintaining the GAA playing pitches and Bro. Eugene still teaching music.

Pieta House are using part of the monastery while their own building, Canon Troy House, located at the top of Chapelizod Hill, is undergoing renovation.

The Dominican Sisters' convent, located beside De La Salle and also visible from Phoenix Park, closed in 1994 and was subsumed into St.Dominic's Secondary School. The sisters moved to a much smaller house in Croftwood Estate, Cherry Orchard.