Fingal
Encyclopedia
Fingal is a county
in Ireland
. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin
was divided in 1994. With its county seat
located in Swords
, it has a population of 239,992 according to the 2006 census. The largest urban centre in Fingal is Blanchardstown
, and the second largest Swords
, the county seat, with other important centres of population at Balbriggan
, Castleknock
, Howth
, Malahide
, Portmarnock
, and other Dublin residential suburbs. Small rural settlements exist in the northern and western parts of the county. The motto of the arms of Fingal reads "Flúirse Talaimh is Mara" meaning "Abundance of Land and Water". The motto reflects the strong farming and fishing ties historically associated with the area. It also features a Viking
longboat, which represents the arrival of the Norse in Fingal, where they became integrated with the existing Irish.
settlement north of Dublin. The Vikings themselves referred to the hinterland of Dublin as Dyflinarskiri.
Fingalian
is an extinct language, a hybrid of Old and Middle English
and Old Norse
, with Gaelic
influences, which was spoken by the people of Fingal until the mid-19th century.
did the settlement and its hinterland become an administrative area. In 1208, the Lordship of Fingal was granted to Walter de Lacy
by King John of England
. The modern county of Fingal was established on the 1st of January 1994 with the division of the administrative county of Dublin under the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1993. The Act provided for the legal establishment of the following local government administrative areas:
and also recognised the local government administrative area under the jurisdiction of the extant Dublin Corporation, vesting its powers in a renamed entity - Dublin City Council
.
The statutory instrument giving effect to the Act provided for the abolition of Dublin County Council
- the entity that previously had responsibility for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The four entities collectively comprise the former entity known as County Dublin
. The former County Dublin, which had been created as a feudal entity in the 12th century, was abolished under the Acts.
As part of the Dublin Region
, Fingal is within the geographic remit of the Dublin Regional Authority. Following the enactment of the Local Government Act 2001, the Regional Authority was established. It is one of eight such Authorities in the state.
identified Eblana (Dublin) as the capital of a people called the Eblani
. In later centuries the territory north of the river Liffey was known as Mide or Midhe
, i.e. "the Kingdom of Meath" (that to the south was known as Coigh Cuolan or Cualan). The west of this area was known as Teffia
, and the east as Bregia (Latinized from Gaelic Magh Breagh, "the great plain of Meath"). Bregia comprised five gaelic triocha-cheds (equivalent to cantreds) or the later baronies, and was ruled by the king at Tara
. These princes, and various Gaelic
chieftains, held sway over the area until the coming of the Viking
s in the 8th century.
n settlement was established at Dublin, abandoned in 902, re-established in 917, and developed thereafter. It was so established by the 11th century that it was regarded even amongst the surrounding native Gaelic population as a minor kingdom ruled by Hiberno-Norse kings. The Norse Kingdom of Dublin stretched, at its greatest, from Drogheda
to Arklow
, and while mostly a thin strip of coastal land, from the Irish Sea
westwards as far as Leixlip
in the central part.
After the Battle of Clontarf, when High King Brian Boru curtailed the power of the Vikings in Ireland, the Norse-Irish Kingdom of Dublin continued, with its own bishop, part of the Westminster hierarchy rather than the Irish, though it gradually came under the influence of the Kings of Leinster. Diarmuid MacMurrough established himself there before his expulsion by the High King in 1166, a series of events which led to the area being invaded in the late 12th century, by the Cambro-Norman
s. This was to form part of the heartland of the area known as The Pale
during the successive periods of rule by Anglo-Norman
and the latter kings of England.
by Henry II
, King of England. Meath at that time included much of the northern part of the later county Dublin (including as far as Clontarf, Santry
, and the Barony of Castleknock
), part of the later county Kildare
, and Delvin
(in later Westmeath); Fingal was therefore implicitly included in the grant of "Meath" either as part of Meath proper or under the additional element of that grant “and for increase to the gift, all fees which he has or shall acquire about Dublin”. This element of the grant related to his role as Bailiff
and was copied into the Gormanston
Register.
Strongbow
was probably also assigned some fees within the royal demesne
of Dublin, as in the case of Hugh de Lacy’s custodianship of Dublin, in payment of his services. This appears evidenced by several grants which he made in his own name within the city to St. Mary's Abbey
, and his foundation of a hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
at Kilmainham
. Therefore both Strongbow and Hugh de Lacy exercised lordships within the royal demesne of Dublin.
In addition to Dublin city, the royal demesne itself also consisted of the royal manors of Crumlin
, Esker
, Newcastle
, and Saggart
, in the south-west of the county, and the royal demesnes of O Thee (O'Teig), O Brun (O'Broin), and O Kelly (O'Ceallaigh) in the south-east of the county, which were rented from the Crown by Irish-speaking tenants. Over half of the land in the county of Dublin was granted to religious houses and priories, as well as archbishops and monasteries, and minor lay lords. In such way too, an estate was given to the Irish chieftain MacGillamocholmog, who held sway over the territory of Cualann (Wicklow) when the Anglo-Normans arrived.
In the whole of Meath
, Hugh de Lacy had therefore enormous possessions – all the present county of Meath, Delvin in Westmeath, a portion of Dublin, as far as Castleknock and even to Santry
and Clontarf. De Lacy parceled out most of this land to his vassals, who were to hold these lands from him, as he had held all Meath from King Henry, by military tenure. D'Alton also provides reference to the enumeration of these grants given in Hibernica, by Harris (pp. 42–43). Hugh de Lacy was appointed Viceroy
in 1178, and again in 1181 after a brief period of royal disfavour.
By virtue of his grant of Meath, Hugh de Lacy was appointed a Palatine Count in that territory and divided it amongst his various vassals who were commonly called “De Lacy's Barons”. These were: Hugh Tyrell, Baron of Castleknock; Jocelin de Nangle, Baron of Navan
and Ardbrecan; De Misset, Baron of Lune; Phepoe [or Feypou], Baron of Skrine; Fitz-Thomas, Baron of Kells
; Hussey, Baron of Galtrim; Richard de Fleming, Baron of Slane
; Adam Dullard or Dollard, of Dullenvarty; Gilbert de Nugent, Baron of Devlin
and later Earl of Westmeath; Richard Tuite, Baron of Moyashell; Robert de Lacy’s descendants, Barons of Rathwire; De Constantine, Baron of Kilbixey Petit, Baron of Mullingar
; Meyler FitzHenry of Maghernan, Rathkenin,and Ardnocker. As Burke points out, to some of these there descended the De Genevilles, Lords of Meath; Mortimer, Earl of March (and later Lord of Trim, from De Geneville); the Plunkets, of Danish descent, Barons of Dunsany and of Killeen
, and later Earls of Louth
(and later of Fingall, by letters patent); the Prestons, Viscounts Gormanston and Viscounts Tara
, the Barnewalls, Barons of Trimleston and Viscounts Kingsland
; the Nettervilles, Barons of Dowth
; the Bellews, Barons of Duleek
; the Darcys of Platten
, Barons of Navan; the Cusacks, Barons of Culmullin; the FitzEustaces, Barons of Portlester. Some of these again were succeeded by the De Baths of Athcarn, the Dowdalls of Athlumny, the Cruises, the Drakes of Drake Rath, and others. These details are given in Burke’s Vicissitudes of Families, in the chapter on the O’Melaghlins, Kings of Meath.
when in Dublin.
This John was none other than the same who featured so prominently in the tales of Robin Hood
during the reign of King Richard I, the Lionheart (Coeur de Lion) absent on the Crusades. In 1189, on the breaking up of Robin Hood's company, Robin Hood’s great companion Little John, is said to have exhibited his feats of archery on Oxmanstown Green in Dublin, until having been detected in a robbery, he was hanged on Arbour Hill
nearby. Another Robin Hood-type, known as McIerlagh Gedy, is recorded as a notorious felon responsible for many thefts and incendiary acts in Meath, Leinster, and Fingal, and was taken prisoner, brought to Trim Castle, and hanged.
Walter de Lacy
, son of Hugh, gained seisin of the lordship of Meath by charter in 1194 during Richard I's exercise of the lordship of Ireland, having previously been a minor when his father Hugh de Lacy died in 1186. Walter succeeded to all Hugh’s lordships, including of Fingal, which by grant of King John in 1208 was subsequently confirmed in perpetuity under the same terms as the palatine lordship of Meath, and no longer limited by the original conditions linked to service as bailiff of Dublin.
. This feudal barony
or Prescriptive barony was granted to Walter de Lacy
and his heirs in perpetuity in 1208. The grant was based on Hugh de Lacy, Walter's father, having held the same on a basis of grand serjeanty
for his services as bailiff
to the King. The grant describes the scope of administrative responsibility, and the limits of powers delegated. The gist of the grant is recounted as follows:
Grant and confirmation to Walter de Lascy, on his petition, of his land of Meath; to hold of the King in fee by the service of 50 knights; and of his fees of Fingal, in the vale of Dublin; to hold in fee by the service of 7 knights; saving to the King pleas of the Crown, appeals of the peace, & c., and crociae, and the dignities thereto belonging; the King’s writs to run throughout Walter’s land. Further grant to Walter of the custody of his fees, although the lords thereof hold elsewhere in capite; saving to the King the marriages of the heirs of those fees.
, Santry
, Balrothery
), and thus eventually accrued vicecomital attributes.
In addition, several other baronies existed as feudal holdings or were created within geographical territory of Fingal (such as Finglas
; Swerdes Swords
; Santry
, Feltrim), and in other parts of Dublin: Howth
and Senkylle (Shankill
in southern Dublin).
A later, related, development was the granting of the first viscount
cy in Ireland in 1478 to a Preston, Lord Gormanston, the Premier Viscount of Ireland, who at the time was a major landowner in the Fingal area, and a direct descendant of Walter de Lacy. That viscountcy was called after Gormanston as the latter was the principal seat and Manor
of the Prestons at the time, having been acquired upon their relinquishment of occupancy of the Manor of Fyngallestoun. The Viscounts Gormanston continued to retain the Lordship of the latter under reversion., and the prescriptive barony of Fingal was also retained by the Viscount Gormanston
as an incorporeal hereditament in gross, until passed to the late Patrick Denis O'Donnell
.
, and that part of Ireland most intensively settled by the Normans and in due course the English. Records during the period 1285-92, of rolls of receipts for taxes to the King indicate Fingal as a distinct area, listed along with the baronies or lordships of Duleek
, Kells, and Loxuedy, as well as Valley (Liffey), and sometimes under, sometimes separate from Dublin. Later records of rolls of receipts e.g. "granted to the King in Ireland of the term of Trinity a.r.21 (1293)" for the period 1293-1301 also include references to Fingal listed as a lordship, again along with the baronies of Duleek and Kells, and Dublin City, and Valley, all listed under Dublin County. Several other references also exist in the chancery records of the 14th century.
on 21 July 2009. The Act accordingly abolished feudal tenure, but preserved estates in land, including customary rights and incorporeal hereditaments.
was created in 1628, by King Charles I of England, and granted to Lucas Plunkett, Baron Killeen
, whose first wife, Elizabeth O'Donnell of Tyrconnell thus became 1st Countess of Fingall. The Plunketts also intermarried with the Prestons, Viscounts Gormanston. The Fingall Estate Papers, acquired by the Fingal County Archives, do not however relate to any properties in Fingal, but rather to lands in Meath. That Fingall title became extinct upon the death of the 12th and last Earl in 1984, along with a peerage barony of the same name, not to be confused with the titular prescriptive barony of Fingal previously mentioned.
, when the latter was established as one of the first twelve counties created by King John
during his visit to Ireland in 1210. Its history forms part of that of Co. Dublin for the following eight centuries.
The part of Fingal within County Dublin was in later centuries subdivided into the following administrative baronies: Balrothery
(West and East), Nethercross, Barony of Castleknock
and Coolock
.
of Dublin was abolished, and three new administrative counties similar to the electoral counties replaced it, with "Fingal" in place of "Dublin–Fingal". It encompasses that part of the area anciently known as Fingal which lay within the former County Dublin, excluding the areas north of the Tolka but within city boundaries. Further provisions came in the Local Government Act, 2001, under which Fingal is determined and listed as a county.
for the administrative county
. It was established at the same time that Dublin County Council
and the Corporation of Dún Laoghaire
were abolished in 1994, by an Act of the Oireachtas, the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1993. It is one of four councils in the Dublin Region
. The county seat
is in Swords, with another major office Blanchardstown
. The county administration is headed by a County Manager, leading a team of functional heads and directors of services. The county council
is governed by the Local Government Act 2001
. The Council has 24 elected members who are elected are by single transferable vote
in elections held every 5 years.
For elections to Dáil Éireann
, the county is divided into Dublin North and Dublin West, with Malahide
and Howth
situated in the constituency of Dublin North East
and small parts of Mulhuddart
being located in Dublin North West
.
region, producing 50% of the national vegetable output and 75% of all glasshouse crops grown in the country. However, the areas of production are coming under severe pressure from other development and the rural towns are increasingly becoming dormitories for the City. Howth
harbour is the biggest fishing harbour on the east coast, and the fifth largest in the country.
Dublin International Airport is located within the county, along with the headquarters of Aer Lingus
and Ryanair
. The Dublin Airport Authority
has its head office on the grounds of the airport. In addition Swords
has the headquarters of Air Contractors
, CityJet
, and Ingersoll Rand
.
In 2006 Fingal County Council was lauded by prominent Irish construction industry figures, politicians and EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs for becoming the first local authority in Ireland to introduce mandatory sustainable building requirements. The policy, which relates to all construction in 8 parts of the county—including roughly 13,000 new homes—stipulates that the amount of energy and CO2 emissions associated with the heating and hot water of all buildings must be reduced by at least 60% compared to Irish Building Regulations, with at least 30% of the energy used for heating and hot water coming from renewable sources such as solar, geothermal or biomass.
is the largest third-level education facility in Fingal.
, Ireland's national athletics stadium and 2003 Special Olympics
venue.
Hosted at Morton Stadium is League of Ireland
soccer team Sporting Fingal FC, 2009 FAI Cup
champions and UEFA Europa League participants.
The county has many GAA teams, including Fingal GAA, who play in division 3B of the Allianz National Hurling League and in the Keogh Cup.
Fingal County Council is also responsible for the northern-most parts of Ballymun
, Santry
and Finglas
. The part of Kilbarrack
now known as Bayside
, along with Sutton and Howth (the peninsula was historically distinct from the plains of Fingal), were transferred from the city of Dublin in a somewhat controversial move. Clonee, a former rural area of Meath now with a heavily built-up hinterland, crosses the boundary between the old County of Dublin and County Meath
, while Ongar is an adjacent newly-created residential development in western Clonsilla seeking to develop a "village" amenity.
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
in 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 is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
was divided in 1994. With its county seat
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
located in Swords
Swords, Dublin
Swords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...
, it has a population of 239,992 according to the 2006 census. The largest urban centre in Fingal is Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown is a large suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland. It is within the historical barony of Castleknock. It is located 10 km north-west of the city centre. The suburb is in the Dublin 15 postal area, the Dublin West electoral constituency, and Fingal County...
, and the second largest Swords
Swords, Dublin
Swords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...
, the county seat, with other important centres of population at Balbriggan
Balbriggan
Balbriggan is a town in the northern part of the administrative county of Fingal, within County Dublin, Ireland. The 2006 census population was 15,559 for Balbriggan and its environs.- Name :...
, Castleknock
Castleknock
Castleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....
, Howth
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
, Malahide
Malahide
Malahide is a coastal suburban town, near Dublin city, located in the administrative county of Fingal, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. It has a village-like centre and extensive residential areas to the south, west and northwest.-Name:...
, Portmarnock
Portmarnock
Portmarnock is a small suburban village to the north of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the administrative county of Fingal.-Location:Portmarnock lies on the coast and, owing to its proximity to Dublin city, is a form of dormitory village north-northeast of the city centre...
, and other Dublin residential suburbs. Small rural settlements exist in the northern and western parts of the county. The motto of the arms of Fingal reads "Flúirse Talaimh is Mara" meaning "Abundance of Land and Water". The motto reflects the strong farming and fishing ties historically associated with the area. It also features a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
longboat, which represents the arrival of the Norse in Fingal, where they became integrated with the existing Irish.
Etymology
The name "Fingal" derives from the medieval territory of Fine Gall (tribe or territory of foreigners), the VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
settlement north of Dublin. The Vikings themselves referred to the hinterland of Dublin as Dyflinarskiri.
Fingalian
Fingalian
Fingalian is an extinct language formerly spoken in Fingal, Ireland, an area to the north of Dublin. A West Germanic dialect, it descended from the Middle English introduced following the Norman invasion of Ireland. It was extinct by the mid-19th century. It was similar to the Yola language spoken...
is an extinct language, a hybrid of Old and Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
and Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
, with Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
influences, which was spoken by the people of Fingal until the mid-19th century.
Legal history
Not until the Norman invasion of IrelandNorman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
did the settlement and its hinterland become an administrative area. In 1208, the Lordship of Fingal was granted to Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy was Lord of Meath in Ireland and Ludlow in Shropshire in the Welsh Marches.- Life :With his father Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath he built Trim Castle , Trim, County Meath....
by King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. The modern county of Fingal was established on the 1st of January 1994 with the division of the administrative county of Dublin under the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1993. The Act provided for the legal establishment of the following local government administrative areas:
- South DublinSouth DublinSouth Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. The county seat is Tallaght, the largest suburb of Dublin and the biggest urban centre in the county. Other important centres of population are Lucan and Clondalkin...
- Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
- Fingal
and also recognised the local government administrative area under the jurisdiction of the extant Dublin Corporation, vesting its powers in a renamed entity - Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
.
The statutory instrument giving effect to the Act provided for the abolition of Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council was a local authority for the administrative county of County Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. It was established by the Local Government Act 1898....
- the entity that previously had responsibility for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The four entities collectively comprise the former entity known as County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. The former County Dublin, which had been created as a feudal entity in the 12th century, was abolished under the Acts.
As part of the Dublin Region
Dublin Region
The Dublin Region is a NUTS Level III region of Ireland and is governed by the Dublin Regional Authority. It consists of the area under the jurisdiction of the county councils of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin, as well as Dublin City Council. The Dublin Region has an area of...
, Fingal is within the geographic remit of the Dublin Regional Authority. Following the enactment of the Local Government Act 2001, the Regional Authority was established. It is one of eight such Authorities in the state.
Early Gaelic history
In the 2nd century AD, PtolemyPtolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
identified Eblana (Dublin) as the capital of a people called the Eblani
Eblani
The Eblani or Eblanii were a people of ancient Ireland uniquely recorded in Ptolemy's 2nd-century Geography, in which they inhabit a region on the east coast, roughly north of County Dublin...
. In later centuries the territory north of the river Liffey was known as Mide or Midhe
Kingdom of Mide
Mide , spelt Midhe in modern Irish and anglicised as Meath, was a medieval kingdom in Ireland for over 1,000 years. Its name means "middle", denoting the fact that lay in the middle of Ireland....
, i.e. "the Kingdom of Meath" (that to the south was known as Coigh Cuolan or Cualan). The west of this area was known as Teffia
Tethbae
Tethbae, also Tethba and other variants, and often anglicized Teffia, was a region of Ireland in the Middle Ages. It was divided into two distinct kingdoms, north Tethba, ruled by the Cenél Coirpri, and south Tethba, ruled by the Cenél Maini...
, and the east as Bregia (Latinized from Gaelic Magh Breagh, "the great plain of Meath"). Bregia comprised five gaelic triocha-cheds (equivalent to cantreds) or the later baronies, and was ruled by the king at Tara
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara , located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland...
. These princes, and various Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
chieftains, held sway over the area until the coming of the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s in the 8th century.
Vikings and Hiberno-Norse
By 841 AD, a ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n settlement was established at Dublin, abandoned in 902, re-established in 917, and developed thereafter. It was so established by the 11th century that it was regarded even amongst the surrounding native Gaelic population as a minor kingdom ruled by Hiberno-Norse kings. The Norse Kingdom of Dublin stretched, at its greatest, from Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
to Arklow
Arklow
Arklow , also known as Inbhear Dé from the Avonmore river's older name Abhainn Dé, is a historic town located in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. Founded by the Vikings in the ninth century, Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion...
, and while mostly a thin strip of coastal land, from the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
westwards as far as Leixlip
Leixlip
-Politics:Since 1988 Leixlip has had a nine member Town Council , headed by a Cathaoirleach , which has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority...
in the central part.
After the Battle of Clontarf, when High King Brian Boru curtailed the power of the Vikings in Ireland, the Norse-Irish Kingdom of Dublin continued, with its own bishop, part of the Westminster hierarchy rather than the Irish, though it gradually came under the influence of the Kings of Leinster. Diarmuid MacMurrough established himself there before his expulsion by the High King in 1166, a series of events which led to the area being invaded in the late 12th century, by the Cambro-Norman
Cambro-Norman
Cambro-Norman is a term used for Norman knights who settled in southern Wales after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Some historians suggest that the term is to be preferred to Anglo-Norman for the Normans who invaded Ireland after 1170 — many of whom originated in Wales. However, the term...
s. This was to form part of the heartland of the area known as The Pale
The Pale
The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...
during the successive periods of rule by Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
and the latter kings of England.
Early Anglo-Norman grants
With the arrival of the Anglo/Cambro-Normans in 1169, the territory of the old Gaelic kingdom of Meath was granted in around 1172 to Hugh de LacyHugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath
Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath was an Anglo-Norman magnate granted the lands of the Kingdom of Meath by Henry II in 1172, during the Norman Invasion of Ireland.-Early life:Hugh de Lacy was born before 1135...
by Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, King of England. Meath at that time included much of the northern part of the later county Dublin (including as far as Clontarf, Santry
Santry
Santry is a suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin and Ballymun. Today it straddles the boundary of Dublin City and Fingal County Council area....
, and the Barony of Castleknock
Barony of Castleknock
The Barony of Castleknock meaning "Cnucha's Castle" is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. It takes its name from the suburban village of the same name - Castleknock. The town with the biggest population in the barony is Blanchardstown.-Location:It is one of...
), part of the later county Kildare
Kildare
-External links:*******...
, and Delvin
Delvin
Delvin is a small town in east County Westmeath, Ireland located on the N52 road at a junction with the N51 to Navan. The town is from Mullingar and is the setting of the book Valley of the Squinting Windows by Delvin native Brinsley MacNamara, described under the fictitious name of "Garradrimna"...
(in later Westmeath); Fingal was therefore implicitly included in the grant of "Meath" either as part of Meath proper or under the additional element of that grant “and for increase to the gift, all fees which he has or shall acquire about Dublin”. This element of the grant related to his role as Bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
and was copied into the Gormanston
Gormanston, County Meath
Gormanston or Gormanstown is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It is near the mouth of the River Delvin and the northern border of County Dublin.-Access:Gormanston is near the M1 Dublin-Belfast road...
Register.
Strongbow
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland . Like his father, he was also commonly known as Strongbow...
was probably also assigned some fees within the royal demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
of Dublin, as in the case of Hugh de Lacy’s custodianship of Dublin, in payment of his services. This appears evidenced by several grants which he made in his own name within the city to St. Mary's Abbey
St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin
St. Mary's Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey located near Abbey Street in Dublin, Ireland. Its territory stretched from the district known as Oxmanstown down along the river Liffey until it met the sea. It also owned large estates in other parts of Ireland...
, and his foundation of a hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
at Kilmainham
Kilmainham
Kilmainham is a suburb of Dublin south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre, in the Dublin 8 postal district.-History:In the Viking era, the monastery was home to the first Norse base in Ireland....
. Therefore both Strongbow and Hugh de Lacy exercised lordships within the royal demesne of Dublin.
In addition to Dublin city, the royal demesne itself also consisted of the royal manors of Crumlin
Crumlin, Dublin
Crumlin is suburb in Southside Dublin, Ireland. It is the site of Ireland's largest hospital for children.-Location:Crumlin covers the area from the River Poddle near the KCR to the Drimnagh Road, to Bunting Road, and is situated not far from the city centre, on the Southside of Dublin city....
, Esker
Esker
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...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, County Dublin
The village of Newcastle , in Co. Dublin, Ireland was the location of the Castle of the Barony of Newcastle, more specifically referred to in historical and official documents as Newcastle-Lyons. This ancient name is currently undergoing a welcome revival in use, given the many places called...
, and Saggart
Saggart
Saggart is a suburban village in South Dublin County, Ireland, south west of Dublin city. It lies between the N7 , Rathcoole, and Tallaght.-Name:A monk called Mosacra founded a settlement on the site of the village in the 7th century...
, in the south-west of the county, and the royal demesnes of O Thee (O'Teig), O Brun (O'Broin), and O Kelly (O'Ceallaigh) in the south-east of the county, which were rented from the Crown by Irish-speaking tenants. Over half of the land in the county of Dublin was granted to religious houses and priories, as well as archbishops and monasteries, and minor lay lords. In such way too, an estate was given to the Irish chieftain MacGillamocholmog, who held sway over the territory of Cualann (Wicklow) when the Anglo-Normans arrived.
In the whole of Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Hugh de Lacy had therefore enormous possessions – all the present county of Meath, Delvin in Westmeath, a portion of Dublin, as far as Castleknock and even to Santry
Santry
Santry is a suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin and Ballymun. Today it straddles the boundary of Dublin City and Fingal County Council area....
and Clontarf. De Lacy parceled out most of this land to his vassals, who were to hold these lands from him, as he had held all Meath from King Henry, by military tenure. D'Alton also provides reference to the enumeration of these grants given in Hibernica, by Harris (pp. 42–43). Hugh de Lacy was appointed Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
in 1178, and again in 1181 after a brief period of royal disfavour.
By virtue of his grant of Meath, Hugh de Lacy was appointed a Palatine Count in that territory and divided it amongst his various vassals who were commonly called “De Lacy's Barons”. These were: Hugh Tyrell, Baron of Castleknock; Jocelin de Nangle, Baron of Navan
Navan
-People:Navan was the childhood home of Pierce Brosnan, who appeared in the television series Remington Steele and was the fifth film actor to play James Bond. TV personality Hector Ó hEochagáin, and comedians Dylan Moran and Tommy Tiernan also hail from Navan....
and Ardbrecan; De Misset, Baron of Lune; Phepoe [or Feypou], Baron of Skrine; Fitz-Thomas, Baron of Kells
Kells, County Meath
Kells is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. In recent years Kells has grown greatly with many Dublin commuters moving to the town....
; Hussey, Baron of Galtrim; Richard de Fleming, Baron of Slane
Slane
Slane is a village in County Meath, in Ireland. The village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 and the N51 . In 2006 Slane's population was 1,099, having grown from 823 in 2002. The population of the village and the surrounding rural area...
; Adam Dullard or Dollard, of Dullenvarty; Gilbert de Nugent, Baron of Devlin
Devlin
Devlin may refer to:* Devlin * Devlin , a UK MC* Devlin , a 1974 animated TV series by Hanna-Barbera* Devlin, a 1988 novel by Roderick Thorp* Devlin , a 1992 TV movie based on the novel...
and later Earl of Westmeath; Richard Tuite, Baron of Moyashell; Robert de Lacy’s descendants, Barons of Rathwire; De Constantine, Baron of Kilbixey Petit, Baron of Mullingar
Mullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
; Meyler FitzHenry of Maghernan, Rathkenin,and Ardnocker. As Burke points out, to some of these there descended the De Genevilles, Lords of Meath; Mortimer, Earl of March (and later Lord of Trim, from De Geneville); the Plunkets, of Danish descent, Barons of Dunsany and of Killeen
Killeen Castle, Dunsany
Killeen Castle , located in Dunsany, near Killeen, County Meath, Ireland, is the current construction on a site occupied by a castle since around 1180. The current building, in the process of renovation as a luxury hotel, is a restoration of a largely 19th century construction, burnt out in 1981...
, and later Earls of Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
(and later of Fingall, by letters patent); the Prestons, Viscounts Gormanston and Viscounts Tara
Viscount Tara
Viscount Tara was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1650 for the soldier Thomas Preston. He was the second son of Christopher Preston, 4th Viscount Gormanston. The title became extinct on the death of his grandson, the third Viscount, in 1674.Another member of the Preston family...
, the Barnewalls, Barons of Trimleston and Viscounts Kingsland
Kingsland
-Places:Barbados* Kingsland, Barbados Canada* Kingsland, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhoodNew Zealand* Kingsland, New Zealand** Kingsland Train StationUnited Kingdom* Kingsland, Anglesey, Wales* Kingsland, Dorset, England...
; the Nettervilles, Barons of Dowth
Dowth
Dowth is a Neolithic passage tomb which stands in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, Ireland. It is found at .Dating from about 2,5002000 BCE, is the second oldest behind Newgrange of the three principal tombs of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site a complex of passage-tombs...
; the Bellews, Barons of Duleek
Duleek
Duleek is a town in County Meath, Ireland, close to the Louth border.Duleek takes is name from the Irish word daimh liag, meaning house of stones and referring to an early stone-built church, St Cianan’s Church, the ruins of which are still visible in Duleek today...
; the Darcys of Platten
Platten
Platten may refer to:*Platten, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, GermanyPlatten is the surname of:* Fritz Platten , Swiss communist* John Platten , Australian rules footballer...
, Barons of Navan; the Cusacks, Barons of Culmullin; the FitzEustaces, Barons of Portlester. Some of these again were succeeded by the De Baths of Athcarn, the Dowdalls of Athlumny, the Cruises, the Drakes of Drake Rath, and others. These details are given in Burke’s Vicissitudes of Families, in the chapter on the O’Melaghlins, Kings of Meath.
John of England
In 1184, Prince John, then Lord of Ireland and Earl of Mortain gave half the tithes of Fingal to the episcopal see of Dublin, which grant was confirmed in 1337 by King Edward, and in 1395 by King Richard IIRichard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
when in Dublin.
This John was none other than the same who featured so prominently in the tales of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
during the reign of King Richard I, the Lionheart (Coeur de Lion) absent on the Crusades. In 1189, on the breaking up of Robin Hood's company, Robin Hood’s great companion Little John, is said to have exhibited his feats of archery on Oxmanstown Green in Dublin, until having been detected in a robbery, he was hanged on Arbour Hill
Arbour Hill Prison
Arbour Hill Prison is a prison and military cemetery located in the Arbour Hill area near Heuston Station in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The prison is the national centre for male sex offenders.-Architecture:...
nearby. Another Robin Hood-type, known as McIerlagh Gedy, is recorded as a notorious felon responsible for many thefts and incendiary acts in Meath, Leinster, and Fingal, and was taken prisoner, brought to Trim Castle, and hanged.
Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy was Lord of Meath in Ireland and Ludlow in Shropshire in the Welsh Marches.- Life :With his father Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath he built Trim Castle , Trim, County Meath....
, son of Hugh, gained seisin of the lordship of Meath by charter in 1194 during Richard I's exercise of the lordship of Ireland, having previously been a minor when his father Hugh de Lacy died in 1186. Walter succeeded to all Hugh’s lordships, including of Fingal, which by grant of King John in 1208 was subsequently confirmed in perpetuity under the same terms as the palatine lordship of Meath, and no longer limited by the original conditions linked to service as bailiff of Dublin.
Prescriptive Barony, 1208
The first known administrative provision related to the original name was a palatine grant of the Paramount Lordship of Fingal, confirmed by letters patent from King JohnJohn of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. This feudal barony
Irish feudal barony
In Ireland, most originally-feudal titular baronies have long disappeared through obsolescence or disuse. The Lordship of Finegal was granted to Walter de Lacy for seven knight's fees, "although the lords thereof hold elsewhere in capite", according to the unusual grant in 1208 by John, Lord of...
or Prescriptive barony was granted to Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy was Lord of Meath in Ireland and Ludlow in Shropshire in the Welsh Marches.- Life :With his father Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath he built Trim Castle , Trim, County Meath....
and his heirs in perpetuity in 1208. The grant was based on Hugh de Lacy, Walter's father, having held the same on a basis of grand serjeanty
Serjeanty
Under the feudal system in late and high medieval England, tenure by serjeanty was a form of land-holding in return for some specified service, ranking between tenure by knight-service and tenure in socage...
for his services as bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
to the King. The grant describes the scope of administrative responsibility, and the limits of powers delegated. The gist of the grant is recounted as follows:
Grant and confirmation to Walter de Lascy, on his petition, of his land of Meath; to hold of the King in fee by the service of 50 knights; and of his fees of Fingal, in the vale of Dublin; to hold in fee by the service of 7 knights; saving to the King pleas of the Crown, appeals of the peace, & c., and crociae, and the dignities thereto belonging; the King’s writs to run throughout Walter’s land. Further grant to Walter of the custody of his fees, although the lords thereof hold elsewhere in capite; saving to the King the marriages of the heirs of those fees.
Other derivative or related grants and titles
As mentioned above, by the time King John granted Finegal as part of his inheritance to Walter, Walter’s father Hugh had already sub-infeudated parts thereof to his vassals (e.g. the Castleknock barony, granted by Hugh de Lacy to Hugh Tyrell, etc.). Therefore, Finegal was already a superior lordship (or paramount barony) when originally granted, consisting of lesser baronies (and their several manors), even though some of these may have been granted by Hugh in his capacities as Bailiff or as Viceroy, and later confirmed as held of the Crown in capite, and in perpetuity. The lordship of Fingal was therefore a paramount superiority over several sub-infeudated smaller baronies (such as CastleknockBarony of Castleknock
The Barony of Castleknock meaning "Cnucha's Castle" is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. It takes its name from the suburban village of the same name - Castleknock. The town with the biggest population in the barony is Blanchardstown.-Location:It is one of...
, Santry
Santry
Santry is a suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin and Ballymun. Today it straddles the boundary of Dublin City and Fingal County Council area....
, Balrothery
Balrothery
Balrothery is a village located in Fingal, Ireland. The name Balrothery comes from the Irish Baile an Ridire or Baile Ruaderai.The village is located about 2 km south of Balbriggan on the old N1 Dublin Belfast road....
), and thus eventually accrued vicecomital attributes.
In addition, several other baronies existed as feudal holdings or were created within geographical territory of Fingal (such as Finglas
Finglas
-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland...
; Swerdes Swords
Swords, Dublin
Swords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...
; Santry
Santry
Santry is a suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin and Ballymun. Today it straddles the boundary of Dublin City and Fingal County Council area....
, Feltrim), and in other parts of Dublin: Howth
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
and Senkylle (Shankill
Shankill, Dublin
Shankill is a suburb in the South-East of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. It has a population of 13,242 .-History:-Name:...
in southern Dublin).
A later, related, development was the granting of the first viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
cy in Ireland in 1478 to a Preston, Lord Gormanston, the Premier Viscount of Ireland, who at the time was a major landowner in the Fingal area, and a direct descendant of Walter de Lacy. That viscountcy was called after Gormanston as the latter was the principal seat and Manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of the Prestons at the time, having been acquired upon their relinquishment of occupancy of the Manor of Fyngallestoun. The Viscounts Gormanston continued to retain the Lordship of the latter under reversion., and the prescriptive barony of Fingal was also retained by the Viscount Gormanston
Viscount Gormanston
Viscount Gormanston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Preston family. It was created in 1478. The holder is the senior Viscount of Ireland, as well as the bearer of the oldest vicomital title in either Britain or Ireland. The Preston family descends from Sir Robert...
as an incorporeal hereditament in gross, until passed to the late Patrick Denis O'Donnell
Patrick Denis O'Donnell
Patrick Denis O'Donnell, , was an Irish military historian, writer, former UN peace-keeper, and retired Commandant of the Irish Defence Forces. -Background:...
.
Medieval taxation, and the Pale
Geographically, Fingal became a core area of the PaleThe Pale
The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...
, and that part of Ireland most intensively settled by the Normans and in due course the English. Records during the period 1285-92, of rolls of receipts for taxes to the King indicate Fingal as a distinct area, listed along with the baronies or lordships of Duleek
Duleek
Duleek is a town in County Meath, Ireland, close to the Louth border.Duleek takes is name from the Irish word daimh liag, meaning house of stones and referring to an early stone-built church, St Cianan’s Church, the ruins of which are still visible in Duleek today...
, Kells, and Loxuedy, as well as Valley (Liffey), and sometimes under, sometimes separate from Dublin. Later records of rolls of receipts e.g. "granted to the King in Ireland of the term of Trinity a.r.21 (1293)" for the period 1293-1301 also include references to Fingal listed as a lordship, again along with the baronies of Duleek and Kells, and Dublin City, and Valley, all listed under Dublin County. Several other references also exist in the chancery records of the 14th century.
Abolition of feudal system
The feudal system was finally completely abolished in the Republic of Ireland under the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act (No. 27 of 2009) passed by the OireachtasOireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
on 21 July 2009. The Act accordingly abolished feudal tenure, but preserved estates in land, including customary rights and incorporeal hereditaments.
Earldom of Fingall
A peerage title as Earl of FingallEarl of Fingall
Baron Killeen and Earl of Fingall were titles in the Peerage of Ireland. Baron Fingall was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom...
was created in 1628, by King Charles I of England, and granted to Lucas Plunkett, Baron Killeen
Killeen
-Places:* Killeen, County Armagh - a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland* Killeen, County Cork - a village in County Cork, Ireland* Killeen, County Down - a townland in County Down, Northern Ireland...
, whose first wife, Elizabeth O'Donnell of Tyrconnell thus became 1st Countess of Fingall. The Plunketts also intermarried with the Prestons, Viscounts Gormanston. The Fingall Estate Papers, acquired by the Fingal County Archives, do not however relate to any properties in Fingal, but rather to lands in Meath. That Fingall title became extinct upon the death of the 12th and last Earl in 1984, along with a peerage barony of the same name, not to be confused with the titular prescriptive barony of Fingal previously mentioned.
County Dublin
In the 1208 grant, the bulk of Fingal, considered to be "in the vale of Dublin", was part of the County DublinCounty Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, when the latter was established as one of the first twelve counties created by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
during his visit to Ireland in 1210. Its history forms part of that of Co. Dublin for the following eight centuries.
The part of Fingal within County Dublin was in later centuries subdivided into the following administrative baronies: Balrothery
Balrothery
Balrothery is a village located in Fingal, Ireland. The name Balrothery comes from the Irish Baile an Ridire or Baile Ruaderai.The village is located about 2 km south of Balbriggan on the old N1 Dublin Belfast road....
(West and East), Nethercross, Barony of Castleknock
Barony of Castleknock
The Barony of Castleknock meaning "Cnucha's Castle" is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. It takes its name from the suburban village of the same name - Castleknock. The town with the biggest population in the barony is Blanchardstown.-Location:It is one of...
and Coolock
Coolock
Coolock is a large suburban area, centred on a village, on Dublin city's Northside in Ireland. Coolock is crossed by the Santry River, a prominent feature in the middle of the district, with a linear park and ponds...
.
County
County Dublin was in 1985 divided into three "electoral counties", with "Dublin–Fingal" as the northern one. In 1994, the administrative countyAdministrative counties of Ireland
Administrative counties were a unit of local government created by an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for use in Ireland in 1899. Following the separation of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, administrative counties continued in use in the two...
of Dublin was abolished, and three new administrative counties similar to the electoral counties replaced it, with "Fingal" in place of "Dublin–Fingal". It encompasses that part of the area anciently known as Fingal which lay within the former County Dublin, excluding the areas north of the Tolka but within city boundaries. Further provisions came in the Local Government Act, 2001, under which Fingal is determined and listed as a county.
Local government
Fingal County council is the local authorityLocal government in the Republic of Ireland
Local government functions in the Republic of Ireland are mostly exercised by thirty-four local authorities, termed county or city councils, which cover the entire territory of the state. The area under the jurisdiction of each of these authorities corresponds to the area of each of the 34 LAU I...
for the administrative county
Administrative county
An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
. It was established at the same time that Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council was a local authority for the administrative county of County Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. It was established by the Local Government Act 1898....
and the Corporation of Dún Laoghaire
Corporation of Dún Laoghaire
The Corporation of Dún Laoghaire was a local authority in County Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland from 1930 to 1994, covering the municipal borough of Dún Laoghaire...
were abolished in 1994, by an Act of the Oireachtas, the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1993. It is one of four councils in the Dublin Region
Dublin Region
The Dublin Region is a NUTS Level III region of Ireland and is governed by the Dublin Regional Authority. It consists of the area under the jurisdiction of the county councils of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin, as well as Dublin City Council. The Dublin Region has an area of...
. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is in Swords, with another major office Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown is a large suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland. It is within the historical barony of Castleknock. It is located 10 km north-west of the city centre. The suburb is in the Dublin 15 postal area, the Dublin West electoral constituency, and Fingal County...
. The county administration is headed by a County Manager, leading a team of functional heads and directors of services. The county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
is governed by the Local Government Act 2001
Local Government Act 2001
The Local Government Act, 2001 was enacted by the Oireachtas of the Republic of Ireland on 21 July 2001. Most of the provisions of the Act came into operation on 1 January 2002....
. The Council has 24 elected members who are elected are by single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
in elections held every 5 years.
For elections to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
, the county is divided into Dublin North and Dublin West, with Malahide
Malahide
Malahide is a coastal suburban town, near Dublin city, located in the administrative county of Fingal, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. It has a village-like centre and extensive residential areas to the south, west and northwest.-Name:...
and Howth
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
situated in the constituency of Dublin North East
Dublin North East (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin North–East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
and small parts of Mulhuddart
Mulhuddart
Mulhuddart is a suburb situated to the north-west of Dublin city, in the barony of Castleknock, Ireland. The River Tolka passes near the village.-Location and access:The N3 dual carriageway now by-passes the village...
being located in Dublin North West
Dublin North West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin North–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
.
Economy
Fingal is Ireland’s primary horticulturalHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
region, producing 50% of the national vegetable output and 75% of all glasshouse crops grown in the country. However, the areas of production are coming under severe pressure from other development and the rural towns are increasingly becoming dormitories for the City. Howth
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
harbour is the biggest fishing harbour on the east coast, and the fifth largest in the country.
Dublin International Airport is located within the county, along with the headquarters of Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
and Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
. The Dublin Airport Authority
Dublin Airport Authority
Dublin Airport Authority plc is the state-owned airport authority in the Republic of Ireland. With a head office on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Fingal, County Dublin, the authority also owned the Great Southern Hotels which had nine sites throughout the island of Ireland and international...
has its head office on the grounds of the airport. In addition Swords
Swords, Dublin
Swords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...
has the headquarters of Air Contractors
Air Contractors
Air Contractors Limited is a freight airline. It operates scheduled freight services throughout Europe on behalf of major integrators such as FedEx Feeder and DHL Express...
, CityJet
Cityjet
CityJet Limited is an Irish regional airline headquartered in the Swords Business Campus in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. It operates at London City Airport, and flies franchise services on behalf of its parent company Air France from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Since the take over of VLM...
, and Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll-Rand plc is a $13 billion global diversified industrial company founded in 1871. The Ingersoll Rand name came into use in 1905 through the combination of Ingersoll-Sergeant Drill Company and Rand Drill Company...
.
In 2006 Fingal County Council was lauded by prominent Irish construction industry figures, politicians and EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs for becoming the first local authority in Ireland to introduce mandatory sustainable building requirements. The policy, which relates to all construction in 8 parts of the county—including roughly 13,000 new homes—stipulates that the amount of energy and CO2 emissions associated with the heating and hot water of all buildings must be reduced by at least 60% compared to Irish Building Regulations, with at least 30% of the energy used for heating and hot water coming from renewable sources such as solar, geothermal or biomass.
Education
The Institute of Technology, BlanchardstownInstitute of Technology, Blanchardstown
The Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown , established in 1999, is , the last-founded Institute of Technology in Ireland...
is the largest third-level education facility in Fingal.
Sport
Fingal is home to Morton StadiumMorton Stadium
Morton Stadium, or the National Athletics Stadium, is an athletics stadium in Santry, in the north of Dublin City. Often called Santry Stadium, it is the centre for athletics events in Ireland, and home track of Clonliffe Harriers. It was home to Sporting Fingal FC...
, Ireland's national athletics stadium and 2003 Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
venue.
Hosted at Morton Stadium is League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
soccer team Sporting Fingal FC, 2009 FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
champions and UEFA Europa League participants.
The county has many GAA teams, including Fingal GAA, who play in division 3B of the Allianz National Hurling League and in the Keogh Cup.
Towns and villages
Fingal varies enormously in character, from densely-populated suburban areas of the contiguous Dublin metropolitan to remote rural villages and almost-unpopulated agricultural townlands.- BalbrigganBalbrigganBalbriggan is a town in the northern part of the administrative county of Fingal, within County Dublin, Ireland. The 2006 census population was 15,559 for Balbriggan and its environs.- Name :...
- BaldoyleBaldoyleBaldoyle is a small coastal area on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the part of the historic County Dublin now administered as Fingal.-Location and Access:...
- Ballyboughal
- BaysideBayside, DublinBayside is a small modern residential Northside suburb of Dublin, Ireland.-Location and access:Bayside is located close to the sea and about 10 km north-east of the city centre, on the coast inshore from North Bull Island...
- BlanchardstownBlanchardstownBlanchardstown is a large suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland. It is within the historical barony of Castleknock. It is located 10 km north-west of the city centre. The suburb is in the Dublin 15 postal area, the Dublin West electoral constituency, and Fingal County...
- CastleknockCastleknockCastleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....
- CloneeCloneeClonee is a satellite village and surrounding district on the border of County Meath and Fingal, Ireland. The county boundary actually runs through the district, just outside the village, which is in Meath, and many of the housing estates listed as Clonee, such as Littlepace and Hansfield, lie on...
- ClonsillaClonsillaClonsilla is a suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland.-Location and access:Originally a small village in its own right, Clonsilla is now a large residential suburban area, with Ongar and other localities developing their own subsidiary identities...
- CorduffCorduffCorduff is a north western suburb of Dublin, Ireland, near Blanchardstown. The last electoral count was 4,821 of the 250,000 living in the 42 electoral divisions of Fingal...
- DonabateDonabateDonabate is a small suburban coastal town in Ireland, some 20 km north-northeast of Dublin City. The town is situated on a peninsula which it shares with the town of Portrane. This peninsula lies on Ireland's east coast, between the Rogerstown Estuary to the north and Broadmeadow Estuary to...
- Garristown
- SpringhillSpringhill, DublinSpringhill is a small community in County Dublin, Ireland. It is located at a T-junction in the parish of Garristown, Dublin.-History:It is said that Springhill got its name from a freshwater spring that was on the site. Much of the land was owned by the Monks family in old times, but was gradually...
- Hollystown
- HowthHowthHowth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
- Lusk
- MalahideMalahideMalahide is a coastal suburban town, near Dublin city, located in the administrative county of Fingal, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. It has a village-like centre and extensive residential areas to the south, west and northwest.-Name:...
- MulhuddartMulhuddartMulhuddart is a suburb situated to the north-west of Dublin city, in the barony of Castleknock, Ireland. The River Tolka passes near the village.-Location and access:The N3 dual carriageway now by-passes the village...
- NaulNaul, DublinNaul , is a village in the administrative area of Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland. The name also encompasses the townlands which surround the village: southward as far as Hollywood Rath, and northward to the River Delvin beside the village, which marks the boundary between County Dublin and County...
- OldtownOldtown, DublinOldtown is one of a network of rural villages in North Fingal, which function as local centres, servicing the agricultural hinterland within the County. The R122 runs through the village linking Naul to St...
- OngarOngar, DublinOngar is a new area of housing developments in the outer suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, built on the site of a former stud farm in rural Clonsilla near Clonee. It lies in Dublin 15.-Location:...
- PortmarnockPortmarnockPortmarnock is a small suburban village to the north of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the administrative county of Fingal.-Location:Portmarnock lies on the coast and, owing to its proximity to Dublin city, is a form of dormitory village north-northeast of the city centre...
- PortranePortranePortrane or Portraine ) is a small seaside town one kilometre from, and merging into the larger town of Donabate in Fingal, north County Dublin, Ireland.- St. Ita's Hospital :...
- RushRush, DublinRush is a small seaside town, with a population of 8,280, situated between the communities of Skerries and Lusk in Fingal, Ireland. There has been a large population increase since the previous census in 2002, comprising mostly people from north Dublin....
- RolestownRolestownRolestown, or Rowlestown , is a small village six miles north-west of Swords along the R125 in County Dublin, Ireland, about halfway between Swords and Ashbourne...
- SkerriesSkerries, Dublin-The 20th century and today:Historically, Skerries has been a thriving fishing port and a major center of hand embroidery. In the late 20th century, it became a resort town , and another suburb for commuters to the city of Dublin....
- SwordsSwords, DublinSwords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...
- SuttonSutton, DublinSutton is a residential suburb of Dublin's Northside, Ireland, at the base of Howth Head, the peninsula which forms the northern edge of Dublin Bay.-Location and geography:...
- TyrrelstownTyrrelstownTyrrelstown is a rapidly expanding village located 13 km northwest of the city of Dublin in Ireland. The local authority for the area, which forms part of the Dublin 15 postal district, is Fingal County Council.-History:...
Fingal County Council is also responsible for the northern-most parts of Ballymun
Ballymun
Ballymun is an area on Dublin's Northside close to Dublin Airport, Ireland. It is infamous for the Ballymun flats, which became a symbol of poverty, drugs, alienation from the state and social problems in Ireland from the 1970s...
, Santry
Santry
Santry is a suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin and Ballymun. Today it straddles the boundary of Dublin City and Fingal County Council area....
and Finglas
Finglas
-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland...
. The part of Kilbarrack
Kilbarrack
Kilbarrack is a residential suburb of Dublin, Ireland, running inwards from the coast, about from the city's centre. Modern-day Kilbarrack is within the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council, with part of its old lands now in Donaghmede, and part in Bayside under Fingal County Council...
now known as Bayside
Bayside, Dublin
Bayside is a small modern residential Northside suburb of Dublin, Ireland.-Location and access:Bayside is located close to the sea and about 10 km north-east of the city centre, on the coast inshore from North Bull Island...
, along with Sutton and Howth (the peninsula was historically distinct from the plains of Fingal), were transferred from the city of Dublin in a somewhat controversial move. Clonee, a former rural area of Meath now with a heavily built-up hinterland, crosses the boundary between the old County of Dublin and County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, while Ongar is an adjacent newly-created residential development in western Clonsilla seeking to develop a "village" amenity.