Kimmage
Encyclopedia
Kimmage is a small suburb on the Southside
of Dublin near Crumlin
, Greenhills
, Harold's Cross, Rathfarnham
, Templeogue
, and Terenure
. The name "Kimmage" comes from the Irish
cam uisce, which means "winding" river. The River Poddle
flows through Kimmage, and flows on to join the River Liffey
. The area lies in postal districts Dublin 12 & Dublin 6W.
The pub was originally owned by Peter Summers and was called The Turks Head. He also had a shop next door called "Pennies From Heaven" with an array of gaming machines, especially One Armed Bandits that took the old pre-decimel one penny (1d) per play. Winners therefore received the "Pennies From Heaven".
The divided Poddle fed what was then said to be a mill at the end of the pond in the grounds of Mount Argus.(proof required). In the 50's/60's this two story building housed St Gabriels Boys Club, who were well supported by the local community when they staged Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas. There were several older style residences bordering the main building.
The residential area between Ferns Road and Kildare Road was said to have been laid out to resemble a Celtic Cross
. This can be clearly seen on Google Earth and shows an almost perfect mirror image each side of Armagh road. The locals always said that this road divided Crumlin and Kimmage. The majority of roads were named after Irish Monasteries such as Clonmacnoise
; Clonard
; Kells
; Monasterboice
etc.
In the late 40's and early 50's the park facing the end of Stannaway Road was known locally as the 'Tip'. In the austere years after WWII it was usual to see residents of the area digging for cinders to use as heating fuel in their homes. Such was the level of unemployment and poverty at that time that coal and turf was beyond the means of some residents and cinders were the only form of heating fuel.
The 'Tip' had a water filled quarry which froze over in the winter. Several (3?) children drowned when the thin ice they were walking on broke and they fell into the water. The quarry was dragged for several days.
Other well known shops on the road in the 40's/50's were the Cafolla owned chippie and the Soda Fountain. The chippie is still operating but is under different ownership and is situated next to the shop at the corner of Blarney Park (formally Greenes Drapers).
The third shop to the left of the cinema was named M.A. HENRY, known by the locals as MA Henry. It was run by two ladies of the old school who were very strict about selling cigarettes and in the 50's when ciggies were in short supply it was as if a miracle had occurred if MA Henry sold you a packet of fags. BUT in order to get the cigarettes, one had to also buy a packet of razor blades. The PP in St. Agnes Church was a brother of MA Henry.
Next to MA Henrys and was a small premises housing a cycle repair shop, now a barbers shop. The shop ajoining the cinema was a dry cleaners, called IMCO.(? confirmation required)
The first shop after the cinema heading towards the cross roads sold general merchandise and toys with the Soda Fountain being the second after the gap next to the river Poddle. The Soda Fountain had a Juke Box which at the time was regarded as state of the art technology. Older folk often referred to it as a Nickleodeon, which came from a hit song (Put another nickel in the Nicklodeon) by the very popular American girl singer at the time called Teresa Brewer.
Stannaway Road originally ran from Sundrive Road, up to and just beyond Cashel Road. A high wall ended at what was then the end of the Kimmage section of the building scheme. This was knocked down in the 40's/50's when an extension to the scheme was started.
In Blarney Park a wall similar to that at the top of Stannaway Road was built to separate the residents of the private houses from those in the council houses. Council house residents had a long walk around several streets to get to the shops, when the time taken without the wall would have been considerable less. Someone on the council side of the wall knocked a small hole through one day and this grew ever larger until it was wide enough to allow the residents to pass through. The hole became so big that the wall was deemed to be unsafe and the Corporation eventually pulled it down. Access through the private section then became 'the norm'.
Captains Road (then called Captains Lane)ran from the top of Windmill Road in Crumlin to Kimmage Road and didn't exist as a residential area until the 40's/50's when there were only a few houses between the schools (St Columcills CBS and the girls convert opposite) in Armagh Road and St Agnes Church and most of the area was regarded as being 'almost in the country' by the locals. Captains Lane was also a well known area for children to go 'blackberrying'.
in County Kerry
just before the 1916 Easter Rising
. An Irish Republican Brotherhood
secret camp, the "Kimmage Garrison," was established in the area by Joseph Mary Plunkett
and his brother George Oliver Plunkett
, with IRB members with skills in engineering from England, and men on the run living rough for three months in a mill on Count Plunkett
's farm at Larkhill in Kimmage where they manufactured home-made bombs, bayonets and pikes. On Easter Monday
, 1916, Captain George Plunkett
waved down a tram at with his revolver at Harold's Cross, ordered on his ruffians armed with shotguns, pikes
and homemade bombs
, took out his wallet and said "Fifty-two tuppenny
tickets to the city centre please". Arriving at Liberty Hall
, they were organised into four companies, and with a hundred other Volunteers, marched with James Connolly
and Patrick Pearse
to seize the General Post Office
, where they remained throughout the Rising. The mill was replaced by the SuperQuinn supermarket in modern times.
Southside (Dublin)
The Southside is not an official administrative area but a colloquial term referring to the area of County Dublin bounded to the north by the River Liffey to the east by Dublin Bay, to the south and west by the boundaries of County Dublin...
of Dublin near 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....
, Greenhills
Greenhills
Greenhills is a suburb situated in Templeogue in the Southside of the city of Dublin, Ireland. It sits between Walkinstown, Kimmage, Tallaght, Terenure and Templeogue. It is generally understood to comprise the Greenhills Estate as well as Greenpark, Limekiln and Temple Manor...
, Harold's Cross, Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
, Templeogue
Templeogue
Templeogue is a suburb of southwest Dublin, Ireland. The original Irish name Teach Mealóg refers to a chapel named after Saint Mel that was built there in about 1273....
, and Terenure
Terenure
Terenure is a mainly residential suburb of Dublin, Ireland, largely in the administrative area of Dublin City Council but with parts in the administrative county of South Dublin County .-Location and transport:...
. The name "Kimmage" comes from the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
cam uisce, which means "winding" river. The River Poddle
River Poddle
The River Poddle , is one of the best known of the more than a hundred watercourses of Dublin. It is the source of the name "Dublin", the city being named after a pool that was once on its course...
flows through Kimmage, and flows on to join the River Liffey
River Liffey
The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
. The area lies in postal districts Dublin 12 & Dublin 6W.
KCR
The most famous landmark of the area is the KCR or Kimmage Cross Roads, which has been a petrol station and a shop since at least the 1960s. It is located at the crossroads of Terenure Road West, Kimmage Road West, Fortfield Road and the Lower Kimmage Road.KCR PUB
There is also a KCR PUB in Kimmage located just down the road from the KCR (originally known as the Cuman Inn?) it is very popular it also holds meetings for committees.Shopping
There is one main shopping area for residents, on Lower Kimmage Road, with many shops and services such as barbers, takeaways, and a garage. The Superquinn shopping centre on Sundrive Road includes extensive parking and 12 shops.Historical features
There once was a cinema in Kimmage, The Apollo (originally called the SUNDRIVE Cinema that was refurbished and renamed in the late 50's) which was on Sundrive Road. It has been demolished and there are now office blocks and apartment buildings in its place. The Stoneboat pub is one of the area's best known landmarks. It is named for the boat-shaped 19th century improvement to the mediaeval diversion of the River Poddle.The pub was originally owned by Peter Summers and was called The Turks Head. He also had a shop next door called "Pennies From Heaven" with an array of gaming machines, especially One Armed Bandits that took the old pre-decimel one penny (1d) per play. Winners therefore received the "Pennies From Heaven".
The divided Poddle fed what was then said to be a mill at the end of the pond in the grounds of Mount Argus.(proof required). In the 50's/60's this two story building housed St Gabriels Boys Club, who were well supported by the local community when they staged Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas. There were several older style residences bordering the main building.
The residential area between Ferns Road and Kildare Road was said to have been laid out to resemble a Celtic Cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
. This can be clearly seen on Google Earth and shows an almost perfect mirror image each side of Armagh road. The locals always said that this road divided Crumlin and Kimmage. The majority of roads were named after Irish Monasteries such as Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise
The monastery of Clonmacnoise is situated in County Offaly, Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone....
; Clonard
Clonard Abbey
Clonard Abbey was an early medieval monastery situated on the River Boyne, just beside the traditional boundary line of the northern and southern halves of Ireland in modern County Meath...
; Kells
Abbey of Kells
The Abbey of Kells is a former monastery located in Kells, County Meath, Ireland, 40 miles north of Dublin. It was founded in the early ninth century, and the Book of Kells was kept there during the later medieval and early modern periods before finally leaving the Abbey in the 1650s...
; Monasterboice
Monasterboice
The historic ruins of Monasterboice are of an early Christian settlement in County Louth in Ireland, north of Drogheda. It was founded in the late 5th century by Saint Buithe who died around 521, and was an important centre of religion and learning until the founding of nearby Mellifont Abbey in...
etc.
In the late 40's and early 50's the park facing the end of Stannaway Road was known locally as the 'Tip'. In the austere years after WWII it was usual to see residents of the area digging for cinders to use as heating fuel in their homes. Such was the level of unemployment and poverty at that time that coal and turf was beyond the means of some residents and cinders were the only form of heating fuel.
The 'Tip' had a water filled quarry which froze over in the winter. Several (3?) children drowned when the thin ice they were walking on broke and they fell into the water. The quarry was dragged for several days.
Other well known shops on the road in the 40's/50's were the Cafolla owned chippie and the Soda Fountain. The chippie is still operating but is under different ownership and is situated next to the shop at the corner of Blarney Park (formally Greenes Drapers).
The third shop to the left of the cinema was named M.A. HENRY, known by the locals as MA Henry. It was run by two ladies of the old school who were very strict about selling cigarettes and in the 50's when ciggies were in short supply it was as if a miracle had occurred if MA Henry sold you a packet of fags. BUT in order to get the cigarettes, one had to also buy a packet of razor blades. The PP in St. Agnes Church was a brother of MA Henry.
Next to MA Henrys and was a small premises housing a cycle repair shop, now a barbers shop. The shop ajoining the cinema was a dry cleaners, called IMCO.(? confirmation required)
The first shop after the cinema heading towards the cross roads sold general merchandise and toys with the Soda Fountain being the second after the gap next to the river Poddle. The Soda Fountain had a Juke Box which at the time was regarded as state of the art technology. Older folk often referred to it as a Nickleodeon, which came from a hit song (Put another nickel in the Nicklodeon) by the very popular American girl singer at the time called Teresa Brewer.
Stannaway Road originally ran from Sundrive Road, up to and just beyond Cashel Road. A high wall ended at what was then the end of the Kimmage section of the building scheme. This was knocked down in the 40's/50's when an extension to the scheme was started.
In Blarney Park a wall similar to that at the top of Stannaway Road was built to separate the residents of the private houses from those in the council houses. Council house residents had a long walk around several streets to get to the shops, when the time taken without the wall would have been considerable less. Someone on the council side of the wall knocked a small hole through one day and this grew ever larger until it was wide enough to allow the residents to pass through. The hole became so big that the wall was deemed to be unsafe and the Corporation eventually pulled it down. Access through the private section then became 'the norm'.
Captains Road (then called Captains Lane)ran from the top of Windmill Road in Crumlin to Kimmage Road and didn't exist as a residential area until the 40's/50's when there were only a few houses between the schools (St Columcills CBS and the girls convert opposite) in Armagh Road and St Agnes Church and most of the area was regarded as being 'almost in the country' by the locals. Captains Lane was also a well known area for children to go 'blackberrying'.
History
The Plunkett family house in Kimmage was used as a clearing station for arms imported in 1914. It was from here that a car load of volunteers left Dublin to meet the shipment of arms from the AudAud (ship)
Aud was the cover name of a German ship, Libau, that carried arms to Ireland as part of the preparation for the Easter Rising in Ireland in 1916.-Introduction:...
in County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
just before the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
. An Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
secret camp, the "Kimmage Garrison," was established in the area by Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett was an Irish nationalist, poet, journalist, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Background:...
and his brother George Oliver Plunkett
George Oliver Plunkett
George Oliver Plunkett was a veteran of the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War and was IRA Chief of Staff in World War II...
, with IRB members with skills in engineering from England, and men on the run living rough for three months in a mill on Count Plunkett
George Noble Plunkett
George Noble Plunkett or Count Plunkett was a biographer and Irish nationalist, and father of Joseph Mary Plunkett, one of the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916....
's farm at Larkhill in Kimmage where they manufactured home-made bombs, bayonets and pikes. On Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
, 1916, Captain George Plunkett
George Oliver Plunkett
George Oliver Plunkett was a veteran of the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War and was IRA Chief of Staff in World War II...
waved down a tram at with his revolver at Harold's Cross, ordered on his ruffians armed with shotguns, pikes
Pike (weapon)
A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
and homemade bombs
Blast bomb
Blast bomb is a term used in Northern Ireland for a type of improvised explosive device. More specifically, these devices are usually a form of homemade grenade, which is thrown at a target. These devices have been used in a number of public order situations, and in attacks on the Royal Ulster...
, took out his wallet and said "Fifty-two tuppenny
Tuppence
Tuppence may refer to:* Two pence in pre-decimal British coinage. Or, the specific coins:** Two pence ** Two pence...
tickets to the city centre please". Arriving at Liberty Hall
Liberty Hall
Liberty Hall , in Dublin, Ireland is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union...
, they were organised into four companies, and with a hundred other Volunteers, marched with James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
and Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
to seize the General Post Office
General Post Office (Dublin)
The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...
, where they remained throughout the Rising. The mill was replaced by the SuperQuinn supermarket in modern times.
Sport
- Larkview Boys FC Club are a senior football team from the area who play in the Leinster Senior League. Former Republic of Ireland Brian Kerr (football manager) played at junior level for the club.
- Lorcan O'Toole Park is the main sports ground in the area located at the KCR.
- Reds United were a popular soccer club for which many Kimmage residents played in the 40's and 50's.
Popular culture
- Kimmage was famous as one of the two cheapest properties on the Irish version of MonopolyMonopolyA monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
, but has now been removed in favour of RathfarnhamRathfarnhamRathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
in the newer edition. Kimmage's working-class way of life is recorded in a popular Irish folk song of the same name, covered by the DublinersThe DublinersThe Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
, among many other bands.
- Whoredom in Kimmage is the name of a non-fiction 1994 book by Rosemary MahoneyRosemary MahoneyRosemary Mahoney is an American non-fiction writer.She grew up in Milton, Massachusetts. She graduated from St. Paul's School...
about women in then-contemporary Ireland.
Notable people associated with Kimmage
- Trevor Garry, Republic of Ireland youth goalkeeper
- Gay MitchellGay MitchellGabriel "Gay" Mitchell is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency since 2004. He is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party, and a former Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency from 1981–2007. He was defeated by...
, Fine GaelFine GaelFine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
TDTeachta DálaA Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal... - Joseph Mary PlunkettJoseph Mary PlunkettJoseph Mary Plunkett was an Irish nationalist, poet, journalist, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Background:...
(1887–1916), One of the leaders of the Easter Rising, had a family property on Sundrive Cross Roads which was demolished and replaced by a Superquinn Supermarket in modern times. It was a training ground for the rebels before the Rising. - John Charles McQuaidJohn Charles McQuaidJohn Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
(1895–1973), studied as a noviciate at the headquarters of the Holy Ghost FathersHoly Ghost FathersThe Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
in Kimmage, he was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of IrelandPrimate of IrelandThe Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. Primate is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in the Middle Ages there was an intense rivalry between the two...
. - Aengus FinucaneAengus FinucaneAengus Finucane was a Roman Catholic missionary of the Spiritan Fathers order, who organized food shipments from Portugal to the Igbo people during the Nigerian Civil War.-Early life:...
(1932–2009), was a Roman Catholic missionary and a pioneer for Concern WorldwideConcern WorldwideConcern Worldwide is Ireland's largest aid and humanitarian agency. Since its foundation over 40 years ago it has worked in 50 countries and currently employs 3,200 staff in 25 countries around the world. Concern works to help those living in the world's poorest countries to achieve real and...
, died in a Spiritan FathersHoly Ghost FathersThe Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
nursing home. - Denis FaheyDenis FaheyFather Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp. was an Irish Catholic priest. Fahey promoted the Catholic social doctrine of Christ the King, and was involved in Irish politics through his organisation Maria Duce. Fahey firmly believed that "the world must conform to Our Divine Lord, not He to it", defending the...
(1883–1954), served as a controversial Senior Scholasticate of the Irish Province of the Holy Ghost Fathers at Kimmage in 1912. - Christy BrownChristy BrownChristy Brown was an Irish author, painter and poet who had cerebral palsy. He is most famous for his autobiography My Left Foot, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film of the same name....
(1932-1981), Author. Famous for his autobiography "My Left Foot"
External links
- http://www.xiles.biz/profile.html, 1916 Kimmage Garrison
- http://www.thewildgeese.com/pages/pearse.html