Ringsend
Encyclopedia
- There is also a village called "Ring's End" in the EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
countyCountyA county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of CambridgeshireCambridgeshireCambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
Ringsend is a southside
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...
inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of 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 located on the south bank of 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,...
, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge
East-Link (Dublin)
The East-Link is a toll bridge in Dublin, Ireland, on the River Liffey, owned by Dublin City Council and operated by NTR plc. The lifting bridge, which links North Wall to Ringsend, is the last bridge on the Liffey, which opens out into Dublin Port and then Dublin Bay just beyond...
.
Formerly the point where ships arriving across 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...
would dock, Ringsend went into decline in the 19th and 20th centuries, when the shipping moved to ports further south along the coast, although there is still some local container shipping.
The Great South Wall and Poolbeg Peninsula
Ringsend and the southern part of Dublin PortDublin Port
Dublin Port is Ireland's biggest sea port. It has both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximatively two-thirds of the Republic of Ireland's port traffic goes via Dublin Port...
are also home to the Great South Wall
Great South Wall
The Great South Wall , at the Port of Dublin, extends from Ringsend nearly four miles out into Dublin Bay. It was the world's longest sea-wall at the time of its building, remaining one of the longest in Europe...
, connecting the Poolbeg Lighthouse to the mainland. The lighthouse lies at the extreme east end of the wall and was constructed in 1767. The stone wall that now stands was constructed over a period of many years and was completed in 1795. The wall and lighthouse are a popular walk destination. The area around Poolbeg also contains Dublin's main power station, with two huge chimneys for steam, which are Dublin landmarks, the former Pigeon House Fort and a range of industrial buildings.
South of the Poolbeg peninsula and the Great South Wall lies the sandy area known as the South Bull.
History and name
Ringsend was originally a long narrow peninsula separated from the rest of Dublin by the estuary of the River DodderRiver Dodder
The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers of the Dublin region in Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.-Course and system:...
river. The name comes from the Gaelic Roinn Aun, meaning Sea Point, and was eventually anglicised to its present form.
Another source of the name is due to old practice, that fishing and cargo boats would moor along the sea wall and up the river Liffey towards Dublin's centre. This area was a point at the end of the sea wall where there were no mooring points, thus, it beacame known as the place where the (mooring) rings end. The fact that this common name for the area was similar in sound to the Irish name (An Rinn / The Point) was purely coincidental, and hence, the name prevailed. The "Point" Depot theatre still stands today, but is now known as the O2.
The Boland's Mill
Boland's Mill
Boland's Mill is located on the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin, Ireland at the corner of Pearse Street and Barrow St. The majority of the complex consists of silos built in the 1940s. The mill stopped production in 2001 and the site is now derelict...
is located in the area, this was where a great deal of action in the 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...
was seen.
Ringsend has long been known colloquially as Raytown reflecting its history as a fishing village. It was once part of the Pembroke Township
Pembroke Township
Pembroke Township was an area adjoining the City of Dublin, Ireland formed for local government purposes by private Act of Parliament in 1863. The township took its name from the fact that most of the area was part of the estate of the Earl of Pembroke. The township was governed by commissioners...
.
Recent times
With the growth of Dublin since 1990, Ringsend has become a popular location for students and younger workers. Recent years have seen significant growth in the area, with the Grand Canal DockGrand Canal Dock
Grand Canal Dock is an area in Ringsend near Dublin city centre, surrounding the Grand Canal Docks, an enclosed harbour or docking area between the River Liffey and the Grand Canal...
Project. The U2 Tower
U2 Tower
The U2 Tower was a proposed landmark skyscraper to be constructed in Dublin. The site was in the South Docklands campshires, at the corner of Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Britain Quay, by the confluence of the River Liffey, the River Dodder, and the Grand Canal. The design announced on 12 October...
at Britain Quay was due for completion in 2008/2009 but has now been put on hold.
Ringsend is the location of Windmill Lane Studios
Windmill Lane Studios
Windmill Lane Studios, also known as the "U2 studio", is a three-storey music recording studio located in Dublin, Ireland. It is located on Windmill Lane, a small street just south of City Quay and the River Liffey and a little north of Pearse Station. It was opened in 1978 by Brian Masterson who...
, where many prominent musicians, among them U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
, have recorded. Confusingly, the studio is no longer actually located on Windmill Lane, although it retains the name.
Thorncastle Street, and adjacent Bridge Street, were used in the 1999 film Agnes Browne
Agnes Browne
Agnes Browne is a 1999 American/Irish romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by, and starring Anjelica Huston, based on the book The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll.-Plot:...
as the location for the market stall and church scenes beside the flat blocks.
Amenities
Ringsend has a range of shops, pubs, flats and businesses. It also has a Dublin Public Library, a Dublin City CouncilDublin 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:...
recycling depot and a substantial leisure area, Ringsend Park, which contains a renovated stadium, formerly "Ringsend Stadium", now "Irishtown Stadium" in honour of the neighbouring area of Irishtown
Irishtown, Dublin
Irishtown is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the River Liffey, between Ringsend to the north and Sandymount to the south, and is to the east of the River Dodder.-History:...
.
Ringsend Technical Insititute
Ringsend Technical Insititute
Ringsend Technical Institute is a college run by the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee CDVEC. The college operates under a local VEC Sub Committee which is representative of parents, staff, community, local primary schools and industry. It is chaired by Cllr...
is a local VEC
Vocational Education Committee
A Vocational Education Committee is a statutory local education body in the Republic of Ireland that administers some secondary education, most adult education and a very small amount of primary education in the state...
college.
Politics
Ringsend is part of the Dáil ÉireannDáil 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...
constituency of Dublin South East
Dublin South East (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin South–East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
, and the South East Inner City electoral area of 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:...
.
Sport
Two major Irish football clubs Shelbourne F.C.Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
and Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...
were founded in the area. Bath Markievicz Celtic is a schoolboy club whose home pitch is in Ringsend park. Cambridge Boys FC is a schoolboy club named after Cambridge Avenue and whose home pitch is in Ringsend park. Liffeys Pearse FC was formed by and amalgamation of Liffeys Wanderers and Pearse Rangers. The club's home pitch is in Ringsend Park. St Patrick's YC Football Club was established in 1936. The club's home pitch is at Irishtown Stadium. There is also a tradition of rowing with two clubs St. Patrick's and Stella Maris. The Ringsend Regatta still takes place annually.They have rowing regattas (rowing competitions) every Sunday At Stella Maris and St Patricks At 12ish. More recently, the Poolbeg Yacht, Boat Club, & Marina has established a centre for water-based sporting activities and hosts an eighteen-race sailing series from the marina to the Dublin Bay area during the summer months each year.
The Clan na Gael Fontenoy http://www.clannagaelfontenoy.ie/ GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club are the local gaelic football, hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
, and camogie teams.
People
Local residents include Colin FarrellColin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
, the actor, Paul Durcan
Paul Durcan
Paul Durcan is a contemporary Irish poet.-Early life:Durcan grew up in Dublin and in Turlough, County Mayo. His father, John, was a barrister and circuit court judge; father and son had a difficult and formal relationship. Durcan enjoyed a warmer and more natural relationship with his mother,...
, the poet, and the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Green Party leader, John Gormley
John Gormley
John Gormley is an Irish politician. He was the leader of the Irish Green Party from 2007 to 2011, and was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11...
. Other notables:
- Jimmy DunneJimmy DunneJames Dunne , commonly referred to as Jimmy Dunne, was an Irish footballer who played for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Southampton...
- Bob FullamBob FullamBob Fullam was an Irish footballer and one of the best-known players in the League of Ireland in the 1920s . A versatile attacking player, he was skilful but also had a tough-man image....
- Dermot GallagherDermot GallagherDermot J. Gallagher is a retired English-based association football referee, who lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire. He refereed in the Premier League of English football until May 2007.-Career:...
- Val HarrisVal HarrisValentine Harris , commonly referred to as Val Harris, was an Irish footballer who played Gaelic football for Dublin and soccer for, among others Shelbourne, Everton and Ireland...
- Fran RooneyFran RooneyFran Rooney is an Irish businessmen and Barrister.The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, presented Mr. Rooney with the Businessman of the Year award in 2000 . He was Bank of Ireland Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001...
- Jody Byrne
See also
- IrishtownIrishtown, DublinIrishtown is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the River Liffey, between Ringsend to the north and Sandymount to the south, and is to the east of the River Dodder.-History:...
- SandymountSandymountSandymount is a coastal seaside suburb in Dublin 4 on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It is in the Dublin South East Dáil constituency and the East Pembroke Ward. It was once part of Pembroke Township, which took its name from the fact that this area was part of the estate of the Earl of...
- South LottsSouth LottsSouth Lotts is a small area to the south of the river Liffey in Dublin 4, 1 km east of Dublin City Centre, Ireland. It was created following the embankment of the River Liffey in 1711 between the city and Ringsend, thereby reclaiming the North and South Lotts...
- List of towns and villages in Ireland