Artane

Artane Irish: Ard Aidhin
County Dublin
The Artane Roundabout
Location
Grid reference:	O176375
Location:	53°22’58"N, 6°11’42"W
Data
Population:	36,564  (2006)
Dialling code:	01
Local Government
Council:	City of Dublin
Dáil constituency:	Dublin Bay North

Artane, sometimes spelled Artaine, is a village of County Dublin which has become a Northside suburb of Dublin city. It is also a civil parish in the ancient Barony of Coolock. Neighbouring districts include Kilmore West, Coolock, Beaumont.

The name 'Artane' is rendered into the Irish language these days as Ard Aidhin, but its origin is uncertain. Suggestions include Ard Tain ('Height of the Flocks'); Historically the name appears as 'Tartaine'

History

Artaine, now usually Artane, has a recorded history spanning over 900 years, but for much of that time was a quiet rural area. It is described in Thom's Almanac and Official Directory: County Dublin Directory, in 1862 as:

A village and parish in Coolock barony, Dublin county, three miles N. from the General Post Office, Dublin, comprising an area of 954 acres. Population, 457. The village is on the road to Malahide. The parish, anciently called "Tartaine," for centuries formed part of the estate of the Hollywood family, and the castle of Artane likewise belonged to that of the Donnellans. The ruins were taken down in 1825, and on its site Artane House was erected.

Artane Castle was recorded from about 1360 when Robert de Holywood, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and founder of the Hollywood family, purchased it.

The civil parish of Artaine, linked with Finglas before the Reformation, comprises the townlands of Artaine North, Artaine South, Artaine West, Artaine East (originally Skillinglass), Puckstown (where Bram Stoker once resided with his family) and two-thirds of the townland of Oldtown (the remainder being in the civil parish of Coolock).

Artane Cottages Lower and Upper, built circa 1900, on the Malahide Road, are in the townland of Killester North.

Silken Thomas and Artane Castle

In 1534, young Earl of Kildare Thomas FitzGerald, known as Silken Thomas, rebelled against King Henry VIII and burst into Dublin with an army to lay siege to Dublin Castle. Among those who fled from the city was John Alen, Archbishop of Dublin, whom the Earl mistakenly believed responsible for his father's death in England: his ship was driven ashore at Clontarf and he sought refuge at Artane Castle, the home of his friend and fellow councillor Thomas St Lawrence: However the Earl also took Artane and the Archbishop's hiding place was betrayed. At the Earl 's word to "take the fellow away", the Archbishop was murdered in cold blood. For this crime, Silken Thomas was excommunicated by the Pope and thus lost many of his adherents.

The Castle was pulled down in 1825 and using material from the castle a house was built on the site by Matthew Boyle.

Artane Industrial School

The Artane Industrial School was set up in 1871 in Artane House by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. Industrial Schools were established to take in orphaned or abandoned boys or those who were involved in petty crime, and even such a minor offence as skipping school could be enough for a boy to be sent there. It has been said that about 5% of the children in Artane, indeed in all Industrial Schools, were actually orphans. Most of the incarcerated children were from families that had broken down and as separation was not allowed either, the children of these broken marriages were incarcerated and the religious institution in whose charge the children were put were paid one-third of a labourer's wage to feed, educate and clothe each child.

The school housed around 900 boys at any one time and they stayed there until they were 16 years of age. More than 15,000 youngsters passed through the gates of the school from 1871 to its closure in 1966. Subsequently, many allegations of abuse of boys at the school emerged.

After the industrial school - St. David's Primary and Secondary School

St. David's Primary School, BNS, began operations on the lower floors of the old industrial school in 1969. St. David's Secondary School, CBS, moved into the upper floors of the industrial school building in 1974 from the pre-fabricated buildings on Kilmore Road which it had occupied since 1966. The school building today is solely St. David's Secondary School, with grass playing fields, an all-weather pitch, sports hall, and exercise room, among its sports facilities, also science labs, computer rooms, metalwork and wood workrooms, art and a music room.

The Stardust

Dancing Couple memorial in Stardust Memorial Park

The Stardust was a popular nightclub located near the Artane end of the Kilmore Road leading from Artane to Coolock. In the early hours of 14 February 1981, a fire took place at a disco. Forty-eight people lost their lives and 214 were injured. More than 800 people had attended the disco that night. The site of the disaster is today a business park which houses (amongst other things) a pub, opposite Artaine Castle Shopping Centre. On the site was originally the factory of Scotts Foods, making jams and jarred vegetables.

On 14 November 2008, a second fire occurred at the same site as the Stardust, which had been used as a children's play centre. However, no one was in the building at the time, and there were no injuries. Once the fire was put out, firefighters found asbestos hanging from the roof.

Churches

• Roman Catholic:
  • Our Lady of Mercy, Brookwood Grove (Artane parish)
  • St John Vianney, Ardlea Road (Ardlea parish).
• Serbian Ortodox Church: Artane Oratory of the Resurrection on Kilmore Road (Parish of Saint George) Designed by the architect Liam McCormick the oratory contains stained glass windows by the artist Ruth Brandt.

Sport

• Football:
  • Artane Beaumont Football Club, based at Rockfield Park
  • St Pauls Artane F.C., based at Gracefield Avenue
• Tennis: Rockfield Tennis Club (also at Rockfield Park)
• Baseball: Killester Basketball Club]] uses the facilities at St. David's CBS, Artane.

Outside links

• St.Davids CBS, boys secondary school, Artane