Kilnamanagh
| Kilnamanagh Irish: Cill na Manach | |
| County Dublin | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | O090290 |
| Location: | 53°18’-0"N, 6°21’54"W |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Dublin |
Kilnamanagh is a village in the south of County Dublin, near Tallaght. It was developed in the Twentieth Century as a new suburb.
History
Kilnamanagh, in Irish 'Cill na Manach', translates to 'Church of the Monks', referring to the church and castle established to house St Kevin and his followers. Present day Kilnamanagh has close ties to Glendalough, the other resting place of St Kevin.
The ancient Church of St Kev and castle located in Kilnamanagh were destroyed by developers when the housing estate was started in 1974. The well that was built by St Kevin is now covered up, but there is still a small garden around the well for people to visit. The well and garden have been fenced in for fear of desecration, locked with access is controlled by the local church. There are many references to St. Kevin and his followers in Kilnamanagh; the school, church and local sports teams are named after him.
Modern suburb
Kilnamanagh was one of the largest housing estates in Europe at the time it was built by Tom Brennan and Joseph McGowan, who traded as Kilnamanagh Estates. It is still the largest private housing estate in Europe, consisting of 1,600 houses. On release to the market, the first tranche of 3-bedroom semi-detached houses were priced at £5,995.
Kilnamanagh has a primary school (St. Kevin's), a shopping centre (Dunnes Stores), a credit union and a well-established community centre, which also has a bar.
Kilnamanagh is close to The Square shopping centre, the third largest shopping centre in Ireland, which expanded with an extra 400 shops in 2010. The Luas red line and M50 are located between Kingswood and Kilnamanagh within walking distance of the entire estate.
Society and sport
The community centre, known as Kilnamanagh Family and Recreation Centre, built two 'astro parks' with floodlights and a grass pitch in August 2009.
Kilnamanagh was well known for its summer projects in the 1980s, involving community members of all ages to participate in activities such as excursions out from the area, arts and crafts, organised children's discos, and cinema. The projects continued for a number of years and were centred mainly at Saint Kevin's Primary School during July every year. Set up by volunteers and parents from the area, it started in 1982 and ran successfully until 1989.