Lucan
| Lucan Irish: Leamhcán | |
| County Dublin | |
|---|---|
 Bridge in Lucan | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | O029352 |
| Location: | 53°21’16"N, 6°26’55"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 49,279 (2016) |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Dublin |
| Dáil constituency: |
Dublin Mid-West |
Lucan is a village of County Dublin absorbed now into the conurbation at the heart of the county and roughly seven and a half miles west of Dublin city centre on the River Liffey. It is located near the Strawberry Beds and Lucan Weir, and at the confluence of the River Griffeen.
Road access to Lucan is from the N4, and the M50 motorway at Junction 7.
Name
The name of Lucan is from the Gaelic language, though its origin is a matter of educated speculation.
In the Irish language, 'leamhachán' refers to the marsh-mallow plant (Althaea officinalis), used up to modern times in folk medicine (for sprains and chest infections) and sweet manufacture,[1] and so the name could be rendered as "place of marsh-mallow plants" or "land abounding in marsh-mallows." The plant grows in the Liffey Valley and surrounds, as recorded in the 1837 Ainmleabhar Paróiste, reported by Jackson (1914).[2]
In 1615 however, name of Lucan was described as meaning 'a marshy place'.,[3]
Another origin theory has it as "Leamhcán" meaning "Place of elms".
Instead, the village may be named after a founder named Lucas.
History
Early history
There is evidence of prehistoric settlement in Lucan as the features that attracted early people such as river access, fishing, well-drained soil and hunting were all around. There is significant prehistoric activity in the Cooldrinagh townland of Lucan, with early Mesolithic flints found in significant quantities, as well as the remains of two small kerbed passage tombs. In the area around Vesey Park there are remains of a hillfort (Knockanardousk "hill of the high water")[4] that may have been the house and enclosure of an early lord of Lucan in mediæval times. This enclosure also contained a souterrain, excavated in the 18th century by George Petrie and of which, some of the finds are in the National Museum of Ireland.[5] Another notable archaeological site is St Finian's Esker church and graveyard, which is listed by both the National Monuments Service and the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.[6][7]
Sarsfields and Veseys
When Oliver Cromwell came to Ireland to put down the Confederates' rebellion, Lucan was a village of 120 inhabitants.
In 1566, Sir William Sarsfield acquired Lucan Manor, and the property became closely associated with the Sarsfield family. Patrick Sarsfield, the Irish Jacobite leader, was born in the castle that had occupied the manor grounds and was granted the title Earl of Lucan by King James II.[8]
Lucan House was built on the site of Sarsfield's castle in 1772, by the Rt Hon. Agmondisham Vesey, who was descended from the Sarsfield family. The circular ground floor dining room is said to have been an inspiration for the Oval Office of the White House.[8] The decorative plasterwork was carried out by Michael Stapleton. Over the years, the house passed out of the Vesey family and, since 1942, has been the residence of the Italian ambassador to Ireland. In the grounds of the house is the spa, the waters of which attracted people to the town in previous times.
The influence of the Sarsfield and Vesey families on Lucan is still apparent in the area. For example, the local Gaelic Athletic Association club is Lucan Sarsfields and a pub in the village bears the name 'The Vesey Arms'.
Developments
The discovery of a sulphurous spa in Lucan in 1758 brought the district into prominence, and it became a destination for weekend parties from Dublin and the surrounding countryside. A ballroom was erected and subsequently a hotel.[9]
Many of the structures in Lucan village were constructed as part of a large redevelopment around 1815. Later, Lucan was a terminus on the combination of tram lines serving Lucan and Leixlip from Dublin city centre. Subsequently the population rose dramatically.
Features
Weston Airport is located to the west of Lucan near the Dublin / Kildare border. This facility conducts pilot training and serves privately owned light aircraft and helicopters. Its new terminal is located south of the M4 to the east of the Dublin Celbridge Road and Kildare border.
King John's Bridge
It is said that King John's bridge, in Griffeen Park in Lucan, is the oldest surviving bridge in Ireland.[10]
Lucan House
- Main article: Lucan House
Lucan House is a seven-bay two-storey over basement Palladian country villa. Agmonisham Vesey cleared the previous residence and began construction in 1772. The architecture is the work of Vesey and William Chambers, with Michael Stapleton responsible for the plasterwork. The estate passed through the Sarsfield, Vesey and Colthurst families through marriage and also was once the resident of Charles Hugh O'Conor, the third son of Charles Owen O'Conor and then, in 1954, it was purchased by the Italian Government for use as the residence of the Italian Ambassador to Ireland. The remainder of the estate land is now Liffey Valley Park.[8][11]
Griffeen Park
The Griffeen Valley Park runs along the Griffeen River, with some smaller outlying park areas among housing developments to the west. The main area of the park is split by the Lucan Bypass, with Vesey Park on one side and Griffeen Park on the other. A feature of the park is the old woodland in Vesey Park that was retained when the park was formed. This woodland is most extensive along the Griffeen River and contains mature deciduous and coniferous trees. The most important area on the river is the wet woodland containing the most extensive fern and bryophyte growth recorded in the five parks surveyed. The woodland also provides the habitat for the protected species Hypericum hirsutum.[12]
Media
- The Link, a free magazine that contains items of local interest, distributed to homes and local businesses
- The Lucan Newsletter, a venue for local organizations to report on activities and meetings, was first published in 1967, and is produced and published weekly by volunteers.[13]
- The Liffey Champion, a weekly newspaper
- The Echo, a Dublin paper which is published in Lucan as the Lucan Echo
- The Lucan Gazette
- Lucan Life, founded in March 2014
- Liffey Sound FM, a community radio station run by Liffey Sound Communications Co-operative Society Limited, a not-for-profit organisation[14] The station has been broadcasting since July 2006.
Sport
- Gaelic Athletics:
- Lucan Sarsfields, founded in 1886 and is located on the 12th Lock on the Grand Canal.
- Sarsfields. Westmanstown Gaels
- Na Gaeil Óga CLG, a schools-based, Gaelic-language club.[15]
- Football
- Boxing:
- Esker Amateur Boxing Club (which hosted the first ever All-Female Amateur Boxing tournament in Ireland, in 2013)
- Lucan Boxing Club
- Golf:
- Lucan Golf Club
- Hermitage Golf Club
- Liffey Valley Par 3: a par 3 golf course situated between Leixlip and Lucan.
- Basketball: Liffey Celtics Basketball Club
- Lucan Tae Kwon-Do school
- American football: The Dublin Dragons
A skatepark was opened in 2007 in Griffeen Valley Park,
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Lucan) |
References
- ↑ Stapleton, F. (2018). Sprains. [online] dúchas.ie. Available at: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428214/4386580/4456575 [Accessed 18 December 2018].
- ↑ Jackson, M., 2014. 'Hill's Mills Lucan, County Dublin 1914', Dublin Historical Record, Vol 67, No. 2, pp 85-100.
- ↑ Ronan, M.V. 1941, "Royal Visitation of Dublin, 1615", Archivium Hibernicum, vol. 8, pp. 1-55.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmnT057RXL4
- ↑ Flynn, R., 2013. A Pair of Egyptian Jars from a Ringfort at Lucan, Co. Dublin. [Blog] NMI Collections: Documentation Discoveries, Available at: <http://dev.museum.ie/The-Collections/Documentation-Discoveries/June-2013/A-pair-of-Egyptian-jars-from-a-ringfort-at-Lucan,> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
- ↑ "ArcGIS Web Application". https://maps.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/?REG_NO=11205003.
- ↑ National Inventory of Architectural Heritage Ireland (21 May 2002). "Esker Church Graveyard, Esker, South Dublin County". https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/11205003/esker-church-graveyard-esker-south-dublin-county.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Birdthistle, Elizabeth (27 February 2016). "Palladio preserved in Lucan House and demesne". https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/palladio-preserved-in-lucan-house-and-demesne-1.2549681.
- ↑ Irish Times, 1 July 1957, p. 4
- ↑ King John's Bridge in the Demense Lucan. 1930.
- ↑ Healy, Patrick. Lucan House.
- ↑ Kingston, Lynn, Martin, Waldren, N, D.E., J.R., S. (2003). "An overview of biodiversity in Dublin city urban parklands". Management of Environmental Quality 14 (5): 1477–7835. doi:10.1108/14777830310495713.
- ↑ "Lucan Newsletter". http://www.lucannewsletter.ie/aboutus.html.
- ↑ "Liffey Sound FM - activelink". http://www.activelink.ie/node/786.
- ↑ "Na Gaeil Oga get boost from O'Neill - Dublin Gazette Newspapers - Dublin News, Sport and Lifestyle". 29 January 2015. http://www.gazettegroup.com/sport/na-gaeil-oga-get-boost-oneill/.
- ↑ "Find Us". http://eskerceltic.ie/find-us/.
- ↑ "Lucan United Football Club". http://www.lucanunitedfc.yourclub.ie.
- ↑ "Liffey Valley Rangers Football Club, Lucan, County Dublin - Soccer Pitch Directions : Fixtures Secretary". http://www.soccer-ireland.com/dublin-football-clubs/liffey-valley-rangers.htm.