Sutton, County Dublin
| Sutton Irish: Cill Fhionntain | |
| County Dublin | |
|---|---|
 Sutton Cross | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 53°23’10"N, 6°6’-0"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,680 (2016) |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Fingal |
| Dáil constituency: |
Dublin Bay North |
Sutton is a village of County Dublin, standing on the spit of land in Dublin Bay which joins Howth Head to the mainland, and spreading up the lower slopes of Howth Hill itself and the adjacent coasts.
There is a small commercial core at the Sutton Cross road intersection.
In the Irish language Sutton has received the name Cill Fhionntain, menuing 'Fintan's cell (or church)'[1]
Sutton is in the Barony of Coolock.
Contents
Location and geography
Location
Historically Sutton lay entirely on the Howth peninsula, from Sutton Cross up to Claremont road and where Barren Hill meets Carrickbrack Road and the Martello tower at Red Rock. Today however, it is generally considered to extend to the railway, where it meets Baldoyle, and to the junction of Baldoyle Road and the coast road, where it meets Bayside, these additional lands historically having been farmland.
The Hill of Howth Tramway ran between Sutton railway station and Howth railway station around the Hill of Howth until 1959.
Geography
At the core of Sutton is a tombolo connecting Howth (which used to be an island) to the mainland. The original village of Sutton was situated on the city-facing (south-western) side of Howth Head, along Strand Road, where there are today housing terraces and a small harbour, but the area is now centred on Sutton Cross.
Streams
There are several small streams in the area, all substantially culverted. Some tiny flows cross the Sutton end of the Cliff Walk paths, and two bigger streams, Santa Sabina Stream and the Carrickbrack Stream, discharge at the coast on Sutton Strand[2] in front of St Fintan's Roman Catholic church. sometimes very actively, sometimes largely covered by sand, which is then cleared by Fingal County Council staff.
Carrickbrack Stream rises between Shielmartin Hill and Dun Hill near Howth Golf Course, and flows, meeting minor tributaries, roughly parallel to Carrickbrack Road, coming to the shore at the south-western end of Sutton Strand.[2] Santa Sabina Stream comes from the central area of the Howth (Deer Park) Estate, and runs in culvert past the Offington housing estate and through the grounds of Santa Sabina Dominican Convent, reaching the sand around 150m north of the mouth of the Carrickbrack.[2] The mouth of the Santa Sabina has concrete framing and a guard rail.
Beaches
Sutton is surrounded by many beaches. The Burrow Beach is particularly popular among locals and tourists. It is approximately a mile long and stretches from Sutton Golf Club to Howth, along one side of the tombolo connecting Howth Head to the mainland.[3] Sutton Strand runs along the coast road and in front of St. Fintan's church.
Quarries
Two quarries previously operated in Sutton on the Howth Road near Corr Castle and at Barren Hill on St.Fintans Road. Both are now closed.[4]
Sports and leisure activities
- Dinghy sailing: Sutton Dinghy Club (based within Sutton Creek.[5]
- Golf: Sutton Golf Club
- Rugby: Suttonians RFC
- Tennis: Sutton Tennis Club
- Football: Howth Celtic
Red Rock is a trailhead for the Cliff Walk which navigates a large section of Howth Head and ends at Howth village. Shielmartin Hill is also readily accessible from Sutton.
Buildings
One of the area's oldest buildings, the fifteenth century Corr Castle, is located at Sutton North near the Howth Road entrance to Offington housing estate. The castle previously formed part of the Howth Park Racecourse which stretched over large parts of Sutton and Howth.
A Martello tower stands at Red Rock which is now a private residence. Also located in Red Rock is Sutton Castle, the former home of the Jameson family, the makers of the eponymous whiskey, and later became the residence of Belgian businessman Albert Luykx, made famous during the Irish arms trial. It subsequently became Sutton House Hotel and then Sutton Castle Hotel, before being converted in 2003 to private residences. [6][7]
Several notable Georgian houses are located in Sutton including two imposing 4-storey Georgian era houses now called Beachfield House (previously called Devonshire Terrace) as well as the nearby Sealawn House (1830s) which was owned by John Pentland Mahaffy. Adjacent to these is a terrace of Howth stone faced fisherman's cottages called Martello Terrace. The end house of this terrace used to house the old Sutton coast guard station but has now been converted into residential accommodation.[8]
The old tram shed which was used by the Hill of Howth Tramway is located near Sutton Station, but is now a private residence which is part of a modern housing development.[9]
Churches
- Roman Catholic: St Fintan's
- Methodist: Sutton Methodist Church
Sutton contains one of Dublin's main burial grounds, St Fintan's, which is divided into two parts, "old" and "new." The former contains a ruined chapel, and the latter, an abandoned keeper's cottage.
Uphill from the older graveyard, in a wooden hut on private grounds, is the still-flowing holy well of St Fintan.[10]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Sutton, County Dublin) |
References
- ↑ Logainm- Placename database of Ireland. "Cill Fhionntáin". https://www.logainm.ie/en/1371588.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Doyle, Joseph W. (2013). Ten Dozen Waters: The Rivers and Streams of County Dublin (7th edition). Dublin, Ireland: Rath Eanna Research. pp. i–iv, 1–76 + photos and map. ISBN 978-0-9566363-6-2.
- ↑ Council, Fingal County. "The Burrow beach : : Fingal County Council". http://www.fingalcoco.ie/community-and-leisure/beaches/find-a-beach/the-burrow-beach/.
- ↑ "CORR CASTLE WITH MACHINERY AND WORKMEN". http://edwindavison.com/collections/shopexd.asp?id=7880&bc=no.
- ↑ "Brief History". https://sdc.ie/about/.
- ↑ "1880 – Sutton Castle Hotel, Sutton, Co. Dublin". http://archiseek.com/2010/1880-sutton-castle-hotel-sutton-co-dublin/.
- ↑ "Luxury living at Sutton Castle apartments". Business Post. 2 July 2005. https://www.businesspost.ie/legacy/luxury-living-at-sutton-castle-apartments-55432.
- ↑ Lyons, Madeleine. "Slick Sutton coastguard station transformation for €995,000". https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/new-to-market/slick-sutton-coastguard-station-transformation-for-995-000-1.2869034?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Flife-and-style%2Fhomes-and-property%2Fnew-to-market%2Fslick-sutton-coastguard-station-transformation-for-995-000-1.2869034.
- ↑ "The Hill of Howth Tramway and tram No. 9". National Transport Museum of Ireland. http://www.nationaltransportmuseum.org/b004.html.
- ↑ Ireland's Holy Wells
