Oldtown, Dublin
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Oldtown
IST (WEST)) | |
---|---|
Eircode (Routing Key) | A45 |
Irish Grid Reference | O115540 |
Oldtown (
Physical features
The character of the landscape is "Low-Lying Agricultural", as indicated in the County Development Plan. This area contains mixed pasture and arable farming on low lands, consisting of large fields with few tree belts or large settlements.[citation needed]
The village itself is situated in a shallow valley drained by a small river known locally as 'The Daws River' and is surrounded by lands zoned as agricultural in the 1999 Fingal County Development Plan. It is the policy of the council to protect and provide for the development of agriculture and rural amenity within this zone.[citation needed]
History
Oldtown is an example of a "chapel village" which led to a widespread investment in chapel building following the re-emergence of institutional Catholicism in the late eighteenth century.[citation needed]
The original chapel, which was built in 1827, became the focal point of the village and attracted a range of other services such as the national school, community hall, priest's house, shop, public house and forge. The term "chapel villages" has been coined for settlements which evolved in association with the growing social and cultural importance of the Catholic Church in Irish society.
The Parliamentary Gazette of Ireland 1843–44 states that the population of Oldtown in 1841 was 156 and 27 houses were located within the village area of 10 acres (40,000 m2). After the Great Famine of 1848 the census of 1851 states the population of the village as recorded as 32 people.
Oldtown was the first town in the State to benefit from the rural electrification scheme run by the
In the winter of 1981/1982 a large snowstorm cut off the village for five days, with the Air Corps eventually flying in supplies such as food and medicine via helicopter to relieve the village.
Modern development
The village core consists of a mix of two-storey nineteenth century stone built dwellings, single-storey cottages and bungalows. There are also new stone-built terraced dwellings within the village core.[citation needed]
A redeveloped thatched cottage and Oldtown Local Hall, a corrugated community hall, add to the identity of the village.[citation needed] The northern, western and southern approaches to the village are characterised mainly by low density 'one-off' dormers and bungalows with the exception of Shamrock Park, a small council housing development to the south of the village.[citation needed]
The local Catholic church, Our Lady Queen of Peace, and presbytery are located south of the village core.[citation needed]
Facilities
Commercial facilities in the village include a public house – The Oldtown House – and a veterinary surgery.
Community facilities include the local primary school, the Catholic Church, the Oldtown Local Hall and a horse riding stable. The County Council's mobile library service visits the village on a weekly basis. The Oldtown Health and Care Centre is a Health Service Executive facility located to the south of the village which provides full-time care for disabled people and a community Health Centre where a variety of health and related services are provided.[citation needed]
Oldtown has a large playing field, close to the centre of the village, which is home to the Wild Geese GAA club. First founded in 1888, it is said to be one of the oldest Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Dublin.[citation needed] The club won the Junior 'E' Dublin football championship in 2009, beating St. Brendans in the final. The club have underage teams, two adult men's team and a camogie team.[citation needed] The field is also the location of an indoor handball alley. A number of former handball world champions are from the village.[citation needed] The alley is also used for racquetball.[citation needed]
See also
- List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
References
- ^ "Census Mapping: Oldtown". Central Statistics Office. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ Placenames Database of Ireland - Oldtown townland
External links
- Fingal County Council Development Plan 2011–2017 Archived 16 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine