Balgriffin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Balgriffin is a residential area of Dublin, Ireland, about 6km from the city centre, in the administrative area of Fingal County Council. It is situated on the Northside of the city, between the suburbs of Coolock, Donaghmede, Portmarnock and Kinsealy, with Darndale near to the south and Malahide to the north. Balgriffin is situated around the Malahide Road, and is served by Dublin Bus.
Balgriffin is an old district, whose name can be found on maps, many held in Dublin City Archive and Dublin County Archive, going back hundreds of years. It was historically a lightly-settled area of fields, with a hamlet at a crossroads. It is reputed that St. Sampson had a monastery here, and in the Middle Ages, the De Burgo (Burke) magnates had a base here.
A famous historic church, St. Doulagh's, is situated north of the hamlet. St. Doulagh's, which dates from the medieval period, is the last stone-roofed church still in service in Ireland, and has a holy well and baptistry complex in the grounds. It is a Church of Ireland Anglican church today. Balgriffin has two cemeteries, the older to the west, the newer civic one to the east. It also features Campion's Pub, and a number of businesses.
Belcamp College, a large secondary school, was a major feature of the area, but has closed, and the extensive grounds largely sold for development, one of several construction projects which will see more than 1,000 homes built in an area which held fewer than 200 until recently.
