Firhouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Firhouse (pronounced Fear-house or Fur-house) was a small village that has in recent decades become a suburb of South Dublin County in Leinster. Like the adjacent residential areas of Knocklyon, Ballycullen and Ballycragh, it is located in a once rural setting close to the foothills of the Dublin-Wicklow mountains.
Firhouse has a close association with Tallaght, capital of South Dublin County , being historically a part of both the townland and the parish. A confusion over the address arose when the newer suburban houses were sold to buyers during the late 1970's. Apparently they were sold with the address of 'Templeogue', another suburbanised village lying to the east of Firhouse. Although Tallaght provides many of its services, its reputation dwindled during the 1980's due to social and economic mismanagenent by the government and locals in Firhouse attempted to distance themselves by adding 'Templeogue' to their address instead of 'Tallaght'. A row broke out between residents and An Post, who insisted the area was a part of Tallaght and not Tempelogue. Eventually a peace-deal was brokered. A person living in Firhouse has the option to include or remove 'Tallaght' from their address on the condition of placing D24 at the end. The post code 'Dublin 24' covers the historical area of Tallaght.
The pronunciation of Firhouse is as contentious an issue as its origin among the local population. The origin of the place-name may derive from the Irish word "fir", which means man (pronounced "fear"). It may also come from a manor that was located at the top of the laneway joining Scoil Treasa and Scoil Carmel. Like much of the rest of the area, this laneway, which led up to the main house, was lined with fir trees. Both pronunciations are equally valid and are used interchangeably.
There are three schools in Firhouse. Scoil Carmel and Scoil Treasa are primary schools and Firhouse Community College is the secondary school.
A focal point for the local community is the community shopping centre, a Supervalu. There is a church, a Scout den of the 146th scout troop, a community centre and a youth club. There are several pubs including The Speaker Conolly (named for William Conolly of Castletown House, County Kildare who was Speaker of the Irish House of Commons), Mortons, Scholars and The Old Mill.
Firhouse is comprised of several housing estates, including Carriglea, Carrigwood, Glencarrig, Killakee, Monalea, Sally Park and Woodlawn. Several Dublin Bus routes go through Firhouse. The 49 takes a roundabout route through the area along the Firhouse Road, Ballycullen Avenue, Ballycullen Drive and the Ballycullen Road while the 75 passes by on the Firhouse Road. The 15E and 15F also pass through along Killininy Road.
Famous people from Firhouse include comedians Sean Hughes (comedian) Dave Allen (comedian)and Paul Cullen
