Swords, County Dublin
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| Swords Sord Cholm Cille |
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
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| Irish grid reference O184469 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | Fingal | |
| Elevation: | 3m | |
| Population (2006) | 33,998 | |
Swords (Irish: Sord Cholm Cille) is a medium-sized suburban town located in Fingal County, Ireland, close to Dublin Airport.
In 1994, Swords became a county seat after the break up of the former County Dublin; in 2001, it became the administrative centre for that county, upon the completion of the Fingal County Hall.
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[edit] History
.jpg/180px-Swords_Church_(Co._Dublin).jpg)
The town can trace its origins back to 560, having been founded by Saint Colmcille (521-567). Legend has it that the saint blessed a local well, giving the town its name, Sord, meaning "clear" or "pure". However, An Sord also means "the water source" and could indicate a large communal drinking well that existed in antiquity.[citation needed]
[edit] Geography
[edit] Population
The town has seen huge growth through the last 25 years. Many residents who arrived in Swords during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s to fill new sprawling housing estates were from north city areas such as Coolock, Ballymun, Santry and Artane.
The growth of the town is set to continue for the next 20 years, contributed to by the town's proximity to Dublin Airport, the existence of large undeveloped green spaces north and west of the town, and developments in transport catering to the area.
The town's overall population is recorded in the 2006 census as 33,998, which makes it the third largest town in Ireland, although this population reading does not include the Kinsealy area of Swords or the newly constructed Holywell-Gorse Hill areas, which bring the area's actual population to about 42,000.[citation needed]
The town is heavily under the influence of Dublin Airport, and is disconnected from the city by a tight green belt around the airport. However, Swords would more resemble a north city suburb rather than a rural town, such as Lusk or Rush.
[edit] Development
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Swords' main street had quite a poor appearance, with few amenities in the area and many derelict old houses and industrial sites along the Main Street-Dublin Road area. The council allowed a bar extension along the Main Street to encourage development in the town, and it now boasts a wide selection of pubs, late bars and nightclubs.[citation needed]
For a number of years the centre of the town was allowed to fall into slight disrepair; the town received the title of dirtiest in Ireland in an 'Irish Businesses Against Litter' survey for two years running, in 2003 and 2004. However, since then Swords has been labelled as 'only slightly littered' in the 2006 survey.
[edit] Housing
Swords is a socio-economically mixed area with the local housing stock being made up of private and local authority housing. Private estates neighbour council estates throughout the town and as such the social exclusion seen in other parts of the north city does not exist in Swords.[citation needed]
In 1999 the Seatown Villas area of Swords celebrated 50 years in existence, making it the oldest local authority housing estate in Dublin outside of the city limits.[citation needed] In 2005, Fingal County Council opened 225 council housing units in the Applewood development in Swords. This is the first such public-private housing development to take place in Fingal where private development is inter-mixed with local authority housing. This successful pilot scheme has been replicated in the south of the town in the Boroimhe Estate and also in the Mulhuddart area.
[edit] Transport
The main bus routes to the city centre from Swords are the 41 and the 41C, via Santry along the Swords Road. However, the 43 bus route travels to the city centre via Coolock. The Swords Express[1] and Dublin Bus 142 provide fast access to the city via the Dublin Port Tunnel. The Metro North catering to the Swords-Airport area will run via Ballymun, Dublin City University, Griffith Avenue, Lower Drumcondra Road, the Mater Hospital, O'Connell Street, and Saint Stephen's Green.[2]
[edit] Amenities
Swords has a wide range of shops, banks, pubs and other businesses, including a large modern shopping centre, the Pavilions Centre, off the R132. The recent extension of the Pavilions shopping centre has a multi-screen cinema.
[edit] Attractions
Swords Castle is undergoing a significant redevelopment and is intended to become a centre of leisure and a tourist attraction. The body of Brian Boru was said to have been brought there after the Battle of Clontarf, though recent evidence would suggest that the destination was Swords Abbey, which lies slightly to the west of the Main Street.
[edit] Skate park
In mid 2006, the local authority built a skatepark and adjoining basketball courts in Swords, located in Balheary Park. The park contains a bowl, a vertwall, a spine, some quarterpipes, and a section of boxes in the middle of the park.
[edit] Education
The district is served by a number of schools, including three national schools: Holy Family; Saint Cronan's; Saint Colmcille's; Gaelscoil Bhrian Boroimhe; Scoil an Duinnigh, an Educate Together school; and a Church of Ireland "Boro" school. There are also four secondary schools in the town: Loreto College, an all girls school; Choláiste Choilm, an all-boys school; Fingal Community College; and Saint Finian's Community College.
There is also a Youthreach facility, a FÁS training centre, and the Fingal Adult Literacy and Education Centre.
[edit] Employment
Swords is the home to international chemical producers and pharmaceutical giants Opec and Bristol Myers Squibb, and also to a large retail and business park called Airside Retail and Business Park, on the southern fringe of the town, hosting many employers. East of the town, running parallel to Swords bypass, lies the large Seatown Industrial Estate.
