| Douglas Dúglas
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| — Populated place — | |
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Douglas
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Cork |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 18,192 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | |
Douglas or Duglas (Irish: Dúglas, meaning "dark stream") is an area of Cork city, Ireland. As its borders are ill-defined and it straddles the boundary between Cork City and County Cork, it is difficult to ascertain the exact population. The CSO gives a figure of 18,192 for the parts of Douglas that lie within Cork County. No figure is provided for the parts within Cork City, although the combined population of the Tramore A, Tramore B and Tramore C electoral divisions, which lie in Douglas, is 5,001.
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Douglas was first mentioned in documents in 1251. By the mid-seventeenth century, it had a population of 308 people (of whom 33 were English) and consisted of a number of large farms. The area began to develop as an urban settlement in the early eighteenth century with the opening of Donnybrook Mills in 1726. The mills produced sail-cloth and supplied sails to the British Royal Navy amongst other clients. Huguenot weavers and textile workers, such as the Bernard and Pollock brothers from Belfast, came to work in the area, along with skilled workers from Ulster and Scotland. Further textile mills opened in the nineteenth century, including Lane’s Corn and Hemp Mills (1845), O’Brien’s Brothers (St Patrick’s Woollen Mills, 1882) and Conroy’s Rope and Twine Mills (1892). Most of the mills ceased to operate in the early twentieth century, although St. Patrick's Woollen Mills and Donnybrook Mills continued to operate until the 1970s.
Some of the houses built for the mill workers are still in existence, including a terrace of houses near the junction of the Grange Road and Donnybrook Hill.
Douglas developed as a suburban area throughout the later eighteenth century and the nineteenth century and a number of 'big houses' were built nearby. These included Donnybrook House, Castletreasure House, Grange House, Maryborough House (now a hotel), Douglas Hall (one of the few remaining examples of a slate-fronted house in Ireland) and Mount Vernon which had one of the earliest examples of a domestic central-heating system installed in any house in Ireland.
St. Columba’s Roman Catholic church was built in 1814 and St. Luke’s Church of Ireland church was completed in 1889. In 1898, a tramway was built from Cork City to Douglas. This operated until 1932 when it was replaced by a bus service.
In the second half of the twentieth century, Douglas underwent major changes as it became a suburb of Cork. A large amount of new housing was built and the area between Douglas and Cork City became entirely built-up. Schools, shopping centres, cinemas and other amenities developed to serve this new population. Douglas Community School (see below) was built in 1968 and the original Douglas Shopping Centre was completed in 1972. This shopping center recently received a massive facelift, transforming the village. A second shopping centre, Douglas Court Shopping Centre, was built in the late 1980s and a 5-screen multiplex cinema was also built. Several hotels, including the Rochestown Park Hotel and Maryborough House Hotel were also developed. Douglas has two golf courses, one at Maryborough Hill and one in Frankfield. The Frankfield golf course also contains a driving range.
The expansion of suburban residential development continued throughout the later part of the twentieth century and continues to the present day. Housing developments (mostly private, although there are some areas of social housing) have been built in Grange, Donnybrook, Frankfield, Maryborough, Rochestown, Mount Oval and along the two main roads connecting Douglas to Cork city, the Douglas Road and the South Douglas Road. The city is also the birthplace of actor Cillian Murphy.
Shane Ryan is known as a man about douglas. Prob up for one of the biggest hitters on the island of Ireland
Sports clubs in the area include the Douglas GAA and Nemo Rangers hurling and football clubs. Local association football (soccer) clubs include Tramore Athletic FC, Grangevale AFC, College Corinthians AFC and Douglas Hall AFC. There are also local golf (and pitch and putt) clubs - notably: Douglas Golf Club, Frankfield Golf Club and Douglas Pitch and Putt Club. Douglas also has representation in rugby (Douglas RFC)founded 1979, tennis (Douglas Tennis Club), basketball (Fr. Mathews Basketball Club) and gymnastics (Douglas Gymnastics Club)
Bordering suburbs include Grange county Cork Ballinlough, Ballyphehane, Turners Cross and Beaumont.
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