Inchicore (Irish: Inse Chór: Island of Sheep) is a suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland.
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Located five kilometres due west of the city centre, Inchicore lies south of the River Liffey, west of Kilmainham, north of Drimnagh and east of Ballyfermot. The majority of Inchicore is in the Dublin 8 postal district. Portions of Inchicore extend into the Dublin 10 and Dublin 12 postal districts.
The townlands of Inchicore North and Inchicore South are located in the civil parish of St. James, Dublin, in the Barony of Uppercross.
The Grand Canal, was developed by the leading economic progressives of the day who formed the Grand Canal Company. This state-of-the-art waterway was, at it's peak, the major passenger and commercial trading route through central Ireland. It runs through the lush productive farmlands and peat bogs of the Irish midlands. It carried significant traffic in the great boom of the eighteenth century, but faded after the railways were introduced. It is now a recreational waterway. It runs along the southern peremeter of Inchicore, along with the recently implemented Luas tramway system, which runs along its filled in permanent way, and serves the area from Blackhorse to Suir Bridge. Inchicore is also served by a range of Dublin Bus routes.
Modern day Inchicore grew from a small village near the Camac River marsh at Inse Chaoire (Irish Gaelic for "Sheep Island") where sheep were herded and watered outside Dublin city prior to market. The village developed into a significant industrial and residential suburb in the late nineteenth century, due primarily to its engineering works and west city tramway terminus. It was incorporated by the expanding city more than a century ago. In 1889 both the All Ireland Hurling and the All Ireland Football finals were played in Inchicore. It was the first time a venue in Dublin had hosted the finals. Dublin won the hurling final, while Tipperary won the football final.
Inchicore's centre, at the junction of Emmet Road and Tyrconnell Road, still retains a village atmosphere. The area includes two banks, a variety of local stores including a butcher/deli, hardware, ethnic stores, and two mid size supermarkets. The village is served by several pubs, including the ancient Black Lion Inn, and several restaurants and take-aways.
Inchicore has a strong association with the national transportation system. A large tramyard terminus and coachworks and one of the major engineering works of the Irish railway network are located here. They are still a major employer among other significant industries and national distribution depots. Inchicore is presently undergoing considerable public and privately funded development. It is currently experiencing strong growth in the density and diversity of its population.
The Camac river enters Inchicore flowing northeast from the Landsdowne Valley in Drimnagh. It flows east through Inchicore, through Kilmainham and Bow Bridge, and into the River Liffey near Heuston Station. Much of its course is now culverted and covered by buildings. During the eighteenth century small industries, primarily paper and textiles, developed along the Camac, which at the time was characterised by water mills, water wheels and weirs. In the 18th century, mills at Goldenbridge (Glydon Bridge) were producing paper and flour. Much of the industrial archaeology has disappeared but remnants still exist in the area. Jamestown Road, Inchicore is home to Ireland's Oldest Security Company, Private Security established in 1966.
The Irish National War Memorial Gardens contain a monument designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It lies to the north of Inchicore. There is an Inchicore entrance on Con Colbert Road. It commemorates the fallen Irish of the Great War. Official record books held in museum buildings there are inscribed with the names those who gave their lives. The gardens are also accessible from the South Circular Road, en route toward Phoenix Park can be accessed by crossing over Islandbridge (Sarah Bridge).
Goldenbridge cemetery in Inchicore was the first dedicated Roman Catholic cemetery in Ireland opened after Catholic Emancipation. The U.K. Catholic Relief Act 1829 was passed by the Duke of Wellington's government, and signed by the King under some Prime Ministerial pressure. In 1830 Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator, who was the vigorous Irish leader of the campaign for Emancipation was able to take his House of Commons seat as the first Roman Catholic M.P. (Clare) in the U.K. Parliament since 1649. Goldenbridge is the final resting place of modern Ireland's first head of government, President of the Executive Council W. T. Cosgrave who died in 1965.
Nearby Kilmainham Jail, now a national museum, was the scene of the execution of leaders of Easter Rising of 1916. St. Michael's National School is built on the site of the former Richmond Barracks. Prisoners were taken there for processing after the surrender of the insurgents in 1916. Timothy Coughlin, one of the trio of Republican dissidents who assassinated Kevin O'Higgins, Minister of Justice of the Irish Free State in 1927 lived there.
Inchicore Railway Works is the headquarters for mechanical engineering and rolling stock maintenance for Iarnród Éireann. Established in 1844 by the Great Southern & Western Railway, it is the largest engineering complex of its kind in Ireland with a site area of 295,000 m² (73 acres). CIÉ also builds bus coaches for its fleets at the Spa Road coach works.
Inchicore has been home to a number of distinguished Irish poets. Michael Hartnett, lived on Tyrconnell Road from 1984 until about 1986. A plaque marks the house where he wrote some of Inchicore Haiku near Richmond Park, home to St. Patrick's Athlectic Football Club. 'Inchicore Haiku' recounts the hard times in his life after his separation from his family.
Another Irish poet Thomas Kinsella was born near Sarsfield House at the Ranch and attended the Model School. He is winner of the UCD Ulysses Medal.
Francis Ledwidge has associations with St. Michael's CBS, formerly Richmond Barracks. This is where he enlisted and trained before shipping out to the trenches in Flanders during The Great War. The Inchicore Ledwidge Society runs events to raise awareness of the life and works of the poet-soldier.
The nationalist poet and teacher Padraig Pearse was imprisoned here before his execution in Kilmainham Gaol on the Inchicore Road.
The tramp writer Jim Phelan was born in Inchicore in 1896. On completing 15 years in prison for his part in the murder of a post mistress's son in a robbery in Liverpool in 1923, Phelan roamed the byways of England and wrote of his prison experience in books such as "Lifer" and "Jail Journey" and of his vagabond days in "Tramping the Toby" and "We Follow the Roads." Jim died in 1966 leaving a wealth of novels, biography and articles that truly portray the society in which he lived.
Inchicore College of Further Education is located at Emmet Road in Inchicore. Local primary schools include the Oblates National School, St. Michael's National School, Goldenbridge, and the Irish speaking Gaelscoil Inse Chor. The recently restored Model School (Inchicore National School) built in 1853 was a prototype facility for government funded non-denominational primary school education in Ireland.
The Roman Catholic Church is served by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and St. Michael's Church. There are two community centres, St Michael's and BERA.
The Oblates' Church features a full size replica of the Grotto of Lourdes, which was opened in 1930. The grotto is 15 m (50 ft) high, 40 m (130 ft) wide and 12 m (40 ft) deep, and is built of reinforced concrete. Pilgrims visit the shrine all the year round. It is especially popular during the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes (February 2 - February 11). The grotto houses the famous Inchicore Christmas Crib. Arus Mhuire was for many years the location of a popular Sunday night dance for teenagers.
The Church of St. James serves the Church of Ireland.
St. Patrick's Athletic (founded in 1929 and commonly known as St. Pat's) play in Richmond Park. St. Pat's have played in Inchicore since 1930 (save for time spent exiled due to ground redevelopment). They are strongly associated Inchicore. The club have won the League of Ireland Championship on 7 occasions. Famous St. Pat's players include Paul McGrath (affectionately nicknamed The Black Pearl of Inchicore), Ronnie Whelan Snr., Shay Gibbons, Gordon Banks, Curtis Fleming , Ryan Guy , Paul Osam, Eddie Gormley and Charles Livingstone Mbabazi. St Patrick's Athletic support many junior and intermediate sides based at Inchicore. Chief among these are Lansdowne Rangers, Inchicore Athletic and West Park Albion.
Liffey Gaels is Inchicore's local GAA club, which is located on Sarsfield Road in Inchicore. For almost 60 years the club has been the centre of gaelic games in the historic south-west area of the city of Dublin. This is reflected in Liffey Gaels' designation as part of the South-West Inner City local electoral area. The Gaels field teams of all ages in Football, Hurling and Camógie. The club was founded in 1951 and was known as Rialto Gaels for over twenty years. In the 1970s it changed its name to SS. Michaels and James' to reflect the parts played by the teachers and students of these schools in the development of the club. In 1984, a local juvenile club Donore Iosagain amalgamated with SS Michaels and James' and the club was renamed the Liffey Gaels. Today their immediate catchment area runs from Ballyfermot through Inchicore and the parishes of St. Michael’s, St. James’, St. Catherine’s, Rialto and Donore Avenue.
Guinness Rugby Football Club (Guinness R.F.C.) is the nearest rugby union club. It is based in the Iveagh Sports Grounds on the Crumlin Road.
The Order of Malta is close by, with a junior group meeting in the BERA Hall, and a senior group in the Mother McAuley Centre in Drimnagh.[1]