Whitehall, Dublin

Whitehall
Fionnbhrú
Town
Whitehall

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 53°23′12″N 6°14′54″W / 53.38672°N 6.24828°WCoordinates: 53°23′12″N 6°14′54″W / 53.38672°N 6.24828°W
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Dublin
Elevation 3 m (10 ft)
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (GMT) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference O166388

Whitehall (Irish: Fionnbhrú) is a Northside suburb of Dublin City, Ireland.

Whitehall is on the northern outskirts of Dublin's inner city, located on the N1 road leading to Dublin Airport, Swords and Belfast, between Santry and Drumcondra. North of Whitehall, the N1 becomes a motorway, the M1. The area is adjacent to the major public Beaumont Hospital and to Dublin City University on Collins Avenue.

Whitehall takes its name from a house named White Hall, formerly located to the south of the village on Drumcondra Road Upper. The area commonly known as Whitehall Cross, at the intersection of the Swords Road (N1) (north-south) and Collins Avenue (east-west), is in the townland of Clonturk, and was formerly the site of a public house called The Thatch, whose memory is preserved in the name of a nearby road.

Education

Whitehall College of Further Education is situated on the old site of Whitehall House. Whitehall College was originally named Whitehall House Secretarial School when it was established in 1970 but has since changed its name to Whitehall College of Further Education to reflects its provision of courses. The college has moved to Mobhi Road from its Swords Road building.

Other most notable features in the area are

Plunket College of Further Education, St. Aidan's Christian Brothers School (whose past pupils include the former Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern and the international footballer Liam Brady), and the Holy Child Girls national school,designed by Robinson and Keefe Architects. The Holy Child boys National School is a similar building designed by the same Architects. Margret Aylward School is a girls secondary school beside ellenfield park and whitehall church.

Dublin City University which has an entrance on Collins Ave., and has purchased land closer to Griffth ave., is addressed as being in Whitehall.

Churches

The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Child, parish of Whitehall-Larkhill-Santry (often called Whitehall Church) is a large redbrick church designed by John Robinson of Robinson Keefe and Devane Architects which is a well-known landmark to travellers on the N1. The tower when viewed from Home Farm is carefully located to stand on the top of a hill on the axis of the road leaving the city. This church is similar in many respects to Galway Cathedral designed by the same Architect. Before the opening of the Church in Whitehall, the area was served by a temporary in Larkhill, known as the Tin Church.

Sporting

National sporting interests are represented by Whitehall Colmcille GAA club from which former All Ireland medal winners Tommy Drumm, Paul Clarke, Paddy Moran and Declan McGrath emanated from. The club is the largest juvenile sporting body in the community here providing Gaelic football, ladies football, Hurling and Camogie to girls and boys from 4 yrs of age up to adult.The area also houses the home ground of prominent junior football club Home Farm F.C., and St Kevins, the schoolboy club for which Liam Brady, Ian Harte, Stephen Carr and Damien Duff played. Whitehall is also the site for one of the interchanges for the Dublin Port Tunnel with the M1. Dubliners band member Luke Kelly also lived in Whitehall and there is a stone in the area dedicated to him. Whitehall Colmcille's Club house on Collin's Ave, was a former tennis club, and the club uses Ellenfield Park for its games, the Club are developing new pitches at Whitehall Cross on land formerly a farm but was used for the construction of the Port Tunnel.

Whitehall Celtic is a football club which is an AUL (Athletic Union League) club based in from the area, Whitehall Rangers A.F.C.(who play in Collinstown), Whitehall Ladies, are other football clubs from the area which use the areas name.

Dublin Archers practice in Plunkett College grounds in Whitehall.

See also