Walkinstown Baile Bhailcín (Irish) | |
|---|---|
Suburb | |
.jpg) Walkinstown roundabout | |
  Walkinstown Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°19′17″N6°20′02″W / 53.3215°N 6.3340°W /53.3215; -6.3340 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | Dublin |
| Council | Dublin City Council |
| Dáil Éireann | Dublin South-Central |
| European Parliament | Dublin |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
| • Electoral divisions | 7,442 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
Walkinstown (Irish:Baile Bhailcín)[2] is a suburb ofDublin, Ireland, six kilometres southwest of the city centre. It is surrounded byDrimnagh to the north,Crumlin to the east,Greenhills to the south, andBallymount,Bluebell, andClondalkin to the west. It lies within the postal district ofDublin 12.
It consists mainly of privately owned housing, with some social housing remaining in the Dublin City Council area between the Walkinstown and Long Mile Roads and Ballymount Lower. It was built as an estate of starter homes after World War II.
Walkinstown has a library, community centre, sports grounds, schools, pubs and a Catholic church. The2022 census recorded a population of 7,422 people for all electoral divisions labelled as Walkinstown.[1]
The name of the area is a corruption of Wilkinstown – named after Wilkins, a tenant farmer who lived in the area in the 15th century.[3] The Irish name for the area isBaile Bhailcín.[2]
Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number ofholy well and burial sites in the townlands of Wilkinstown and Greenhills.[4][5] A Bronze Age Linkardstown-type burial, containing a cist burial covered by a mound and cairn, was excavated at Walkinstown Park in the 1930s.[6]
Walkinstown, as a suburb, was a 20th-century creation. The area was a dairy farm until house building began in the 1930s and ended in the 1970s when most of the land was built on. Primary and secondary schools were built in the 1950s and 1960s.[7] The local Catholic church, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary, was built in 1954.[8]
One of several iconic moments from Ireland's unexpected success in the1990 FIFA World Cup took place at Walkinstown roundabout on 25 June 1990.[9] That afternoon, after Ireland beat Romania on penalties to reach the quarter finals of the competition, crowds emerged from several nearby pubs and "invaded" the roundabout to celebrate the win. Amateur footage of the joyous scenes at the junction became synonymous with the mood in the country at the time.[10] In July 2020, ten days after former Irish football managerJack Charlton died, fans gathered at the roundabout to recreate the moment and pay their respects.[11][12]
Walkinstown lies within the postal district ofDublin 12[13] and theDáil constituency ofDublin South-Central.[14] Theelectoral divisions of Walkinstown A, B and C have their northern boundaries along the Naas Road, western boundary at theCammock River, eastern boundary at St. Agnes Road, and southern limits at the boundary between theDublin City Council andSouth Dublin County Council local authority areas.[15]
NeighbouringGreenhills, which was previously within theCatholic parish of Walkinstown, became a separate parish when a new church was built in Greenhills in 1971.[16]Ballymount, which also borders Walkinstown, is considered by some to form part of Walkinstown.[citation needed] The Ballymount area is primarily given over to light industry with less residential housing than Walkinstown. The housing which does exist directly borders the Ballymount Road – which is sometimes listed as being in Walkinstown.[citation needed]
Walkinstown Library, a branch of theDublin City Libraries service, is located on Percy French Road.[17] Walkinstown's post office is in the supermarket on Walkinstown Road.[18]
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The local Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Assumption on Kilnamanagh Road, forms part of a concentration of religious and educational buildings in the area. These include a girls' school, Our Lady of the Assumption, beside the church and a boys' school,Drimnagh Castle CBS, across the Long Mile Road. Both schools provide primary and secondary education.[19][20][21][22]
Walkinstown Park, on Walkinstown Avenue, is maintained byDublin City Council.[23] It has a tennis court and several sports pitches. The Walkinstown Stream, a tributary of the River Cammock, runs along a boundary of the park.[citation needed] There is a children's playground at Walkinstown Green.[24]
The Walkinstown Association, which provides services to people with intellectual disabilities, is based on the Long Mile Road.[25] The localScouting Ireland group is the 94th Dublin.[26]
Retail outlets in the area include aSuperValu supermarket (Walkinstown Road), a Lidl supermarket (Walkinstown Avenue) and an Aldi (Long Mile Road).[citation needed] Several small commercial services, including newsagents, pharmacies and fast food restaurants, are located at the intersection of the Drimnagh, Walkinstown and Long Mile roads and near the Walkinstown Roundabout.[citation needed]
Walkinstown Roundabout is one of the busiest in the city.[27] Its construction was reportedly held up for a number of years due to protracted negotiations to purchase a small whitewashed cottage on the then Walkinstown Cross.[3]
One of the oldest buildings in Walkinstown isDrimnagh Castle on the northern side of Long Mile Road. It dates from 1216 and is the only castle in Ireland with a flooded moat. The Halfway House pub is the oldest one in the area, predating all of the modern housing developments.[28] The pub used to be a coachhouse, halfway between Dublin and Tallaght.[29]
Walkinstown Roundabout or Walkinstown Cross is one of the busiest roundabouts in Dublin.[27] This junction serves six local roads – Walkinstown Road towardsDrimnagh, Bunting Road towards Crumlin, Cromwellsfort Road towardsKimmage and Crumlin, and St Peter's Road towards Greenhills andTempleogue, Greenhills Road towards Tallaght and Ballymount Road towards Ballymount.[27] It also serves theM50 and Walkinstown Avenue towardsBallyfermot.[citation needed]
An area of Walkinstown, north of Cromwellsfort Road, contains a number of streets known as the "musical roads".[30] Roads in this area are named after several figures in Irish music, inducing the tenorCount John McCormack and composersMichael William Balfe,Percy French, andEdward Bunting.[30]
Walkinstown is in the southwest of theDublin City Council area and in local government elections is part of the Ballyfermot-Drimnagh Ward. Since the last local elections in 2024,[31] local representatives on the council are:[32]
Walkinstown is part of theDáil constituency ofDublin South-Central. TheTD for the34th Dáil are:[33]
The firstGaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in the area, St Gerard's Walkinstown Hurling and Football Club, was formed in the 1950s. It subsequently amalgamated with other clubs to formSt James Gaels GAA club.[34] The club maintains facilities in Walkinstown, including at Mooney's Field.[34]
The localassociation football (soccer) team, Walkinstown United Football Club, plays its home games in Walkinstown Park.[35]
Walkinstown Sports and Athletic Association (WSAF) meets at Moeran Community Hall on Summerville Drive. The hall officially opened in 1964.[36]
Walkinstown is served by severalDublin Bus services, including routes 9, 27, 77A, 56A and 151.[37] TheDublin Bus Nitelink 77N service provides a one-way link from the city to Walkinstown Roundabout.[38] The area is also served by theGo-Ahead Ireland route 73.[citation needed]
TheLuas tramRed Line has stops at Bluebell and Kylemore to the north of Walkinstown.[citation needed]
A formerDHL Express mail courier depot in Walkinstown has, since 2018, been a used as a depot for theGo-Ahead Ireland bus service.[39]
Dublin South-Central is a 4-seat constituency [..] It includes, among others, the following locations: Ballyfermot, Bluebell, Chapelizod, Crumlin, Drimnagh, Dolphin's Barn, Inchicore, Kimmage (parts) and Walkinstown.
