- Ballybough
Ballybough is a district of north
Dublin ,Ireland situated northeast of Summerhill, between the Royal Canal and theRiver Tolka . Adjacent areas areNorth Strand , Fairview andDrumcondra /Clonliffe . The name derives from the Irish "baile" "town" and "bocht" "poor". The area was synomymous with being a leper colony in the 18th Century when it was then known as Mud Island, an extension of the mud flats that now form Fairview and environs.In olden days, it was a district that attracted characters of ill-repute, drunks, prostitutes and pirates and it was here that the authorities designated an area of burial known colloquially as 'the suicide plot' from which
Bram Stoker derived the idea of the cross for his novel 'Dracula,' the cross being the junction of Clonliffe Road and Ballybough Road.Fact|date=February 2007During the land reclamation project of the 19th century, Mud Island was known, interchangeably, as Friend's Field or French Field, before it became known by its current name. The village of Ballybough traces its origins to a series of small dwellings known as Ballybough Cottages, which were later demolished to make way for the
Dublin Corporation housing project known as Ballybough House.The area was, and still is, a predominantly working-class district of the North Inner City, but is not without its famous people such as the
Luke Kelly ofThe Dubliners folk group for whom Ballybough Bridge over the River Tolka is named. The film directorJim Sheridan (My Left Foot ,The Field ) is also from the area.Close by at Jones' Road is
Croke Park , the headquarters of theGaelic Athletic Association . This sports stadium is among the most modern in Europe with a capacity of 83,000. In addition to hurling and gaelic football it is also used as a rock concert venue. It is here thatU2 has played to some of its largest audiences. The stadium was also the venue where world boxing championMuhammad Ali defeated 'Al Blue' Lewis in a non-title fight in 1972.
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