- Kingswood, Dublin
Kingswood is a suburban area between
Tallaght andClondalkin ,Dublin ,Ireland .General description
The area is located between Belgard Road and the M50 motorway. Traditionally considered to be part of the hinterland of Clondalkin Village, the area is now divided by the Ballymount Road, with roughly two thirds in Dublin 24, and the remainder, west of the road, in Dublin 22, and therefore served by different Garda Stations. It has a population of approximately 1,600. At the centre of the district is a small shopping centre. It comprises a betting shop, a Chinese and Italian fast-food outlet a dry-cleaners, a hair salon, a pharmacy and a convenience store. Previously it housed a video rental store, a pizzaria, a cafe, a butcher's, and a newsagent.
Other amenities in the district include a primary school, a community centre, a scout hall. The is also an R.C. church and a pub.
Notable features
One of Kingswood's most noteworthy features is the park. Called "Tynan Park" after the poet,
Katherine Tynan , who once lived in Kingswood, the park provides a place to relax in the sunshine. It also has plenty of dark, unpaved regions, which make interesting exploring grounds for youngsters.Tynan Park is also home to the ruins of a castle, known locally as "Kingswood Castle", which was built by
William Parsons in 1622, only to be burned down in 1646 by insurgents. On the north side of the park, there is a mound with a stone ruin on top, which is commonly mistaken for amotte and bailey castle, also built by Parsons. However, it was actually built in the early 1700s by John Butler as a venue for his daughter's wedding. The structure was never fully built, giving it the appearance of a ruin, though in fact it is in good condition.port
Soccer:
* [http://connect.southdublin.ie/kingswoodfc/index.php Kingswood F.C. ] is a local soccer club that was founded in 1988, as Kingwood Boys Football Club, by, amongst others, Paddy Baker, John Hickey and Jimmy Gaynor. The club was nearly called 'Albion F.C.', and a proposed link up with Grimsby Town Football Club in England meant the initial strip consisted of dark purple and white verticle stripes. The first u-15 side, managed by John Hickey, wore such a strip with 'Albion FC' on the left side of the chest. The club swiftly moved to black and white stripes and it was decided to adopt a name to reflect the locality. The club initially fielded most of its teams in the Dublin District Schoolboys League, but now is a member of the South Dublin Football League. The club caters for players from nursery level to under 18s, and the 'Boys' in the original title was dropped in the mid-90s to reflect the growing participation of girls in the club. Originally, all games were played in Kingswood Green, where the small-sided games now take place, before the older teams decamped to a pitch that is now the lake in Ballymount Park. More senior teams now play elsewhere in Ballymount park, beside the Crematorium. In 1990, the club acquired a controversial changing area, a pre-fabricated former church which was placed beside the tennis courts. Following much local pressure, the portable srtucture was placed beside the architecturally similar community centre, where it languished, unloved and vandalised, until replaced in the early 2000s with a metal container. It is proposed that changing facilities will be placed in the new Community Centre. There are also changing facilities in Ballymount Park* [http://www.clondalkinrugby.com/ Clondalkin Rugby Club ] is located here.
###@@@KEYEND@@@###
External links
* [http://www.sdublincoco.ie/index.aspx?pageid=1658# Link to aerial view of Kingswood (select link for Kingswood Shopping Centre Car Park and use zoom feature for wider views)]
* [http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0556/D.0556.200210230022.html Parliamentary debate on St. Killian's junior and senior schools]
* [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=1010 Askaboutireland.ie web page on Katherine Tynan's Kingswood home]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
