Blanchardstown

Blanchardstown ("Baile Bhlainséir" in Irish) is a growing outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The area is located 10 km north-west of Dublin City and covers most of the "An Post" postal district Dublin 15. It is administered by Fingal County Council, and is that Council's largest urban area, though its headquarters are located in Swords.

Etymology

The town's name means "estate of a family called Blanchard", an Anglo-Norman surname. The name was recorded in 1385 as "villa de Blanchard".

Population

The 2006 Census recorded a population of 90,952 [http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006_prelim_press_release.pdf] in Blanchardstown and its immediate environs. However, if the greater area is included this figure is much larger (well over 100,000) and the area is on a par with cities like Limerick.

Transport

The area is located just beyond the M50, lying just past one of the main junctions on the orbital motorway, slightly to the north of the tolled crossing of the River Liffey.. The M50 upgrade has replaced the barrier-operating toll booths with a free flow toll facility consisting of licence plate recognition cameras erected on gantry posts which scans number plates and charges the driver the appropriate toll.

Blanchardstown suffers from ongoing traffic problems because of rapid development and a lack of public transportationFact|date=March 2008, with long waits at bus stops, overcrowded buses and difficulty in getting on trains as they pass the nearest, Castleknock Bridge, stationFact|date=March 2008. Most areas in Blanchardstown are still served by the same bus networks (routes 38 and 39) that have been in place since the 1970s, when its population was a fraction of what it is today.Fact|date=March 2008

The average journey time for the 6 mile trip to the city centre for most commuters from the greater Blanchardstown area peaks at up to 2 hoursFact|date=March 2008, which is disproportionately higher than the European averageFact|date=March 2008. This same journey took 30 minutes in 1970Fact|date=March 2008. Curiously, of the two more frequent services running to and from Blanchardstown, only one goes through the large shopping campus.

Blanchardstown is served by several Dublin Bus routes: 38/A/B/C, 39/A/B/C/X, 70, 76a, 220, 236, 237, 238, 239 and 270. The privately owned URBus also serves the town going to and from Swords via Dublin Airport.

The majority of delays in the area occur close to the village of Blanchardstown and the N3, due to low road capacity and poor road planning.Fact|date=March 2008

Education and business

The suburb is the location of Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown as well as some prominent multinational companies like IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Symantec and eBay.

Government

Fingal County Council operates a local Blanchardstown office adjacent to the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre where most local government needs can be addressed. The Council's transportation department operates exclusively from the Blanchardstown office and local planning decisions are led by planners based in this local office.

Clubs and Societies

* [http://www.cordufffc.com Corduff FC]
* [http://www.veronafc.ie Verona FC]
*St. Brigid's GAA Club
* [http://www.blanchardstownbrassband.com Blanchardstown Brass Band]
*St. Peregrines GAA Club

External links

* [http://www.blanchardstowncic.ie/ Blanchardstown & Dublin 15 Citizens Information Centre]
* [http://www.fingalcoco.ie/ Fingal County Council]
* [http://www.cordufffc.com/ Corduff FC]
* [http://www.northcountydublin.com/Map_of_Blanchardstown Map of Blanchardstown]
* [http://www.blanchardstowncentre.ie/ Blanchardstown Shopping Centre]
* [http://www.csid.ie The National Sports Campus Development Authority]
* [http://www.itb.ie/ Institute of Technology Blanchardstown]
* [http://www.stjohncastleknock.ie/ St. John Ambulance Brigade - Castleknock (Dublin 15) Division]
* [http://www.stbrigidsgaa.com/ St.Brigids GAA Club]
* [http://www.blanchutd.ie/boxing/boxing.html St Brigids Boxing Club - Boxing Club in Dublin 15]
* [http://www.dublin15cc.com/ The Dublin 15 Community Council]

References