- Rathcoole, Dublin
Infobox Irish Place
name = Rathcoole
gaeilge = Rath Cúil
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 26px; top: 104px
north coord = 53.2827778
west coord = 6.4727778
irish grid = O019268
area =
elevation = 148 m (485 ft)
province =Leinster
county =South Dublin
town pop = 3200
rural pop = n/a
census yr = 2006
web = www.rathcoolevillage.com
|Rathcoole ("Rath Cúil" in Irish) is a suburban village in the administrative area of
South County Dublin , south west ofDublin , Ireland.Location
Rathcoole is situated in the administrative county of
South Dublin . It borders the nearby village ofSaggart and is reputed to lie in the region of a favorite hunting ground of Fionn Mac Cumhaill. It lies just off the N7 route.Geography
The area mainly consists of a park maintained by
South Dublin County Council at the eastern end of the Village. Beechwood Lawns is located in between the main street and the park. Forest Hills is the single largest housing development in Rathcoole, lying between Beechwood Lawns and the western end of the village.A recent housing development, Broadfield Manor, is at the far end of the Rathcoole area and there are various houses in the surrounding hills.
Name
Rath is the Irish word for a ringfort, often erected by wealthy farmers or local chiefs. There are several forts in the parish of Rathcoole, and while there is no definite explanation for the name 'Rathcoole,' it could well be Rath Coole meaning 'the rath of Coole', the father of Fionn. Coole may also come from the Irish word for forest, 'coill'. The rath associated with Rathcoole is in a field between Rathcoole and Saggart.
Historical Notes
The village was the birthplace in 1765 of the United Irishman Felix Rourke. Like nearby Newcastle and Saggart, Rathcoole was on the periphery of the Pale and was the site of many battles with mountain-based rebels. In the late 1700s Rathcoole was composed mainly of mud huts, and as late as the early 1900s it consisted of only one street. Today it is home to more than two hundred and fifty businesses.
port
The Rathcoole football club is known as "Rathcoole Boys" The famous "Commercials Hurling Club " or in Irish "Na Tráchtálaí" located just off the Nass road which has recently been fitted with a new bar in the upstairs of the main clubhouse, and the basketball club is known as "Rathcoole Rockets". Rathcoole is also well known for its famous former olympic winning swimmer, Michelle Smith, who won 3 gold medals at the 1996 summer olympics in Atlanta. Although there is some amount of controversy surrounding Michelle Smith, none.
Education
Holy Family Community School at the western end of the village recently celebrated 25 years. It a secondary school for students form Rathcoole and those commuting from the nearby areas of Clondalkin, Saggart, Tallaght and Brittas. There is also Holy Family National School located at the western end of Forest Hills and a Gaelscoil in Rathcoole Village.
Amenities
One of Rathcoole's more famous pubs is "An Poitin Stil", which opened in 1648. The other pubs in the area are Muldowneys, Baurnafea House, and The Rathcoole Inn. There are four off-licenses located in Rathcoole: Centra, Spar, An Poitin Stil and Tesco. The pubs also do take-away.
Twinned Town
*
École-Valentin , [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/École-Valentin]France officially twinned since 14 April, 2000ee also
*
List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
*Rathcoole (Belfast) , a large housing estate inNewtownabbey ,Northern Ireland .External links
* [http://www.rathcoole.info/ Rathcoole Community Centre web site]
* [http://www.rathcoolevillage.com/ Village web site]
* [http://www.southdublinhistory.ie South Dublin County History]
* [http://www.southdublinimages.ie South Dublin County Images]External sources
"A History of Saggart and Rathcoole Parishes" by Maeve Mulryan Moloney
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
