- Blessington
Infobox Irish Place
name = Blessington
gaeilge = Baile Coimín
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 39px; top: 32px
north coord = 53.1748
west coord = 6.5254
irish grid = N976142
area =
elevation = 223 m
province =Leinster
county =County Wicklow
town pop = 4,018
census yr = 2006
web =Blessington (irish place name|Baile Coimín|Town of Coimín) is a town in
County Wicklow , Ireland. It is located on theN81 road , which connectsDublin toTullow .History
Blessington was originally called "Munfine", and in the Medieval period was part of the lordship of
Threecastles . In 1667, the Archbishop of Dublin andLord Chancellor of Ireland ,Michael Boyle , bought the lordship of Threecastles, previously the property of the Cheevers for £1,000. Boyle received a Royal Charter to establish the town of Blessington, in the townland of Munfine, as aborough . Construction ofBlessington House was begun in 1673 and afterwards St. Mary’s Church in Blessington, which was completed in 1683. On Boyle's death in 1702 his son Morough,Baron Boyle andViscount Blessington , inherited the Blessington estate. Morough’s son, Charles, died in 1732 without an heir and the estate was inherited by his sister Anne, then her son William Stewart,Viscount Mountjoy andBaron Stewart . Stewart died in 1769 without an heir and the estate passed to Charles Dunbar, a great grandson of Morough Boyle, who also died heirless in 1778, when the estate passed to Wills Hill ofHillsborough, County Down , a great great grandson of Michael Boyle and the firstMarquess of Downshire . The Hills held the estate until 1908.Russborough House is situated 5 km south of Blessington.Development
Since 2000, Blessington's population has increased substantially, at 4,018 at the 2006 census, up from 2,509 in 2000. Housing estates are being constructed on the western side of the town, off the R410, which is the road to
Naas .A new inner bypass has also been opened that alleviates traffic on the Main Street to some degree. Due to the expanding pressures of Dublin, house prices in Blessington have soared in recent years, and it is now one of the most expensive outer suburban commuting areas in which to live in the
Leinster region.Fact|date=June 2008 It is estimated that the population will at least double between 2006 and 2012.Fact|date=June 2008Significant infrastructure improvements since 2005 include:
* A new public playground.
* A new fire station.
* A new library.
* A new town centre retail development, including a new Dunnes Stores.
* New inner bypass road.
* Expansion in size and addition of large car park to SuperValu supermarket.Education
In 2006, two new schools where established,
- Gaelscoil na Lochanna (School of the Lakes) was founded to cater for those in Blessington and the surrounding area who wished to educate their children primarily through the Irish language. The school was sited initially on the grounds of the Community Education Centre, with a plan to move to a green field site on the Kilmalum road in 2009.
- Educate Together established a new national school in the town, founded on the site of a long standing school and benefitting from a large sports field.These new schools supplement the existing primary schools in the town, Saint Mary's National School and the Number One school (Church of Ireland). A new building has been built across the road from the original Saint Mary's school, in order to alleviate overcrowding and the Number One school moved into a new building in 2008.
A new library was also opened at the end of 2006 on the first floor of the new town centre building, above the anchor tenant, Dunnes Stores.
Transport
In 1888, the
Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway service commenced fromTerenure to Blessington viaTallaght , linking with the horse trams from the city. This service ended at the end of December 1932 and was replaced with a conventional bus service, the 65, which still acts as the only public transport in the area to the city centre.Bus Éireann , the national bus company, also provides a minor service, because Blessington is upon the N81.Pollaphuca Reservoir
Also known locally as the Blessington Lake, the reservoir was created when the waterfall at
Poulaphouca on theRiver Liffey (which flows from theWicklow Mountains toDublin ) was dammed by the ESB for a hydroelectric plant which is still in use today. The valley was flooded and the resulting lakes extend over approximately 5,000 acres (20 km²). A small village was submerged by the damming of the waterfall, and the remains of roads can still be seen leading down into the lake.In addition to electricity, the lakes also provide water for the locality and the Dublin region as well as provide a leisure resource. There is now a lakeside luxury hotel complex in the Blessington area, with its own helipad, and lakeside facilities which has helped to develop tourism in the area. The lake is also extensively used by boatmen and fishermen, and is a training location for the
Irish Air Corps HQ divisions from Baldonnel, 15 km north of Blessington, and also Local Civil Defence Water rescue teams.See also
* List of towns in Ireland.
* Market Houses in Ireland.External links
* [http://www.blessington.info Blessington Parish Website]
* [http://www.educatetogether-blessington.ie Blessington Educate Together National School]
* [http://www.gaelscoilnalochanna.net/ Gaelscoil Na Lochanna Website]
* [http://www.blsc.ie/ Blessington Sailing Club]
* [http://gofree.indigo.ie/~nigelo/dbstframes.htm Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway]
* [http://www.bvcmc.com Blessington Vintage Car and Motorcycle Club Website]
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