Phibsboro

Phibsborough ("Baile Phib" in Irish), often spelled Phibsboro, is a district of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the Dublin 7 postal district on the north side of the city. The area is very close to the city centre, about two kilometres from the River Liffey which bisects the city. Phibsborough is bordered by Glasnevin, Drumcondra and Cabra. The centre of Phibsborough is a crossroad intersection known as Doyle's Corner.

Amenities and Transportation

The Royal Canal separates Phibsborough from Drumcondra, and the adjacent district of Glasnevin. A spur of the canal (now filled in and partially built upon) leads south towards the City Basin (also known as "Blessington Street Basin"). The filled in canal is now partially covered by a tree lined linear park running alongside the road; The Royal Canal Bank. The ¾-mile branch originally ran south from below the 5th lock on the Royal's main line, under the North Circular Road by Blacquiere Bridge and along the east side of Phibsborough Road. The Foster Aqueduct carried the canal over Phibsborough Road to the terminus, a large harbour at Broadstone.

Phibsborough is also served by several forms of public transport including several routes of Dublin Bus and by the Dublin Suburban railway system through the nearby Drumcondra railway station. Broadstone Station, the former Dublin terminus of the Midland Great Western Railway, is now used as a bus garage by Bus Eireann [ [http://www.techpress.ie/broadstone/station.html Revealing Broadstone Station to Public View] ] and Dublin Bus.

Dalymount Park, the home of League of Ireland football team Bohemian F.C. is also in Phibsborough, although negotiations are underway for the club to move to a purpose-built stadium west of Dublin and for the Dalymount ground to be redeveloped.

Croke Park, one of the largest stadiums in Europe, is approximately two kilometres away as are the National Botanic Gardens which are situated in nearby Glasnevin.

Phibsborough also contains one of the major teaching hospitals of Dublin, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, it is also in close proximity to the Children's Hospital, Temple Street. In early June 2006 the government announced plans to develop a National Children's Hospital on a site adjoining the Mater Hospital.

History

Phibsborough was used for safe houses by the old IRA in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Phibsborough has a number of Old IRA memorials including one to Sean Healy, a 15 year old boy killed by British forces [ [http://www.irishwarmemorials.ie/html/showMemorial.php?show=272 Sean Healy Commemorative plaque] ] It is also home to the Unknown IRA soldier.Fact|date=July 2008

Development

In recent years, Phibsborough has experienced a renaissance and house prices in the area, like in the rest of Dublin, have increased substantially. Moreover, private developers have secured planning permission to upgrade the existing Phibsborough Shopping Centre through a €75 million refurbishment. The area retains much of its original Victorian architecture, including terraces of red-brick houses and majestic churches, such as St. Peter's Church, as well as number of traditional Irish pubs such as Smiths and The Hut. Recently, the government announced plans to close the historic Mountjoy Prison in 2008 and redevelop the site, maintaining at least some of the original building.

External Links

[http://www.oldirishimages.com/towns%20and%20villages/dublin%20city/phibsborough/phibsborough.shtml Historic Images of Phibsborough]
[http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ Census of Ireland, Dublin 1911]

Notes