Portrane

Portrane (pronounced "PortRANN", in Irish "Port Reachrainn") is a small seaside resort just one kilometre from the larger town of Donabate in County Dublin, Ireland. Portrane is sometimes spelled Portraine or Portrahan.

Portrane comes from the Irish "Port Reachrainn", meaning the Port of "Reachrú" (place of many shipwrecks), the Irish name for Lambay. The name Lambay itself is a corruption of the Norse name Lambe Eye, meaning the island of lambs or sheep.

U2 once spent a summer in Portrane composing the music and lyrics for their acclaimed album, 'The Unforgettable Fire'. It is also the home of a number of well known contemporary musical acts, including Delorentos, Another Great White Hope and the Internet.

Portrane has been used extensively as a location for many film and television shoots. Parts of the Channel 4 television series Father Ted were filmed in Portrane, most notably "Funland" in the first series was filmed in Tower Bay. It also featured in the BBC series "Murphy's Law" starring James Nesbitt.

Transport

Dublin Bus services Portrane with the 33B route which connects to Swords, Dublin. These buses run roughly every half an hour. Those seeking to travel to Dublin City Centre or in the Drogheda direction are advised to disembark from the bus in Donabate and catch the train from there to their destination.

St. Ita's Psychiatric Hospital

Portrane's most prominent feature is the hospital. Now over 100 years old, St Ita's Hospital is an impressive collection of Victorian red brick buildings which dominate the peninsula. Important features within its main building include two churches and the clock tower. In the hospital grounds is a monument to George Evans, a replica of the round tower in Kildare town.

At one time, the hospital catered to over 1,200 residents. Today that number had decreased to fewer than 200, as the HSE prepares to transfer the facilities elsewhere.

Currently the hospital covers several Northside Dublin psychiatric service sectors, including Darndale/Belcamp, Swords, Coolock, Artane, and Kilbarrack.

Leisure facilities

The limestone cliffs at Portrane beach are a popular location for bouldering [http://homepage.eircom.net/~rclimber/portrane.htm] [http://www.theshortspan.com/features/boulderinginireland.htm] , attracting climbers from around Dublin and beyond.