Sandymount

For the hill in New Zealand, see Sandymount, New Zealand.
Sandymount
Dumhach Thrá
Town
Sandymount

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 53°19′31″N 6°12′25″W / 53.3252°N 6.2069°W / 53.3252; -6.2069Coordinates: 53°19′31″N 6°12′25″W / 53.3252°N 6.2069°W / 53.3252; -6.2069
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Dublin
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Area code(s) 01, +353 1
Irish Grid Reference O190325

Sandymount (Irish: Dumhach Thrá) is an affluent coastal suburb in Dublin 4 on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It is in the Dublin South-East constituency and the Pembroke Ward. It was once part of Pembroke Township, which took its name from the fact that this area was part of the estate of the Earl of Pembroke.

An early name for the area was Scal'd Hill or Scald Hill.[1] During the 18th Century, there was a village called Brickfield Town on the site of Sandymount Green.[1] This took its name from Lord Merrions Brickfields which stretched from here to Merrion at the time.[1]

Geography

Sandymount is located between 3 and 4 km south east of Dublin City, In the north end it begins where Newbridge Avenue meets Herbert Road to Church Avenue at the coast and west along the DART rail line and south to Merrion Gates. Sandymount Promenade runs along the coast road (Strand Road) from Sandymount Strand down to Merrion Gates. It lies a little south of the Great South Wall in Dublin Bay. Neighbouring suburbs are Ballsbridge, Merrion and Irishtown.

The area is served by the (DART) commuter rail system and two stops are located in the area, Sandymount and Sydney Parade. It is served by Dublin Bus routes 1, 18 and 47. It was once served by routes 2, 3 which ceased operation on 12 May 2012 and 52 which ceased operation in 1998. Both the Greystones and Dalkey Aircoach services to Dublin Airport have two stops in Sandymount.

Sandymount railway station on the electrified (DART) suburban railway system was originally opened in January 1835[2] and continues to this day.

Amenities

Sandymount Castle, c.1910

Sandymount Green is a triangular park located next to the village. The houses along the south side of the green are part of what once was Sandymount Castle and the roads behind this bear the name. There are some shops, restaurants and cafés around the green. http://sandymountpost.com is a local online news and directory publication.

The sports of cricket and rugby are very prominent in the area and we have two gymnasia.

The Gaelic Athletic Association club Clan na Gael Fontenoy operate in the area and attract many players from Sandymount.

Epworth badminton club have club nights twice a week in the village and also run a summer club.

In more recent years, Sandymount has opened new restaurants, which is great for our locals and visitors alike. Most of these are located within the village and Sandymount Green.

The promenade is a 2.5 km walkway along the coast from Gilford Avenue to Saint Alban's Park, however there are plans to lengthen the promenade to connect with the S2S Sandycove to Sutton Cycleway. Much of this work has begun.

The Strand

Main article: Sandymount Strand

Sandymount Strand is situated next to the village and suburb of Sandymount in Dublin. The large strand, which is part of the South Bull, (a mirror to the North Bull sandbank, which grew into North Bull Island) is a major component of the south side of Dublin Bay. The strand runs from this point to Merrion Gates.

Sandymount Strand is a popular place for locals to take a walk. People and cars have been occasionally trapped by the incoming tide.

The Baths

The Merrion Promenade Pier and Baths Co. built Sandymount swimming baths in 1883. The baths measured approximately 40 by 40 metres, with a 75-metre pier added in 1884. The pier featured a bandstand halfway along it and summer concerts were regularly held there for many years. By 1920, the pier had deteriorated so much that it had to be demolished. The concrete baths section, which resembles a small harbour out on the sands, remains; the baths still remain in Sandymount but they have fallen into disrepair mainly by storm damage.

Sandymount Martello Tower

About halfway along the strand is the Sandymount Martello tower, part of a system of defences built to warn of an invasion by Napoleon. The Tower was a popular cafe back in the 1960s. An attempt to turn the tower into a restaurant led to the installation of a large window with roller blinds on the seaward side of the tower. The restaurant never opened, leaving the tower with the modified window, and landscaped exterior abandoned on the strand.

Religion

The Church of Ireland Church of St John of the Evangelist is located at the top of St John's Road. The Catholic church in Sandymount is dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea and is near the north end of Sandymount Road. Christ Church, on Sandymount Green, is a united Methodist and Presbyterian church, which appoints a minister from either denomination alternately and Mount Tabor nursing home shares the grounds of the church.

The area is also home to a house of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa.

People

The following people were born in Sandymount:

The following live or have lived in Sandymount:

Literary references

Sandymount Strand is the most famous beach in Irish fiction, James Joyce based two episodes of his epic novel Ulysses here:
On the morning of Bloomsday, in the Proteus episode, Stephen Dedalus wanders "into eternity" on the strand; later the same day, Leopold Bloom sits on a rock and watches while young Gertie lifts her skirt as Bloom pleasures himself. It was this incident in the Nausicaa episode which led to the banning of the book in the USA for alleged obscenity.

“ In long lassoes from the Cock lake the water flowed full, covering greengoldenly lagoons of sand, rising, flowing - Ulysses, James Joyce. ”

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sandymount.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Poolbeg Lighthouse and the South Wall Extension, Irishtown, Sandymount, Beggardbush and Baggotrath, Chapter II from Weston St. John Joyces' 1920 work The Neighbourhood of Dublin
  2. ↑ "Sandymount Halt" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
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