Malahide Totally Explained

Everything about Malahide totally explained

Malahide (Mullach Íde in Irish) is a coastal suburban town, with large housing estates on three sides, near Dublin city, located in the administrativeFingal, but generally recognised as being in the boundries of County Dublin, Ireland.

Location and access

Malahide is situated 16 kilometres north of Dublin city, lying between Swords, Kinsealy and Portmarnock. It is situated on an estuary, on the opposite side of which is Donabate. ]
The village is served by the DART and a northside Commuter Rail route that extends to Dundalk, as well as by Dublin Bus.

Name

The modern name Malahide (Mullach Íde) derives from around the 12th century, and may (from Mullach h-Íde) mean the sandhills of the Hydes, probably referring to a Norman family from the Donabate area.

History

While there are some remnants of prehistoric activity, Malahide is known to have become a persistent settlement from the coming of the Vikings, who landed in 795, and used Malahide Estuary (along with Baldoyle) as a convenient base. With the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, the last Danish King of Dublin retired to the area in 1171. From the 1180s, the history of the area is tied to that of the Talbot family of Malahide Castle, who were granted extensive lands in the area and over the centuries following developed their estate, and the small harbour settlement.
By the early 19th century, the village had a population of over one thousand, and a number of local industries, including salt harvesting, while the harbour continued in commercial operation, with landings of coal and construction materials. By 1831, the population had reached 1223. The area grew in popularity in Georgian times as a seaside resort for wealthy Dublin city dwellers. This is still evident today from the fine collection of Georgian houses in the town and along the seafront, and Malahide is still a popular spot for day-trippers, especially in the summer months.
In the 1960s, developers began to build housing estates around the village core of Malahide, launching the first, Ard na Mara in 1964. Further estates followed, to the north, south and west, but the village core remained intact, with the addition of a "marina apartment complex" development to the east.

Today

Malahide grew from a population of 1500 in 1960 to between 20,000 and 25,000 in 2006, and is still a rapidly growing dormitory town for the Dublin area. Most of the population lives outside the core, in a series of large housing estates. It is often noted as one of Dublin's more affluent suburbs. It has the lowest unemployment rate of any town in the Republic of Ireland.

Amenities

Malahide, despite the surrounding, and ongoing, development, has retained a village atmosphere in the centre, and retail facilities are on a modest scale, including a single small supermarket in a modest shopping centre, and many shops on the central streets. There is a broad range of pubs and restaurants, and a mid-sized hotel, the Grand Hotel.
There is an ancient covered well, St. Sylvester's, on the old main street (Old Street, previously Chapel Street), which used to have a "pattern" to Our Lady each August 15th. Malahide also has a substantial marina. ]
Near to the village itself is Malahide Castle and demesne, including, gardens, which were once the estate of Baron Talbot of Malahide.

Leisure and organisations

The Malahide area has more than twenty residents' associations, sixteen of which (May 2007) work together through the Malahide Community Forum, which publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Malahide Guardian.
There is an active historical society (with a small museum at Malahide Castle Demesne), a Lions club, a camera club, a musical and drama society, the renowned Enchiriadis choirs, a chess club and a photography group which has published calendars.
Aside from Malahide Castle Demesne, there are a number of smaller parks (with further spaces planned, for example, at Robswall and Seamount). There are several golf courses nearby, and GAA, soccer, tennis, rugby, yacht clubs and Sea Scouts.

Sport

There are also a wide variety of sports clubs within the Malahide area. Rugby, soccer, GAA sports, sailing, hockey, golf and basketball are all well represented.

Gaelic games

St Sylvesters is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.

Football (soccer)

Malahide United AFC ((External Link

)) was founded in 1944 and currently fields 60 schoolboy/girl teams, from Under 7 to Under 18, and 4 senior teams. They have two Academys, the first one catering for the 5, 6 and 7 year olds and the second one for the 8, 9 and 10 years olds. With over 1,000 registered players, Malahide United is one of the largest clubs in Ireland. The home ground is Gannon Park, which comprises two 11-a-side pitches, one 7-a-side pitch, one 11-a-side floodlit all-weather pitch, one floodlit 5-a-side/warm up all-weather pitch and full clubhouse facilities.
Further pitches are used in Malahide Castle (two 7/9-a-sides and three 11-a-sides) with a further 11-a-side pitch in Broomfield, Malahide.

Rugby

Malahide Rugby Club (www.malahiderfc.ie) have recently moved to a new state of the art clubhouse and sports grounds located opposite the scenic Malahide estuary. Originally founded in 1922, Malahide Rugby Club had to disband during the second World War due to lack of available players. However, in 1978 it was reformed and now fields three senior men's teams, one women's team, four youth teams and six mini rugby teams.

Sailing

There are two sailing clubs (including Swords Sailing & Boating Club), Malahide Yacht Club, Fingal Sailing School, and a 350-berth marina.

Golf

Malahide Golf Club opened in 1892, moving to a new location in 1990. It has a 2-storey clubhouse completed in May 1990, with 1,000 square metres, including bars, a restaurant, conference room and a snooker room.

Education

There are five schools in the environs of Malahide, four primary and one secondary.

Malahide Community School

Pope John Paul National School

St Sylvester's Infant School

St Andrews National School

St Oliver Plunkett's National School

Religion

The area has two Roman Catholic parishes, a Church of Ireland parish and forms part of a Presbyterian community, with a church built in 1956 as the first Presbyterian church in the Republic of Ireland since 1922 (it is one of two churches of the Congregation of Howth and Malahide).

Transport

Malahide railway station opened on 25 May 1844. It is now one of the northern termini of the DART system, (the other being Howth.

People

Malahide was the hometown of U2 bassist Adam Clayton and The Edge.

Notable Malahide residents include Ronan Keating, Brendan Gleeson and Stephen Rea, Westlife's Nicky Byrne, Cecilia Ahern, and Olympic sailor David Burrows.

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