Doesn’t “Cool Corner” just conjure up the quaintest image? That’s precisely what “An Chúlóg” the Irish name for Coolock DED 1971 means. Today we will look at Coolock DED 1971 in Dublin.
Coolock’s story stretches back millennia. Imagine Bronze Age settlers here around 1500 BC. A burial site bears witness to their presence. Over time a small early Christian church became the heart of a growing community. St. John’s Catholic Church was later built nearby.
In 1199, Henry II granted the feudal barony of Coolock to the Archbishop of Dublin. The barony covered a vast area. It stretched from the coast to Phoenix Park and north to Swords.
Coolock remained a small village until the 1950s. Bonnybrook and Kilmore West grew. A new centre for the area began to take shape. The old village once stood on Malahide Road. But the road was rerouted slightly east. Further north, a secondary hamlet called Newtown Coolock emerged. Darndale and Priorswood developed later in Coolock’s northern reaches.
The Santry River meanders through Coolock. It creates a linear park with tranquil ponds. Coolock sits on relatively flat land a little above sea level. Small green spaces dot the residential areas.
Coolock lies at the heart of Dublin’s Northside suburbs. These include Kilbarrack Donaghmede and Edenmore. Coolock itself includes Ayrfield Bonnybrook and Darndale. There is no official legal boundary. But Coolock remains one of Dublin’s largest residential areas. Oscar Traynor Road cuts through Coolock. It links Malahide Road to Santry. The road is named after War of Independence politician Oscar Traynor.
Dublin Corporation built much of Coolock. This was part of a phased inner-city slum clearance from the 1950s to 1980s. Dublin City Council estimates that “Coolock” addresses make up its largest stock of local authority houses.
Cara Park and Dominick Park are in the Belcamp area. These are large Traveller halting sites. They include an adult education centre and pre-school. A smaller traditional Traveller settlement exists near Clare Hall Shopping Centre.
Public parks include Santry River Linear Park. The Stardust Memorial Garden in Bonnybrook commemorates the 48 Stardust nightclub fire victims. Parnells GAA club is located in Coolock village.
Coolock serves as a local government hub. It houses a Dublin City Council centre NEAR FM community radio and a Health Services Executive centre.
Coolock has given its name to religious divisions for centuries. Today multiple Catholic churches and Church of Ireland buildings stand in the area. Additional Catholic parishes include Bonnybrook and Ayrfield.
Several factories and industrial estates are on Coolock’s outskirts. Cadbury Ireland has manufactured chocolate products here since 1957. The Tayto Crisps factory operated until 2005. Northside Shopping Centre was Ireland’s first covered shopping centre.
Henry Grattan of Belcamp Park and novelist Charles Lever were linked to Coolock. The area featured in the 1991 film The Commitments.
Coolock may not have a rail system but Dublin Bus serves it well. The area is accessible via the N32 and Oscar Traynor Roads. Roads were destroyed between Ireland and Northern Ireland in 1971.
And in 1971 Ireland switched to decimal currency. Aer Lingus took delivery of its first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. The Eurovision Song Contest was held in Dublin.
Coolock: a little corner with a big story. Its layers of history nature community and culture make it a fascinating place.