“An Stang.” The Irish name itself hints at something old and rooted in this Dublin landscape. Stang. We stand within the townland’s borders. It is a place with a name that whispers of history.
Stang is part of Finglas. This is according to records from 1901. Back then, Stang was within the Finglas Electoral Division. It sat in the civil parish of Finglas. The barony of Castleknock oversaw this area.
Do you know what “Stang” means? Some believe it refers to an old measurement of land. Imagine fields measured out using this very term. Patrick Weston Joyce mentioned Stang in his book about Irish names. That book was from 1923. He said a stang was a measure of land. So, when we say Stang, we evoke images of fields.
Stang is not unique. Another Stang exists in County Down. But this one is Dublin’s own. Brianh added Stang to OpenStreetMap in 2015. So, Stang became a digital landmark.
Stang sits at a specific point on the map. Its coordinates are 53° 23′ 30″ N, 6° 16′ 56″ W. Imagine using those coordinates to pinpoint our location. Stang is a small piece of a much larger tapestry. It ranks as the 57749th largest townland nationwide. Within County Dublin, it is the 913th largest. Stang borders other townlands. But those neighbors remain unnamed to us.
Want to delve deeper into Stang’s past? Scans of old census returns are available. These returns show who lived here long ago. Maybe your ancestors once walked this land.
Stang is a place. It connects us to Dublin’s past. It reminds us that even the smallest places have stories. So think about the fields and families that once defined Stang.