Balbriggan


Balbriggan is a town 34 km from Dublin in the northern part of Fingal, Ireland. The 2016 census population was 21,722 for Balbriggan and its environs.

Etymology

According to P.W. Joyce, the name arises from Baile Breacain , which literally means "Brecan's Town". Brecan is a common medieval first name and there are several other Brackenstowns in Ireland. There is also a possible link to the local Bracken River, in which case the name could derive from breicín, meaning "little trout".
Many locals however have traditionally felt that Baile Brigín means "Town of the Little Hills", due to the relatively low hills that surround the town.
The town's name could be derived from the word brecan, as the area was part of a Medieval kingdom known as Brega, populated by a tribe or clan known as the Bregii, and the aforementioned River Bracken.

History

There is no consensus about when the foundation of the town occurred, other than there may always have been a small settlement of fishermen, weavers and some sort of agricultural trade post.

18th century

An 18th century traveller described Balbriggan as "... a small village situated in a small glin where the sea forms a little harbour – it is reckoned safe and is sheltered by a good pier. The village is resorted to in Summer time by several genteel people for the benefit of bathing."
Balbriggan owes its rise from a small fishing village to a place of manufacturing and commercial importance to the local landowner and eminent judge George Hamilton, Baron of the Court of Exchequer, who, in 1780, introduced cotton manufacture, for which he erected factories. He also greatly improved the harbour by building the pier, which was completed in 1763.

19th century

Lewis's Topographical Directory of Ireland, from 1837, refers to Balbriggan as follows:

A seaport, market and post village and a chapelry, in the parish and barony of Balrothery, county of Dublin, and province of Leinster, 15 miles from Dublin; containing 3,016 inhabitants.

The inhabitants are partly employed in the fishery, but principally in the manufacture of cotton; there are two large factories, the machinery of which is worked by steam-engines and water-wheels of the aggregate power of 84 horses, giving motion to 7,500 spindles, and spinning upon the average about. of cotton yarn per week. More than 300 persons are employed in these factories, to which are attached blue dye-works ; and in the village and neighbourhood are 942 hand-looms employed in the weaving department. The principal articles made at present are checks, jeans, calicoes and fustians. The village is also celebrated for the manufacture of the finest cotton stockings, which has been carried on successfully since its first establishment about 40 years since; there are 60 frames employed in this trade, and the average produce is about 60 dozen per week. There are on the quay a large corn store belonging to Messrs. Frost & Co., of Chester, and some extensive salt-works; and in the village is a tanyard.

The fishery, since the withdrawing of the bounty, has very much diminished: there are at present only 10 wherries or small fishing boats belonging to the port. The village carries on a tolerably brisk coasting trade: in 1833, 134 coal vessels, of the aggregate burden of 11,566 tons, and 29 coasting vessels of 1,795 tons, entered inwards, and 17 coasters of 1,034 tons cleared outwards, from and to ports in Great Britain. The harbour is rendered safe for vessels of 150 tons' burden by an excellent pier, completed in 1763, principally by Baron Hamilton, aided by a parliamentary grant, and is a place of refuge for vessels of that burden at 3/4 tide. A jetty or pier, 420 feet long from the N. W. part of the harbour, with a curve of 105 feet in a western direction, forming an inner harbour in which at high tide is 14 feet of water, and affording complete shelter from all winds, was commenced in 1826 and completed in 1829, at an expense of £2,912–7s–9d, of which the late Fishery Board gave £1,569, the Marquess of Lansdowne £100, and the remainder was subscribed by the late Rev. Geo. Hamilton, proprietor of the village. At the end of the old pier there is a lighthouse.

The Drogheda or Grand Northern Trunk railway from Dublin, for which an act has been obtained, is intended to pass along the shore close to the village and to the east of the church. The market is on Monday, and is abundantly supplied with corn, of which great quantities are sent to Dublin and to Liverpool; and there is a market for provisions on Saturday. Fairs are held on the 29th of April and September, chiefly for cattle. A market-house was erected in 1811, partly by subscription and partly at the expense of the Hamilton family. The village is the headquarters of the constabulary police force of the county; and near it is a Martello tower with a coast guard station, which is one of the nine stations within the district of Swords. Petty sessions for the north-east division of the county are held here every alternate Tuesday.

The chapelry of St. George, Balbriggan, was founded by the late Rev. G. Hamilton, of Hampton Hall, who in 1813 granted some land and settled an endowment, under the 11th and 12th of Geo. III., for the establishment of a perpetual curacy; and an augmentation of £25 per annum has been recently granted by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners from Primate Boulter's fund. In 1816 a chapel was completed, at an expense of £3,018–2s–2d, of which £1,400 was given by the late Board of First Fruits, £478-15s–2d., was raised by voluntary subscriptions of the inhabitants and £1,139-7s-0d., was given by the founder and his family. This chapel, which was a handsome edifice with a square embattled tower, and contained monuments to the memory of R. Hamilton, Esq., and the Rev. G. Hamilton, was burned by accident in 1835, and the congregation assemble for divine service in a school-room until it shall be restored, for which purpose the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £480. The living is in the patronage of G. A. Hamilton, Esq.

There is a chapel belonging to the R.C. Union or district of Balrothery and Balbriggan, also a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. A parochial school and dispensary are in the village.

in the background

Historical events

Medieval battle

According to Ware, a medieval annalist, a battle took place at Balbriggan on Whitsun-eve, 1329, between the combined forces of John de Bermingham, Earl of Louth and Richard, Lord of Malahide, and several of their kinsmen, and the forces of local rival families, the Verduns, Gernons and Savages, who were opposed to the elevation of the earl. In this event, the former, with 60 of their English followers, were killed.

William III

William III camped here after the Battle of the Boyne, in July 1690.

Milling

Balbriggan was the location of the 19th century Smith's Stocking Mill, which made stockings as well as men's "Long-Johns" called Balbriggans. These are often mentioned in John Wayne films – 'he put his balbriggans on' – and both Queen Victoria and the Czarina of Russia also wore "Balbriggans".
Balbriggan's strong textile connections also include the linen & cotton manufacturing of Charles Gallen & Company, who in 1870, purchased the existing weaving mill and associated facilities built by Baron Hamilton. The firm became famous as the finest linen weavers in Ireland and had custom all over the world. They were also suppliers of linens to the Vatican, Embassies of Ireland and the US, and fine hotels worldwide. The business continues today from another location as the old mill in the town centre has been redeveloped.

Sack of Balbriggan

The assault on the village's population by the British Black and Tans based in the nearby Gormanston military barracks on 20 September 1920 was one of the more infamous acts of the Irish War of Independence. This event, known as the "Sack of Balbriggan", resulted in the destruction of 54 houses and a hosiery factory, and the looting of four public houses. The attack received much international attention due to Balbriggan's position close to foreign news correspondents in Dublin. A subsequent delegation from the United States pledged to rebuild thirty homes in the village and a local factory. Other deaths followed during the war, most noticeably those of Séamus Lawless and Sean Gibbons who were bayoneted to death by the British forces on 21 September 1920. A plaque on Bridge Street in the town commemorates their murder.

Wavin

has been manufacturing plastic pipes, contributing to the provision of running water in many Irish rural homes, in their purpose-built facility since 1962.

Location and access

Balbriggan is 32 km north of Dublin city, in the northern part of the traditional County Dublin. It lies on the Belfast–Dublin main line of the Irish rail network. Commuter rail services serve Balbriggan railway station, which opened on 25 May 1844 and closed for goods traffic on 2 December 1974. It is estimated that about 2,200 commuters use the station every working day.
The town is also located next to the M1 motorway, which was completed in 1998. Prior to this, the main Dublin-Belfast road went through the centre of the town, with major traffic congestion on a daily basis.
Bus service is provided by Dublin Bus routes 33, 33A and 33X as well as Bus Éireann routes 101 and 104.
It is the most northerly town in Fingal, and is situated close to Bettystown, Laytown and Drogheda.
Balbriggan experienced a population boom in the early part of the 2000s as a result of the large demand for housing within the wider Dublin region. The population has increased as a result, with hundreds of new homes being built.

Geography

The River Bracken, also known as the Matt River, which flows through the town, once formed a lake known locally at "the Canal" or "Head". The water was sluiced through a canal and tunnels down to the Lower Mill where it turned a waterwheel to drive the cotton manufacturing machinery. The retaining wall of the reservoir collapsed in the 1960s and the area was reclaimed through land-fill in the early 1980s to create a public park.
On the northern edge of the town, the small Bremore River comes to the sea just beyond the Martello Tower.

Amenities

The town is coastal and has a sandy beach. It was at one time a holiday destination for people from Dublin city.
Balbriggan is also the location of a Sunshine Home which aims to provide a holiday to underprivileged children from the Greater Dublin area. The home is operated by the Sunshine Fund, a unique branch of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul which provides week-long summer breaks for children aged 7 to 11 from disadvantaged parts of Dublin, Meath, Wicklow and Kildare. The purpose-built home has hosted these holidays since 1935, with over 100,000 young people having passed through their doors.

Economy

The Department of Foreign Affairs has located a passport production facility in Balbriggan. There is also a proposal to relocate the Drogheda International Seaport to the Bremore Port area to the north of the town. Local development bodies expect that the proposed Bremore Port and orbital motorway projects as well as the existing M1 motorway and Belfast – Dublin railway are major draws to prospective companies with large logistical sectors hoping to expand or set up in the Fingal area.
Balbriggan Town Hall served as home to Balbriggan Town Council until the council's dissolution in 2014.
Over the Easter 2008 weekend precast engineering company Techrete moved their production facility from Howth to Stephenstown Industrial Park with their head office set to follow.

Buildings of note

In 2011, approximately 31% of the town's population is classified as being non-ethnic Irish, with about 12 per cent being of black background. The population of the town and its environs rose to a figure of almost 23,000 in 2015.

Education

Primary

Balbriggan has a number of primary schools, including:
The town is also served by two primary schools located nearby but outside the town proper:
There are five secondary schools in the town:
Ardgillan Community College was closed abruptly in October 2018 after adverse fire safety findings. Problems were identified, and are being found, are other schools built by the same Dungannon-based company, Western Building Systems.

Adult Education

Fingal Adult Education Service offers numerous adult education courses both full and part-time.

Sport

Athletics

Balbriggan and District AC is the local athletic club, with members starting at 6 years old in Little Athletes, and competing from 8 years old up to senior and masters level. The club is all-inclusive and has runners at every level.

Gaelic games

is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club which was founded in 1918. The club operates a "skills camp" on a Saturday morning for five- to eight-year-olds, indoors during winter. The club plays football at U-8, U-9, U-10, U11, U-12 and U-14. Girls football is played at U-13, U-14 and U-15. Hurling is catered for ages U-8, U9, U-10, U-12 and U-14. There is a juvenile camogie team, aimed at girls aged 10/12 years old. At adult level the club has one football team competing in AFL5 and the Dublin Intermediate Football Championship and one Junior hurling team and currently fields juvenile hurling and football teams from U-7 to U-18. There are two adult male football teams that play in AFL5, AFL11N, a Junior Hurling team and a Div 2 Ladies Senior Team.

Soccer

Balbriggan has five soccer clubs:

Balbriggan Football Club

Formerly known as Clonard Celtic, this club amalgamated with another club in the area, Balscadden Blues, in the 1990s. Balbriggan F.C. now fields numerous under age teams from under 8s right up to under 18s. The three senior teams currently play in the Leinster Senior League and work has now been completed on their new clubhouse located in Bremore, Balbriggan.

Glebe North Football Club

Established in 1945, this club is the most successful in the town. Several past players have received international honours; both Anthony Guildea and Michael Reid were capped for Ireland at junior level. The club has 2 Senior teams playing in the Leinster Senior League and 16 schoolboy/girl teams playing in the NDSL Leagues. The main pitch and clubhouse are located at Market Green, the club also has a fully floodlit main pitch and a fully floodlit all-weather pitch.

Hyde Park Football Club

Ringcommon Wanderers Football Club

Established in late 1999, this club is the newest and probably the smallest in the town. Players hail from Balbriggan, Stamullen, Naul, Drogheda, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and Swords. Currently it consists of a women's and a men's senior team only. The Ring Commons Sports Centre is the club's homeground.

Balrothery Football Club

A new and recently founded football club and is the newest club in Balbriggan and it only has a small number of teams.
Note: The last-named soccer club use the Ring Commons sports facilities, which include two soccer pitches, floodlit soccer training areas, an 18-hole Pitch and Putt course, and a rugby pitch, with plans underway to open a further number of full size soccer pitches. The clubhouse includes a large meeting hall, as well as offices, kitchen, changing rooms, toilets, showers and a fully licensed bar.

Tennis

was founded in 1925. They currently field men's and women's teams. The men's team play in the Leinster League, Div.2A and Leinster North East Area League. The women's team play in Division 2. They also field several underage teams from U7s through to U18s. They also field girl's youth rugby teams. The club started the 2007-08 season playing at the new club grounds outside of Balrothery, Co. Dublin next door to North County Cricket Club. The club plans further major developments which will see the building of a clubhouse, new pitches and training areas. On Friday 14 November 2008 the 500 Lux Flood Lighting system was turned on for the first time on the main pitch, soon to be followed by the second pitch. The third full-size sand-based all-weather pitch was opened during the 2009-10 season.

Cricket

The cricket club's home ground is in the 'Town Park', beside the Catholic Church.

Golf

Balbriggan Golf Club is an 18-hole parkland golf course, about 30 km north of Dublin city, established in 1945, and redeveloped 2007–09.

Pitch & Putt

Ringcommons Pitch & Putt club was established in 1998 with its own 18 hole pitch & putt course.

Religion

[Roman Catholic]

Balbriggan is a parish in the Fingal North deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. The parish church is the Church of Ss. Peter and Paul, with Mass available in English and Polish. This church features two stained glass windows by Harry Clarke.

[Church of Ireland]

In the Church of Ireland structure, Balbriggan forms part of a combined parish with Balrothery and Balscadden. The parish church, on Church St., is dedicated to St. George.

Baptist">Baptists">Baptist

There is a Baptist congregation that meets at premises on Hampton St.

Pentecostal">Pentecostalism">Pentecostal

Pentecostal congregations meet at premises on Dublin Street and Hampton Street.

People of note