Clondalkin

Clondalkin (Cluain Dolcáin meaning Dolcan's meadow in Irish) is a town/suburb and parish 10km west of Dublin City in the Republic of Ireland, situated in South County Dublin. Clondalkin is home to the well preserved 8th century round tower that acts as a focal point for the area. Acknowledged as one of the oldest and best preserved in the country, it is 84 feet high and has its original conical cap.

History

Clondalkin is believed to have been founded by Saint Crónán as a monastic site over 1400 years ago, sometime around 600 A.D. The round tower which still stands in the village centre was built around a century later, as part of the monastery. By the eighth century, Saint Fugillus was Bishop of Clondalkin and beautiful manuscripts of the gospels were produced, the most famous of these being the Clondalkin mass book which is on display in Karlsruhe Liburg, Germany. Clondalkin was sacked by vikings from Denmark in 832 A.D., and the monastery was burned to the ground. The town remained under Danish control until the viking defeat to Brian Boru at the famous Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Clondalkin witnessed another historic event in 1171, when a fight broke out between Richard de Clare (Strongbow) and the last High King of Ireland Roderick O' Conchúir. Later on, Clondalkin was the scene for some of the fighting in the 1641 Rebellion, when the native Irish rose up against the British. The rebels had taken hold of the town, but it was quickly seized it and burned by British soldiers. Women and children were also involved in the ensuing massacre.

Today

Modern Clondalkin is a busy satellite town of Dublin, with a population of 57,000 in 1996. The area has grown into a centre for business and industry, education, culture and sports. The Irish language is strong, thanks in part to the work of groups like Muintir Chrónáin in promoting the Irish language and culture. There is one Irish-speaking school in the area. The Round Towers Gaelic Athletic Association Club is the second oldest in the country, believed to have been founded by Michael Cusack in 1884.

Local Clubs

Clondalkin Lakers is a local basketball club that has teams playing in Division 1 and Division 3 in the Dublin Men Basketball League. The team plays and trains in Clondalkin Sports & Leisure Complex.

Kickboxing is well represented at all levels & ages at the Bushido Martial Arts Academy in Clondalkin Village.

This article is licenced under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Clondalkin".

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