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Portmarnock

Coordinates: 53°25′18″N 6°08′14″W / 53.4217°N 6.1372°W / 53.4217; -6.1372
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Portmarnock
Port Mearnóg
Village
Martello Tower, Portmarnock
Martello Tower, Portmarnock
Portmarnock is located in Ireland
Portmarnock
Portmarnock
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°25′18″N 6°08′14″W / 53.4217°N 6.1372°W / 53.4217; -6.1372
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyDublin
Elevation
3 m (10 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Urban
circa 20,000

Portmarnock (Irish: Port Mearnóg) is a coastal suburban village in Fingal, Ireland, with significant beaches and one of Ireland's best-known golf clubs, a modest commercial core, and inland residential estates.

Portmarnock is also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Coolock.[2]

Location

Portmarnock lies on the coast between Malahide and Baldoyle. Portmarnock could also be said to border, at sea, Sutton and perhaps Howth in the form of Ireland's Eye. Its major beach is monitored by a life guard during the summer season from early April to the start of October.[3]

Portmarnock Strand

Kites in the sky on Portmarnock beach

Adjacent to Portmarnock is a narrow beach which extends onto a sandy peninsula with beaches on all sides. Portmarnock's beach is nicknamed The Velvet Strand due to the beautiful smooth sand along the beach, and is popular with wind- and kite-surfers.[4]

Southern Cross monument

Portmarnock's beach was the starting point for two important pioneering flights. On 23 June 1930 Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew took off in the Southern Cross (aircraft) on the second, westbound transatlantic flight (to Newfoundland, then they continued on to Oakland, California, completing a circumnavigation of the world. The first solo westbound transatlantic flight began from Portmarnock beach as on 18 August 1932 Jim Mollison, a British pilot, took a de Havilland Puss Moth from Portmarnock to Pennfield Ridge, New Brunswick,Canada.[5]

The sculpture Eccentric Orbit (Rachel Joynt and Remco de Fouw- erected 2002.) at the seafront is of limestone, bronze and stainless steel. The needle points to the North Star, an age-old navigation point. The sculpture commemorates the epic flights of the ‘Southern Cross’ (1930-second ever non-stop east-west North Atlantic flight), the ‘Heart's Content’ (1932-first ever east-west non-stop solo North Atlantic flight) and the abandoned solo flight North-Atlantic of ‘Faith in Australia’ (1933)[6]

Like many of Dublin's coastal settlements, Portmarnock is home to a Napoleonic Martello tower.[7]

Etymology and history

The district's name derives from the Irish word port – meaning port – and Saint Marnoch or Mernoc, said[6] to have arrived in what is now Portmarnock in the 5th century AD.

The area had been settled in Neolithic times, with a number of remains of activity in the area still evident today, such as flints and other tools having been excavated at the northern fringe of Portmarnock. Further, the remains of a ring fort are visible from the air at the south of the town. The son of Queen Maedhbh of Connaught – Maine – is also said to have been buried locally.

Transport

Portmarnock is situated along the northern commuter railway line out of Dublin (also the Dublin-Belfast line); Portmarnock railway station opened on 25 May 1844,[8] is now on the DART network.[9] The village is served by Dublin Bus routes 102, 32, 32X, 42, 42N (Nitelink) and 142.[10] Owing to its proximity to Dublin city, it is a form of dormitory village 15 km (9.3 mi) north-northeast of the city centre. In the 2002 census the population was 8,975 and by 2011 had climbed to 9,285.[11]

Education

There are two primary schools – St. Marnock's and St. Helen's – and also a secondary school, Portmarnock Community School.[12]

Religion

Portmarnock also has a Roman Catholic parish and church.[13]

Sport

Portmarnock is famous for its world class golf course which formally opened on 26 December 1894, while another links course, opened in the 1990s, was designed by German golfer Bernhard Langer.[14] That golf course and its accompanying hotel are built around the former home of the Jameson distilling family.[15]

  • The sandy peninsula to the south of the village is home to Portmarnock Golf Club, which has hosted many golf tournaments, including the 1960 Canada Cup (now known as the World Cup), the 1991 Walker Cup and the Irish Open on many occasions.
  • There are several active sports clubs, such as Portmarnock Tennis Club, Portmarnock A.F.C., AUL Premier A side Seaview Celtic F.C., and the Portmarnock Sport & Leisure Club which encompasses 16 sporting activities.
  • Naomh Mearnóg is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.[16]
  • International footballer Stephen Ward grew up in Portmarnock.
  • Portmarnock Pitch & Putt Club was founded 1958 and moved to it's current location in 1961. Portmarnock Pitch & Putt Club has been affiliated to the Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland since it's foundation in 1961. Portmarnock Pitch & Putt Club is a members only club and currently has 250 adult and 55 Under 16 members.

Representation

Portmarnock lies in the Dublin Fingal[17] Dáil Éireann constituency and in the modern administrative county of Fingal.[18] Prior to 2016 it was in the Dublin North-East constituency.[19]

Notable people

  • Eamonn Andrews, the broadcaster, lived in Portmarnock from 1969 to his death in 1987.[20]
  • Brian McFadden, musician and former Westlife singer, lived in Portmarnock until 2004, when he emigrated to UK with his then Australian fiancée Delta Goodrem.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Portmarnock Settlement Results". Central Statistics Office. 2011.
  2. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland - Portmarnock civil parish, logainm.ie; accessed 11 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Velvet Strand (Portmarnock), Co. Dublin". www.blueflagireland.org. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Portmarnock - The Velvet Strand Blue Flag Beach & Green Coast Award 2016". www.visitdublin.com. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  5. ^ "puss moth - 1932 - 0851 - Flight Archive".
  6. ^ a b "Portmarnock Community Association".
  7. ^ Burns, Veronica. "PORTMARNOCK MARTELLO TOWER".
  8. ^ "Portmarnock station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Retrieved 3 September 2007.
  9. ^ See rail transport in Ireland for more.
  10. ^ "Timetables - Dublin Bus".
  11. ^ "2011 Census Results: Population Classified by Area (Formerly Volume One)" (PDF). 2011 Census. Central Statistics Office (Ireland). 26 April 2012. p. 19. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Portmarnock Community School - Pobal Scoil Phortmearnóg".
  13. ^ "Saint Anne's Parish Portmarnock". Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  14. ^ "Golf Breaks Dublin - Golf Resorts in Ireland - Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links Dublin".
  15. ^ "History".
  16. ^ "Naomh Mearnóg".
  17. ^ "Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013, Schedule".
  18. ^ Council, Fingal County. "Interactive Map of Fingal :  : Fingal County Council".
  19. ^ "Constituencies of Ireland, 2016 -".
  20. ^ "TV star Eamonn Andrews loved Portmarnock home - Independent.ie".
  21. ^ "Brian McFadden: Meeting Vogue was a real life changer... we make each other laugh - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk".
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