Blanchardstown

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blanchardstown (Baile Bhlainséir in Irish) is a sprawling suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Originally a town in its own right, it is now the largest urban area in the County of Fingal, and serves as a regional service centre for the county along with Swords.

1 Etymology
2 Population
3 The Blanchardstown Centre
4 Transport Issues in Blanchardstown
5 Clubs and Societies
6 External links

[edit] Etymology

The town's name means "estate of a family called Blanchard, an Anglo-Norman surname. The name was recorded in 1385 as villa de Blanchard.

[edit] Population

The 2006 Census recorded a population of 90,952 in Blanchardstown and its immediate environs. The suburb is the location of Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown as well as some prominent multinational companies like IBM and eBay. The area covers most of the An Post postal district "Dublin 15".

[edit] The Blanchardstown Centre

The Blanchardstown Centre opened in October 1996 and was Ireland's second major shopping centre at its completion (it followed The Square in Tallaght) and was the country's largest shopping centre until Dundrum Town Centre opened. It is owned by Green Property Limited, and located near the junction of the M50 motorway and N3 road.

The anchor tenants in the centre are Dunnes Stores and Debenhams. An extension added Penneys (Primark), and a second extension, known as the Red Mall, added Marks and Spencer. A number of smaller retail units, including Dixons, HMV, Virgin Megastores, French Connection, Topshop, and others are also present. A multiplex cinema (owned by United Cinemas International) and a number of restaurants (including McDonald's, Burger King, Eddie Rockets, and Pizza Hut) are also present.

The centre environs feature a 24 hour leisure centre (bowling alleys, arcades and quazar), a library, theatre, gym, pub/nightclub, office blocks and several larger outlying retail units (including PC World and Currys).

[edit] Transport Issues in Blanchardstown

Most areas in Blanchardstown are still served by the same bus networks that have been in place since the 1970s, when its population was a fraction of what it is today. Although some concessions have been made with plans to electrify the current rail service (something that was suggested almost 15 years ago), and the extension of the METRO line (due sometime in 2012), it seems too little, too late.

The average journey time for the 6 mile trip to the city centre for most commuters from the greater Blanchardstown area peaks at up to 2 hours, which is disproportionately higher than the European average. This same journey took 30 minutes in 1970.