Stoneybatter, historically known as Bohernaglogh (), is a neighbourhood of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, on the Northside of the city between the

River Liffey The River Liffey ( Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the Riv ...

, the

North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London in England. It runs from Chiswick in the west to Woolwich in the east via suburban North London, connecting ...

, Smithfield Market, and Grangegorman. It is in the D7 postal district. The name dates from at least 1603. It is often referred to as Dublin's "hipster quarter" and was in TimeOut magazine's list of '40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world' in 2019.

History

James Collins' 1913 book ''Life in Old Dublin'' notes that "Centuries ago (Stoneybatter) was called Bothar-na-gCloch". In Joyce's

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

names of places we find the following interesting information as to the original name of the place: "Long before the city had extended so far, and while Stoneybatter was nothing more than a country road, it was -- as it still continues to be -- the great thoroughfare to Dublin from the districts lying west and north-west of the city; and it was known by the name of ''Bothar-na-gCloch'' (''Bohernaglogh''), i.e. the road of the stones, which was changed to the English equivalent, Stoneybatter or stony road". Stoneybatter is mentioned as the district from which the two sisters, the Misses Morkan, had moved to Usher's Island, in the exposition at the beginning of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

's final story in

Dubliners ''Dubliners'' is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. The stories were writ ...

, "The Dead". Stoneybatter is also the main location for events in the

Tana French Tana French (born 10 May 1973) is an American-Irish writer and theatrical actress. She is a longtime resident of Dublin, Ireland. Her debut novel '' In the Woods'' (2007), a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry ...

novel "The Trespasser," and the area is mentioned in the Irish folk song "The Spanish Lady". In recent years the area has become known as an example of an area undergoing gentrification.

Local street names

Viking names

Apart from the striking artisan dwellings, the area is also known for its prominent

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

street names. For example, there is Viking Road, Olaf Road, Thor Place, Sitric Road, Norseman Place, Ard Ri Road, Malachi Road, Ostman Place, Ivar Street, Sigurd Road and Harold Road. At the time of the Norman invasion, the Vikings, Ostmen or Austmenn (men of the East) as they called themselves, were exiled to the north of the Liffey where they founded the hamlet of Ostmenstown, later to become

Oxmantown Oxmantown was a suburb on the opposite bank of the Liffey from Dublin, in what is now the city's Northside. It was founded in the 12th century by Vikings or " Ostmen" who had migrated out of Dublin after the arrival of the English, and was origi ...

Other street names

The northern end of Stoneybatter derives its name of Manor Street, bestowed in 1780, from the Manor of Grangegorman in which it was located. During the reign of Charles II (1660-1680), the Manor was held by Sir Thomas Stanley, a knight of

Henry Cromwell Henry Cromwell (20 January 1628 – 23 March 1674) was the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier, and an important figure in the Parliamentarian regime in Ireland. Biography Early life Henry Cromwell – the fourth son of Oli ...

and a staunch supporter of the Restoration. The short thoroughfare in Stoneybatter called Stanley Street is named after him.

Popular culture

The streets and surrounding areas of Stoneybatter have been used as a filming location for both TV and film:

TV series

*'' Dear Sarah'' (1989) *'' Who Do You Think You Are?'' (2014) *'' Who Do You Think You Are? (Ireland)'' (2018) *''

Modern Love (TV series) ''Modern Love'' is an American romantic comedy anthology streaming television series developed by John Carney, based on the weekly column of the same name published by ''The New York Times'', that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on October 18, ...

'' (2020)

Film

*'' Robbery'' (1967) *''

Educating Rita ''Educating Rita'' is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University tutor. Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, ''Educating Rita'' premièred at The Wa ...

'' (1983) *'' Michael Collins'' (1996) *'' The Informant'' (1997) *''

The Boxer "The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a standalone si ...

'' (1997) *'' Sweety Barrett'' (1998) *''

Angela's Ashes ''Angela's Ashes: A Memoir'' is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, with various anecdotes and stories of his childhood. The book details his very early childhood in Brooklyn, New York, US but focuses primarily on his life ...

'' (1999) *'' When Brendan Met Trudy'' (2000) *'' Shadow Dancer'' (2012) *'' Love, Rosie'' (2014) *'' Nan: The Movie'' (2020)

Music

* Spice Girls - " Stop" (1998)

References

External links

The Guardian - "Discover Dublin’s Stoneybatter, a district on the rise" (2016)
{{Dublin residential areas Towns and villages in Dublin (city)