Doughiska () is a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

and suburb of

Galway City Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. There has been continuous urban development between Doughiska and the city centre due to the growth of Galway City in the early 21st century.

Name

In ''Origin and History of Irish Names of Places'', published in the late 19th century,

Patrick Weston Joyce Patrick Weston "P. W." Joyce (1827 – 7 January 1914) was an Irish historian, writer and music collector, known particularly for his research in Irish etymology and local place names of Ireland. Biography He was born in Ballyorgan in the B ...

proposes that the name Doughiska is a corruption of ''dubh uisce'' meaning "black water". The academic Tomás Seosamh Ó Máille, writing for the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society in 1949, suggests that the Irish name is "probably a corruption" of ''dumhach uisce'', and that the area may have been referred to as ''Doughuske'' as early as the 16th century.

Development

The area remained a rural area on the outskirts of Galway City, with only a few families farming the area until the late 20th century. The area also contained a "very fine marble quarry", with marble from this quarry being used in the refurbished Galway Cathedral. Most of the open fields are now being developed for housing, hotels and business parks. The main reason for this is the presence of Bóthar na dTreabh, the dual carriageway leading into the city from the east. The area was the subject to significant development and demographic change in the early 21st century. Galway City council planners designated the area for development from the 1990s. Houses were built at a rapid rate and infrastructure was slow in following. However, in later years, the situation improved and the city's bus service was expanded to provide more frequent services to and from the city centre. The area is adjacent to the Parkmore Industrial Estate as well as the Clayton Hotel and Briarhill Shopping centre. Doughiska now has a primary and secondary school serving the area. Doughiska also has a park, several playing pitches, basketball and tennis court as well as a skateboard park. The area is also served by two hospitals with Merlin Park University Hospital to the west and the private Galway Clinic to the east of Doughiska. The area also contains Merlin Park woods.

Sport

Merlin Woods FC & Sports Club is located in the area. Doughiska is also in the catchment area of Castlegar GAA

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

club. Castlegar became the first club from west of the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...

to win a club All Ireland in 1980. The area is also home to St James' GAA club, which fields

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

teams. Both clubs compete in the Galway Senior Club Championship. The area is also adjacent to Ballybrit racecourse, home of the

Galway Races The Galway Races (Irish language, Irish: ''Rásaí na Gaillimhe'') is an Ireland, Irish horse-racing festival that starts on the last Monday of July every year. Held at Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway, Ireland over seven days, it is one of the ...

Notable events

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited Ballybrit racecourse on 30 September 1979 during his visit to Ireland. There was a mass held for the young people of Ireland where the Pope famously said "Young people of Ireland, I love you". There were 280,000 people in attendance that day. Doughiska has also hosted outdoor concerts for the Galway Arts Festival.

References

{{Galway Geography of Galway (city)