Father Collins Park () is a public park located in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

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 ...

, near the boundary of Dublin city and

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which ...

. Its official address is

Donaghmede Donaghmede () is a mixed socio-economic residential suburb on the northern side of Dublin, Ireland, formed from parts of Baldoyle, Coolock and Raheny in the 1970s. It contains a mid-size shopping centre and a ruined chapel. Location Donaghm ...

, and it is located near the new development at

Clongriffin Clongriffin ( is a community in northern Donaghmede,Dublin: Dublin City Council, Minutes of full Meeting of Council, April 2009, Q. 36 - City Manager's answer. on the northern fringe of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The settlement was ...

, with

Balgriffin Balgriffin (, meaning "Griffin's town") is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies on the administrative boundary between Dublin City and Fingal in County Dublin. Balgriffin is also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Coolock. Location Balg ...

a little to the west. It is owned and managed by Dublin City Council.

History

Father Collins Park is situated on part of an historic site that is significant from the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

era, or more specifically, the

Norman period The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, French, Flemish, and Breton troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqu ...

. The park comprises part of the original and extensive Grange of Baldoyle, farmland supporting the Priory of All Saints (on the site of which

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

now stands), which had a chapel, now called ''Grange Abbey'', the ruins of which still stand. During the early days of the

Reformation in Ireland The Reformation in Ireland was a movement for the reform of religious life and institutions that was introduced into Ireland by the English Crown at the behest of King Henry VIII of England. His desire for an annulment of his marriage was known ...

, the monastic settlements along the north east coast of Dublin (including Grange Abbey and accompanying farmland) were seized ''en masse'' at the behest of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, who later gave it to the Corporation of Dublin. To date,

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

continue to own and oversee swathes of the medieval monastic settlements of 'Grange of Baldoyle', including Grange Abbey, Father Collins Park, and the smaller park which retains the link along Hole in the Wall Road. (See also

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of Roman civilization * Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter ...

and

Civil parishes in Ireland Civil parishes () are units of territory in the island of Ireland that have their origins in old Gaelic territorial divisions. They were adopted by the Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland and then by the Elizabethan Kingdom of Ireland, and were f ...

.) The park was originally opened in memory of a former

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

, Father Joe Collins, who worked to ensure public access to the lands. Having been

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

since at least early medieval times, the park initially comprised natural

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

s, ancient

hedgerow A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...

, open spaces and playing fields for sports. The redeveloped park was reopened by the

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

Eibhlin Byrne Eibhlin Byrne is a former Fianna Fáil politician who served on Dublin City Council from 2003 to 2009, including as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2008 to 2009. Byrne has held a number of senior positions including (current) Acting Director of the D ...

, and the

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is the head of the Archdiocese of Dublin in the Catholic Church, responsible for its spiritual and administrative needs. The office has existed since 1152, in succession to a regular bishopric (subject to Canterbury, ...

Diarmuid Martin Diarmuid Martin (born 8 April 1945) is an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland from 2004 to 2020. From 1976 to 2003 he held a variety of positions in the Roman Curia and in the diplomatic ser ...

, on 27 May 2009. Father Collins Park continues to be owned and maintained by

Development

Layout

Redevelopment work on what is now Ireland's first wind-powered and sustainable public park began in September 2007 to a design by Argentinian architectural practice, Abelleyro and Romero. It includes sustainable features such as: wetlands which treat and store surface water from the park to prevent run-off, wind turbines to power the park, a green roof on the sports pavilion, use of Irish materials such as Carlow limestone, use of recycled materials in the concrete paving of the promenade and also the playground surfaces and newly planted native hedgerows. With five 50 kW

wind turbines A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each y ...

, it provides power for the projection of water from the central lake, the public lighting, maintenance depots, and sport club changing rooms. The park has since won a number of awards such as The Sustainability Award 2010, Best Public Space 2010, and Best Public Park & Best Environmentally Friendly Initiative for 2010. More recently, it was short listed by the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture 2011. The approximately 54

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

s (or 26

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s) encompasses some natural

; for sports, a 1.5 km peripheral running/cycling track, six playing pitches and six fitness stations; for leisure, a promenade, a concert amphitheatre and picnic areas with outdoor chess/draughts boards; and for activity, two playgrounds and a skate-park.

Nature

Father Collins Park is approximately 3 km inland from Baldoyle Bay, with its estuaries and wetlands, which are protected by the

National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland) The National Parks and Wildlife Service () manages the Irish State's nature conservation responsibilities. As well as managing the national parks, the activities of the NPWS include the designation and protection of Natural Heritage Areas, Special ...

. Declared a

Statutory A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

Nature Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

in 1988, the inner estuarine part of the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

of Baldoyle Bay are of high significance protected as a

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

(SAC). They support several habitats that are listed on the EU

Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The ...

. Under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

, it is designated as a wetland of international importance. Consequently, during the seasons of migration, the open lands of Father Collins Park continue to host

migrating birds Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

. Undisturbed lands remain an important refuge and hub for Arctic and European migratory birds. This includes an internationally important population of

brent geese The brant or brent goose (''Branta bernicla'') is a small goose of the genus ''Branta''. There are three subspecies, all of which winter along temperate-zone sea-coasts and breed on the high-Arctic tundra. The Brent oilfield was named after ...

which inhabit the estuary.

References and notes

External links

Holy Trinity Parish note on the park
{{coord, 53.405442, N, 6.160351, W, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title Donaghmede Parks in Dublin (city)