Inchicore ()
is a suburb of
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 ...
. Located approximately west of the city centre, Inchicore was originally a small village separate from Dublin. The village developed around
Richmond Barracks (built 1810) and
Inchicore railway works
Inchicore railway works, also known locally as 'Inchicore' or 'The Works', was founded by the Great Southern and Western Railway in 1846 and emerged to become the major engineering centre for Iarnród Éireann, railways in Ireland. Located we ...
(built 1846), before being incorporated into the expanding city bounds. Inchicore is a largely residential area and is home to the association football club
St Patrick's Athletic FC.
History
Inchicore grew from a small village near a marsh on the River Camac at ''Inse Chór '' or ''Inse Chaoire''. Some sources suggest that ''Inse Chaoire'' means "sheep island", referring to the spot where sheep were herded and watered outside Dublin city prior to market.
Other sources, including the
Placenames Database of Ireland
The Placenames Database of Ireland (), also known as , is a database and archive of place names in Ireland. It was created by Fiontar, Dublin City University in collaboration with the Placenames Branch of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, ...
, do not give a definitive source for the place name.
In the late 19th century, the village developed into a significant industrial and residential suburb, due primarily to its engineering works and the west city tramway terminus. By the 20th century, Inchicore was incorporated into the administrative area of the expanding city.

The
Great Southern and Western Railway
The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the larges ...
, which began constructing its network in 1844, elected to site its workshops in the then countryside at Inchicore outside the built-up suburbs of Dublin. Between the years 1846 and 1848 several houses and a Workmans Dining Hall were built on Inchicore Road. As the works complex expanded in the nineteenth-century house building in Inchicore expanded with the works being the predominant employer.
Inchicore is the location of a large tram yard terminus and coachworks and the major engineering works of the Irish railway network are located here. These are still major employers among other industries and national distribution depots.
Geography
west of the city centre, south of the
River Liffey
The River Liffey (Irish language, 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 Tributary, tributaries include t ...
, west of
Kilmainham, north of
Drimnagh and east of
Ballyfermot
Ballyfermot () is a suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located west of the city centre, south of Phoenix Park. It is bordered by Chapelizod on the north, by Bluebell, Dublin, Bluebell on the south, by Inchicore on the east, ...
, most of Inchicore is in the
Dublin 8 postal district; parts of the area extend into
Dublin 10 and
Dublin 12.
The townlands of Inchicore North and Inchicore South are located in the civil parish of St. James, in the Barony of Uppercross.
Rivers and streams
The
River Camac
The River Camac (sometimes spelled ''Cammock'', or, historically, ''Cammoge'' or ''Cammoke''; Irish: or ) is one of the larger rivers in Dublin and was one of four tributaries of the Liffey critical to the early development of the city.
Cou ...
enters Inchicore flowing northeast from the Landsdowne Valley in Drimnagh. It flows east through Inchicore, and on through Kilmainham and under Bow Bridge, falling into the River Liffey under
Heuston Station. Much of its course is now culverted and covered by buildings.
During the eighteenth century small industries, primarily paper and textiles, developed along the Camac, which at the time was characterised by water mills, water wheels and weirs. In the 18th century, mills at Goldenbridge (Glydon Bridge) were producing paper and flour. Much of the industrial archaeology has disappeared but remnants still exist in the area.
Kilmainham Mills still exists and much of the machinery is still in place. Although derelict, as of March 2021, work was underway to restore the mill as a visitor attraction.
Other watercourses in the area include the
Creosote Stream, which passes through the railworks, and comes to the Liffey at the western end of the Gardens of Remembrance.
Grand Canal

The
Grand Canal was constructed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is now a recreational waterway. It passes along the south side of Inchicore. The path along the canal is part of a Slí na Sláinte signposted walking route. There is also an long
greenway between the 3rd Lock at Inchicore and the 12th Lock at
Lucan
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November AD 39 – 30 April AD 65), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba, Hispania Baetica (present-day Córdoba, Spain). He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imper ...
, which opened in June 2010.
Economy
Industry
Inchicore Railway Works
Inchicore railway works, also known locally as 'Inchicore' or 'The Works', was founded by the Great Southern and Western Railway in 1846 and emerged to become the major engineering centre for Iarnród Éireann, railways in Ireland. Located we ...
is the headquarters for mechanical engineering and rolling stock maintenance for
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann, () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national Rail transport in Ireland, railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal I ...
. Established in 1844 by the
Great Southern & Western Railway, it is the largest engineering complex of its kind in Ireland with a site area of 295,000 m
2 (73 acres).
Spa Road Works built trams and buses before its closure in 1977.
Goldenbridge Industrial Estate is a mixed-use area that contains, for example, a number of brewing and gym businesses.
Amenities
Inchicore's core is at the junction of Emmet Road and Tyrconnell Road. The area is served by a number of small stores including a butcher and deli, a hardware store, ethnic stores, and two mid-size supermarkets. The village centre has several pubs, including the historic Black Lion Inn, and several restaurants and take-aways.
Demographics
As of the
2016 census, the
electoral divisions of Inchicore A and Inchicore B had a combined population of approximately 4,600 people.
Religion

The
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
operates two parishes in the area, St. Michael's and Mary Immaculate. Both parishes are administered by the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and each has its own church, from which they take the name.
The Oblates Church of Mary Immaculate features a full-size replica of the grotto of
Lourdes
Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...
, which was opened in 1930. The grotto, which is built of reinforced concrete, houses a
crib at Christmas time.
St. Jude's Church (Church of Ireland), was an Anglican church built between 1862 and 1864 to serve the community working in the railway works. Only the octagonal spire remains, following the dismantling of the church in 1988.
Governance
Inchicore is in the jurisdiction of
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 ...
and for council elections, forms part of the Ballyfermot-Drimnagh Ward. As of the
2024 local elections, the local elected representatives on the City Council were:
* Daithí Doolan (Sinn Féin)
* Vincent Jackson (Non-Party)
* Hazel de Nortúin (People Before Profit)
* Philip Sutcliffe (Independent Ireland)
* Ray Cunningham (Green Party)
Culture

There are two community centres, St Michael's and BERA. Arus Mhuire was for many years the location of a popular Sunday night dance for teenagers.
The area used to form part of the parish of St. James, later in a union, and served by
St. James' Church, but this church has been deconsecrated, and the attached cemetery is closed and overgrown. In 2010, 7 historic parishes, in three unions, all grouped as the St. Patrick's Cathedral Group, were severed from the cathedral and established as the new Parish of St. Catherine and St. James with St. Audeon, served by St. Audeon's Church, Cornmarket, and St. Catherine and St. James' Church on Donore Avenue.
Arts
Inchicore has been home to a number of poets.
Michael Hartnett, lived on Tyrconnell Road from 1984 until about 1986. A plaque marks the house where he wrote some of Inchicore Haiku near Richmond Park, home to St. Patrick's Athletic Football Club. 'Inchicore Haiku' recounts the hard times in his life after his separation from his family.
Francis Ledwidge, the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
war poet
War poetry is poetry on the topic of war. While the term is applied especially to works of the First World War, the term can be applied to poetry about any war, including Homer's ''Iliad'', from around the 8th century BC as well as poetry of th ...
, has associations with St. Michael's CBS, formerly Richmond Barracks. This is where he enlisted and trained before shipping out to Flanders. The Inchicore Ledwidge Society runs events to raise awareness of Ledwidge's life and works, and holds an annual wreath-laying ceremony in the
Irish National War Memorial Gardens.
Another Irish poet,
Thomas Kinsella (1928–2021), was born and lived on Phoenix Street in Inchicore as a child. He attended the local Model School.
The tramp writer
Jim Phelan (1895–1966) was born in Inchicore. On completing 15 years in prison for his part in the murder of a post mistress's son in a robbery in Liverpool in 1923, Phelan roamed the byways of England and wrote several books about his prison experience. The artist
Sean Scully (b. 1945) was also born in Inchicore and moved to London When he was four years old.
The
courts-martial of a number of figures in the 1916 Rebellion, including poet
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, poet, writer, Irish nationalism, nationalist, Irish republicanism, republican political activist a ...
, took place in
Richmond Barracks. A number of surviving buildings of the barracks have been restored, with the former gymnasium redeveloped ahead of the 1916 centenary celebrations. It contains wall panels and a tapestry that highlight the people court martialled there.
Parks
The parks in the area include
Grattan Crescent Park and Jim Mitchell Park, which hold playgrounds, as well as Turvey Park, and the park grounds adjoining the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church. To the south, there is
Lansdowne Valley Park.
The
Irish National War Memorial Gardens, containing a monument designed by
Sir Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...
, lies just to the north of Inchicore; there is an Inchicore entrance on Con Colbert Road. It commemorates the fallen Irish of the Great War. Official record books held in museum buildings there are inscribed with the names of those who gave their lives. The gardens are also accessible from the South Circular Road, en route toward
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...
, which can be accessed by crossing over
Islandbridge (Sarah Bridge).
Museums
There is a museum at
Richmond Barracks, which reopened in May 2016 as part of the centenary celebrations of the
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
. Prisoners were taken to Richmond Barracks for processing after the surrender of the insurgents in 1916. Nearby
Kilmainham Jail, now a national museum, was the scene of the execution of leaders of
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
of 1916. The
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art (), also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. It is located in Kilmainham, Dublin.
History
Irish art collector Gordon Lam ...
, housed in the
Royal Hospital Kilmainham, is also nearby.
Goldenbridge Cemetery, accessible via guided tours from the nearby Richmond Barracks, was the first dedicated Catholic cemetery in Ireland that opened after
Catholic emancipation. It opened in 1828, shortly before the passing of the
Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829
The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 ( 10 Geo. 4. c. 7), also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that removed the sacramental tests that barred Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom f ...
. Goldenbridge is the burial place of modern Ireland's first head of government,
President of the Executive Council W. T. Cosgrave, who died in 1965.
Education
Primary schools in the area include Gaelscoil Inse Chor, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál (Oblates) NS, Our Lady of Lourdes NS, and Inchicore National School. The restored 'Model School' (Inchicore NS) was built in 1853 as a prototype facility for government funded non-denominational primary school education in Ireland.
Secondary schools serving the area include Mercy Secondary School. This co-educational Catholic school, under the trusteeship of
CEIST, is located on Thomas Davis Street West, off Emmet Road. It is a member of the Trinity Access Programme (TAP) and the international
College For Every Student (CFES) programme. The school has won CFES "School of Distinction" several times.
The
Inchicore College of Further Education is located at Emmet Road in Inchicore.
Inchicore Public Library offers club activities (including a film club, book club, knitting club, and poetry club).
Sports
Soccer
St. Patrick's Athletic (founded in 1929 and commonly known as ''St. Pat's'') play in
Richmond Park
Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...
. St. Pat's has played in Inchicore since 1930 (save for time spent exiled due to ground redevelopment). The club has won the
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
Championship on nine occasions.

Former St. Pat's players include
Paul McGrath,
Ronnie Whelan Snr.,
Shay Gibbons,
Gordon Banks,
Curtis Fleming,
Paul Osam,
Eddie Gormley,
Charles Livingstone Mbabazi,
Ryan Guy,
Keith Fahey,
Kevin Doyle,
Christy Fagan,
Chris Forrester and
Ian Bermingham. St Patrick's Athletic host a number junior and intermediate sides at Inchicore, including Lansdowne Rangers, Inchicore Athletic and West Park Albion.
Gaelic games
The
1889 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between Tipperary and Laois was played at what is now the Inchicore Sports and Social Club.
Liffey Gaels GAA club was founded in 1951. It was known as Rialto Gaels for over twenty years. In the 1970s, it changed its name to SS. Michael and James's to reflect the efforts of the teachers and students of these schools in the development of the club. In 1984, a local juvenile club, Donore Iosagain, amalgamated with SS. Michael and James's and the club was renamed the Liffey Gaels. The club plays home games at East Timor Park on Sarsfield Road in Inchicore.
Other sports
Men's, women's, boys and girls basketball teams are based in Oblate Hall.
Indoor climbing and
bouldering
Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...
centre "Gravity" based in Goldenbridge Industrial Estate.
Teams taking part in
Dublin Roller Derby league train and teach skating in Inchicore Community Sports Centre.
Infrastructure
Inchicore is accessed by multiple roads and served by a range of
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus () is an Irish State-owned enterprise, state-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 145 million passengers in 2023. It is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann ...
services. Although the site of Ireland's main railway service yards, it has no mainline rail service, but it is served by the
Luas
Luas (, Irish language, Irish: ; meaning 'speed') is a tram system in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line (Luas), Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line (Luas), Red Line ...
tramway system, which runs along its filled-in
permanent way, and serves the area from Blackhorse to Suir Bridge.
Inchicore is passed on its southern edge by the
Grand Canal, developed by economic progressives of the day and that was, at its peak, the major passenger and commercial trading route through central Ireland, running through the productive farmlands and peat bogs of the Irish midlands. Originally carrying significant traffic during the eighteenth century, it is now a recreational waterway.
Notable people
*
John Aspinall, first-class cricketer.
*
Joe Carr
Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer.
Early life
Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days ol ...
Irish amateur golfer who was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.
*
Timothy Coughlin, one of the trio of Republican dissidents who assassinated
Kevin O'Higgins
Kevin Christopher O'Higgins (; 7 June 1892 – 10 July 1927) was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice from 1922 to 1927, Minister for External Affairs from June 1927 to July 1927 a ...
, Minister of Justice of the Irish Free State in 1927, lived in Inchicore.
*
Theo Foley, (1937–2020), footballer for
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 ...
,
Home Farm,
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
,
Charlton and
Northampton
Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
and manager for Charlton and Northampton
*
Stephen Gillmurphy, independent
video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with em ...
*
Michael Hartnett stayed in Inchicore when he wrote 'Inchicore haiku' (1984), a plaque marks his former home on Emmet Road.
*
Peadar Kearney
Peadar Kearney ( ; 12 December 1883 – 24 November 1942) was an Irish republican and composer of numerous rebel songs. In 1907 he wrote the lyrics to "A Soldier's Song" (), now the Irish national anthem. He was the uncle of Irish writers Bren ...
, lived at 25 O'Donoghue Street, writer of the Irish national anthem.
*
Thomas Kinsella, one of Ireland's best-known modern poets, was born and raised in Inchicore.
*
Michael Mallin, 1913 strike leader, was later executed for his part in the 1916 Rising. A plaque marks his home at 122-122A Emmet Road.
*
Kathleen Mills was born and lived in Inchicore. A plaque marks her former home at 1 Abercorn Terrace.
*
Jim Mitchell was born and raised in Inchicore. He was a politician who served in the cabinets of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald (1981–82; 1982–87).
*
Anne O'Brien, Irish association football (soccer) player.
*
Constantine Scollen
Father Con Scollen OMI. (4 April 1841 – 8 November 1902) was an Ireland, Irish Catholic, Missionary priest who lived among and evangelized the Blackfoot, Cree and Métis peoples on the Canadian Prairies and in northern Montana in the United S ...
, the Oblate missionary priest, began his career here as a teaching brother prior to going to Canada.
*
Sean Scully, artist, lived in Inchicore as a small child.
*
Tom Scully, priest and Gaelic football figure, was based in Inchicore in later life.
*
Kathryn Thomas, television presenter, lives in Inchicore.
*
Richie Towell, professional footballer for
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
,
Hibernian,
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
and
Brighton & Hove Albion grew up and lived in Inchicore for most of his life.
* Members of the band
The Wolfe Tones
The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band that incorporate Irish traditional music in their songs. Formed in 1963, they take their name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double meaning ...
were born in Inchicore and lived on Tyrconnell Road.
References
External links
History of Inchicore from inchicore.info(archived 2020)
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in Dublin (city)
Railway towns in Ireland
Uppercross
Inchicore