Donabate

Donabate (Domhnach Bat in Irish) is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The town lies about 25 km north of Dublin city centre on a small peninsula, which it shares with the townsland of Portrane. The peninsula is situated on Ireland's east coast, between the Rogerstown Estuary to the north and the Malahide Estuary (Inbhear Domhnainn) to the south.

History

The name of the area, Donabate, supposedly means "church of the ferry", from Dún a' Bháid, referring to an ancient church which is in the townsland of Ballymadrough, west of Donabate, near the Malahide Estuary. Another possible meaning of the name, Domhnach Bheathach or Domhnach Béithe, is "church of the beast". Sadly, the true meaning has become lost in the mists of time.

Donabate is reported to have had a population in 1912 of 734 persons living in 150 houses, and it remained a small village for more than a century. In recent years, however, because of the area's easy access to Dublin (improving roads and the presence of a railway station in the village), the population has begun growing quickly. In the 1996 census, the village's population was 1,868; by the time of the 2002 census it had doubled to 3,854. It was estimated in 2004 that the population had grown to around 7,000, and planned re-zoning and development may take it to 33,000 or more within a decade.

Donabate today

Administratively, Donabate is in Fingal county, the northern part of the traditional area of County Dublin. The Donabate Portrane peninsula is in the Swords ward (or local electoral area, to give it its official title). The Swords ward is numerically the largest in Fingal county and elects five county councillors to Fingal County Council. In terms of national elections, the Donabate Portrane peninsula is the Dublin North constituency, which sends four Teachta Dála to Dáil Éireann.

Donabate Parish Council is the community council for the Donabate Portrane peninsula. Donabate Portrane Community Centre is the area's newest public building. The peninsula has an active Chamber of Commerce, Scout Group, 63rd Dublin 14th Port Donabate, two soccor clubs, St. Ita's A.F.C. and Portrane Athletic, a G.A.A. club, St. Patrick's Athletic, a Karate club, a Tae-Kwon Do club, a snooker club, a Historical and Folklore Society, a Bridge club, and many more besides. Donabate Portrane Neighbourhood Watch has recently been re-activated.

Fingal County Council, together with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, plans to build a regional sewage treatment plant on the Donabate Portrane peninsula. This plan has proved controversial. The elected members of Fingal County Council declared their opposition to a regional sewage treatment plant on the 14th November 2005

This article is licenced under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Donabate".

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