Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Irish Place|
name = County of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown |
gaeilge = Contae Dhún Laoghaire-Ráth an Dúin |
crest image = DRwik.PNG |
map image = Ireland_map_County_Dublin_Dun_Laoghaire_Rathdown.png |
area = 127.31 km² |
county town =
Dún Laoghaire |
code = D (DR proposed) |
population = 193,688 |
census yr = 2006 |
province = Leinster |
web = www.dlrcoco.ie |}}
Dun Laoghaire–Rathdown1 (
Irish:
Dún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin) is an
administrative county in the
Republic of Ireland formed from part of the
traditional county of
Dublin. Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown is located to the south-east of the
City of Dublin, and has its administrative centre in the town of
Dún Laoghaire. In
1994, the area of the Corporation of Dún Laoghaire, the
Deansgrange Joint Burial Board and the south-east part of County Dublin were merged to create the county of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.
The motto on the coat of arms of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown reads "Ã" Chuan go Sliabh", meaning "From the Harbour to the Mountain". The crown in the shield is that of King Laoghaire, the High King of Ireland in the fifth century, who resided in the area.
Now the smallest county in Ireland, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown is also the county with the longest name. The reason for this is that the titles of the new Dublin county councils were never examined at committee stage in the
Houses of the Oireachtas, and were last altered under the
1991 Local Government Act which was infamously rushed into effect. Both parliamentary debates and
Dublin County Council's own reorganisation report published in 1992 concluded that the name Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown was "unacceptable". A one year proviso contained in the
1993 Local Government (Dublin) Act for changing the name of the county at local level was allowed to expire by the new council. The elected members of the council are still in a position to make representations for additional legislation altering the name of the county.
The six
Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) or
wards for
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council divide up the election of its 28 councillors as follows:
Ballybrack (6),
Blackrock (4),
Dundrum (6),
Dún Laoghaire (6),
Glencullen (3),
Stillorgan (3).
The
Dublin Area Rapid Transit system runs through the eastern coast of the county and connects to the centre to the north as well as other points north and south on the
Iarnród Éireann railway system with connections to
Intercity.The green
Luas line runs through the centre of the county.
There is a medium sized
ferry port at Dún Laoghaire which has ferry crossings to and from
Holyhead in North
Wales; this is a popular route for tourists travelling across the
Irish Sea from
Britain. With the advent of faster boats, day trips have become more popular using the Dún Laoghaire port.
Dún Laoghaire is becoming popular with young people because of the cinema and shops situated there, other important centres in the county include
Goatstown,
Dalkey,
Dundrum,
Glenageary,
Killiney and
Sandyford.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown is bordered by the Irish Sea and
City of Dublin, as well as the counties of
South Dublin and
Wicklow.
University College Dublin and
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology are located in the county.
As of April 2005, the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county boundary now appears on all Ordnance Survey Ireland "Discovery Series" (3rd edition) national maps. The county is considered part of the "
Greater Dublin Area".
*Ballinteer, Ballybrack,
Blackrock, Booterstown
*
Cabinteely, Carrickmines,
Churchtown*
Dalkey,
Dundrum*
Rathfarnham*
Foxrock*
Goatstown,
Glasthule,
Glenageary,
Glencullen *
Killiney, Kiltiernan
*
Leopardstown, Loughlinstown
*
Monkstown*
Sandyford,
Sandycove, Sallynoggin,
Shankill *
Stepaside, Dublin*
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council*
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board# This is the official legal name of the county, in English, which is spelt
without a
sÃneadh fada on the "u" in "
Dún Laoghaire". The current style within the council, however, is to use the sÃneadh fada on the name in both Irish and English. ([
1])
