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| Swords Sord Cholm Cille |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish grid reference O184469 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | Fingal | |
| Elevation: | 3m | |
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Population (2006) |
33,998 | |
Swords (from the Irish: Sord Cholm Cille) is a suburban town and the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is situated about 13 km from Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.
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History
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The town can trace its origins back to 560, having been founded by Saint Colmcille (521-567). Legend has it that the saint blessed a local well, giving the town its name, Sord, meaning "clear" or "pure". However, An Sord also means "the water source" and could indicate a large communal drinking well that existed in antiquity.[citation needed] In 1994, Swords became a county seat after the break up of the former County Dublin; in 2001, it became the administrative centre for Fingal, upon the completion of the Fingal County Hall.
Geography
Population
Since the 1970s, Swords (once a self-contained town outside Dublin's city limits) has developed into one of Dublin's largest commuter towns. The town's population boomed during the 1990s and 2000s, with many new residents moving to the area. Swords is accessed by the R132 and the M1 motorway.
At the 2006 census the town population was 33,998, which makes it the third largest town in Ireland.
The town is close to Dublin Airport, and is separated from the city by a narrow green belt around the airport.
Development
Since the mid 1990s Swords has seen improvements in shop fronts, public buildings, footpaths and the restoration of Swords Castle.
The 2009 Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) Survey scored Swords the sixth cleanest town in Ireland in their independently assessed nationwide survey of all towns with a population of 6,000 and over. [1]
Housing
Swords is a socio-economically mixed area with the local housing stock being made up of private and local authority housing.
In 1999 the Seatown Villas area of Swords celebrated 50 years in existence, making it the oldest local authority housing estate in Dublin outside of the city limits.[citation needed] In 2005, Fingal County Council opened 225 council housing units in the Applewood development in Swords. This is the first such public-private housing development to take place in Fingal where private development is inter-mixed with local authority housing. This successful pilot scheme has been replicated in the south of the town in the Boroimhe Estate and also in the Mulhuddart area.
Transport
The main bus routes to the city centre from (or via) Swords are the 41\B\C\N, 33 (all via Santry) and 43 (via Coolock). The Swords Express[2] and Dublin Bus 142 and 41X routes provide fast access to the city via the Dublin Port Tunnel. Buses 102 and 33B travel from Dublin Airport via Swords to Portmarnock and from Swords to Balbriggan respectively. The Metro North catering to the Swords-Airport area will run via Ballymun, Dublin City University, Griffith Avenue, Lower Drumcondra Road, the Mater Hospital, O'Connell Street, and Saint Stephen's Green.
Amenities
Attractions
The award winning Fingal County Hall by Bucholz McEvoy architects dominates the northern end of main street. Swords Castle is undergoing a significant redevelopment and is intended to become a centre of leisure and a tourist attraction. The body of Brian Boru was said to have been brought there after the Battle of Clontarf, though recent evidence would suggest that the destination was Swords Abbey, which lies slightly to the west of the Main Street.
"Out-of-town" shopping area
Swords has a wide range of shops, banks, pubs and other businesses, including a large modern shopping centre, the Pavilions Centre, off the R132, the recent extension of which has a multi-screen cinema.
Skate park
In mid 2006, the local authority built a skatepark and adjoining basketball courts/football court in Swords, located in Balheary Park. The park contains a bowl, a vertwall, a spine, some quarterpipes, and a section of boxes in the middle of the park.
Swords Open Golf Course
The facility was founded in 1991 and was originally a 9 hole course with the Broadmeadow River as a significant feature. It was extended to 18 holes in 1996 and underwent a further alteration with the addition of 6 new holes in 2003 when the course was redesigned during the development of Roganstown Golf Club.
Founded and affiliated to the G.U.I and I.L.G.U. in 1996, Swords Golf Club[1], an equal rights mixed club, plays at Swords Open Golf Course.
Education
The district is served by a number of schools, including six national schools: Holy Family, Saint Cronan's, Saint Colmcille's, Gaelscoil Bhrian Boroimhe, Scoil an Duinnigh (an Educate Together school) and a Church of Ireland "The Old Borough" school. There are also four secondary schools in the town: Loreto College, an all-girls school, Coláiste Choilm, an all-boys school, Fingal Community College, and Saint Finian's Community College.
There is also a Youthreach facility, a FÁS training centre, and the Fingal Adult Literacy and Education Centre. There is also a Beauty College registered with ITEC & CIBTAC called Lenagh's College.[citation needed]
Employment
Swords is the home to international chemical producers and pharmaceutical giants Opec and Bristol Myers Squibb, and also to a large retail and business park called Airside Retail and Business Park, on the southern fringe of the town, hosting many employers. East of the town, running parallel to Swords bypass, lies the large Swords Business Park.
Notable residents and references in popular culture
Comedian Ed Byrne is from Swords and singer Ronan Keating lived in the Highfields residential development on the suburb's southern side.
In 2009, singer Morrissey released a B-Side compilation of his music entitled Swords. It is worth noting that the vocalist's family hail from Dublin, despite he himself growing up in Manchester, England.
References
See also
External links
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