Donabate
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Donabate (Domhnach Bat in Irish) is a Dublin suburb situated close to the east coast of Ireland in Fingal county (the northern part of the traditional area of County Dublin). The town lies about 25 km north of Dublin city centre on a small peninsula, which it shares with the townsland of Portrane, between the Rogerstown Estuary to the north and the Malahide Estuary, Inbhear Domhnainn, to the south.
The name of the area supposedly means "church of the ferry", referring to an ancient church which is preserved in the graveyard of the existing parish church. Another possible meaning of the name, Domhnach Bheathach or Domhnach Béithe, is "church of the beast".
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 Parish Council is the community council for the Donabate Portrane peninsula. Donabate Portrane Community Club (http://www.donabatecommunitycentre.com) is the area's newest public building.
External link
- http://www.donabateportrane.com/ is a community site dedicated to Donabate and its neighbouring village, Portrane.
- See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland