Whitehall, Dublin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whitehall Fionnbhrú
Suburb
Whitehall Grand, formerly a cinema
Whitehall Location in Dublin
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Dublin
Local authority	Dublin City Council
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2016)
• Total	13,023
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (BST (GMT))
Irish Grid Reference	O166388

Whitehall (Irish: Fionnbhrú) is a lively suburb located on the north side of Dublin City, Ireland. It is a residential area where many people live.

Whitehall is found on the northern edge of Dublin's inner city. It is close to the M1 motorway, which leads to Dublin Airport, Swords, and Belfast. The suburb is nestled between Santry, Drumcondra, and Glasnevin. North of Whitehall, the M1 motorway starts where it meets the M50. The northern entrance to the Dublin Port Tunnel is also nearby. Whitehall is also next to Beaumont Hospital and Dublin City University on Collins Avenue.

What's in a Name?

Whitehall gets its name from an old house called "White Hall." This house used to be located south of the area, on Drumcondra Road Upper.

The area known as Whitehall Cross is where Swords Road (R132) and Collins Avenue meet. This spot was once home to a pub called "The Thatch." A nearby road still keeps the memory of this pub alive in its name.

Learning and Schools

Whitehall has several places for education.

Whitehall College

[Whitehall College of Further Education] is located where the old Whitehall House once stood. It started in 1970 as Whitehall House Secretarial School. Over time, it changed its name to reflect the many courses it offers. The college has also moved from its Swords Road building to Mobhi Road.

Other Schools in Whitehall

Other schools in the area include Plunket College of Further Education. There is also St. Aidan's Christian Brothers School. Famous past students from St. Aidan's include Bertie Ahern, a former Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland), and the international footballer Liam Brady.

The Holy Child Girls National School is also in Whitehall. It was designed by Robinson and Keefe Architects. The Holy Child Boys National School is a similar building by the same architects. Margret Aylward School is a secondary school for girls. It is located next to Ellenfield Park and the Whitehall church.

Churches in the Area

The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Child is often called Whitehall Church. It is part of the Whitehall-Larkhill-Santry parish. This large church is made of red brick and was designed by John Robinson. It is a well-known landmark for people traveling on the N1 road.

The church's tower is carefully placed so that when seen from Home Farm, it appears on top of a hill. This church is similar to Galway Cathedral, which was designed by the same architect. Before this church opened, people in the area used a temporary church in Larkhill, known as the "Tin Church."

Sports and Clubs

Whitehall is a great place for sports, with many clubs for young people and adults.

Gaelic Games

The Whitehall Colmcille GAA club is very active here. Many All-Ireland medal winners, like Tommy Drumm and Paul Clarke, came from this club. It is the biggest sports group for young people in the community. They offer Gaelic football, ladies football, hurling, and camogie for boys and girls from age 4 up to adults.

The club's clubhouse on Collin's Avenue used to be a tennis club. Whitehall Colmcille uses Ellenfield Park for its games. The club has also built new pitches at Whitehall Cross. This land was once a farm but was used during the building of the Port Tunnel.

Football Clubs

Whitehall is home to the prominent junior football club Home Farm F.C. Also, St. Kevin's Boys F.C. is a schoolboy club where famous players like Liam Brady, Ian Harte, Stephen Carr, and Damien Duff played.

Other football clubs in the area include Whitehall Rangers A.F.C. Their ladies' team plays intermediate football. Whitehall Celtic is another football club that is part of the Athletic Union League.

Other Sports

Dublin Archers practice their archery skills on the grounds of Plunket College in Whitehall.

The Whitehall Stadium is located in Whitehall, near Drumcondra. It is the home ground for the Home Farm club.

Famous People from Whitehall

Luke Kelly, a well-known member of the famous Irish band The Dubliners, lived in Whitehall when he was a child. In September 1988, a special monument was put up in the Larkhill area of Whitehall to remember him.

A Look Back in Time

Whitehall has an interesting history, including events from the past.

Civil War Events

During the Irish Civil War, some sad events happened in Whitehall. In 1922, two young men, Alfie Colley and Sean Cole, were found dead in the Whitehall area. A small stone monument on Yellow Road remembers them. This monument was revealed in December 1926.

Another historical marker from the Civil War is the memorial stone for Martin Hogan on Grace Park Road. His body was found there in August 1923. These stones help us remember the people and events of that time.

The Whitehall Grand Cinema

The Whitehall Grand Cinema first opened its doors in July 1954 on Collins Avenue. It was a large cinema that could seat 1000 people. It was also used for bingo games while still showing movies. The cinema stopped showing films in 1974. After that, a group called Gael Linn bought it and continued to use it as a bingo hall. It is still a bingo hall today.