Blackhorse Avenue
.jpg) Blackhorse Avenue bilingual road sign | |
 Interactive map of Blackhorse Avenue | |
| Native name | Ascaill an Chiardhuibh (Irish) |
|---|---|
| Former name | Blackhorse Lane |
Postal code | D07 |
| Coordinates | 53°21′54″N 6°19′11″W / 53.3651°N 6.31963°W |
| east end | North Circular Road |
| west end | Castleknock Road |
Blackhorse Avenue (Irish: Ascaill an Chiardhuibh)[1] is a street on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. The street runs from North Circular Road at the east to Castleknock Road in the west along the northern edge of the Phoenix Park.
History
[edit]
Blackhorse Avenue was previously known as Blackhorse Lane, and was named for a tavern known as The Black Horse. The tavern was commonly known as Nancy Hand's, after the hostess in the 1800s, but is now known as The Hole in the Wall.[2] The street was known as Blackhorse Lane up to the 1890s, and previously extended past the North Circular Road to the street now known as Aughrim Street.[3]
One of the most prominent landmarks on Blackhorse Avenue is McKee Barracks, which was constructed on the street from 1888 onwards as Marlborough Barracks.[4][5] There is also an associated military cemetery on the street, the Grangegorman Military Cemetery, and opened in 1876.[6][7]
From the 1860s, Blackhorse Lane was the site of the abattoir associated with the Dublin Cattle Market nearby on North Circular Road until its closure in 1976.[8]
The Cabra Gate of Phoenix Park opens onto Blackhorse Avenue.[9] Some houses on the street are so close to Dublin Zoo, that animals including the monkeys and lions can be heard by the residents.[10]
The Hole in the Wall pub
[edit]
The pub was established in 1861, and a plaque inside the entrance stated: "one of the oldest public houses in Ireland, which for centuries has offered hospitality to all who cared to enter its doors."[11] The pub's current name is due to the proximity of the pub to a pedestrian entrance into the Phoenix Park.[2] Though other sources claim that the name was due to soldiers from the neighbouring barracks would be served surreptitiously through a hatch or hole in the wall and thus did not breach the military regulation of entering a licensed premises while on duty.[11][12]
The pub claims to be Europe's longest pub,[13] at 330 feet long. The interior is a series of six bars and a mezzanine upstairs.[11]
Notable residents
[edit]- Frank MacDonald, journalist, grew up on Glenmore Road, between Blackhorse Avenue and the Old Cabra Road.[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Ascaill an Chiardhuibh". Sráid Ainm. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 Clerkin, Paul (2001). Dublin Street Names. Dublin: Gill & MacMillan. p. 17. ISBN 0717132048.
- ↑ McCready, C.T. (1892). Dublin Street Names: Dated and Explained. Dublin: Carraig Books. p. 9. ISBN 1850680000.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ↑ "McKee Barracks". www.5thbattalionassociation.com. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ Clerkin, Paul (27 April 2009). "Archiseek.com - 1891 - McKee Barracks, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin". Archiseek.com. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ Muldowney, Mary (2021). "Revisiting the Fallen: A tour of some war memorials in Dublin". In Muldowney, Mary; Moore, Cormac (eds.). History on your Doorstep Volume 4. Dublin: Dublin City Council. pp. 29–44. ISBN 9781838463526.
- ↑ "Grangegorman Military Cemetery". Heritage Ireland. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ Muldowney, Mary (7 May 2026). "The Dublin Cattle Market – A Grangegorman Neighbour". Royal Irish Academy. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Cabra Gate, Phoenix Park, Blackhorse Avenue, CASTLEKNOCK (WITHIN PHOENIX PARK), Dublin 8, DUBLIN". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Hear the Blackhorse lions roar in this zoo-adjacent home in Dublin 7". Irish Independent. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Malone, Aubrey (2001). Historic Pubs of Dublin. Dublin: New Island. pp. 148–149. ISBN 9781902602493.
- ↑ "Hole in the Wall Pub, Blackhorse Avenue. Dublin City Est.1650". Curious Ireland. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Taking the long view at Blackhorse Avenue in D7". Irish Independent. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Kings and Queens of the Road: Frank McDonald – The Museum of Childhood Ireland". museumofchildhood.ie. Retrieved 1 July 2026.