Sutton, Dublin
Sutton (Irish: Cill Fhionntáin – Fintan's cell or church) is a residential suburb of Dublin's Northside, Ireland, at the base of Howth Head, the peninsula forming the northern edge of Dublin Bay. There is a small commercial core at the Sutton Cross road crossing.
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Location and geography
Beginning about 12 kilometres from the city centre, Sutton neighbours Howth, which occupies most of the Howth peninsula, and Baldoyle and Bayside. It is served by the main road from Dublin to Howth, the DART suburban rail system, on which it has its own station, and Dublin Bus route 31 and its variants. Historically Sutton lay entirely on the peninsula but it is now generally held to extend to the railway and perhaps as far as the junction of Baldoyle Road and the coast road, where is meets both Baldoyle and Bayside.
At the coastal side of Sutton is a tombolo connecting Howth (which used to be an island) to the mainland. The original village of Sutton was situated on the city-facing (south-western) side of Howth Head, where there are today housing terraces and a small harbour, but the area is now centred on Sutton Cross, where there are two shopping areas, one anchored by Supervalu (previouslySuperquinn (which replaced the local cinema)), and the Marine Hotel.
Sutton is part of the Dáil Éireann constituency of Dublin North–East and part of the Howth-Malahide local electoral area of Fingal County Council.
Leisure and features
Sutton is surrounded by many beaches. There is dinghy sailing off the coast, and golf at Howth Golf Club. Suttonians Rugby Football Club, at Station Road, provides for local rugby players and supporters while Sutton Tennis Club has 12 outdoor courts and 3 indoor squash courts (it is the biggest for junior squash in the Republic of Ireland).
The area is also home to one of Ireland's Martello Towers, now a private residence, at Red Rock, and to a former home of the Jameson Irish Whiskey family, which became the residence of Belgian businessman Albert Luykx, made famous during the Irish arms trial. It subsequently became Sutton House Hotel and then Sutton Castle Hotel, before being converted in 2003 to private residences.
A major leisure walk, which goes all the way to Howth village, begins near the site of the old village and Sutton House.
There are small streams in the area, but they are largely culverted; two of these, the Santa Sabina Stream and the Carrickbrack Stream, come to the coast on Sutton Strand.
Education
Sutton contains three primary schools: the Burrow School, on the Dublin Road between Sutton Cross and Howth, and St. Fintan's National School, on Carrickbrack Road, as well as the primary part of Sutton Park School. It holds three secondary schools: St. Fintan's High School (boys), Santa Sabina Dominican College (a.k.a. Santa Sabina) (girls) and the senior part of Sutton Park School (mixed).
Religion
Sutton comprises a parish in the Roman Catholic church, with a parish church[1][2] at the base of Howth Hill, adjacent to Santa Sabina School, at the junction of Greenfield Road and Church Road. There is also a Methodist church[3] at the junction of Church Road and Howth Road.
Sutton contains one of Dublin's main burial grounds, St. Fintan's, which is divided into two parts, "old" and "new." The former contains a ruined chapel, and the latter, an abandoned keeper's cottage.
Uphill from the older graveyard, in a wooden hut on private grounds, is the still-flowing holy well of St. Fintan.
Transport
- Sutton railway station[4] opened on 30 July 1846[5] as Baldoyle & Sutton, being renamed Sutton in 1901.
- The Hill of Howth Tramway ran between Sutton railway station and Howth railway station via the Hill of Howth until 1959.
Notable residents and former residents
- Gerry Gannon, one of Ireland's biggest property developers, part owner of the K Club and MD of Gannon Homes, formerly building, for example, Clongriffin housing estate, and with extensive land holdings in the area
- Jim Fitzpatrick, artist (Celtic style work but also the iconic two-tone portrait of Che Guevara created in 1968), Burrow Road
- Philomena Lynott (mother of Phil Lynott)
- Ian Dempsey, Radio and Television presenter.
- Patrick Hillery, former President of Ireland, lived in Sutton for many years until his death in 2008.
- Larry Mullen, Jr., Drummer with rock group U2.
See also
External links
- Interview with Charles Sargent and Raymond Sexton of the Howth Sutton Community Council Radio Documentary from Near90fm
- Howth and area tourism
- Sutton Dinghy Club
- Howth Coast Guard Rescue Unit
- Rockschool
- SALT
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sutton, Dublin. |
References
- ↑ Archiseek page on St. Fintans' Roman Catholic Church
- ↑ Photo of St. Fintans' Church
- ↑ Photo of Sutton Methodist Church
- ↑ Archiseek web page on Sutton Railway station
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