Phibsborough

Phibsborough is served by many Dublin Bus routes passing outbound to the north city suburbs: numbers 4, 9, 38, 38a, 38b, 38d, 39n, 46a, 83, 83a, 120, 122, 140 and 155. Inbound services serve the city centre.

Phibsborough, Grangegorman and Broadstone both have stops on the Luas Green Line located along the former Midland & Great Western Railway line. The Phibsborough stop is located at the railway cutting between the North Circular Road and the Cabra Road. It has lateral platforms. Access to the platform level is from both the North Circular and Cabra Roads via stairs and lifts from the new deck levels abutting the existing road overbridges. The Broadstone stop is located at Prebend Street and the Western Way. The Phibsboro stop serves the residential communities and facilitates interchange with bus services on the North Circular and Cabra Roads. The Broadstone stop serves the Mountjoy area and the newly built Technological University Dublin campus located at Grangegorman.[4]

The Luas Cross City project has joined the Luas Red and Green lines with a line from Broombridge in North Dublin (interchange with Irish Rail station) and St. Stephen's Green Green Line stop. Services began in December 2017.[5]

The original Irish language name, Glas Mochonóg, means Monck's Green, which evolved to the variants Manogue and Minogue, and anglicised as Monck. This family held the local demesne at Grangegorman following intermarriage with the Stanley family, becoming Stanley Monck. The Green served as a playfield and parade ground was bisected by the main north road which ran from the foot of the Old Bridge of Dublin. Lying low between the stepping stone crossing of the Bradogue river (which now flows underground) is a common called the Glasminogue. Between the Broadstone and the village of Baile Phib at Monck Place, it often flooded and turned into a quagmire.

The etymology of the name Phibsborough (Broadstone) 1792 [spelt Phippsborough] is from a Lincolnshire family who settled as landowners in the area in the mid-17th century, the first being a Richard Phipps (of Kilmainham), who died in 1629 and was buried at St James's. [Pedigree of Phipps or Phibbs family, – Sligo, 1890.]

This area was part of the Grangegorman estate.

The Broadstone area underwent significant urban development in the early nineteenth century in order to fulfil the commercial and residential needs of the Royal Canal Company headquarters and Harbour Terminus operation. The later onset of John S. Mulvaney's Midland Great Western Railway and the railway engineering works brought further development to North Circular Road intersection and east to Blessington Street. The natural expansion of the city saw the development move north with residential housing reaching Phibsborough, Glasnevin, and Phoenix Park to the northwest.

A freestanding Church of Ireland church was built in 1828, comprising a four-bay nave, two-bay chancel to the east added in 1856, single-bay baptistry to west elevation, and porch to south elevation added in 1887, four-bay full-height north aisle added in 1887, with entrance porch.

St. Peter's Catholic Church and schools date from 1862. The construction of the church was controversial, resulting in a long and costly lawsuit. This dispute between the architect and builder ended in the courts and required the intervention of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin.[11] All Saints Church of Ireland Parish Church, Phibsborough Road, was completed in 1904. The renowned Tractarian, Dr Maturin, was rector for many years, establishing a High Church tradition of worship. The interior was restored in recent years, having suffered fire damage in 1968.

The Dublin Metropolitan Police on duty with a policeman about to check an approaching car in 1905 in Phibsborough

In 1900 a Baptist church was built on the North Circular Road, a red-bricked building, it was sold in the 1990s and developed into offices.

At the time of the Easter Rising, the de Valera family home was at 34, Munster Street.[12] Phibsborough has a number of memorials including one to Sean Healy, a 15-year-old member of the Fianna.[13] Healy was one of two Phibsborough Road residents killed during the Easter Rising, the other being James Kelly (18).[14] Local participants in the War of Independence include Harry Boland who was born in Phibsborough and grew up there.[15] His friend Dick McKee was born at Phibsborough Road. One of The Forgotten Ten, Bernard Ryan, lived here until his execution in Mountjoy Jail. The sculpture by Leo Broe at Royal Canal Bank was commissioned in memory of the local contingent of Irish Volunteers.

Broadstone Station was closed in 1937. These buildings constituted the Dublin Terminus, headquarters, and railworks of the Midland Great Western Railway and the Royal Canal Company. They now serve as the administrative centre and district bus garage for Bus Éireann[16] and Dublin Bus. The impressive nineteenth-century main building, fronted by a classical Egyptian-style facade, and Corinthian columnar service access is currently an eyesore. It awaits redevelopment as part of a planned regeneration of the area.

The Site of The Former Flour Mills along the Royal Canal

There was a flour mill in Phibsbororough. The building is now apartments. The site was originally Mallet's Iron Mill before becoming the North City Flour Mill in the 1860s.[17] The mill changed hands in 1881, purchased by the Murtagh Brothers, operating under the trade name of Dublin North Milling Company. This company was taken over by Ranks.[18] The mill closed in the 1983.[19]

During his early years, author James Joyce and his family lived at No. 7, St. Peter's Road.[20]

In silence they drove along Phibsborough Road. An empty hearse trotted by, coming from the cemetery: looks relieved.
Crossguns bridge: the Royal canal.
Water rushed roaring through the sluices. A man stood on his dropping barge, between clamps of turf. On the towpath by the lock a slacktethered horse.
Aboard of the Bugabu.

— Ulysses, James Joyce[21]

Glasmanogue was the name of a former common along the Phibsborough Road, north of the culverted Bradogue River.[22]

Since the post-war expansion of Dublin city, Phibsborough along with Glasnevin and Drumcondra provided amenities to the north city business district in the way that Ranelagh, Rathmines and Harold's Cross did to the south city. The convenient location, combined with easy access and good public transport facilities, led to the conversion of larger homes into bedsitter flats. The pace of economic advancement during the Celtic Tiger decade saw an increased demand for new flats and townhouse projects. This housing wave provided an opportunity for the re-conversion of historic properties back to family homes. Much the same has occurred on the city's south side. In addition, many existing semi-derelict properties and architectural curiosities were converted into modern apartments within their historic shells. Many Victorian and Edwardian facades were restored. The restored terraces of pink, biscuit and red-brick houses complement the converted historic churches, banks and offices. There are a number of Victorian-era pubs in the area.

The Dublin City Council Local Area Plan[23] for Phibsborough has been subject to revision and delays, despite its designation as a Prime Urban Centre.[24]

Developers have secured planning permission to upgrade the existing Phibsboro Shopping Centre. Built in 1969[25] and designed by David Keane with Leslie Rebanks a town centre design expert from Toronto as a consultant,[26] the shopping centre is one of the largest and most imposing buildings in the area. The tower is 100 feet high, and the whole complex replaced a terrace of 18 cottages. The site was developed by Galen Weston.[27] It was officially opened by Noel Lemass on 24 October 1969. The centre was the first combination of a shopping centre with offices built in Ireland.[26] It was a cause of controversy from the outset among architects, the public, and the press in terms of its architectural design and the circumstances of its passage through the planning process. It was the subject of Forgotten Frontier: A Critical Appraisal of the Phibsboro Shopping Centre,[28] published by Phibsboro Press in 2017, a zine featuring photographs, a research essay, and illustrations.[29]

With a claim to being the longest-established football club in the city, the home ground of Bohemian FC[30] is located on the west side of the shopping centre at Dalymount Park. The club is colloquially known as 'Bohs' and dates from 1890. In 2016, it was reported that Dublin City Council had announced long-awaited development plans for Dalymount Park to dramatically improve the stadium facilities and widen its use and accessibility.[31]

The government announced plans to close the inadequate facilities at Mountjoy Gaol and transfer the operations to Thornhill, a new prison in Fingal County; this plan did not progress.