Ballybough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballybough is a district of north Dublin, Ireland situated northeast of Summerhill, between the Royal Canal and the River Tolka. Adjacent areas are North Strand, Fairview and Drumcondra/Clonliffe. The name derives from the Irish baile "town" and bocht "poor". The area was synomymous with being a leper colony in the 18th Century when it was then known as Mud Island, an extension of the mud flats that now form Fairview and environs.
In olden days, it was a district that attracted characters of ill-repute, drunks, prostitutes and pirates and it was here that the authorities designated an area of burial known colloquially as 'the suicide plot' from which Bram Stoker derived the idea of the cross for his novel 'Dracula,' the cross being the junction of Clonliffe Road and Ballybough Road.[citation needed]
During the land reclamation project of the 19th century, Mud Island was known, interchangeably, as Friend's Field or French Field, before it became known by its current name. The village of Ballybough traces its origins to a series of small dwellings known as Ballybough Cottages, which were later demolished to make way for the Dublin Corporation housing project known as Ballybough House.
The area was, and still is, a predominantly working-class district of the North Inner City, but is not without its famous people such as the Luke Kelly of The Dubliners folk group for whom Ballybough Bridge over the River Tolka is named. The film director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, The Field) is also from the area.
Close by at Jones' Road is Croke Park, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association. This sports stadium is among the most modern in Europe with a capacity of 83,000. In addition to hurling and gaelic football it is also used as a rock concert venue. It is here that U2 has played to some of its largest audiences. The stadium was also the venue where world boxing champion Muhammad Ali defeated 'Al Blue' Lewis in a non-title fight in 1972.
