Firhouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Firhouse (pronounced Fear-house or Fur-house) is a suburb in south west Dublin in Ireland. Like the adjacent residential areas of Knocklyon, Ballycullen and Ballycragh, it is located in a once rural setting close to the foothills of the Dublin mountains. Firhouse is near to Tallaght, the capital of South County Dublin which provides many of its services. Firhouse has the post code Dublin 24.
The pronunciation of Firhouse is a contentious issue among the local population. The origin of the place-name derives from the Irish word "fir", which means man and is pronounced "fear". Both pronunciations are equally valid and are used interchangeably.
There are three schools in Firhouse. Scoil Carmel and Scoil Treasa are primary schools and Firhouse Community College is the secondary school.
A focal point for the local community is the community shopping centre, a Supervalu. There is a church, a Scout den of the 146th scout troop, a community centre and a youth club. There are several pubs including The Speaker Conolly (named for William Conolly of Castletown House, County Kildare who was Speaker of the Irish House of Commons), Mortons, Scholars and The Old Mill.
Firhouse is comprised of several housing estates, including Carriglea, Carrigwood, Glencarrig, Killakee, Monalea, Sally Park and Woodlawn. Several Dublin Bus routes go through Firhouse. The 49 takes a roundabout route through the area along the Firhouse Road, Ballycullen Avenue, Ballycullen Drive and the Ballycullen Road while the 75 passes by on the Firhouse Road. The 15E and 15F also pass through along Killininy Road.
Famous people from Firhouse include comedians Sean Hughes (comedian) and Dave Allen (comedian).
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The name Firhouse comes from a manor that was located at the top of the laneway joining Scoil Treasa and Scoil Carmel. Like much of the rest of the area, this laneway, which led up to the main house, was lined with fir trees. The name comes from fir trees, and not the Irish word for men so there is no contention about the pronunciation of it.
