Sutton, Dublin

Sutton (Irish: Cill Fhionntain – Fintan's cell or church)[1] is a residential suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It occupies the tombolo which links Howth Head to the mainland, some of the lower slopes of Howth Hill, and a little of the adjacent coasts. The area lies within the jurisdiction of Fingal County Council. There is a small commercial core at the Sutton Cross road intersection.

Sutton

Irish: Cill Fhionntain
Suburb
Sutton Cross
Sutton
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°23′10″N 6°06′00″W
Country Ireland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyDublin
Administrative CountyFingal
Population
 (2016)
 • Total5,680

Sutton lies in the ancient Barony of Coolock, within the historic County Dublin.

Location and geography
Marine Hotel, Sutton Cross

Location

Historically Sutton lay entirely on the Howth peninsula, from Sutton Cross up to Claremont road and where Barren Hill meets Carrickbrack Road and the Martello Tower at Red Rock. Today however, it is generally considered to extend to the railway, where it meets Baldoyle, and to the junction of Baldoyle Road and the coast road, where it meets Bayside, these additional lands historically having been farmland.

Access

Beginning on the Howth Road (R105) 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 (R105). Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland serves the area with route 31 and its variants from the city centre, as well as route 102 which connects Sutton railway station to Dublin Airport. There is a cycleway that connects Sutton to Clontarf and Fairview, with works ongoing to connect to Sandymount.[2]

Sutton railway station[3] opened on 30 July 1846[4] as Baldoyle & Sutton, being renamed Sutton in 1901. The station is served by the DART.

The Hill of Howth Tramway ran between Sutton railway station and Howth railway station around the Hill of Howth until 1959.

The cycleway at Sutton works are ongoing to connect it to Sandymount

Geography

At the core 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, along Strand Road, where there are today housing terraces and a small harbour, but the area is now centred on Sutton Cross.

Strand Road coastal pathway and Luí na Gréine standing stone in the distance

Streams

There are several small streams in the area, all substantially culverted. Some tiny flows cross the Sutton end of the Cliff Walk paths, and two bigger streams, Santa Sabina Stream and the Carrickbrack Stream, discharge at the coast on Sutton Strand[5]:8 in front of Saint Fintan's Roman Catholic church. sometimes very actively, sometimes largely covered by sand, which is then cleared by Fingal County Council staff.

Carrickbrack Stream rises between Shielmartin Hill and Dun Hill near Howth Golf Course, and flows, meeting minor tributaries, roughly parallel to Carrickbrack Road, coming to the shore at the south-western end of Sutton Strand.[5]:8 Santa Sabina Stream comes from the central area of the Howth (Deer Park) Estate, and runs in culvert past the Offington housing estate and through the grounds of Santa Sabina Dominican Convent, reaching the sand around 150m north of the mouth of the Carrickbrack.[5]:8 The mouth of the Santa Sabina has concrete framing and a guard rail.

Beaches
Burrow Beach at Sutton, Dublin, looking north towards Lambay Island

Sutton is surrounded by many beaches. The Burrow Beach is particularly popular among locals and tourists. It is approximately 1.2 km and stretches from Sutton Golf Club to Howth, along one side of the tombolo connecting Howth Head to the mainland.[6] Sutton Strand runs along the coast road and in front of St. Fintan's church.

Quarries

Two quarries previously operated in Sutton on the Howth Road near Corr Castle and at Barren Hill on St.Fintans Road. Both are now closed.[7]

Amenities

There is one main commercial area, with a Supervalu store (previously a Superquinn) supermarket, under that chain's HQ, which in turn had replaced the local cinema), the Marine Hotel, a post office, and other banking, dining and retail operations. The local filling stations closed some years back, leaving the unattended Maxol filling station in coastal Kilbarrack and its attended station on the Baldoyle Road as the only fuelling facilities nearby.

Sutton as seen from Howth Head.

Sports and leisure activities

There is dinghy sailing off the coast at Sutton Dinghy Club, based within Sutton Creek.[8] Golf can be played at Sutton Golf Club, with Howth and the Deerpark golf facilities nearby; footgolf and poc fada can also be played at Deerpark. Suttonians Rugby Football Club, at Station Road, provides for local rugby players and supporters. Sutton Tennis Club has 12 outdoor courts and five indoor squash courts; it is the biggest club for junior squash in the Republic of Ireland.[9] The local soccer club is Howth Celtic, with grounds located opposite St.Fintan's primary school on Carrickbrack Road. There is a local scout group which meets in St. Mary's Church of Ireland Parish Hall in Howth.

Red Rock is a trailhead for the Cliff Walk which navigates a large section of Howth Head and ends at Howth village. Shielmartin Hill is also readily accessible from Sutton.

Buildings
Santa Sabina Manor Housing estate on Carrickbrack Road

One of the areas oldest buildings, the fifteenth century Corr Castle, is located at Sutton North near the Howth Road entrance to Offington housing estate. The castle previously formed part of the Howth Park Racecourse which stretched over large parts of Sutton and Howth.

The area is also home to one of Ireland's Martello Towers at Red Rock which is now a private residence. Also located in Red Rock is Sutton Castle, the former home of the Jameson family, and later 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. [10][11]

Several notable Georgian houses are located in Sutton including two imposing 4-storey Georgian era houses now called Beachfield House (previously called Devonshire Terrace) as well as the nearby Sealawn House (1830s) which was owned by John Pentland Mahaffy. Adjacent to these is a terrace of Howth stone faced fisherman's cottages called Martello Terrace. The end house of this terrace used to house the old Sutton coast guard station but has now been converted into residential accommodation.[12]

The old tram shed which was used by the Hill of Howth Tramway is located near Sutton Station, but is now a private residence which is part of a modern housing development.[13]

The Luí na Gréine (English:Sunset) granite standing stone monument is located on the seaside pathway at Sutton strand and was designed by Cliodhna Cussen and erected in the mid 2000's.

Education

Sutton has three mixed primary schools: the Burrow School, on the Dublin Road between Sutton Cross and Howth, St. Fintan's National School, on Carrickbrack Road, and the primary part of Sutton Park School. It holds three secondary schools: St. Fintan's High School (a boys school, technically in Baldoyle), Santa Sabina Dominican College[14] (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, St. Fintans, within the deanery of Howth, with a parish church[15][16] at the base of Howth Hill, adjacent to Santa Sabina School, at the junction of Greenfield Road and Church Road.

St.Fintans church

There is also a Methodist church[17] at the junction of Church Road and Howth Road.

Sutton Methodist Church

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.[18]

Administration

Sutton is part of the Dublin Bay North Dáil Éireann constituency, having previously been part of Dublin North-East for many years.

The area is also within the Howth-Malahide local electoral area of Fingal County Council, and there is also an electoral division of Sutton.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. Logainm- Placename database of Ireland. "Cill Fhionntáin". Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. Lyne, Laura (5 May 2017). "Latest phase of Sutton to Sandycove cycleway opened by Lord Mayor in Clontarf". Dublin Live.
  3. Archiseek web page on Sutton Railway station Archived 6 October 2008 at Archive.today
  4. "Baldoyle and Sutton station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Retrieved 3 September 2007.
  5. Doyle, Joseph W. (2013) [2008]. Ten Dozen Waters: The Rivers and Streams of County Dublin (7th edition). Dublin, Ireland: Rath Eanna Research. pp. i–iv, 1–76 + photos and map. ISBN 978-0-9566363-6-2.
  6. Council, Fingal County. "The Burrow beach : : Fingal County Council". fingalcoco.ie. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  7. "CORR CASTLE WITH MACHINERY AND WORKMEN". edwindavison.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  8. "Brief History". sdc.ie.
  9. "Sutton Lawn Tennis Club". suttonltc.com.
  10. "1880 – Sutton Castle Hotel, Sutton, Co. Dublin". archiseek.com.
  11. "Luxury living at Sutton Castle apartments". Business Post. 2 July 2005.
  12. Lyons, Madeleine. "Slick Sutton coastguard station transformation for €995,000". irishtimes.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  13. "The Hill of Howth Tramway and tram No. 9". National Transport Museum of Ireland.
  14. Santa Sabina Dominican College
  15. Archiseek page on St. Fintans' Roman Catholic Church
  16. Photo of St. Fintans' Church
  17. Photo of Sutton Methodist Church
  18. http://irelandsholywells.blogspot.ie/2012/05/saint-fintans-well-sutton-county-dublin.html?m=1
  19. Egan, Barry (13 December 2013). "Vogue McFadden: Brian is all I could have wished for". Irish Independent.
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