Dundrum (Dún Droma in Irish, fort of the ridge), originally a town in its own right, is now a suburban village and district in the administrative county of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland.
The area covers most of the An Post postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16.
History
The original village clustered around the 13th century Dundrum Castle (now in ruins), built as part of the defences around Dublin. The village expanded greatly after the arrival of the Dublin and South Eastern Railway (DSER) in 1854. The 18th century church of St. Nahi is located in Dundrum.
Development
In 1971, Dundrum was one of the earliest places in Ireland to open a purpose-built shopping centre (the first being in Stillorgan), succeeding the Pye factory.
A much bigger shopping centre opened just south of the village on March 3, 2005. Known as Dundrum Town Centre it contains within the complex one the largest cinemas in Ireland, opened in early October 2005. The old shopping centre and much of Main Street, excluding the Church, are to be demolished to create space for hotels and apartments.
The College of Further Education in Dundrum is the local community Vocational Education Committee college.
Transport
The Luas tram system passes through the town, over the large cable-stayed "William Dargan Bridge", at Taney Cross near the town centre. It is the biggest engineering structure on the line. The route was originally a railway line opened by the DSER. Closed in 1958, the alignment was preserved intact for several decades.
Points of note
Dundrum is the family home of cyclist, Stephen Roche, and Seamus Brennan, Minister of Social and Family Affairs.