Blanchardstown (Baile Bhlainséir in Irish) is a sprawling suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Originally a town in its own right, it is now the largest urban area in the County of Fingal, and serves as a regional service centre for the county along with Swords. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Swords Code: D (FL proposed) Area: 448. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

Etymology

The town's name means "estate of a family called Blanchard, an Anglo-Norman surname. The name was recorded in 1385 as villa de Blanchard. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Population

The 2006 Census recorded a population of 90,952 in Blanchardstown and its immediate environs. The suburb is the location of Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown as well as some prominent multinational companies like IBM and eBay. The area covers most of the An Post postal district "Dublin 15". Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown (ITB) is the most recent Institute of Technology opened in Ireland. ... International Business Machines Corporation (known as IBM or Big Blue; NYSE: IBM) is a multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating back to the 19th century. ... eBay headquarters in San Jose eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to PayPal) eBay Inc. ...

The Blanchardstown Centre

The Blanchardstown Centre opened in October 1996 and was Ireland's second major shopping centre at its completion (it followed The Square in Tallaght) and was the country's largest shopping centre until Dundrum Town Centre opened. It is owned by Green Property Limited, and located near the junction of the M50 motorway and N3 road. The Square is a comon name for public squares, for example: The Square, Bournemouth The Square, Dublin The Square is also a small music venue in England. ... // WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Dundrum Town Centre is a shopping centre located in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland. ... The M50 motorway is a motorway and National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. ... The N3 road is a National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland, running between Dublin, Cavan Town and the border with County Fermanagh. ...

The anchor tenants in the centre are Dunnes Stores and Debenhams. An extension added Penneys (Primark), and a second extension, known as the Red Mall, added Marks and Spencer. A number of smaller retail units, including Dixons, HMV, Virgin Megastores, French Connection, Topshop, and others are also present. A multiplex cinema (owned by United Cinemas International) and a number of restaurants (including McDonald's, Burger King, Eddie Rockets, and Pizza Hut) are also present. Dunnes Stores is a supermarket and clothing retail chain based in the Republic of Ireland. ... Debenhams plc (LSE: DEB) is a retailer with a chain of department stores based in the United Kingdom. ... Penneys is a clothes retailer in Ireland. ... Marks and Spencer plc (known also as M&S and sometimes colloquially as Marks and Sparks) is the largest retailer in the United Kingdom by sales. ... Dixons is an electrical retailer in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and is owned by DSG International plc (formerly Dixons Group). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Virgin Megastores is an international chain of record stores, founded by Sir Richard Branson on Londons Oxford Street in 1971. ... French Connection is a company founded in the United Kingdom in 1969 which sells clothing and accessories in many parts of the world. ... Topshop is a chain of clothing stores situated throughout the United Kingdom, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Republic of Ireland. ... United Cinemas International or UCI is owned by Terra Firma Capital Partners. ... McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants, primarily selling hamburgers, chicken, french fries, milkshakes and soft drinks. ... Burger King (often abbreviated to BK) is a large international chain of fast food restaurants, predominantly selling burgers, french fries, soft drinks, desserts, and various sandwiches. ... Eddie Rockets is a Republic of Ireland owned Fast Food franchise, with stores across Ireland, and in Gran Canaria and Liverpool - much the same locations as held by Dunnes Stores. ... Pizza Hut is a restaurant chain and international franchise based in Addison, Texas USA (a northern suburb of Dallas) specializing in American-style pizza along with side dishes including (depending on location) buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread. ...

The centre environs feature a 24 hour leisure centre (bowling alleys, arcades and quazar), a library, theatre, gym, pub/nightclub, office blocks and several larger outlying retail units (including PC World and Currys). Q-Zar (called Quasar in the UK and Republic of Ireland) is a type of lasertag that was developed in Ireland. ... PC World may refer to one of two topics: The American computer magazine The British computer store chain This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Currys is an electrical retailer in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and is owned by DSG International plc. ...

Transport Issues in Blanchardstown

Most areas in Blanchardstown are still served by the same bus networks that have been in place since the 1970s, when its population was a fraction of what it is today. Although some concessions have been made with plans to electrify the current rail service (something that was suggested almost 15 years ago), and the extension of the METRO line (due sometime in 2012), it seems too little, too late.

The average journey time for the 6 mile trip to the city centre for most commuters from the greater Blanchardstown area peaks at up to 2 hours, which is disproportionately higher than the European average. This same journey took 30 minutes in 1970.

Clubs and Societies

• St. Brigid's GAA Club
• Blanchardstown United Football Club - Soccer in Dublin 15
• Blanchardstown Brass Band
• Karate in Blanchardstown- Corduff & Hartstown Shotokan Karate Clubs

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External links

• Fingal County Council

• Map of Blanchardstown
• Blanchardstown Shopping Centre
• Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd
• Institute of Technology Blanchardstown
• Blanchardstown United & Hartstown United Football Club - Soccer in Dublin 15
• St.Brigids GAA Club
• St Brigids Boxing Club - Boxing Club in Dublin 15
• The Dublin 15 Community Council

Coordinates: 53°23′N, 6°23′W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...