Rathgar (Irish:Rath Gharbh) is a well-to-do suburb of Dublin, Ireland, lying about 4 km south of the city centre. The housing stock largely comprises red-brick Victorian terraces. Much of the area lies within a conservation zone. The suburb's most famous son is James Joyce, who was born in Brighton Square.
The name Rathgar derives from the IrishRath Gharbh, meaning "Rough Ring Fort".
The documented history of Rathgar began with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the 11th century, when the lands of Rathgar became part of the home farm, or grange, of the Augustinian Nuns of the Abbey of St. Mary, whose convent stood at College Green.
The name Rathgar has been in continuous use since the 13th century and was used to describe the area bounded on the south by the river Dodder and on the north by the river Swan.
Until the 1840s Rathgar remained very much a rural idyll and much of the land remained under cultivation and was used by market gardeners and dairymen to graze their cattle.
Rathgar is largely a quiet suburb, with a higher than average number of retired citizenry.
Rathgar has a number of fine architectural features, notably the Presbyterian Church at the junction of Rathgar Road and Highfield Road in the village centre.
The Roman Catholic Church of The Three Patrons on Rathgar Road is known as "The Servants' Church" because in the late 19th and early 20th century it was the place of worship for the large number of servants who worked and lived in the large houses in the area.
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