THIS IS AN AREA THAT I HAVE NOT VISITED BEFORE
Clonturk is an area on the Northside of Dublin, in Ireland. It is located in the south of the suburb of Drumcondra, just north of the River Tolka, but previously, Clonturk had been an alternative name for Drumcondra and the wider area. Clonturk lies within the Dublin 9 postal district. The name Clonturk translates from the Irish as “Pasture of the boars”. There is some evidence that the name originally was Ceann Torc or the “Headland of the boars”, but had changed to Clonturk by the middle of the 16th century, perhaps under the influence of the more famous neighbouring placename Clontarf.
The name ‘Clonturk’ mainly survives today through the existence of Clonturk House on Ormond Road. Clonturk House was built in 1830 by the then City Architect, as a gentleman’s residence and was extensively renovated in 1880 and given its Georgian frontage. For a number of years until 1960 Clonturk House was run by the Presbyterian Church which gave accommodation to girls attending school in Dublin both as fee-paying and on a subsidised basis. Until 2009 it was a home for blind men, run by the Rosminians order. The balustrade which now forms its boundary came from the original Carlisle Bridge and was moved there when this structure was replaced by the present O’Connell Bridge.
A number of neighbouring streets bear the name Clonturk, including Clonturk Park, Clonturk Gardens, and Clonturk Avenue, probably as a result of their proximity to Clonturk House. There is also Clonturk Community College, further north on the Swords Road at Whitehall.
