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Ongar, Dublin

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Ongar (Hansfield)
Suburb (village core)
Ongar Square
Ongar Square
Ongar (Hansfield) is located in Dublin
Ongar (Hansfield)
Ongar (Hansfield)
Location in Dublin
Coordinates: 53°23′45″N 6°26′23″W / 53.395805°N 6.439654°W / 53.395805; -6.439654
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyCounty Dublin
Local government areaFingal
Established2001
Government
 • Dáil constituencyDublin West
 • EP constituencyDublin
Elevation
[1]
62 m (203 ft)
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Eircode routing key
D15
Irish grid referenceO038395
Ongar House

Ongar /ˈɒŋɡər/ is a suburban village of Dublin, Ireland which has been developed on a greenfield basis since 2001. It lies within parts of the townlands of Castaheany (northerly) and "Hansfield or Phibblestown" (southerly), within the historical Barony of Castleknock, County Dublin.[2][3] It is close to Blanchardstown, Clonsilla, Clonee and the N3 road.[4] There are a number of amenities on Ongar's main street and several schools in the area. The nearby Hansfield railway station is served by Dublin Suburban Rail services. It is in the Fingal local government area.

History

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Medieval period

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The lands now occupied by Ongar, including the townland of Hansfield (Phibblestown),[5] fall within the historical Barony of Castleknock. Following the Anglo-Norman invasion, Hugh de Lacy created the barony in 1177 and granted it to Hugh Tyrrel of Castleknock Castle.[6][7][better source needed]

Origins and the Ongar Stud

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The modern district of Ongar is situated within the townlands of Hansfield (Phibblestown) and Castaheany, west of Blanchardstown and near Clonee, close to the boundary between County Dublin and County Meath. For much of the 20th century, a significant part of the area was occupied by the Ongar Stud, an equestrian facility named for Ongar, Essex.[8] In the 1950s, the stud gained prominence when it was purchased by Prince Aly Khan and became a residence for his wife, Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth. Several of the modern residential developments in the area were given the names of famous racehorses.[9]

21st-century development and New Urbanism

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In 2001,[10] the land underwent a major transition from agricultural and equestrian use to a master-planned residential community. Ongar was designed using "New Urbanism" principles, which prioritise high-density living centered on a walkable "Main Street." In the case of Ongar, this design was intended to replicate the functional density of a traditional Irish village, contrasting with the lower-density suburban sprawl typical of earlier Dublin 15 developments, and Main Street was completed already c. 2004.[citation needed]

Pre-existing structures in the area, including the Victorian-era Phibblestown House, were preserved and integrated into the modern landscape.[citation needed] The house, which was built c. 1850,[11] is included in the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Fingal County Council.[12]

Ongar House, now an apartment complex, is a facsimile of the original house, which was destroyed in a fire on the night of 14/15 September 2002.[13][14][15] The building, which was rebuilt to the same "form and appearance of the original Ongar House",[16] was sold in 2013.[17]

Location and access

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The Ongar area is served by Hansfield railway station

Ongar is approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) north-west of Dublin city centre.[18] It is centred on the townland of "Hansfield or Phibblestown" and is contained within the old civil parish of Clonsilla. The village of Clonee is 2 kilometres to the north, while Clonsilla is roughly 2 km to the east, and Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, and the actual village of Blanchardstown are approximately 3−3.5 km away.[19][20] Ongar is in the Dublin 15 postal district.

The Royal Canal passes to the south, and small streams run in the area.[21]

Road

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To the north is the Littlepace interchange of the N3 national route, which just after becomes the M3 motorway. Pedestrian access to Castaheany is possible to the north where the tree-lined avenue, house and walled garden of Phibblestown House have been preserved.[citation needed]

In February 2026, the €23 million Ongar-Barnhill Road was officially opened. The 2km project connects the Barnwell Roundabout to the R149 at Barberstown and includes a new bridge over the Dunboyne railway line. The road features segregated cycle lanes and improved pedestrian infrastructure, which has been cited by Fingal County Council[22] as an 'active travel' corridor connecting Ongar to five nearby schools and the wider Dublin 15 area.[23]

Bus

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Ongar is served by a network of bus routes provided by Dublin Bus, Go-Ahead Ireland, and TFI Local Link, providing 24-hour, radial, and orbital connectivity.[citation needed] These include routes 39a (a 24-hour service), 39/39x, N2 (an orbital route), 139,[24] L51 and L52, and route 39n (Nitelink services at the weekend).[citation needed] Route 139 connects Ongar village to the Blanchardstown campus of Technological University Dublin.[25]

Commuter rail

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Ongar is served by Hansfield railway station, which opened in June 2013 and is a 10/15 minute walk from the area. The station is on the Dublin Docklands to Dunboyne railway station / M3 Parkway railway station commuter route and its position on the Dunboyne commuter line sees it served by 45 trains daily. Connection to the Luas is possible via Broombridge station.[26]

Under the DART+ West programme, the line serving Hansfield station is scheduled for full electrification. Following the granting of the Railway Order in 2024 and the commencement of procurement in 2025, enabling works began in 2026 with main construction scheduled for 2027. If completed as planned, this is intended to increase train frequency and transition the current diesel commuter service to a high-capacity electric DART service.[27]

Amenities

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Manor Square looking towards Ongar Main Street

Ongar's masterplan used a mixed-use "Main Street" model, with commercial development at ground level with residential apartments above. The "village core" is anchored by a Dunnes Stores supermarket and features a pedestrianised plaza, Ongar Square, medical centres, pharmacies, and several dining and retail outlets.[citation needed] The Royal Canal Greenway, which passes through the area, provides a dedicated off-road cycling and walking route toward the city centre and Maynooth.[citation needed]

Sport

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The area is served by two Gaelic Athletic Association clubs, Erin go Bragh GAA, which moved to nearby Littlepace in 2003, and Westmanstown Gaels at the Garda Síochána sports grounds in Westmanstown, near Clonsilla.[citation needed] A local soccer club, Clonee United, also based in Littlepace, was formed in 2003 through the amalgamation of two clubs, Casta Celtic, formed in 2002, and Little Pacers F.C., established in 2000, while Santos Soccer Club plays beside the Phibblestown Community Centre.[citation needed] The Ongar Chasers basketball club was formed in 2012.[28]

Ongar is 5km from the National Sports Campus, which includes the National Aquatic Centre (NAC).[citation needed]

Education

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Schools within Ongar include St. Benedicts NS and Castaheany Educate Together.[29] To the north, in Phibblestown, is a campus which houses Scoil Ghráinne National School (opened in 2008 as Ireland's first community primary school) and Phibblestown Community College (a secondary school also known as Colaiste Pobail Setanta).[30][31] To the south, adjacent to Hansfield railway station, is the Hansfield Educate Together campus, which holds both primary (Hansfield ETNS)[32] and secondary (Hansfield ETSS) education.[33] Ériu Community College opened in the area in 2020.[34]

Governance and community

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The local authority is Fingal County Council.[35] Community organisations which operate locally include the Ongar Tidy Towns Committee. This group first participated in the National Tidy Towns competition in 2013.[36] Ongar Tidy Towns, which won Fingal County Council's "Cleaner Communities Award" in 2015,[37] was awarded a grant for anti-litter and anti-graffiti initiatives in 2025.[38]

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Elevation data from Ordnance Survey Ireland". Maps.osi.ie. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Logainm.ie - Castaheany". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Logainm.ie - Hansfield or Phibblestown". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "The neighbourhood guide - Ongar". Myhome.ie. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Hansfield Townland, Co. Dublin". townlands.ie. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  6. ↑ Ball, Francis Elrington (1920). A history of the County Dublin; the people, parishes and antiquities from the earliest times to the close of the eighteenth century. University of California Libraries. Dublin : Alex. Thom.[better source needed]
  7. ↑ "Heritage by area - Dublin 15 | Fingal County Council". www.fingal.ie. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Lacey, Jim (2007). A Candle in the Window: A History of the Barony of Castleknock. Ireland: Mercier Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN 9781856355520.
  9. ↑ "Ongar - from Aga Khan's estate to suburban village with 1,400 homes". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  10. ↑ "'A new community like Ongar is a blank canvas'". Irish Times. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2026. Ongar village was launched by Manor Park Homes in 2001 on a stud farm formerly owned by the Aga Khan
  11. ↑ "Phibblestown House, Castaheany, Fingal". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  12. ↑ Fingal Development Plan 2023–2029 - Appendix 5 - Record of Protected Structures and ACAS (PDF), Fingal County Council, p. 105, retrieved 8 May 2026
  13. ↑ "Planning Report - FW19A/0019 - Report of the Conservation Officer" (PDF). Fingal County Council. 2019. the current Ongar House is a modern structure built in the early 21st century as a facsimile replacement building [..] The original house was destroyed by a catastrophic fire in 2002 [..] The current building is not a Protected Structure
  14. ↑ "Insurer told to pay over €1m for burned house". Irish Times. 14 June 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2023. Ongar House in Clonsilla, where film star Rita Hayworth once stayed [..] was destroyed by fire on the night of September 14th/15th, 2002
  15. ↑ "Memory Lanes: Ongar and Rita Hayworth". Geodirectory Ireland. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022.
  16. ↑ Sold - Ongar House, Ongar Village, Dublin 15 (PDF), p. 3, archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2025
  17. ↑ "Ongar House, Ongar Village, Dublin 15". kellywalsh.ie. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  18. ↑ "Ongar - from Aga Khan's estate to suburban village with 1,400 homes". Irish Times. 11 November 2004. Retrieved 6 May 2026. [Ongar is] on the borders of counties Dublin and Meath, about 10 miles from the city along the N3 and two miles from the Blanchardstown Centre
  19. ↑ "Potential new Greenway link from Ongar village to Blanchardstown shopping centre". dublincycling.com. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2026. Blanchardstown shopping center to [..] Ongar village [is] at a distance of 3.8 km
  20. ↑ "Newly rebuilt 12,621sq ft Dublin house on 1.8 acres for €350,000". Irish Times. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2026. Ongar village centre [..] is 3km from Blanchardstown shopping centre
  21. ↑ Doyle, Joseph W. (2024) [2022]. The Rivers and Streams of Dublin (City of Dublin, Fingal, South Dublin, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown) (3 ed.). Dublin, Ireland: Rath Eanna Research. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-1-9999497-6-1.
  22. ↑ "Ongar Barnhill Road". www.fingal.ie. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "Official opening of the Ongar Barnhill Road marks major milestone for Dublin 15". www.fingal.ie. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  24. ↑ "139". JJ Kavanagh. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  25. ↑ "TFI Local Route Timetable" (PDF).
  26. ↑ "Hansfield Station to Dundrum Luas Stop - 7 ways to travel via tram, and bus". Rome2rio.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  27. ↑ "DART+ West". dartplus.ie. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  28. ↑ "Ongar Chasers - Our Club". ongarchasers.com. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  29. ↑ "Safe Routes to School Fingal | Fingal County Council". fingal.ie. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  30. ↑ "Colaiste Pobail Setanta Phibblestown Community College, Phibblestown, Dublin". gov.ie. Department of Education. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  31. ↑ "Flags from 23 nations signal dawn of new era". independent.ie. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  32. ↑ "Hansfield ETNS - Contact Us". hansfieldetns.com. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  33. ↑ "Brochure - Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School" (PDF), educatetogether.ie, retrieved 9 May 2026, Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School is in the Barnwell/Hansfield area near Ongar Village, Dublin 15. It is close to Hansfield Train Station
  34. ↑ "'It feels like a bomb was dropped on us': Parents protest over plan to move secondary school 8km away". Irish Times. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2026. Ériu Community College, which opened in Ongar in 2020, was established to serve the growing population of the local area
  35. ↑ "Draft Fingal County Development Plan 2023-2029 : Chapter 4: Community Infrastructure and Open Space". fingal.ie. Fingal County Council. May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  36. ↑ "Tidy Towns Competition 2013 - Adjudication Report - Ongar" (PDF). tidytowns.ie. June 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  37. ↑ "Communities lead the way". Fingal Independent. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  38. ↑ "Anti-Litter Anti-Graffiti Grant 2026". www.fingal.ie. Retrieved 5 May 2026. The 2025 successful [grant] applicants are: [..] Ongar Tidy Towns [..] €1,200.00
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