Stepaside, Dublin

Stepaside An Chéim
Suburban village
Stepaside's main street
Stepaside Location in Dublin Show map of Dublin Stepaside Stepaside (Ireland) Show map of Ireland
Coordinates: 53°15.17′N 6°12.845′W
Country	Ireland
County	Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST (WEST))
Eircode (Routing Key)	D18
Area code	01 (+3531)
Irish Grid Reference	O189241

Stepaside (Irish: An Chéim)^[1] is a village in the townland of Kilgobbin, located in south County Dublin, in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. The area is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Dundrum.

History

Stepaside developed in the 18th and early 19th centuries when the adjacent medieval settlement of Kilgobbin was bypassed by a new stretch of the Enniskerry Road, was built from what is now Lamb's Cross through to Kilternan. Stepaside became a new staging post along this route, while Kilgobbin Road with its coaching inn (now Oldtown House) was no longer used by goods traffic or stagecoaches.

Stepaside is home to Kilgobbin Church, built in the 17th century.^[2]

History and development

Kilgobbin Cross is a 10th century cross in Stepaside^[3]

Previously a separate rural village, as of the early 21st century, Stepaside has been absorbed by the Dublin conurbation to the north and east, and has seen accompanying residential development and population growth.^[4][5]

In 2007, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council announced plans to build a community park for the Carrickmines, Ballyogan, and Stepaside areas.^[6] A large civic centre in the area is named after Samuel Beckett.^[7]

Population

As of the 2016 census, the population of the Glencullen electoral area, which includes the villages of Stepaside, Glencullen and Kiltiernan, was 19,773 in total.

Location and access

Stepaside lies on the R117 regional road to the south-east of the city, at the foot of Three Rock Mountain. The area is also just off Junction 14 of the M50 motorway. Neighbouring areas include Sandyford, Kilternan, Ballyogan, Leopardstown, Carrickmines, Belarmine and Glencullen.

Stepaside is served by Dublin Bus routes 44, 47 and 118 and Go-Ahead Ireland 63 and 63a. The Luas Green Line has been extended to Cherrywood and the nearest stops (Glencairn and The Gallops) are approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the centre of Stepaside. Stepaside is located 13.2 kilometres / 8.2 miles from Dublin City (a 33 minute ride on the Luas).

Amenities

Parks, gardens and hiking

Dublin’s newest public park is in Stepaside – the former estate of Fernhill House, which was opened to the public in 2019.^[8] It has heritage buildings, garden areas, parkland and woods, located close to Stepaside village (one entrance is opposite the Belarmine development). Ticknock Forest is also nearby, along with several hiking trails.^{[citation needed]}

Facilities and businesses

Stepaside village has a post office and a Garda station. It also has a number of pubs and restaurants, including a chipper, pub, restaurant and wine bar. Grocery shops include a small supermarket, fishmongers and butchers. There is also a pharmacy, medical practice, some salons and a clothes shop, as well as an estate agents.^{[citation needed]}

Schools

There are several schools in Stepaside including Educate Together primary and secondary schools, and a private secondary school for girls.^{[citation needed]}

Sport

Local soccer (association football) clubs include Stepaside F.C., and Wayside Celtic F.C. at Kilternan. There is also an all-weather pitch at Jamestown in Stepaside. While there are no Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in the area, nearby clubs include Naomh Olaf (Sandyford), Kilmacud Crokes (Stillorgan), and Stars of Erin (Glencullen).^{[citation needed]}

There are a number of golf courses, driving ranges and par 3 golf facilities in the area. These include Stepaside Golf Course,^[9] Stepaside Golf Centre,^[10] and pitch and putt / par-3 courses at The Burrow^[11] and Jamestown.^[12]

People

Former or current residents of Stepaside village have included:

• Alan Byrne, retired soccer player of the 1980s and 1990s^{[citation needed]}
• Mick Curley, chairman of the National Referees' Association, was stationed in the village in the 1970s as a Garda superintendent^{[citation needed]}
• Joe Elliott, the Sheffield-born lead singer of Def Leppard, lives in the area^[13][14]
• Neale Richmond, Fine Gael politician^[15]
• Hal Roach, comedian.^[16]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "An Chéim / Stepaside". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
2. Curious Ireland - Kilgobbin Church
3. "Kilgobbin Cross, Stepaside. County Dublin 10th century". curiousireland.ie. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
4. "Hotspots: Stepaside, a rural escape on the edge of Dublin". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
5. "Report recommended Stepaside station to reopen over population growth". rte.ie. RTÉ. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
6. "Council to build €40m civic centre near dump". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
7. "Council refuses to let parents use car park". dublingazette.com. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
8. Fernhill Park and Gardens
9. Stepaside Golf Course
10. Stepaside Golf Centre
11. [The Burrow par-3 Golf Course]^{[full citation needed]}
12. Jamestown
13. "Part of 'heart of town' will be lost, say Stepaside locals". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
14. "Joe Elliot: "It seemed like Taylor Hawkins had that same sort of vulnerability as Steve Clark. It's just so desperately sad"". Hot Press. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023. Joe Elliott, the Sheffield-born, Stepaside-residing Def Leppard singer
15. "In defence of grants: Protestant perspectives on schooling". The Irish Times. 23 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
16. "Settlement of Hal Roach case". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 12 October 2000. Retrieved 28 June 2020.