placenamesRaheny
Ráth Eanaigh
Endowed schools, Guinness patronage and a library with a place in Irish film history.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Ráth Eanaigh · Irish · main form · validated name
- Raheny · English · main form
Place & story
Schools sustained by village rents
Samuel Dick built Raheny’s charity school in 1787, providing an endowment through the rent of eight houses forming the village crescent. Samuel Lewis’s 1837 account records a second school, built at William Sweetman’s expense in 1820 with accommodation for its master. About 150 children attended the two schools together. These arrangements tied education to local property and benefaction while Raheny was still surrounded by substantial private residences, pasture and arable land. [2]
All Saints and the Guinness estate
All Saints’ Church grew from an offer accepted by the parish in April 1885: Arthur Edward Guinness, Lord Ardilaun, would provide a new church on his estate at his own expense. George Coppinger Ashlin designed the building, using Ballynockan granite, limestone window tracery and green Cumberland slates. Collen Brothers undertook the main construction, while Dublin firm A.V. Sharpe built the tower and spire. The new building replaced the old St Assam’s as the parish church. [3]
A library on screen and in the community
Raheny Library opened in 1972 with about 25,000 volumes. Its design provided a distinct children’s library and emphasised daylight and open space, part of a new generation of Dublin Corporation branches. It later became the first suburban branch to adopt a computerised catalogue after the Central Library opened in 1986. The library also entered film history: scenes for The Snapper, released in 1993, were filmed there, with staff appearing in cameos. [4]
Residents working on the village
Raheny Tidy Village Group traces its beginnings to 1992, when a small group led by Ann Sheeran met on Saturdays at the library grounds to tidy the village centre. Its later projects included the Santry River bridge, a community garden and restoration of the village pump. Working with local partners, the group also developed the Raheny Way walks and a heritage trail, making the village’s streets and historic sites part of its continuing community work. [5]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Raheny. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Raheny, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland,1837 · Samuel Lewis
- History of All Saints Church, Raheny · All Saints Church; Arthur Garrett, Through Countless Ages,1989
- Raheny Library is looking fab at50 · Dublin Gazette / Dublin City Libraries anniversary account
- History of Raheny Tidy Village Group · Raheny Tidy Village Group
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2024-12-28. How this page was prepared.