placenamesCaherdavin
Cathair Dháibhín
Caherdavin’s expansion in the 1960s led residents to establish schools, a parish and youth organisations, creating a new community on Limerick’s north side.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- Cathair Dháibhín · Irish · main form · validated name
- Caherdavin · English · main form
- Cahirdavin · English · main form · local name
Place & story
From housing estate to parish
Caherdavin expanded with the McInerney housing estate in the early 1960s. Residents formed an association in 1965 and requested a parish of their own, established on 22 April 1970. Worship moved through temporary premises, including the Jetland ballroom and Na Piarsaigh's clubhouse. The parish account records this succession of borrowed spaces before fundraising made a permanent church possible. [2]
Christ the King and its artists
Christ the King Church opened on 27 September 1985, blessed by Bishop Jeremiah Newman. Architects John and Nuala Kernan designed it, while Glenstal's Henry O'Shea supplied designs for the altar, ambo, tabernacle, hanging cross and font. Chris Ryan created the statue of Mary and the infant Jesus; Erica Ryan designed stained glass depicting Creation. The building brought several individual artistic contributions into the new parish centre. [2]
Schools for a growing population
The school history begins with a prefabricated classroom in 1968, serving 30 boys and 30 girls under one teacher. Permanent schools followed in 1971, with classes temporarily accommodated in the Na Piarsaigh clubhouse during construction. The girls' school took the name Mary Queen of Ireland in 1973, while the boys' school became Christ the King. The girls' enrolment reached 633 in 1980 as the suburb continued growing. [3]
The first scout patrol
The 23rd Limerick Scout Unit began in Caherdavin on 23 October 1973, supported by parish priest John Browne. Eamonn Fuller led its first troop, initially a single patrol of eight boys. Within a year it had grown to four patrols and added a Cub Pack. The group's own history records further expansion with a Beaver Colony and Venturer Group in 1983, documenting another institution created by the developing community. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Limerick
- Barony
- North Liberties
- Civil parish
- Saint Munchin's
- Coordinates
- 52.67137, -8.66530 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1414032 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Caherdavin. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Our History:Caherdavin Parish · Caherdavin Parish
- History,17April2018 · Scoil Mhuire Banríon na hÉireann
- History of the Group · Caherdavin Scouts
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2018-08-07. How this page was prepared.