55-486: Sord or SORD may refer to: Swords, Dublin (Irish: Sord), a town in Ireland Sord Computer Corporation , a Japanese electronics company SORD , a gene See also [ edit ] Sword (disambiguation) Sorde (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
110-419: A civil parish , and a local electoral area . The town's origins date back to 560 AD when it was reputedly founded by Saint Colmcille (521–567). Legend has it that the saint blessed a local well, giving the settlement its name, Sord , meaning "clear" or "pure". However, An Sord also means "the water source" and could indicate a large communal drinking well that existed in antiquity. St. Colmcille's Well
165-637: A holy well from which it takes its name, a round tower and a Norman tower. Facilities in the area include the Pavilions shopping centre, one of the largest in the Dublin region, a range of civic offices, some light industries, the main storage facility and archive of the National Museum of Ireland and several parks. Dublin Airport is located nearby. The name "Swords" gives its name to a townland of Swords Demesne,
220-521: A bowl, a vert wall, a spine, some quarterpipes , and a section of boxes in the middle of the park. The Broadmeadow Linear Park is a small park north of Applewood along the Broadmeadow River. Fingal County Council plan to extend the park eastwards to Balheary Park and westwards into the proposed Swords Regional Park. A little south of Swords, near Dublin Airport , the National Show Centre
275-623: A few centuries before) were the Dáirine (usually the Corcu Loígde during Dál Cuinn's era), two or three of whom are listed, but whose overkingdom in the south of Ireland collapsed in the 6th century. They were outmanoeuvred and replaced by the related Eóganachta , who established the Kingship of Cashel, soon to periodically rival Tara. The poem itself in its closing language probably mentions Cathal mac Finguine when young, and this can also be used to date
330-600: A handful of sources slightly predating the Lebor Gabála Érenn covering significant portions of essentially the same list of Milesian High Kings (though following a discrepant chronology), starting with the Laud Synchronisms estimated to have been compiled c. 1021 (part of Laud 610 ). The oldest section of the Lebor Gabála Érenn "Roll of Kings" is taken from the poems of Gilla Cómáin mac Gilla Samthainde , written c. 1072 . Early Modern works like
385-552: A new Cultural Centre within this area. Work on the Cultural Centre began in April 2023, with a view to begin building mid-2024. During the enabling works of the project, two medieval wells were discovered under the existing car park. The wells were removed by archaeologists and preserved for potential display at a later date. The Cultural Centre is proposed to include a new library, art gallery, theatre and café. If implemented as planned,
440-494: A new all-Ireland headquarters at Airside Business Park , within greater Swords. The National Museum of Ireland operates its Collections Resource Centre (CRC) at a former Motorola factory site on the northern edge of the town. The size of two football fields, the CRC includes storage, archive, library and research facilities serving all branches of the museum. Fingal County Council's "Strategic Vision" for Swords declared an aim of forming
495-482: A sustainable "new city"; the council has referred to Swords as an "emerging city" and has projected that the population of Swords would rise towards 100,000 by the year 2035. As of 2023, the town is the eighth-largest urban area in the country . The Swords Cultural Quarter Masterplan by the county council proposed to redevelop the area surrounding the castle into the Swords Cultural Quarter , and to build
550-452: Is a linear park on the banks of the Ward River approaching town. It covers an area of 89 ha. (220 acres) between Swords town centre and Knocksedan Bridge. Features include some 12th-century fortifications, woodland habitats, wetlands and rolling grassland. There are viewing points, picnic sites, sports pitches and tennis courts. The park is known locally as "The Jacko", which is a nickname that
605-526: Is a reference to the instability of the kingship of Tara from the death of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill in 1022. He had been overthrown by Brian Boru in 1002, and restored in 1014 following Brian's death, but Brian's example was followed by many other dynasties in the century following 1022. The High Kingship was effectively ended in the 1170s after the Anglo-Norman invasion , its last holder being Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair . The earliest-surviving list appears in
SECTION 10
#1732855290545660-496: Is also an indicator of early Christian settlement. The Irish high king Brian Boru is said to have had his Requiem Mass offered at the church on Spittal Hill after he was killed at the Battle of Clontarf ; this was of course before the hospital and even the Church of Ireland when there would have been a small chapel there along with the round tower. In medieval times, the manor of Swords
715-542: Is an exhibition and conference venue owned by the Irish Kennel Club . The venue is used as a counting centre during elections for the Dublin Fingal constituency. List of High Kings of Ireland Medieval Irish historical tradition held that Ireland had a High King ( Ard Rí ) based at Tara since ancient times, and compilations like the 11th-century Lebor Gabála Érenn , followed by Early Modern works like
770-906: Is due to run from the M1 at Lissenhall, north of Swords, along the western edge of Swords to the M2 motorway at Cherryhound. Other main roads from Swords include the R106 to Malahide and Portmarnock, R108 to Ballyboughal and Naul, R125 to Ashbourne and the M2 motorway, R126 to Donabate and Portrane and R127 to Lusk and Skerries. The town's Main Street is served by Dublin Bus (and Go-Ahead Ireland ) routes 33, 33A, 33B, 33N, 41, 41B, 41C, 41X, 43, 102 and 142 as well as Bus Éireann routes 101 and 101n , and Swords Express routes 500, 500x, 501, 501x and 502. Buses operate between Swords and Dublin city centre approximately every 5 minutes throughout
825-506: Is located at the northern end of Main Street. It is built on the site of Swords House, the home of the Norman family, the Taylors of Swords. Records show the family arrived there in the 13th century and built a 'Mansion House' in 1403. Swords library, located on Rathbeale Road, offers library services and runs cultural activities for children and adults. Swords Historical Society, founded in 1982,
880-502: Is located on North Street and was built in 1845 in Classical style. Founded in 1668, the 350-year-old Lord Mayors is a Swords landmark. The thatched-roof pub is the oldest structure in the village. The Lord mayors closed for business in April 2019 leaving the premises vacant, with some locals questioning the plan to build 172 apartments on the site of the historic structure. The modern Fingal County Hall , by Bucholz McEvoy Architects,
935-454: Is located on Well Road off Main Street. Sord may also refer to a " sward ", an "expanse of grass". The most common landscape indicators of early Christian settlement are the ecclesiastical enclosures, and in the case of Swords, the street pattern has been influenced by the circular alignment of the settlement. The medieval town developed in a linear pattern along Main Street, in a roughly north–south direction. The round tower , 26m in height,
990-548: Is north of the town centre near the confluence of the Broadmeadow River and the Ward River, which flow to the northern and southern edges of the park. It meets Swords Business Campus / Balheary Business Park on three sides and has some playing pitches which are used by the Fingallians GAA club. In mid-2006, Fingal County Council built a skatepark and adjoining basketball courts/football court in Balheary Park. The park contains
1045-431: Is often considered the first historical High King, although he faced some opposition. Applying the title to earlier kings is considered anachronistic , while kings from before the 5th century are generally considered legendary. The traditional list of High Kings is thus a mixture of historical facts and legend. The annals describe some later High Kings as rígh Érenn co fressabra ("Kings of Ireland with opposition"), which
1100-614: Is served by the frequent DART service to Bray , through the city centre. Both Malahide and Donabate are served by Dublin – Drogheda commuter services. Swords is the only Dublin county town not served by rail, as Tallaght in South Dublin is served by the Luas light rail system, and Dún Laoghaire is served by the DART and Irish Rail services. There are proposals for a light rapid transit line, MetroLink , to run from Charlemont to Swords via
1155-475: Is supported by volunteers who have worked to record, promote and preserve the heritage of the greater Swords area. The society's Museum and Heritage Centre at the Carnegie Library on North Street is run by volunteers and is open on weekday afternoons. The society's oral history project has produced an annual 'Swords Voices' publication, which chronicles the memories of local people. The Ward River Valley Park
SECTION 20
#17328552905451210-456: Is thought to have originated in the 1960s. Swords Town Park is a small park situated in the centre of the town of Swords, along the Ward River. It has tennis courts and a playground. Swords Castle lies within the park. It is the former residence of the Archbishop of Dublin and it is the only fortified residence of the Archbishop to survive in a reasonable state today (see above). Balheary Park
1265-693: The Annals of the Four Masters and Geoffrey Keating 's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn continued this tradition based on later Irish annals . Keating's chronology, based on reign lengths, is longer than the synchronised chronology of the Lebor Gabála , and the Four Masters ' chronology is even longer. These kings are considered to be legendary. These kings are considered to be legendary. These kings are considered to be legendary. Many of these kings are considered to be legendary. Dynastic affiliations are based on
1320-415: The Annals of the Four Masters and Foras Feasa ar Éirinn , purported to trace the line of High Kings. John T. Koch explains: "Although the kingship of Tara was a special kingship whose occupants had aspirations towards supremacy among the kings of Ireland , in political terms it is unlikely that any king had sufficient authority to dominate the whole island before the 9th century". Máel Sechnaill I
1375-523: The Baile Chuind (The Ecstasy of Conn), a late-7th-century poem in which Conn of the Hundred Battles experiences a vision of the kings who will succeed him. Many of these kings appear to correspond with the kings of later traditions, although the order is different, and some of the kings cannot be identified. The last four kings following Snechta Fína ( Fínsnechta Fledach ) do not correspond with any of
1430-550: The 2022 census . The development plan for Fingal County Council treats Kinsealy–Drinan as part of Swords. The climate of Swords is, like the rest of Ireland, classified as a maritime temperate climate ( Cfb ) according to the Köppen climate classification system. It is mild and changeable with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes. The hottest months of the year are June, July and August with temperatures of around 17 – 20 degrees. Swords gets rainfall all year round and
1485-605: The Baile Chuind to the late 7th or early 8th century. The Lebor Gabála Érenn , dating to the 11th–12th century, purports to list every High King from remote antiquity to the time of Henry II 's Lordship of Ireland in 1171. The High Kingship is established by the Fir Bolg , and their nine kings are succeeded by a sequence of nine kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann , most if not all of whom are considered euhemerised deities . After
1540-641: The Milesian (Gaelic) conquest the High Kingship is contested for centuries between the descendants of Eber Finn and Érimón , sons of Míl Espáine . The original compilation stopped at the reign of Tuathal Techtmar . The kings of the Goidelic dynasties established by Tuathal were added by other editors. Later editions of the Lebor Gabála tried to synchronise its chronology with dateable kings of: Assyria , Persia and Ptolemaic Egypt and Roman emperors . There are
1595-523: The county town of the local government area of Fingal , is a large suburban town on the east coast of Ireland , situated ten kilometres north of Dublin city centre. It is the eighth largest urban area in Ireland , with a population of 40,776 as of the 2022 census . The town was reputedly founded c. AD 560 . Located on the Ward River , Swords features Swords Castle , a restored medieval castle,
1650-404: The 1990s and 2000s, with many new residents moving to the area due to its proximity to work at Dublin Airport and various industrial estates / business parks. Fingal County Council has referred to Swords as an "Emerging City", and has suggested that the overall area's population may reach 100,000 by 2035. Swords has good road links due to its proximity to Dublin city, which is the main focus of
1705-522: The Airside campus (Business Park, Retail Park and Motor Park). These campuses separate the town centre from the residential neighbourhoods further east — Seatown, Lissenhall, Holywell and Drynam (or Drinan) — for which reason the Central Statistics Office treats the latter areas as forming a separate census town , which since 1991 it has dubbed "Kinsealy–Drinan" and had a population of 7,526 at
Sord - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-400: The Archbishop's private oratory. Other buildings, recorded in an inquisition in 1326, have now vanished, including the great hall on the east side of the enclosure. The Archbishop abandoned Swords once a new palace was built at Tallaght in 1324. The stepped battlements suggest some form of occupancy during the fifteenth century, but by 1583, when briefly occupied by Dutch Protestants , it
1815-509: The Broad Meadow Water or Broadmeadow River to the east of the town, across the former northern road. A small stream joins the Ward near the town centre and the holy well. The Broadmeadow, also flowing from Meath, borders the north of the town. It runs from Dunshaughlin in the west and across the north of Swords, before receiving the Ward and flowing into the wide Broadmeadow Estuary, then into
1870-486: The Irish Sea past Malahide. The estuary is crossed by a railway embankment and bridge from Malahide. Swords is surrounded by a protected green belt. Dublin Airport has prevented the town from expanding further south and the large Broadmeadow Estuary and Malahide beyond limit expansion further east. To the north and west of Swords, there is sparsely-populated, relatively flat, farmland. The civil parish of Swords mainly lies in
1925-620: The Irish road network. The M1 Dublin–Belfast motorway passes along the eastern edge of the town and is the main route to/from Dublin City, Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry and Belfast. The M50 Dublin semi-orbital motorway passes to the south of the town and provides connections with all of the other main roads out of Dublin (N2, N3, N4, N7, N81 and M11). The R132 dual-carriageway bypasses the centre of Swords, and runs south to Dublin Airport and north to Balbriggan. The proposed Swords Western Ring Road dual carriageway
1980-621: The Mater Hospital, Glasnevin railway station , Dublin City University , Ballymun and Dublin Airport. As of July 2022, the MetroLink project was proposed to begin construction in 2025 and that, "all going well" it could be in operation by 2035. Dublin Airport , the busiest airport in Ireland, is located at Collinstown, several kilometres to the south of Swords. The airport has direct flights to Britain, Europe, North America, North Africa and
2035-701: The Middle East. In 2019, 32.9 million passenger journeys were recorded, and it is by far the busiest of the airports by total passenger traffic in Ireland. Knocksedan Heliport is a private heliport on the western side of Swords, run by Celtic Helicopters. It has four hangars and the operators provide a helicopter wash facility and Jet A1 Fuel. Irish Helicopters also use the heliport. They provide aerial crane, filming and survey services, helicopter charter and maintenance, spraying and special project services. Some historical attractions are listed below. Many of these are promoted by Swords Historical Society. Swords Castle
2090-1084: The Travelodge Hotel in Swords. There are a number of long-distance bus services from the Atrium Road and coach park in Dublin Airport to various locations throughout the country operated by Bus Éireann and other private companies, including 50 daily services to Belfast (route 1/X2 & Aircoach ), 12 to Derry (route 33 & John Mc Ginley ), 11 to Letterkenny (route 32 & John Mc Ginley), 9 to Donegal (route 30), 3 to Sligo (route 23), 1 to Ballina (route 22), 52 to Galway (route 20, Citylink & gobus ), 14 to Limerick (route 12 & JJ Kavanagh ), 24 to Cork (GoBé & Aircoach), 6 to Clonmel (JJ Kavanagh), 21 to Waterford (route 4/X4 & JJ Kavanagh) and 31 to Wexford (route 2, Ardcavan & Wexford Bus ). Swords has no railway services. The nearest railway stations are at Malahide and Donabate . Malahide
2145-417: The ancient barony of Nethercross . Swords Demesne is the name of the townland in the heart of the urban town of Swords. It is one of 58 such geographic units in the civil parish. However, a single parcel of land, 5 acres in extent, is situated in the barony of Coolock as an exclave of the civil parish proper. There are 10 townlands in the electoral division of Swords, which is not coterminous with
2200-451: The building was designed by the architect Francis Johnston. In 2015, Wetherspoon bought the premises, and now operates The Old Borough as a public house. On Chapel Lane, a pre-Catholic Emancipation church was built in 1827 on a site donated by James Taylor of Swords House. The graveyard contains the headstones of nationalist politician Andrew Kettle , who was known as "Parnell's Righthand Man". Designed by Alexander Tate, Swords Courthouse
2255-511: The castle is the elevation known as Spittal Hill, where a hospital once stood. In 1994, Swords became the county town of the new county of Fingal after the abolition of County Dublin as an administrative county. In 2001, upon the completion of the County Hall, senior executive offices moved there from Parnell Square in Dublin city centre. In June 2006, the RNLI Ireland officially opened
Sord - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-427: The civil parish. The main retail area is located in the centre of the town and includes the town's wide, tree-lined Main Street , and the Pavilions and Swords Central combined shopping centres. There are also two smaller retail developments, Swords Plaza and Swords Town Mall. Most civic facilities are also in this central area, with some subsidiary shopping and civic centres in surrounding housing areas. The west of
2365-447: The country. In the 2019 survey, An Taisce , who carry out the surveys on behalf of IBAL, stated: "A stellar showing for this large urban area. Swords is a model for others to follow." Swords is situated roughly in the centre of the modern county of Fingal and the ancient barony of Nethercross . The Ward River , coming from County Meath, runs west to east to near the centre of the town, and then turns to run north, before flowing into
2420-640: The day, through a combination of Dublin Bus routes 33, 41, 41B, 41C, 41X & 43, with a journey time of about an hour. Swords Express operate express services through the Dublin Port Tunnel which take about 35 minutes. Other bus routes serving Swords include the 102 to Malahide , Portmarnock and Sutton , route 33b to Donabate and Portrane , routes 33 and 33a to Lusk , Rush , Skerries , and Balbriggan and Bus Éireann route 101 to Balbriggan , Julianstown and Drogheda . Connect Bus and Coach operate route H1 every 20 minutes between Dublin Airport and
2475-580: The kings in later lists. The poem is therefore presumed to have been written during his time, and the kings who follow him are presumed to be fictional. With few exceptions, kings belong to Dál Cuinn (the Connachta and Uí Néill ). Understood as a list of kings of Tara , it is not considered to be inclusive. A number of well-known kings from the Laigin , Érainn , Ulaid and Cruthin , are missing. The chief rivals of Dál Cuinn after Conn's floruit (and others for
2530-413: The masterplan would also change the layout of the roads surrounding the castle. In 2012, Swords was named the third-best town in Ireland to live in. The survey conducted by Retail Excellence Ireland took into account safety, retail, dining, entertainment, events, car parking and the overall attractiveness of the town. Swords has seen steady regeneration of shop fronts, public buildings, and footpaths and
2585-425: The restoration of Swords Castle since the mid-1990s. Households in Swords have the seventh-highest median incomes in the state, among distinct towns (a comparison excluding most other suburbs of the city). A 2011 Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey declared Swords to be the second cleanest town in Ireland. This came just eight years after an IBAL survey had scored the town as the worst "litter blackspot" in
2640-639: The title Sord . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sord&oldid=927437635 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Swords, Dublin Swords ( Irish : Sord [sˠoːɾˠd̪ˠ] or Sord Cholmcille ) in County Dublin ,
2695-496: The urban area is mainly residential, with the neighbourhoods of Applewood , Rathbeale and Brackenstown to the north of the Ward River and Knocksedan , River Valley, Rathingle, Highfields, and Boroimhe to the south side of the river. The main business and industrial areas are located to the east of the town centre, along the R132 dual carriageway. These include Balheary Industrial Park, Swords Business Campus, Swords Business Park, and
2750-414: The well of clear water, 'Sord' being the Irish for 'clear or pure'. The round tower is the surviving remnant of St. Colmcille's monastic settlement. The only remaining relic of the medieval church is its belfry, from c. 1300 , which is open to the public in the summertime. The original church is said to have fallen into ruin sometime in the seventeenth century. The new church of early Gothic style
2805-527: The wettest months are October to January. Swords has developed into the eighth largest urban area in Ireland, with a population of 40,776 at the 2022 census. The town's period of rapid population growth began in the 1970s with the construction of the extensive Rivervalley Estate, then Ireland's largest private housing development, ahead of the Kilnamanagh Estate in Tallaght North. It continued during
SECTION 50
#17328552905452860-529: Was English Crown property, and by tradition was granted to each Archbishop of Dublin for his lifetime. The parliamentary borough of Swords elected two MPs to the Irish House of Commons . It was disenfranchised in 1801 by the Acts of Union 1800 . At the northern end of the street stands Swords Castle, 200m northeast of the ecclesiastical site, which was built in the early 13th century. A short distance north of
2915-409: Was built as the manorial residence of the 1st Archbishop of Dublin , John Comyn, around 1200 or a little later in Swords, just north of Dublin. It was never strong in the military sense, but covers a large pentagonal walled area of nearly 1.5 acres (6,100 m ) with a tower on the north and a gateway complex on the south. The adjoining chapel, built in the late thirteenth century, was probably used as
2970-455: Was built in 1811 on the foundations of the old. The Sexton's Lodge was built in 1870. The body of Brian Boru was said to have been brought there in 1014 to be waked after the Battle of Clontarf , while on the way to be buried in Armagh . As well as St. Columba's, Swords was served by Cloghran-Swords church , south of the town, up until it was merged with Santry in 1872. Located on Main Street,
3025-531: Was described as "the quite spoiled old castle". It was used as a garden in the nineteenth century and sold after the Church of Ireland was disestablished. Swords Castle has undergone restoration and is open as a tourist attraction. The castle was used as a film location for the production of TV series The Tudors in the spring of 2010. On Well Road, also known as St. Columb's Well. In a locked chamber. Reputed to be where Swords got its name when St. Colmcille blessed
#544455