A visit to Rathgar, Dublin 6 in 2017

Описание: A slideshow of photos taken during a visit to Rathgar in Dublin 6 on Sunday 26th November 2017.
Rathgar (Irish: Ráth Garbh, meaning "rough ringfort"), is a suburb on the southside of Dublin City. Located within the Dublin 6 Postal District, Rathgar was originally a village outside Dublin City. From 1862 Rathgar was part of the township Rathmines and Rathgar, in 1930 became a suburb of Dublin City when the city bounds were extended. It lies about 3 kilometres south of the city centre.

Rathgar lies beside Rathmines, Terenure, Dartry and Harold's Cross. Other nearby suburbs are Ranelagh, Rathfarnham, Milltown, Kimmage and Crumlin. The Grand Canal flows to the north of Rathgar.
Rathgar, in the Middle Ages, was a farm belonging to the Convent of St Mary de Hogges, at present-day College Green. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Rathgar was granted to the Segrave family: they built Rathgar Castle, ownership of which subsequently passed to John Cusack, who was Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1608. The castle remained in the possession of the Cusack family for over a century, but gradually decayed and was a ruin by the end of the eighteenth century. No trace of it remains today: it is thought to have been located at what is now 44-49 Highfield Road.

In 1649 the Duke of Ormonde commander of the Anglo-Irish Royalist army established his camp at Rathgar during the Siege of Dublin. He was then routed at the nearby Battle of Rathmines by English Republican forces under Michael Jones.

The village began to develop in the eighteenth century: Rathgar Avenue is probably the oldest street, while Highfield Road was developed in 1753. Zion Church and Christ Church Rathgar were built in the 1860s, by which time Rathgar was a sizeable community.

Rathgar has a number of retail outlets. It has a delicatessen, 2 butchers, a bike shop and a wine shop within 20 yards of the main cross. There is also Rathgar Pharmacy, Rathgar Hair Studio and a number of fashion and interior boutiques. There is also a small Supervalu supermarket. Local restaurants include Bijou (Modern Irish), Lumanti of Nepal (Nepalese), Howard's Way and Kanum (Asian).

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) operate driving tests from a premises on Orwell Road. Several of the Rathgar driving test routes cover much of the surrounding area.

St. Luke's Hospital, Highfield Road, specialises in cancer treatments. This is currently under threat of closure and many of the local residents are opposed to this. Mount Carmel General and Maternity hospital was located on Orwell Road but closed in January 2014.

Rathgar has a number of notable architectural features, notably Christ Church Rathgar (part of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland) at the junction of Rathgar Road and Highfield Road in the village centre. The Roman Catholic Church of The Three Patrons (named after the three Patron Saints of Ireland: St Patrick, St Bridget and St Columba) on Rathgar Road is known as "The Servants' Church" because in the late 19th and early 20th century it was the place of worship for the large number of servants who worked and lived in the large houses in the area.

The Church of Ireland Theological College and the Zion Church of Ireland at the junction of Zion and Bushy Park Road are also in Rathgar.

The Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation (Knesset Orech Chayim) have their Synagogue at 7 Leicester Avenue, Rathgar. Leicester Avenue is a continuation of Kenilworth Square, South. The orthodox Dublin Hebrew Congregation have their synagogue in nearby Terenure.