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| Glenasmole | |
|---|---|
| Name | Glenasmole |
| Native name | Gleann na Smóla |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Dublin |
| Region | Dublin Mountains |
| Coordinates | 53.250°N 6.350°W |
| Area km2 | 78 |
| Population | 1,100 (approx.) |
Glenasmole is a upland valley and rural hinterland in the Dublin Mountains of County Dublin, Ireland, noted for its upland bogs, reservoirs, and dispersed settlement. The valley sits between prominent hills and is bounded by a mix of municipal and state-managed lands, with historical and contemporary links to nearby urban centres and conservation agencies. Glenasmole has served as a catchment, a pastoral landscape, and a recreational area within the commuter belt of Dublin.
Glenasmole lies in the southern part of County Dublin adjoining the border with County Wicklow and is set amid the Dublin Mountains range, near landmarks such as Kippure, Two Rock Mountain, Ballinascorney Hill, and Barnaslingan. The valley drains into tributaries feeding the River Dodder and includes the twin reservoirs of Bohernabreena Reservoirs created in the late 19th century as part of water supply works connected to the Dublin Corporation and later water authorities. Surrounding landforms include peatlands, blanket bogs, upland heaths, and mixed coniferous stands planted by bodies such as the Forestry Commission and Coillte. The valley is traversed by minor roads linking to the R114 road and by networked walking routes connecting to the Wicklow Mountains National Park, Glendalough, and the Hellfire Club area.
Human activity in the valley traces from prehistoric field systems and mesolithic transhumance linked to the broader island archaeology exemplified at sites like Brú na Bóinne and the passage tomb landscape of County Meath. Medieval records tie the area to Gaelic families and ecclesiastical estates associated with St. Kevin and monastic lands of the Cistercians. The construction of the Bohernabreena Reservoirs in the 1880s was executed by contractors under the auspices of the Dublin Corporation Waterworks to supply Dublin City during Victorian expansion, echoing contemporary projects such as the Vartry Reservoir works. 19th- and 20th-century maps show the persistence of pastoral holdings, smallholdings, and occasional demesne lands connected to landlords recorded in the Griffith's Valuation and the Tithe Applotment Books. More recent decades have seen conservation designations influenced by agencies including the National Parks and Wildlife Service and planning instruments from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council and South Dublin County Council.
The population of the valley and its townlands reflects low-density rural settlement, with census reporting aggregated within local electoral divisions shared with neighbouring parishes such as Tallaght and Knocklyon. Historically, families in the area appear in the General Registry Office records, civil parish returns, and census schedules alongside occupational listings tied to agriculture, peat cutting, and reservoir construction. Contemporary demography shows a mix of long-established rural households, commuter residents working in Dublin City Centre, and recreational users from metropolitan districts like Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire. Educational links point to nearby schools administered by the Department of Education and parish churches within the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough.
Land use in the valley combines pastoral grazing for sheep and cattle, managed forestry by Coillte, peatland areas historically used for turf extraction recorded under local customary rights, and water infrastructure operated by entities such as Irish Water. Recreational tourism—walking, angling, and orienteering—generates ancillary economic activity resembling rural enterprises found in nearby tourism centres like Glendalough and Powerscourt. Agricultural holdings are subject to schemes administered under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and agri-environmental measures aligned with EU frameworks including past Common Agricultural Policy arrangements. Land parcels are recorded in the Registry of Deeds and are influenced by planning consents processed by the Planning and Development Acts regime.
The valley contains habitats of conservation interest including blanket bog, wet heath, upland grassland, and montane heaths comparable to those protected under designations related to Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. Flora and fauna include bog species akin to those documented in Irish upland studies—heather, sphagnum mosses, and sedges—and faunal assemblages hosting birds such as red grouse, peregrine falcon, and passerines associated with upland heath. Peatland condition has been the subject of ecological assessments by bodies like the Irish Peatland Conservation Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, with restoration and hydrological management measures advocated by conservation NGOs and research groups from institutions such as Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). Water quality and catchment management connect to regional river basin planning under frameworks promulgated by the European Union Water Framework Directive.
Key attractions in and around the valley include the Bohernabreena Reservoirs, upland trails leading to Kippure transmitter and summits visited by walkers from Dublin Mountains Way, views toward Wicklow Mountains, and proximate cultural sites such as Glendalough monastic site and the Wicklow Way. Outdoor activities are organized by local clubs like the Mountaineering Ireland, Avondhu Orienteering Club, and regional walking groups associated with the Irish Ramblers' Club. Heritage points of interest are documented in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and by local historical societies that reference records from the Royal Irish Academy and the National Library of Ireland.
Transport access is primarily via regional and local roads linking to arterial routes into Dublin City and commuter towns including Tallaght, Ballyboden, and Blessington. The valley lies within the service area of utility networks operated by bodies such as Irish Water, ESB Group, and telecommunications infrastructure associated with operators regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation. Public transport connections to nearby centres are provided by services of Bus Éireann and commuter routes feeding into rail termini like Heuston Station and Connolly Station via feeder buses. Emergency and environmental governance involve coordination with agencies including An Garda Síochána, Code of Practice for Reservoir Safety overseen by relevant statutory authorities, and local municipal authorities in South Dublin County Council jurisdiction.
Category:Valleys of Ireland Category:Geography of County Dublin