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Population centre

Haroldscross

Crois Araild

Two nineteenth-century projects established enduring places of care and recreation in Harold’s Cross.

Watercolour and fine ink illustration of The Grand Canal at Harold’s Cross, as photographed in 2007.
Illustration, The Grand Canal at Harold’s Cross, as photographed in 2007
Recorded locationHaroldscross53.31700° N · 6.28919° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
Approximate recorded location · Logainm.ie

The name

croiscross; crossroads

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

  • Crois Araild · Irish · main form · validated name
  • Haroldscross · English · main form
  • Harold's Cross · English · main form · local name

Place & story

Our Lady’s Hospice

The Religious Sisters of Charity opened Our Lady’s Hospice at Harold’s Cross on 9 December 1879 with nine beds. Its own history identifies Anna Gaynor as the driving force behind the undertaking. Electricity arrived in 1909; central heating and the first lift followed in 1930, replacing some of the early institution’s more basic arrangements. [2]

A green becomes a park

The Harold’s Cross Improvement Association formed in 1890 and persuaded the Rathmines and Rathgar commissioners to acquire the three-acre green from the Irish Land Commission. Local businesses contributed £500 towards a park. William Sheppard and his son designed and laid it out, and it officially opened on 1 May 1894. [3]

Geographic information

Place type
Population centre
County
Dublin
Civil parish
Saint Catherine's
Coordinates
53.31700, -6.28919 (approximate)
Logainm ID
57057 ↗

Sources & further reading

  1. Logainm.ie — Haroldscross. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  2. The History of Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services · Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services
  3. Harold’s Cross Park — history · Dublin City Council
  4. The Grand Canal at Harold’s Cross, as photographed in 2007 illustration: based on a Grand Canal at Harolds Cross by JP. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-10-04. How this page was prepared.