Leopardstown (Irish: Baile na Lobhar, meaning 'Town of the Lepers') is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is divided by the M50 motorway, and adjoins Sandyford, Stepaside, Ballyogan, Foxrock and Stillorgan.

Leopardstown Baile na Lobhar
Suburb
The stand at Leopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown Location in Dublin Show map of Dublin Leopardstown Leopardstown (Ireland) Show map of Ireland
Coordinates: 53.270°N 6.205°W / 53.270; -6.205
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
Elevation	93 m (305 ft)
Population  (2006)[1]	2,067
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST (WEST))
Eircode routing key	D18
Telephone area code	+353(0)1
Irish Grid Reference	O202259

Etymology and history

The name derives from Baile na Lobhar, which means "Town of the Lepers", and arose because in the Middle Ages people with leprosy were kept outside the city to avoid infection. Leprosy was common in Dublin in the medieval period and in the 14th century a leper hospital named St. Stephen's Leper Hospital was built near St Stephen's Green, giving it the name. It was later moved out to the foothills of the Dublin Mountains and the area where it was sited became known as 'Leopardstown'.

Places of interest

Places of interest in Leopardstown include Glencairn House (the residence of the British Ambassador to Ireland), Leopardstown Park Hospital, and Burton Hall, the childhood home of Hollywood actress Kathleen Ryan.

Sports

The area is home to Leopardstown Racecourse, one of Ireland's main racecourses^{[citation needed]}, along with the Curragh, as well as the Kilmacud Crokes' hurling pitch at Silverpark.

Culture

Leopardstown is mentioned in the feature film Spy Kids, a road sign for Baile an Liopaird being seen outside Machete's shop.[2] The Bob Geldof song "The House At The Top Of The World" includes the lyric "Soon I'd come to the Leopardstown dual carriageway ... I don't remember a town being there and I never saw no leopards."

Transport

Leopardstown is served by five Luas Green Line stops: Central Park, Glencairn, The Gallops, Leopardstown Valley and Ballyogan Wood.

Dublin Bus routes 44, 47, 63, 114 and 118 serve Leopardstown. Aircoach route 700 links Leopardstown with Dublin Airport.

References

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