2. The name comes from the Irish, Rath Éanna (or
Rath Eanaigh), which means "the Fort of Éanna".
This referred to an old fort in the middle of the
village, which overlooked the stream.
3. St. Assam is the patron saint of Raheny. His feast
day is April 27th.
4. In 1014 the famous Battle of Clontarf was fought
and the lands of Raheny formed part of the
battle area, though not a central one. The main
battle line ran from the Tolka for about two
miles towards Howth.
5. In 1171, a Dane called Gill Mololmoa was in
possession of lands in Raheny. In 1172, after the
Norman invasion, he was set aside by Earl
Strongbow and the lands given a knight called
John de Courcey.
6. 200 years ago, there were two villages in the
district. the main one, Raheny, was in the
vicinity of the current village. The
second, smaller settlement, Raheny by the
Strand, was about a half mile in the direction of
Howth.
7. There were a number of "big houses" and their
lands, most notably the Guinness estate of St.
Anne's. By 1851, the main village had 49 houses
and 295 people.
8. • Raheny did not grow rapidly until after World
War II when housing estate construction
commenced.
