Ballyboden

Ballyboden is a locality within the suburb of Rathfarnham, County Dublin, at the foot of the Dublin Mountains between Whitechurch, Ballyroan and Knocklyon. It is in the local government area of South Dublin, and is a townland in the civil parish of Rathfarnham in the barony of Uppercross.

Population
According to the 2006 census, the electoral division of Ballyboden had a population of about five thousand. This figure was 5,246 in the 2022 census.

Religion
The Roman Catholic parish of Ballyboden was established in 1973. It is managed by the Order of Saint Augustine. Within the Archdiocese of Dublin, Rathfarnham parish is the parent of several local parishes. To accommodate the increasing need for ministry to the residential development of the Rathfarnham area over the last century, Terenure was developed in 1894, Churchtown (1965), Ballyroan (1968), Tallaght (1972), Ballyboden (1973) and Knocklyon (1974).

There had been an Augustinian house of studies in Ballyboden since 1955. It was the home of students of the Order following the two-year course in Philosophy. When the new church in Ballyroan was opened in 1966 the Augustinians took an active part. The Augustinians had acquired Orlagh as a Novitiate in 1872. When University College Dublin moved from Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin 2 to the campus at Belfield in south County Dublin in the 1960s and 1970s, the order acquired St. Catherines, Ballyboden, previously the residence of Mr. Justice O'Byrne.

The Church of Ireland is located in the pre-Reformation parish church at Whitechurch.

Culture
The Pearse Museum is 700 metres east of Ballyboden centre.

Sport
Ballyboden is home to two Gaelic Athletic Association clubs, Ballyboden Wanderers, who play in Mount Venus Road, and Ballyboden St. Enda's, who have a new playing facility at Sancta Maria College. Republic of Ireland football player Damien Duff is from the locality as was League of Ireland Premier Division player and Brownlow Medallist Jim Stynes.

Transport
Ballyboden is served by Dublin Bus routes 15b, 61 and 161