Clontarf history

The suburb of Clontarf in Redcliffe City gained its name in the late nineteenth century. Clontarf was the name given to one of the ‘townships’ listed for sale in 1882. At that time there were ‘Clontarf’ and ‘Clontarf North’. The name ‘Clontarf’ was probably taken from the Irish town of Clontarf which is now about a 15 minute drive from Dublin.

Two hundred years ago, Clontarf in Ireland was a rather isolated coastal village where fishing was a significant activity, and the oyster beds were notable, and this is probably the reason for the use of this name in Redcliffe. The ‘Clontarf’ means ‘the Plain of the Bull’ and derives from the rumbling noise which was made by the sea as it rolled over the sandbanks.