The name is descriptive of a ford crossing place over the Bradogue River, a Liffey tributary stream the mouth of which is located there.

Much of the area was originally part of the Grangegorman estate, the demesne, manor house and grounds of the Monck Minogue Stanley family.

Bolton Street was the preferred site, but high land prices and objections from local residents forced its relocation.

In subsequent years the area was a hive of industry, with many hotels and inns and trade boats using the wharfage and stores at the harbour.

The King's Inns [1] is the oldest institution of legal education in Ireland, founded in 1542 during the reign of Henry VIII, and originally occupied property where the Four Courts now stand.

Famous graduates since the move to Broadstone include Edward Carson, Patrick Pearse, Charles Haughey, Mary Robinson and Michael McDowell.

The nickname is thought to have originated due to the gloom of the interior, rather than the dark-grey colour of the exterior - the building has very thick walls and narrow windows.

Situated at the crest of Constitution Hill directly opposite King's Inns, the station served as the terminus of the Midland Great Western Railway.

With Galway projected to become the main port for transatlantic passenger traffic between Europe and North America, the Midland successfully competed with its rival the Great Southern and Western Railway to reach it first.

The line, which branched out to serve Sligo, Westport, Achill and Clifden, was also used to transport huge numbers of cattle.

The MGWR was never very interested in the canal business and in 1877 they were given permission by the government to close 150 yards (140 m) of the branch line and to fill in the harbour, to construct a new forecourt for the station.

The harbour was no longer needed due to the construction of one larger and better situated at Spencer Dock, and was filled in to become the forecourt of Broadstone Station.

In 1944 the Canal and Railway both passed into the ownership of the state transport company Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), which transferred all its steam locomotives there in 1954.

Unemployment and deprivation hit the inhabitants of Dublin's north inner city hard, and the area around Dominick Street, Grangegorman and Broadstone was one of the worst affected by drug abuse, especially heroin.

The park at Royal Canal Bank and the disused reservoir at Blessington Street were magnets for delinquents, as was the dereliction around Paradise Place.

In 1993, after decades of stagnation and neglect, Dublin Corporation's Parks Department began restoring it as a recreational facility, removing 6000 tons of silt and debris, adding a fountain, enlarging the central island for wildlife and undertaking extensive replanting.

The Blessington Basin still obtains its water from the canal above the 8th lock, two miles away, but is now a picturesque walled park of one and a quarter acres, with a beautifully paved and landscaped walk around a large oblong body of 4.7 million imperial gallons (21,000 m3) of water, fenced off by wrought-iron railings, and scattered with sculptures and places to sit.

There have been many calls to have the main building of Broadstone Station restored, and in recent years some have suggested it as a city terminus for the proposed metro system to Dublin Airport, while others have called for the reopening of the old rail line to enable residents of outlying areas along the old route to commute to the city more easily.