Douglas (Irish: Dúglas or Dúbhglas, meaning 'dark stream') is a suburb, with a village core, in Cork city, Ireland.

[4] Douglas, along with Rochestown, Grange and Frankfield, formally moved into the city council area on 31 May 2019, following the 2019 local elections.

[5][6] There are a number of extant or proposed prehistoric sites in Douglas and the surrounding area, including a shell midden, ringforts, souterrains, and a fulacht fiadh.

[7][8] Further evidence of prehistoric settlement in the area includes the finding of a Bronze Age decorated beaten gold disc in the townland of Castletreasure; although reputed to be related to the ruined castle of the same name, it has actually been dated to 2500-2000 BC.

[13] In 1615, parochial records mention the chapel of Douglas being laid waste, reportedly due to theft of the foundation stones, and in a 1700 entry of the same records it is mentioned that the ruined chapel in question had been the church of Carrigaline parish for a century prior to the construction of a new church in Carrigaline itself.

[15] The area began to develop as an urban settlement in the early eighteenth century with the opening of the "Douglas factory" in 1726, reported in August 1755 to be the property of "Messrs. Perry, Carleton and Co.", with 100 looms initially operational.

[15][16][17] In addition to the mill workers, employees included over 1,000 spinners working from their houses, and hacklers, bleachers and labourers tasked with preparing raw material in Douglas village.

The popularity of the area among the nobility was such that elevated prices were commanded for the surrounding lands, and as a result, the acreage of the estates was lower than average.

[27][28] Windsor House was occupied by Lord Bandon, Sir Abraham Sutton and the Kiltegan Fathers, before being redeveloped as the Rochestown Park Hotel.

Dr. Francis Moylan, Bishop of Cork, who was made a freeman for his rhetorical opposition to the French invasion at Bantry Bay during the 1798 Rebellion.

[29] Vernon Mount, which was built for a wealthy merchant family in the late 18th century,[31][32] was occupied by Sir Henry Browne Hayes, who was sentenced to penal servitude in Botany Bay after attempting to abduct an heiress for forced marriage.

[39][40][41][42] Notable parishioners interred at St Luke's include the poet Richard Alfred Milliken, the librarian Richard Caulfield and the entrepreneur John Arnott;[43] in addition, a plaque was erected in the memory of art collector Sir Hugh Lane, deceased in the sinking of the Lusitania.

[39][40] The nearby parish of St Finbar's opened a chapel of ease in Frankfield in 1838, later known as the Holy Trinity, on ground donated by Samuel Lane.

In the second half of the twentieth century, Douglas underwent major changes as it became a full-fledged suburb of Cork.

[52] Grange and Frankfield (encompassed by Frankfield/Grange parish)[50] lie to the west of Douglas village, and are mainly residential areas served by retail outlets (including SuperValu and Aldi), schools (like Scoil Nioclais primary school) and other services (including an office of Douglas credit union).

The former headquarters was initially still used for regional administration, but this function was transferred to a new building in Cork Airport Business Park.

[citation needed] A farmers market is held every Saturday morning outside the Douglas Village Shopping Centre entrance.

Bus services are provided by Bus Éireann, and the routes which pass through Douglas include numbers 206 (Grange to the city centre), 207 (Donnybrook to Ballyvolane), 216 (Monkstown to Cork University Hospital), 219 (Munster Technological University Bishopstown Campus to Mahon), 220 (Ovens - Grange Manor to Carrigaline and Camden Fort), and 223 (Cork City Centre to Haulbowline).

[68] From the 1960s, with housing developments and population growth in Douglas, overcrowding in St Columbas prompted a decision to build a new Catholic church in the Grange/Frankfield area.