t^r^M<^

I

d flMu.

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THE

NEIGHBOURHOOD

OF DUBLIN

rrs TOPOGRAPHY, ANTIQUITIES AND

HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS

THE

NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

ITS TOPOGRAPHT, ANTIQUITIES AND HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS

WESTON ST. JOHN JOYCE

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF IRELAND

Author of "Ireland's Battles and Battlehclds "

''Rambles Around Dublin" " Rambles Near Dublin "

" Lucan and its Neighbourhood"

etc. etc.

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE AUTHOR'S PHOTOGRAPHS <2- SKETCHES

AND

AN INTRODUCTION

BV

P. W. JOYCE, LL.D., T.C.D.

DUBLIN M. H. GILL &' SON, Ltd.

AND WATERFORD 1921

Printed and Bound in Ireland by :: :: M. II. Gill &• Son, .:• :: Lid. :: :: JO Upper O'Connell Street :: :: Dublin

First Impression, 1912 Sf.cond Impression, 1913 SixoND Edition (F.nlarged) 1921

PREFACE

DuBLiy is partlcularlv fortunate in its surroundings. Within easy reach hes an attractive coast where in close association mav be found cliff, beach and towering headland. On the south a great mountain tract provides an almost endless variety of moorland, vallev and river scener\-. In the matter of lakes only can the Dublin district be said to be deficient, there being nothing worthv of the name nearer than the Loughs Bray, and these, owing to their elevation, size and surroundings, must be classed as tarns rather than lakes.

The district fascinated me in boyhood, and holds its interest for me even now in maturer years after visits to manv a foreign land. There is not a glen, mountainside or quiet village described in these pages that I have not visited over and over again, and alwavs with a renewed pleasure.

It is now nearly twenty-five years since I contributed to the Press m\- first series of illustrated topographical articles under the title of " Rambles Around Dublin." These appeared in The Evening Telegraph, and were afterwards issued in book form. They were followed at irregular intervals b\- others in The Evening Telegraph and The Weekly Irish Times. All were the result of visits to, and observation in the localities described, coupled with such information as I was able to obtain in regard to their history and other matters of interest. As my store of topographical notes accumulated, I soon found

2001047

VI

PREFACE

that, owing to the exigencies of space, it was impossible to make any newspaper article as complete as 1 should have wished, and thus, in the course of years, the quantity of unused matter became considerable enough to suggest the placing before the public the entire result of over twenty-five years rambling, cycling and mountain climbing in the district. The plan I have adopted, in all but the two concluding chapters, is that of describing the district around Dublin in a number of one-day excursions such as would be possible to u person of average activity.

With the exception of a few hackneyed resorts easy of access, the Dublin folk in my earlier days appeared to take but little interest in the surroundings of their city. That reproach, however, can no longer be made, and nowadays on popular holidavs and week-ends, considerable numbers may be seen in places where scarcely one would have been found thirty years ago. With the evolution and perfection of the bicycle, the great improvement in the roads, the construction of light railwavs t() Blessington and Lucan, the extension of our splendid tram service to Howth, Dalkey and Rathfarnham, and last though not least, the advent of the automobile, a new interest has been awakened in the beautiful surroundings of our metropolis, and a great vogue for the country has sprung up among all classes. The knowledge of this fact has induced me to write this book in the hope that it may stimulate that interest in those who already know the charm of our surround- ings, and excite it in those who do not, and that it may be the means of enabling others to enjoy the pleasures I have derived from rambling among tlie many picturesque and interesting places in 'I'lie Neighbourhood of Dublin.

PREFACE VII

The pliot()p;r:(phs in all cases bear the dates on which I took them.

I am deeply indebted to my friend, Mr. Louis H. Brindley, for reading this work before pubHcation, for his many valuable suggestions, and for giving me, throughout, the benefit of his literary knowledge and sound judgment.

As illustrative or the lighter side of the subject, I take this nor inappropriate opportunit)- of publishing the following lines which were addressed to me some years ago by a friend to whom I had forwarded a copy of my " Rambles Around Dublin " :—

THE IDLER TO THE RAMBLER.

Dear Joyce, it seems strange that I never liave seen a

Glimpse of Clondalkin or Bohernabreena,

Puck's Castle or Crumlin, or Swords or Balrothery,

So I fear that mv ignorance fairly will bother ve ;

But before you were born I've oft picnicked gaih-

At Killiney, the Dargle, Lough Bray, and old Bailey,

I've inspected the prison at Lusk, a friend's gig in,

And from Skerries have walked straight ahead to Balbriggan,

As for Ireland's Eye, and the huge " Nose of Howth,"

Quite as well as yourself, I'm familiar with both.

I have always admireti your friend " Kattv Gollagher."

Whose attractions have sometimes induced me to follow iier

And have " taken the Scalp " — altho' not " on the warpath.'"

Long ago when the Earl of Carlisle was Lord Morpeth.

The famous " Three Rocks " I so often have mounted.

That my feats miglit, I think, bv the do^ren be counted

And the toughe.^t lump sugar in all mv experience,

I found on the Sugar Loaf's peak a few vears since.

Ah ! the fresli hill-side heather — whenever to that I come

I'm always disposed for a hearty viaticum,

viii PREFACE

For a mountain is dearly a part of the land which

Makes serious demands on a beef or ham sandwich,

And though Fm in general almost a teetotaler,

1 shouldn't much relish a temperance hotel here.

But now I must stop, and no longer my fun try,

By rhyming about this suburban " Joyce country" ;

So good-bye, my dear friend, and proceed with your Rambles,

And ambles and gambols, o'er thickets and brambles.

And highways and byways, on foot or on bicycle —

A mode of conveyance which " awfully nice " I call.

The genial " Idler " has gone to his rest. Had we been more nearly contemporaries, he too, might have become a '■ Rambler."

Dublin, WESTON St. JOHN JOYCE.

May, 191 2.

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION

Since the first edicion of this book appeared eight years ago, I have suffered a personal loss in the death of my father, P W. Jovce, who wrote the Introduction to the volume.

Disorganisation caused by the War has considerably delayed the second edition. I trust the appearance in it of several new chapters, together with the addition of numerous notes, will compensate for any disappointment experienced by those who have recently found it impossible to obtain copies of the earlier issue.

I am pleased to think that my efforts have helped to increase the number of those who take an interest in the surroundings of our old city, and am happy in the knowledge that the book has made many new friends for me among its readers.

WESTON St. JOHN JOYCE.

1921.

INTRODUCTION

The neighbourhood of Dublin, from an historical point of view, presents in miniature the history of English colonisation in Ireland. Pent at first within the circuit of their wall-girt city, out of which they durst not go forth alone or unarmed the- colonists at length took heart of grace and ventured to occupy outlying villages and important positions in which they built fortified houses and castles. Those who settled on the north enjoved, for long periods, comparatively peaceful possession, protected as they were from harassing raids by the interposition of the city between them and the mountains. Not so, however, with those who established themselves in the chain of settlements and outposts skirting the southern border of the plains. These were subjected to continual incursions bv the nativ^es from the mountainous tracts of Dublin and Wicklow. Even witli the advantages conferred hv the possession of superior arms, equipment and defences, the hardv colonists, mostly old soldiers and men trained to the art of war, were continually obliged to abandon their homesteads and fiee for safetv to the city. The disparity between the ambition and vlic ability of the earl)- English colonv for conquest, is well illustrated by the fact that liberal as was the area of the Pale which they mapped out as their territory, there were at intervals large portions in which they could only remain by paying heavih in '' Black Rents " to the

X INTRODUCTION

Irish, or into which, more likely, they dared not venture at all.

The menace of the mountains was one of the most serious obstacles to the realisation of English ambition. Fro\\ning down upon the colonists was a wild and almost impenetrable tract of mountain, desert and forest, within the sanctuary of w^hich the natives were able to organise their predatory raids with such impunity that nothing short of a formidable expedi- tion could hope to succeed in any measure of retaliation. This struggle, on the south and south-west, went on inter- mittently through the centuries, and at times, in consequence of the unsettled conditions of life resulting from this guerilla warfare, large tracts of arable land had to be abandoned and allowed to lapse into desert condition.

The opening of the 17th century saw some tendency to build country residences of the dwellinghouse rather than the fortified type, in the district around Dublin, though no doubt their occupants in many cases had reason to regret the venti: e during the lawlessness and disturbances which accompanied the Insurrection of 1641. From this period there seems to have been a steady growth of country establishments, not merely in districts which are now suburban, but also in areas beyond them. At the time that Rocque constructed his map (about 1750), the city had not extended, roughly speaking, further thnn the Rotunda on the north, James's Gate on the west. New Street on the south and Merrion Street on the east, and in what are now the populous urban districts of Rathmines and Rathgar, Pembroke, Blackrock and Kingstown, small villages and stately country residences stood among tillage lands, green pastures and waving cornfields which

INTRODUCTION xi

survived in part within the memory of many now hving. In the beginning of the 19th century the wilds of Wicklow were opened up by a system of mihtary roads, and the con- struction of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway some thirty years later, gave a great impetus to building along the southern shore of the Bay, in time converting it into a continuous residential district as far as Dalkey, while the extension of the railway system in subsequent years through the district, brought many places which prior to that had been almost inaccessible, within easy reach of the Dublin public.

It is desirable to associate history with topography, and accordingly, all through this book, the reader will find brought under his attention the historical events as well as the traditions in connection with the several castles, mansions, homesteads, church ruins, demesnes, forts, hills, valleys, &c., together with references to the historical or legendary personages associated with them.

P. W. JOYCE.

Dublin,

May, 191 2

NOTE

Since this book was written the modern designation of Kingstown has been replaced by the original name, Dun Laoghaire.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Ringsend, the Great South Wall and the Pigeon- house I

II. The Poolbeg Lighthouse and the South Wall Extension, Irishtown, Sandymount, Beggars- bush and Baggotrath I3

III. The Rock Rood— Ballsbridge, Merrion, Booters-

town, Blackrock and Monkstown 25

IV. Dunlearv, Kingstown and Dalkey 44

V. Carrickmines Castle ; The Vale of Shanganagh ;

Dalkey, Killiney and Ballybrack Hills 54

VI. Balhman Glen, Carrickgollogan, Ballycorus

Tullv and Bride's Glen 68

VII, The Bray Road — Donnybrook, Stillorgan,

L(Jughlinstown, Old Bray and its Smugglers 76 V'lII. Rathdown, Greystones, Killincarrig, Delgany

and the Glen of the Downs 91

IX. Tinnehinch, the Great and Little Sugar Loaf,

Kilmacanogue and Powerscourt 100

X. Rathfarnham, Whitechurch, Kelly's Glen and

Kilmashogue Mountain 108

XI. A Day on Mount Pelier 1 20

XII. Harold's Grange, the Three-Rock, Two-Rock

and Tjbradden Mountains 128

xiii

>:iv TABLE OF CONl'ENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

XIII. Cruagh, Killakee and Glendoo Mountains 137

XIV. Seechon or Slieveba\\n Mountain, Kilbride

and Cloghleagh 143

XV. Rockbrook, Glendoo and Glencullen 149

XVI. Ranelagh and Cullenswood, Dundrum, the

Scalp and Enniskerry 157

XML Rathmines and Rathgar, Templeogue and its Spa, Bohernabreena and Ballinascorney

Gap 168

XVIII. The Battle of Rathmines and Baggotrath 182

XIX. Harold's Cross, Crumlin, the Green Hills,

Tallaght and Oldbavvn 191

XX. Jobstown, Mount Seskin and the Tallaght

Hills 209

XXI. Ballymount, the Talbots of Belgard, Clon-

dalkin and the Corkagh Powder Mills.. 217 XXll. Saggart, Rathcoole, Ne\A castle and Celbridge 225

XXIII. Clane. Clongowes Wood and Bodenstown . 235

XXIV. Mud Island, Fairvievv, Clontarf and its

Island. Dollymount and the North Bull 244 XXV. Drumcondra, Santry, " Buck " Jones and

Clonliffe 255

XXVI. Glasnevin, Finglas and the adjacent district 265 XXVII. Fingal — Baldoyle, Portmarnock, Malahide

and St. Doolagh's 275

XXVIII. Do. —Swords, Grace Dieu, Ballyboghil,

Chapelmidway and St. Margaret's 288 XXIX. Do. — Portrane, Donabate, and the Barne-

walls of Turvey 297

TA13LE OF CONTEXTS xv

CHAPTER PAGE

XXX. Fingal — Rush, Skerries, Lusk and Baldongan

Castle 307

XXXI. Howth— The Old Mail Road ; the Castle ;

a Ramble around the Hill 318

XXXII. Do. —Its Hills and Wilds 334

XXXIII. Kilmainham, Chapelizod, Palmerston, Lucan

and Esker 340

XXXIV. The Strawberry Beds, St. Catherine's,

LeixHp, Maynooth Castle and Obelisk.. 357 XXXV. The Featherbed Pass, Glencree and its Royal Forest, Loughs Bray, Sally Gap

and Coronation Plantation 370

XXXVI. The Western Hills, Rathmore and Kilteel 382 XXXVII. Kilbride, " The Three Castles," Blessington,

Poulaphuca and Ballvmore Eustace... 390

XXXVIII. Glennasmole or the Valley of the Thrushes 404 XXXIX. The Phoenix Park, Castleknock, Clonee and

Dunboyne 415

XL. The English Pale 427

XLI. Canals and Canal Travelling in the last

Century 437

XLII. Martelh) Towers 44;

XLIIl. The Old City Water Supplx 452

XLIV. The Ashbourne Road and l)unst)ghl)- Castle 457

XL\'. Donn\ brook Fair 461

XLVI. History of Dublin and Kingstown Railway 467

XLVII. The Atmospheric Railway — 1 843-1 854 475

XLVIII. Lambay Island 480

XLIX. Old Maps of Dublin and its District 483

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Plan of Dublin, showing the coast Une in 1673 Facing page 2

View near Ringsend 2

Entrance to the Pigeonhouse Fort 8

The Poolbeg Lighthouse in its original form 14

View of Beggarsbush and Dublin Ba\ 170 years ago. . . 16

The Poolbeg Lighthouse 17

Ballsbridge 26

Merrion 29

Biackrock Cross 34

Scene of " The Rochdale " disaster, Seapoint 40

Monkstown Castle 42

The Dunleary Coffee House in 1803 46

Kingstown and George's Monument 47

Sandycove Point 49

View from Sorrento 55

The last of Carrickmines Castle 57

Memorial to the Duke of Dorset at Ballvbrack 59

Killiney Obelisk 80 years ago 60

The Castle on Dalkey Hill 63

The Chimney on Carrickgollogan 70

Puck's Castle 72

Donnybrook JJ

A " Fair " Fight 78

Donnybrook Fair 79

Bray Bridge 83

The Beach, Greystones 94

Killincarrig 95

Tinnehinch House loi

wii

xviii LIST OF ILLL'STRATIONS

PAGE

Summit of the Great Sugar Loaf 103

Kilmacanogue 105

Rathfarnham 108

Panorama of the Dubhn Range Facing page 108

The Dodder from Rathfarnham Bridge 109

Hall's Barn m

On Kilmashogue Mountain 1 16

Mount PeHer House (" Dollymount " ) 121

The Ruin on top of Mount Pelier 123

View on the Three-Rock Mountain near BallyedmondufF 130

Summit of the Three-Rock Mountain 133

Barnacullia i35

Winter scene on Cruagh Mountain 138

Gamekeeper's I,odge on Cruagh Mountain 141

Seechon Summit in Winter 145

View in Glendoo looking towards Dublin 151

View in Glendoo 153

Entrance to Glendoo from the South 153

Glencullen Bridge 155

Dundrum Castle 162

Sandyford 164

The Scalp and the Little Sugar Loaf 166

The old Ford near Templeogue 174

Spawell House, Templeogue 175

Bohernabreena Bridge 179

The Battle of Rathminesand Baggotrath (Plan) Facingpage 182

Harold's Cross in 1832 192

Drimnagh Castle 194

Tallaght 199

Archiepiscopal Palace and Castle, Tallaght 201

Oldbawn in 1 890 205

Oldbawn Chimneypiece 207

Jobstown 211

Mount Seskin 213

Johnville 215

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xix

PAGE

Old gateway at Ballymount 218

Round Tower, Clondalkin 222

Saggart, 226

Rathcoole - 228

Celbridge 233

Clane Abbey 236

Clane 239

Clongowes Wood 24.1

" The Sheds," Clontarf 250

Coastguard Station, North Bull 251

Slab formerl}' on house near Dollymount 253

Drumcondra 256

" Buck " Jones's House, Clonliffe 263

King William's Rampart 270

Finglaswood House ('' King James's Castle ") 273

At Baldoyle 277

Malahide 281

Feltrim Hill 283

Swords 289

Ruin at Grace Dicu 292

Ballisk, Portrane 298

Portrane Church 299

Portrane Castle 301

Loughshinny 309

Skerries 311

Baldongan Castle 313

Kilbarrack Church 319

Howth and Tower 1 lij] 325

The old Bailey Lighthouse 329

The Bailey liighthouse 331

St. Nessan's Church, Ireland's Eye, in 1843 338

Last appearance of St. John's Well 341

On the Liffey at Chapelizod 34.7

Memorial and scene of Father MacCartan's murder,

Lucan 351

XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Lucan 353

Ballyowen Castle 355

Leixlip Castle 361

" The Wonderful Barn " near Leixlip 363

Maynooth Castle 366

Obelisk near Maynooth 367

Scene on the Military Road on 30th January, 1910. . . . 374

The Featherbed Pass on 30th January, 1910 374

Cottage at Lough Bray 376

Lough Bray 377

Monument in Coronation Plantation 381

Kilteel Castle 387

" The Three Castles " near Blessington 393

Blessington 396

Poulaphuca 399

Ballymore Eustace 401

The Dodder and Glennasmole from Bohernabreena

Bridge 405

Glennasmole Lodge, formerly Heathfield Lodge 409

Castleknock 423

Lady's Well, Mulhuddart 425

Tlie Pale according to the Statute of 1488 429

The Rampart of the Pale at Clongowes Wood 435

Passenger Boat in Portobello Harbour 439

Passenger Boat entering Harcourt Lock, near Rialto

Bridge 44T

Time Table of Canal Boats 446

" The Tongue " at Kimmage 453

Dunsoghly Castle 458

The Building of Clarence Street Bridge 468

Train Passing over Sandwith Street Bridge 470

Train passing Merrion 472

View from Blackrock, looking towards Merrion 473

The Engine House at Dalkey 477

Kingstown in 1 82 1 485

At Lucan, near the Entrance to St. Catherine's 487

THE

NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

CHAPTER I

RINGSEND, THE GREAT SOUTH WALL AND THE PIGEONHOUSE

RINGSEND, though now presenting a decayed and unattractive appearance, was formerly a place of con- siderable importance, having been for nearly two hundred years, in conjunction with the Pigeonhouse harbour, the principal packet station in Ireland for communication with Great Britain. The transfer of the packet service, however, to Howth and Kingstown in the early part of last century, deprived Ringsend of its principal source of revenue, and consigned it thenceforth to poverty and obscurity.

In its halcyon days it was a pretty watering-place, much frequented in the summer for sea-bathing by Dublin folk who wished to be within easy reach of town, and in the middle of the 1 8th century it was described as being "very clean, " healthy and beautiful, with vines trained up against the walls " of the houses." In after years it became the seat of several flourishing industries, long since extinct. It is difficult now to realise that such a grimy and dingy-looking place could ever have been a really pretty and pleasant suburb of the city, but such it was a hundred and fifty years ago, when it contained a number of picturesque high-gabled houses, with well-stocked

A

2 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

gardens and orchards, a few of which remain, even at the present day,

Ringsend must have sadly deteriorated by i8i6, if we are to believe Lord Blayney's description in his Sequel to a Narrative. " On approaching the town [Dublin] you pass

View nenr Ringsend. (1904.)

" through a vile, filthy and disgraceful-looking village called " Ringsend." Other travellers who landed there about the same period, speak of it in similar terms.

7 he Dublin Weekly Chronicle of 15th October, 1748, contains the following quaint notice : — " Poolbeg Oyster ." Fishery being taken this year by Messrs. Bunit & Simpson, " of Ringsend, they may be had fresh and in their purity at " Mrs. L'S ware's at the Sign of the Good Woman in Rings- " end aforesaid."

Sketch Plan of Dublin shov

de Gomit line.)

according to Sir Bcrnaid

[7o pice page 2

Sketch Plan of Dublin slioiving th; cij.L,t ime jnd tht- iiolateJ position of Rmgsend in i'l;.;, atojidn.i; to Sir Bccnatd dc Gommc's map. (Tlic heavy line in-iicates the position ol the old coast hne.)

o

RINGSEND 3

Various explanations have been given of the origin of this paradoxical name — one of the most plausible being that before the construction of Sir John Rogerson's Quay, a number of piles of wood were driven into the sand along the sides of the river, to many of which rings were attached for the convenience of vessels mooring there, and that the furthest point to which these piles extended became, in consequence, known as " The Rings end." It i? much more probable, however, that it is a hybrid word — i.e., " Rinn's end," rinn meaning in Irish a point of land projecting into the water, so that the whole name would thus mean " the end of the spur of land," and this etymology is borne out by the position of Ringsend in former times, as will be seen by reference to the accompanying plan showing the coastline of the Port in 1673.

Before the Dodder was confined between artificial banks, it flowed at its own sweet will in numerous streams over a con- siderable tract of marsh and slobland at Ringsend, and in time of flood caused much perturbation among the inhabitants — the waters of the river and the waves of the sea rolling without let or hindrance over land now covered by terraces and dwell- inghouses. Gerard Boate, who wrote in 1652, after referring to the havoc wrought by the floods of this river, states : — " Since that time a stone bridge hath been built over that *' brook upon the way betwixt Dublin and Ringsend ; which " was hardly accomplished when the brook in one of its furious *' risings, quite altered its channel for a good way, so as it " did not pass under the bridge as before, but just before " the foot of it, letting the same stand upon the dry land, *' and consequently making it altogether useless. In which *' perverse course it continued until perforce it was constrained *' to return to its old channel and to keep within the same."

The stone bridge referred to by Boate (built between 1629 and 1637) was where Ballsbridge now stands — the only route at that time between Dublin and Ringsend, except for those who hired what was known as a " Ringsend Car," to cross the shallows then intervening between that place and the city.

4 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

All the tract lying east of City Quay, Sandwith Street, Grand Canal Street, and north of Lansdowne Road was then washed by the mingled waters of the Dodder and the sea, and could be traversed only with danger and difficulty by pedestrians. (See Prendergast's Life of Charles Haliday, prefixed to the latter's Scandinavian Kingdom of Dublin, p. cxx.)

The difficulty of access to Ringsend is alluded to as follows in The Dublin Scuffle (1699), by John Dunton, the eccentric Dubhn bookseller, italics being introduced into the quotation for the purpose of emphasising the allusion : — " I had very agreeable company to Ringsend, and was nobly " treated at the King's Head at this dear place (as all Post " Towns generally are). I took my leave of . . . and two " or three more friends, and now looked towards Dublin ; " but how to get at it we no more knew than the Fox at the Grapes, " for though we saw a large strand, yet Hwas not to be walked " over, because of a pretty rapid stream [the Dodder] which " must be crossed ; we enquired for a coach, and found no " such thing was to be had here, unless by accident, but were " informed we might have a Rings-end carr, which upon my " desire was called, and we got upon it, not into it. . . . " I pay'd 4d. for one fair of a mile's riding."

On the 14th of November, 1646, the Parliamentary forces were landed at Ringsend, and on the 14th of August, 1649, OHver Cromwell, who had been appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by unanimous vote of Parliament, landed here with an army of 12,000 men, a formidable train of artillery, and a large quantity of munitions of war.

In 1670, during a great storm from the East, the tide over- flowed here, and flooding the country as far as Trinity College, invaded the low-lying parts of the city and carried away a number of houses.

In 1672, the English Government, apprehensive of an attack on Dublin by the Dutch, who a few years previously had done great damage in the Thames, sent over Sir Bernard de Gomme, an eminent engineer, to report as to what works were necessary

RINGSEND 5

for the defence of the Port. After a survey, he submitted a plan and estimates, now deposited in the British Museum, for the construction of a great pentagonal fortress, to occupy a space of about thirty acres, immediately south-east of the site now occupied by Merrion Square, at a cost of ^131,277. It was indispensable to the utility of this stronghold that it should be capable of relief by sea, ivhich then flowed in to where now are Wentworth Place and Grand Canal Street.

Nothing, however, was done towards providing defences for the Port of Dublin until the erection of the Pigeonhouse Fort nearly one hundred and fifty years afterwards.

In April, 1690, on Good Friday, an engagement took place in the Bay, near where the Poolbeg Lighthouse now stands, between the Monmouth yacht with some smaller vessels in com- mand of Sir Cloudesley Shovel, and a frigate anchored in the Bay laden with goods for France. King James, attracted by the firing, rode out to Ringsend accompanied by a great crowd of people and witnessed the engagement. The crew of the frigate were obliged to abandon it after a loss of six or seven in the action. — (Dean Story's Impartial History, p. 58.)

In 1703, Ringsend having become populous owing to the presence of many officers of the Port and seafaring men, and being so far from the Protestant parish church of Donnybrook, which was often inaccessible owing to the overflowing of tides and floods on the highway, an Act was passed by Parliament authorising the erection of the church now known as St. Matthew's at Irishtown.

In 171 1 the Liflfey between the city and Ringsend was embanked, thereby reclaiming the North and South Lotts.

In 1782 the bridge across the Dodder at Ringsend was swept away by a flood, and communication was not restored for seven years. Ferrar in his View of Dublin (1796), writing of this incident, says : — " Ringsend was in a very melancholy situation " in the year 1787. It resembled a town which had experienced *' all the calamities of war, that had been sacked by an enemy, *' or that had felt the hand of all-devouring time. The un-

6 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

" fortunate inhabitants were in a manner excluded from all " intercourse with Dublin. They were attacked by the over- " bearing floods which issued from the mountains in irresistible " torrents and completely demolished the bridge. The new " bridge is a very handsome one, and cost only ^^815." The folly of this economy is shown by the fact that the new bridge lasted only until 1802 — thirteen years— when it, like its pre- decessor, was carried away by floods. At their wits' end, the authorities thereupon constructed the massive bridge which survives to the present day, no longer indeed exposed to the fury of the floods, the once turbulent Dodder having been sadly tamed in recent years by the diversion of its waters into the reservoirs of the Rathmines Township at Glenn asmole.

The South Wall, one of the most remarkable and best con- structed breakwaters of its kind in the world, extends from Ringsend into the Bay, a distance of 17,754 feet, or nearly three and a half miles. It was commenced in 1717 by a frame- work of wooden piles carried along the course of the river, for a distance of 7,938 feet, to the position now occupied by the Pigeonhouse, where the Ballast Board in 1735, placed a floating lightship ; and in 1 73 5 this wooden piling was replaced by a double stone wall, the intervening space being filled with rocks and gravel, forming a wide roadway, flanked on either side by a massive parapet. Prior to this time all vessels approaching the harbour of DubUn after nightfall were obliged to remain outside the bar until the following morning, on account of the dangerous shoals off the shore known as the North and South Bulls, and even when vessels had entered the Port, there was no place of anchorage until they reached Ringsend.^

It was soon discovered that the wall, although affording some shelter to shipping, did not extend far enough to protect the harbour adequately during storms and high tides, and accordingly it was decided to supplement the work by an ex- tension of the original wooden piles and framework to the deep pool known as Poolbeg, near the eastern extremity of the South Bull, and about two miles further out in the bay. This

THE PIGEONHOUSE 7

further portion is not quite in line ^vith the rest, but is de- flected slightly to the northward so as to follow the course of the river.

At the point then known as " the pile ends," where the original line of wooden piles ended, and the Pigeonhouse now stands, the port authorities erected a massive wooden house, strongly clamped with iron, to serve as a watch house, store house and place of refuge for such as were forced to land there by stress of weather ; and between this place and Ringsend, a number of boats used to ply in summer, conveying pleasure- seeking citizens of that day to what had grown to be a favourite rendezvous while the works were in progress. A man named Pidgeon who lived in the wooden house and acted as caretaker of the works and tools, finding the place become such a public resort, fitted out his quarters as neatly as possible, and, assisted by his wife and family, made arrangements for supplying meals and refreshments to visitors. He also purchased a boat to hire to his guests, had it painted and finished in an attractive manner, and as he dealt with only the best class of visitors, his rude hostelry soon grew to be a noted resort of distinguished citizens and wits, while the owner found himself on the fair road to fortune. His house came to be known to all the Dublin folk as " Pidgeon's House," or the Pigeonhouse, and even after he and his family had gone the way of all flesh, and the old building, having served its purpose, had fallen into decay, the name was perpetuated in the title of the stronghold that in after years rose over its ruins.

When the Packet station was established here, it was found necessary to build the Pigeonhouse harbour, where the packets landed and embarked passengers, for whose accommodation a hotel was erected in 1790. After the transfer of the regular service to Howth, the Pigeonhouse harbour continued in use as an occasional landing place, especially for the Liverpool packets. The Pigeonhouse Packet station in time becoming superseded by that at Howth, the Government in 18 13, purchased the hotel and other buildings, and commenced the construction

.8

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

of the Pigeonhouse Fort, which ultimately cost over ^100,000. The hotel formed the nucleus of the structure, and the sub- marine mining establishment, batteries and other additions were erected by the War Department. In its later years the Fort gradually lapsed into disuse, and was finally dismantled and sold to the Dublin Corporation in 1897 for _^65,ooo.

Entrance to the Pigeonhouse Fort. (1895-)

The Pigeonhouse fort appears to have been built partly for the purpose of a repository for State papers, bullion, and other valuables in time of disturbance, and partly for defence of the Port ; and in its earlier form, the construction of formidable batteries commanding the passage of the wall from the city, indicated that its designers were more apprehensive of an attack from land than by sea. In anticipation of a prolonged siege, efforts were made to obtain an independent supply of water for the garrison by the usual process of sinking tubes, but notwithstanding the assistance of eminent experts who

THE PIGEON HOUSE 9

were brought over from England for the purpose, and the expenditure of immense sums of money on the operations, the influx of salt water through the sandy soil baffled all attempts and obliged the Government to abandon the project.

In The Dublin Chronicle of 3rd August, 1790, we read :— ■*' On Friday morning twenty-seven poor haymakers attending " at the Pigeonhouse in order to be put on board ship for " England, were seized by a press-gang and put on board a " tender — the commander of the press-gang telling them at " the same time that if they were able to mow hay, they could ■" have no objection to mow the enemies of their country, and ^* they should have passage, diet, &c., gratis." It is therefore not surprising that in another issue we learn : — " Yesterday " morning, at an early hour, a coach, in which some recruits ^' were being conveyed to the Pigeonhouse in order to be ^' embarked for England, was attacked at Ringsend by desperate " banditti armed with swords and pistols, who after wounding ^' the soldiers that accompanied the coach, rescued three of " the men from them."

The Dublin Chronicle of 28th January, 1792, referring to a breach which had been made by a storm in the South Wall, says : — " Yesterday, his Grace the Duke of Le'.nster went on ■*' a sea party, and, after shooting the breach in Jie South Wall, ^' sailed over the Low Ground and the South Lotts, and landed " safely at Merrion Square. . . . Eoats ply with passengers " to Merrion Square."

Although the original account of this occurrence mentions the South Wall, it doubtless means the wall or embankment on the south side of the river along Sir John Rogerson's Quay, where a breach would have caused an inundation of the South Lotts, enabling boats to ply as far as what is now the lower end of Holies Street, near Merrion Square.

Sir Charles Hoare in his Tour in Ireland refates some interest- ing experiences of his visit to Dublin : — " Monday, 23rd June, " 1806. Sailed from Holyhead in the Union Packet, Captain " Skinner, and after a rough and tedious passage of twenty

TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

" three hours, landed at the Pigeonhouse, from where a vehicle, " very appropriately called ' the Long Coach ' (holding sixteen " inside passengers and as many outside, with all their luggage) " conveyed us to Dublin, distant about two miles from the " place of landing." He states that in addition to the duty which \vas exacted after a troublesome examination at the Custom House on the South Wall, he had to pay no less than twelve different officers of Customs. After leaving the Custom House, he had to dismount from the vehicle and cross the bridge on foot, as it was considered to be in too dangerous a condition to drive over with a full vehicle. " There is nothing com- " manding in this approach to Dublin ; a number of narrow " passes and bridges barricadoed, still remind the traveller of " the late rebellion." He adds that a most daring attack upon the long coach above alluded to, was made a short timepreviously by a gang of armed banditti, who obliged the passengers to dismount, and then plundered them one by one, while on another occasion the officer carrying the mails was fired at. Sir Charles Hoare suggests that " a horse patrole " should be furnished by the Government to escort the coach from the General Post Office to the Packet station.

The process of exacting fees and payments on various pre- texts, from the passengers at the Pigeonhouse, was known to the initiated as " Plucking the Pigeons."

The statement as to the duration of the passage from Holy- head— twenty-three hours — may perhaps be considered an exaggeration, but a perusal of the newspapers of the period will show that this was not by any means an extravagantly long time for crossing ; indeed, our forefathers thought them- selves rather lucky if the voyage was accompHshed in that time, instances not having been at all uncommon in stormy weather or with contrary winds where it extended to a week or ten days. When we consider the limited accommodation in these frail vessels, and the prolonged miseries of sea-sick passengers, can we wonder that none but the most enthusiastic travellers cared to leave their own shores in those days >

THE PIGEONHOUSE ii

Perhaps, indeed, the vigour of the language with which Ringsend has been assailed by successive writers who landed there, may to some extent be accounted for, by the condition of these unfortunate travellers' nerves and stomachs after the miseries of sea-sickness during a voyage of from eighteen to thirty hours duration in the packet boats of that period.

According to a diary kept by a Welsh gentleman in 1735, during a visit to Dubhn, the passage from Holyhead took nineteen hours, and on the return journey when the packet had got within a few miles of Holyhead, a contrary wind sprung up which obliged the officers to abandon all hope of reaching land on that side, and forced them to turn back to Dubhn where they had to wait several days before the wind was favourable. It is interesting to learn that the voyage cost IDS. 6d. — pretty much the same as at present — but when forced to turn back by stress of weather and make an extra voyage, as in this case, the cost of provisions only was charged. The passengers landed at Ringsend and paid is. a head to the boat- man who took them ashore in his boat, and two of them hired a coach to drive them to the city, for which they paid 2s. lod. The passengers complained of being kept four hours waiting- before, being landed.

Nathaniel Jeiferys in An Englishman's Descriptive Account of Dublin (1810), gives the following amusing description of the proceedings at the Pigeonhouse landing stage, about a hundred years ago : — " Upon the arrival of the packets at the " Pigeonhouse, the passengers are conducted to the custom- " house ; and it would be a great injustice not to acknowledge " that the manner in which the examination of the luggage is " done (by giving as Httle trouble as possible to persons " frequently fatigued by a tedious passage and sea-sickness) is " very gratifying to strangers. As soon, however, as this " ceremony is over, one of a less accommodating description " takes place, which is the mode of conveying passengers ta " Dublin in the Long Coach. This carriage is upon the plan *' of those elegant vehicles upon low wheels, which are used on

12 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

*' the road between Hyde Park Corner and Hammersmith in " the neighbourhood of London ; and from the state of its " repair and external appearance, it bears every mark of having " retired on the superannuated list from that active duty, " previous to its being employed upon its present service. " This coach is usually very crowded, from the anxiety of the " passengers to proceed to Dubhn ; and from the manner in " which some of the company may easily be supposed to have

" been passing their time on board the packet ^from the

" effect of sea-sickness, the effluvia arising from twelve or " fourteen persons so circumstanced, crammed together in a " very small space, Hke the inmates of Noah's Ark, the clean " and the unclean, is not of that description which can at all " entitle the Long Coach to be considered as a bed of roses. " Three shillings for each passenger is the price of conveyance, " and this is exacted beforehand. . . . The inconveniencies " of this ride are, however, of short duration, for in about half " an hour the passengers are released from this earthly purgatory " by their arrival in Dublin."

The average duration of the passage from the Pigeonhouse to Holyhead was eighteen hours, and from Howth only twelve hours, which was reduced to seven hours when steam packets w'ere introduced.

The Pigeonhouse has undergone considerable alterations in recent years since it has become the generating station for the city supply of electricity, and the tall red-brick chimney which has been added is now a conspicuous feature in the Bay. Most of the old buildings still remain, but the Pigeonhouse of our boyhood days is gone — the sentries no longer guard its portals, its deserted courtyards and dismantled batteries echo no more to the tramp of armed men or resound with salvoes of artiUery. The monotonous hum of the dynamos has succeeded, and the whole place, though doubtless fulfilling a more useful purpose than during its mihtary occupation, possesses much less interest than it did as a link with old-time Dublin.

CHAPTER II

THE POOLBEG LIGHTHOUSE AND THE SOUTH WALL EXTENSION, IRISHTOWN, SANDY- MOUNT, BEGGARSBUSH AND BAGGOTRATH.

THE maintenance of the South Wall extension beyond the Pigeonhouse, alluded to in the previous chapter, proved to be enormously expensive owing to the rapid corrosion of the timber foundations by the salt water, and besides, the structure was insufficient in bulk to shield the harbour effectually from the force of the waves when the wind blew from the south or south-east. Great quantities of the loose and shifting sands of the South Bull were constantly being blown or drifted across the breakwater into the river bed, materially interfering with its navigability, and seriously affecting the trade of the port.

It was accordingly resolved to replace the wooden piles on this portion by a solid stone breakwater of massive proportions, and so the Poolbeg Lighthouse was begun in 1761, and finished seven years later. The present granite causeway was then gradually built inwards towards the city until it had joined the earlier portion of the structure. In many places along the south side of the wall may still be seen remains of the original wooden piles.

At certain exposed points, to protect it from the violence of the sea, the sides were formed of blocks of granite, dove- tailed into each other, so that no single block could be detached without breaking, and the intermediate space between the sides was filled with gravel for about half the height, above which great blocks of granite were laid in cement. The wall when thus constructed formed a solid causeway 32 feet wide at the base and tapering to 28 feet at the top. The only place

'3

H

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

where these original dimensions now remain is from the outfall of the Pembroke Main Drain to the Poolbeg Lighthouse. Towards the eastern end where the water is deep, the wall had to be strengthened by iron clamps and bolts, while approaching the Lighthouse, so great is the fury of the sea in a south-easterly storm, that it was found necessary to raise it some five feet higher, and to protect it for a considerable distance, by an

The Toolbeg Lighthouse in its original form.

additional breakwater of huge boulders on the outside. How necessary this was, is shown by the rounded condition of many ei these great rocks, which are often tossed about like pebbles during easterly gales, and in some instances cast up on the wall itself. Even with all these precautions to ensure the stability of the wall, repairs are constantly necessary.

Few townsfolk have any conception of what a south-easterly storm means along the coast, and I would strongly recommend anyone who is not afraid of rough weather, to select a day when

THE PORT OF DUBLIN 15

there is a gale from this point, and arrange to reach the Pigeon- house about high tide ; it would be inadvisable to go further, but ample view can be obtained therefrom of the action of the sea along the wall.

Gerard Boate, writing in 1652, gives the following quaint description of the Port of Dubhn : — " Dublin haven hath a " bar in the mouth, upon which at high flood and spring-tide "" there is fifteen and eighteen feet of water, but at the ebbe *' and nep-tide but six. With an ordinary tide you cannot go ■" to the key of Dublin with a ship that draws five feet of water, " but with a spring-tide you may go up with ships that draw " seven or eight feet. Those that go deeper cannot go nearer *' Dublin than the Rings-end, a place three miles distant from *' the bar, and one from Dublin. This haven almost all over " falleth dry with the ebbe, as well below Rings-end as above ^' it, so as you may go dry foot round about the ships which lye " at anchor there, except in two places, one at the north side, " half way betwixt Dublin and the bar, and the other at the " south side not far from it. In these two little creeks (whereof " the one is called the pool of Clontarf and the other Poolbeg) *' it never falleth dry, but the ships which ride at an anchor *' remain ever afloat ; because at low water you have nine 01 " ten feet of water there. This haven, besides its shallowness, " hath yet another great incommodity, that the ships have *' hardly any shelter there for any winds, not only such as come *' out of the sea, but also those which come off from the land, *' especially out of the south-west ; so as with a great south- *' west storm the ships run great hazards to be carried away " from their anchor and driven into the sea ; which more than " once hath come to pass, and particularly in the beginning "* of November, An. 1637, wl^en in one night ten or twelve " barks had that misfortune befaln them, of the most part *' whereof never no news hath been heard since."

The Pool of Clontarf is now called The Pool, and the other the Poolbeg, or little pool.

Poolbeg, which Hes in the channel between the Pigeonhouse

i6 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

and the Lighthouse, was in former times a recognised anchorage for vessels. In the accompanying reproduction of an old print of Dublin Bay, about one hundred and seventy years old, a fleet of large fishing vessels is represented riding at anchor there.

The Poolbeg Lighthouse is a handsome and conspicuous feature in the bay, in which it occupies an almost central position, though its picturesque appearance has been somewhat marred since it was painted black by the Port authorities some twenty years ago. It is nearly equi-distant from Dublin.

View of Beggarsbush and Dublin Bay 170 years ago. (.From an engraving in the National Gallery, Dublin.)

Kingstown, and Howth, and commands extensive views of the whole shores of the bay, with an unbroken panorama of the mountains on the south. Howth with its heather-clad hills» its bright green fields and rugged reaches of sea cliffs, looks particularly attractive from this point.

An interesting effect of the isolated position of this spot which can hardly escape the notice of the casual visitor, is the impressive silence which prevails here on a calm summer's day, though surrounded on all sides by evidences of bustle and activity. Occasionally the stillness is broken by the rythmical beat of some steamer ghding gracefully past, as she leaves or enters the port, or at intervals one may faintly distinguish the

THE POOLBEG LIGHTHOUSE 17

whistle of a far off train so softened by, distance as to mingle with the cry of the sea birds and the gentle plash of the water against the rocks.

The lighthouse when originally constructed, presented an entirely different appearance from what it does at the present time. It was not so high as the existing structure, it sloped much more rapidly towards the top, and was surmounted by an octagonal lantern with eight heavy glass windows. A stone •staircase with an iron balustrade led to the second storey, where

1

The Fodibeg Lightnousc. (1902.)

an iron gallery surrounded the whole building. The alteratio.. to the present form was made in the early part of last century, and was, beyond doubt, a decided improvement so far as the appearance of the structure is concerned.

The foundations consist of immense blocks of stone and cement, bound together with massive iron bands, interwoven so as to form great cages ; and the base thus formed is strengthened by sloping buttresses all round.

Returning along the Wall, we take the turn on the left alono- the Rathmines and Pembroke Main Drain embank-

i8 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

ment, which has reclaimed from the sea a considerable tract now being laid out as a public park.

The most conspicuous object in this neighbourhood is the belfry tower of St. Matthew's Church, before alluded to, which is still in good preservation and is thickly mantled with ivy.

The strand at Irishtown w^as at one time noted for its cockles and shrimps, the shrimps being found in great quantities at certain states of the tide, but after the severe winter of 1741, known as " The hard frost," they completely disappeared and never since returned to this coast. The cockles, however, still remain for those who have the courage to eat them, and occasionally yield a rich harvest to the professional cockle pickers. Going to Sandymount on Sunday to pick cockles was a favourite amusement of the Dublin folk a hundred years ago.

Cranfield's Baths, for many years a well-known institution in this neighbourhood, were established by Richard Cranlield, who died at Irishtown in 1859.2

In former times the tract along the sea from Ringsend to Sandymount was known as Scal'd Hill, or Scald Hill. In the middle of the 1 8th century there was a village called " Brick- " field Town " on the site now occupied by Sandymount Green, deriving its name from Lord Merrion's brickfields, which extended along the shore from there to Merrion. A well-known inn called " The Conniving House " then stood where the modern Seafort Avenue West, meets the shore. It was a famous old hostelry, noted for its dinners of fish and its excellent ale, and is referred to as follows in The Life of John Buncle, Esq. [Thomas Amory], Vol. I., p. 87 : — " I set " forward (ist May, 1725), and in five days arrived from the " western extremity of Ireland at a village called Rings-end " that lies on the Bay of Dublin. Three days I rested there, " and at the Conniving House, and then got my horses on " board a ship that was ready to sail, and bound for the land " I was born in, I mean Old England. . . . The Conniving

SANDYMOUNT 19

'" House (as the gentlemen of Trinity called it in my time " and long after) was a little publichouse, kept by Jack " Macklean, about a quarter of a mile beyond Rings-end, on " the top of the beach, within a few yards of the sea. Here " we used to have the finest fish at all times ; and in the season, " green peas and all the most excellent vegetables. The ale " here was always extra-ordinary, and everything the best ; " which with its delightful situation, rendered it a delightful " place of a summer's evening. Many a delightful evening have " I passed in this pretty thatched house with the famous Larry " Grogan, who played on the bagpipes extreme well ; dear " Jack Lattin, matchless on the fiddle, and the most agreeable " of companions . . . and many other delightful fellows " who went in the days of their youth to the shades of eternity.

^' When I think of them and their evening songs ' fVe will

*' ' go to Johnny Macklean' s to try if his ale be good or not' Ifjc, " and that years and infirmities begin to oppress me, what " is Hfe ! "

Sandymount, though now a populous suburb of the metro- polis, is remembered by many old people as an isolated village standing around Sandymount Green. In the early part of last century — about 1810 to 1820 — it came into great favour as a watering place ; there was a well-equipped hotel here, and a range of lodging-houses was built at the north-eastern side of the Green, continuous with Newgrove Avenue, for the accom- modation of visitors. The extent to which it was patronised in consequence of its fine strand, pretty beach and depth of wave at full-tide, excited the ambition of the residents to make it an aristocratic resort, and in order to attain the desired degree of exclusiveness,the fee charged for bathing there was zd., which, of course, restricted it to the nobihty and gentry, the common people betaking themselves to Irishtown, where the fee was only id., and where there was a larger array of bathing boxes with plainer accommodation.

At the corner of Sandymount Avenue, 3 on the main road to Kingstown, was an inn and snack-house called " The Bird

20 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBIJN

" House " — a cosy thatched tavern where travellers arriving late in the evening sometimes stayed the night rather than risk the remainder of the journey to town in the dark.

On the 2 1 St of April, 1826, the Rev. George Wogan was murdered in his house in Spalield Place, off Sandymount Avenue. The murder created a great sensation in Dublin, as the victim was widely respected and known. The murderers were duly hanged, not for the murder, however, but as the result of conviction for a highway robbery in the same neigh- bourhood.

Up to about 1840 there was a famous concern known as Haig's Distillery on the banks of the Dodder immediately eastward of the present Herbert Bridge, but I beheve it had ceased working for several years prior to that date. It was approached from Haig's Avenue and Watery Lane (now Lansdowne Road) by a stone weir across the river, and the buildings extended a considerable distance along the banks, surrounded by meadows and grass lands. This estabHshment had become notorious by reason of its frequent conflicts with the Revenue authorities, and the audacity with which its operations were conducted both by day and night. Many strange stories were told as to encounters with excise officer* in its earlier years, and the rumour was current in the neigh- bourhood that several of these unpopular functionaries had mysteriously " disappeared " in the estabHshment. The proprietor undoubtedly fought the Revenue both physically and legally by every means that his ingenuity could devise,, but being beaten, he had to succumb in the end, and his concern was ultimately dismantled. A local builder purchased the old buildings some years afterwards, and it was understood that he had effected an excellent bargain, as the debris included a great quantity of copper tubing and machinery. The stones of the old building were utilised in laying down the foundations of the two roads constructed across the distillery fields — viz.,^ Herbert Road and Newbridge Avenue.

Watery Lane, now represented by the portion of Lansdowne

BEGGARSBUSH 21

Road between Pembroke Road and Shelbourne Road, was little better than a wet ditch with water constantly oozing out from its mud banks, and was passable only by means of a line of stepping stones laid along it.

Lying immediately inland from the coast, though no longer designated by their ancient titles, are the localities formerly known as Beggarsbush and Baggotrath, now almost entirely merged in the suburbs. In the old print of Dublin Bay, already alluded to, which appears to hai'e been sketched from a position somewhere near the present Haddington Road, the origin of the name of Beggarsbush is clearly shown, for there, prominently in the foreground, is the bush under which the beggars of that day used to find a temporary shelter before descending on the metropolis. Three beggars appear in the picture, two of them — a man and a woman — of tattered and disreputable aspect, are standing up, looking towards the city, and apparently in consultation as to the route to be pursued in their campaign. A third, of more placid temperament, is reclining at ease ia this arboreal beggars' rest, and to all appearances, waiting, like Mr. Micawber, for something to turn up.

Many of the worthies who used to avail themselves of this friendly shelter were doubtless, when opportunity offered, highwaymen, as the neighbourhood had acquired an evil reputation in this respect, and numerous robberies are recorded in the newspapers of the time as having taken place there.

In the print referred to, not one building of any description is shown between Beggarsbush and Ringsend, the intervening space being open country through which the Dodder flowed over a wide tract of waste and slob land. Judging by the relative positions of the various objects in the picture, the original " bush " must have stood a little to the north of the modern Beggarsbush Barracks, though Duncan's map of the County Dublin, made about ninety years ago, assigns the name of Beggarsbush to a hamlet or group of houses which stood at the intersection of what are now known as Lansdowne Road and Shelbourne Road.

22 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBEIN

The view in the picture at first sight appears unduly ex- tensive, and it is probably somewhat exaggerated so far as the height of the standpoint is concerned, but even allowing for only a few feet of elevation where the " bush " stood, a very considerable view of the Bay must have been obtained there- from. Even at the present day, with all the buildings inter- vening, the higher portions of Howth Head are clearly visible from the middle of Haddington Road, opposite the barracks.

In the early part of last century — down to about 1820, or thereabouts — there stood in a field at the spot now occupied by the north-eastern corner of Beggarsbush Barracks, an old vaulted building in ruins, covered with a dense growth of ivy, nettles and brambles, called Le Fevre's Folly, which was utilised as a refuge and point of reconnaissance by highwaymen, robbers and smugglers, then abounding in the neighbourhood, as the ruins commanded a view along the five roads radiating from this point.

The inhabitants of all the adjacent localities — Ringsend, Irishtown, Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, and Sandymount, seldom ventured out of doors at night time without being fully armed, as they were almost entirely dependant upon their own arrange- ments for the protection of themselves and their homes, the whole district at that time being in a most lawless state, and burglaries and highway robberies of almost nightly occurrence.

The only house of any note in the neighbourhood at that time was Pembroke Lodge, which now in its old age, may still be seen a few paces from the railway bridge, on the northern side of Bath Avenue, then Londonbridge Road. It will be readily recognised by its great projecting eaves, owing to which it was popularly known as " The Umbrella House."

This house, about 1825, was occupied as a residence by the proprietor of adjoining chemical works which covered the whole area bounded by the Dodder, Bath Avenue and Ringsend Road. Isolated as it was, and containing the ordinary valuables to be found in a house of its size occupied by well-to-do people, it was naturally an object of much interest to the burgling

BEGGARSBUSH—BAGGOTRATH 23

confraternity. Attempts were frequently made to enter the premises, and on one occasion the inmates, immediately before retiring, observed an ill-looking individual peering over the wall and evidently reconnoitring with a view to a night attack. Thus put on their guard, they received the expected visitors on their arrival with discharges of slugs from blunderbusses, causing an immediate retreat. A number of burgling imple- ments were left behind by the robbers in their hurried flight, and a trail of blood was traced next morning the whole way to Halpin's Pool, Ringsend, where it ceased. Two familiar faces were missed from the gang after this occurrence, and it was supposed that the party dropped the dead bodies of their comrades into this pool.

The whole incident doubtless attracted little notice at the time, having been but one of many such, as will be seen by reference to newspapers of the period, and it is related here merely for the purpose of illustrating the extraordinary con- dition of lawlessness then prevailing in the immediate neigh- bourhood of the city — a condition now to be found only in some wild mining camp or semi-organised community.

When the delta or slobland formed at the confluence of the Swan Water, the Dodder and the Liffey was embanked and reclaimed in 1792, it became known by the name of New Holland, possibly on account of the desperadoes resorting there, the original New Holland having been a convict colony. This old name has now almost passed out of living memory, but is commemorated in the names " New Holland " in New- bridge Avenue, and " New Holland Lodge," until recently in Bath Avenue.

The ancient district of Baggotrath was an extensive one, and included a considerable portion of the lands on which are now built the south-eastern part of the city, and the ad- joining suburbs of Donnybrook and Pembroke. It derives its name from the family of Bagot or Bagod, who came into possession of the Manor of Baggotrath in the 13th century, and soon afterwards erected thereon a castle which thev

24 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

occupied as their residence. The Castle of Baggotrath stood on the ground now occupied by 44. and 46 Upper Baggot Street, down to the early part of last century, when it was taken down on the extension of the suburbs in this direction.

Lewis'' s Dublin Guide, published in 1787, gives the following particulars in regard to this old ruin : — " The upper part, " which threatened immediate destruction to all vfho should *' approach its base, was in 1785, taken down ; and what small " fragment of the tower was left was entirely filled up with " stones, earth and other matters, and the whole closed at the " top, so that it is now almost as solid and compact as a rock, *' and may bid defiance to the shocks of time."

This castle played an important part in the Battle of Rath- mines (see Index), where in August, 1649, the Royalist forces under command of the Marquess, afterwards Duke of Ormonde, were decisively defeated by the Parliamentary garrison of Dublin, commanded by Colonel Michael Jones.

For a long time after the battle, the ruin was a resort of desperadoes and highwaymen, and was considered a dangerous place to pass after dusk.

The office of Governor of Baggotrath Castle, though a sinecure from a remote period, was filled from time to time until the Union, when this appointment, with a number of similar ones, was abolished, and a commutation of the salary paid to Sir John (afterwards Lord) de Blaquiere.

The following authorities have been consulted in the pre- paration of this chapter : — Blacker's Sketches of the Parishes of Booterstown and, Donnybrook ; Gerard Boate's Natural History of Ireland ; St. Catherine's Bells, by W. T. Meyler ; Rocque's and Duncan's Maps of the County of Dublin ; Wakeman's Old Dublin ; Warburton, Whitelaw and Walsh's History of Dublin ; and 7he Scandinavian Kingdom of Dublin, by Charles Haliday.

CHAPTER III

THE ROCK ROAD — BALLSBRIDGE, MERRION", BOOTERSTOWN, BLACKROCK AND MONKS- TOWN

EAVING town by the Kingstown tram route — Lower Mount _^ Street, Northumberland Road and Pembroke Road — ^we reach Ballsbridge, a name which, originally attaching to a bridge here, at length became extended to the adjacent locality. As the road to Blackrock, Kingstown and Dalkey via Stephen's Green and Baggot Street, represents one of the most ancient highways from Dublin, it is highly probable that even from the earliest times, the Dodder was spanned by a bridge at this point, though, no doubt, long periods often elapsed between the decay or destruction of one bridge and the erection of its successor. During the 15th and i6th centuries when, owing to the diffi- culty of navigating the Liffey, Dalkey was the Port of Dublin, there must have been a continual traffic with passengers and. merchandise along this road, and, as the river Dodder can hardly ever have been fordable here, it would have been impossible to convey the heavy cargoes of goods into Dublin in the absence of a bridge of some description.

In An Historical Sketch of the Pe^nbroke Township, published in connection with the Dublin Exhibition of 1907, Dr. F. Elrington Ball states that bridges stood here with the names- of Simmonscourt and Smothe's Court, and that in the beginning of the 17th century there was a dwelling called " Ball's House "' on the site now occupied by Ballsbridge Bakery. This, he considers, is the origin of the name, Ballsbridge.

The maps of the Down Survey (1650, &c.) show no bridge here, but according to Rocque's Map, about one hundred years

26

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

later, the river was then spanned by a narrow bridge at this point, and the immediate neighbourhood was known by its present designation. A substantial stone bridge, which was probably preceded by a wocden one, was erected in 1791, and this structure was successively rebuilt in 1835 ^^'^ 1904.

On the way to Ballsbridge, we pass near the site of an eminence known as Gallows Hill, where the old city gallows stood, and where the Marquess of Ormonde, in 1649, planted his artillery to support the party he had told off to fortify Baggotrath Castle prior to the Battle of Rathmines.*

Ballsbridge. ('905-)

In the early part of the last century Duffy's celebrated calico print works at Ballsbridge gave employment to some five hundred hands from this neighbourhood, and the bleach green extended along the western side of the Dodder the whole way to the Fair Green at Donnybrook. The concern was ultimately purchased by a syndicate of Manchester firms, who closed and dismantled it to crush out Irish competition.

All this locality was quite rural up to about fifty years ago, and the Dodder flowed through the fields between sloping green banks instead of, as at present, between stone embank- ments.

Besides the main road to Blackrock, &c., via Ballsbridge

OLD FIELD PATH TO MERRION 27

there appears to have been an equally ancient route via Donny- brook bridge or the ford that preceded it, and thence by an old lield-path and double-ditch that ran through the fields a little south of Aylesbury Road as far as Nutley Lane, where it turned to the southward, and emerged on the Rock Road at Old Merrion churchyard. Although in its later years only a field path, it seems to have been the route taken by the Dublin Corporation in former times on the occasions of the annual ceremony of riding the franchises or boundaries of their muni- cipal jurisdiction. The accounts of this ceremony state that on the way back from Blackrock along the main road to Merrion Church, the corporators turned up to the left along an ancient mearing that ran through the fields by the Well of the Blessed Virgin, to Simmonscourt, and thence to Donnybrook.

This ancient pathway, through the meadows, commanding charming views of the mountains, was used until about twenty- five years ago, and the old track and double-ditch can still be distinctly traced the whole way from where it started at Sea- view Terrace, near the upper end of Aylesbury Road, down to Nutley Lane. Beyond this point nearly all traces of it are lost for some distance, but indications of a track are again dis- cernible in the grounds of Nutley, behind the boundary wall of St. Mary's Asylum, and joining Churchyard Lane, which was^ probably portion of the old roadway. The Well of the Blessed Virgin, otherwise called Lady Well, stood beside the path exactly at the point where the Parliamentary boundary turns abruptly to the north-west, but it has now disappeared, its source having probably been disturbed by drainage operations. This well is marked on Duncan's Map (1820), and its site can be found on the six-inch Ordnance Survey Map by following the Parliamentary Boundary to where it turns at right angles, one hundred and fifty yards south of a point about midway on Aylesbury Road.

The fact that the line of this old field path coincides for a considerable portion of its way with the ancient franchise boundary and the present Parliamentary boundary, would go

28 THE ^NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

to show that some well defined landmark must have existed here from early times.

It is to be regretted that no public interest was taken in this ancient roadway, and that after having been in existence for probably over a thousand years, the extinction of the right- of-way was so recently permitted.

Down to the early part of the last century, the strand from Merrion to Kingstown was the scene of frequent shipping disasters, most of which were probably due to the few and in- efficient lighthouses then along this coast.

A traveller's description of the Bay of Dublin, written in 1800, states that the locality is a most dangerous one to shipping, and that : — " The numerous wrecks which take place every " winter, apparent from the masts, which are seen every here " and there peeping above the surface of the water, as it were, " to warn others by their fate, are convincing proofs of the " truth of this assertion " (Slacker's Sketches).

Besides the casualties to shipping, however, there were numerous drowning accidents, which cannot be so easily accounted for, as the water in most places is shallow, even at high tide.

After the disasters to the troopships, Rochdale and Prince of Wales, in 1807, the strand between Merrion and Blackrock acquired such a terrible notoriety by reason of the number of mutilated bodies cast up along it, that a tract was published that year, entitled The Ensanguined Strand of Merrion, or a " Stuffing for the Pillow of those who could have prevented " the recent calamity in the Bay of Dublin." This pubhcation drew attention to the dangerous condition of the coast, and advocated improvement in the lighthouses of the Port.

At Merrion there formerly stood, on ground nearly opposite the railway crossing, Merrion Castle, the ancestral home of the Fitzwilliam family, who settled in this locality early in the 15th century. The castle, which was one of the largest structures of its kind in the County Dublin, fell into decay early in the .i8th century after its owners moved to Mount Merrion, their

MERRION— '^THE COACH AND HORSES" 29

new residence, and was partly taken down in 1780. Duncan's Map of the County Dublin (1820) represents the castle as still existing, from which it would seem that portion of the ruins survived until the early part of the 19th century.

A survey of 1654 states that Merrion had been the property of the Lord of Merrion, " an Irish Papist," and that on the lands were an old decayed castle and an extensive rabbit burrow.

Opposite Merrion crossing there was, until about twenty vears ago, an inn called " The Coach and Horses," which was

Merrion. (1897.)

adorned in the old fashion, with an imposing pictorial repre- sentation of its title. The building, or portion of it, still remains on the roadside, forming part of the out-ofhces of the Blind Asylum.

In 1807 this inn was visited one night by ten highwaymen, who robbed the proprietor of all the ready money he had in his possession, amounting to £60, and leisurely proceeded to divide the spoils. They then adjourned to the bar parlour, where they remained for about an hour drinking, and the health of the host was proposed and drunk with much enthusiasm, after which the unbidden guests departed with many apologies for their intrusion.

On the south side of Churchyard Lane, and close to the

30 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

main road, is the Old Merrion churchyard, now neglected and forgotten, enclosed by a high wall, and exhibiting no outward indications of its existence. Of the thousands of people who pass within a few yards of it every day, probably not a dozen have ever heard of it. Yet it was well known in former times, before this locality was so extensively built over, and many a prominent citizen of his day sleeps within the circuit of its mouldering walls, undisturbed by the modern innovations that have grown up around his last resting-place. Dalton, writing in 1837, states that " the old church presents some few but insignificant " remains, in the middle of a graveyard most scandalously " open to every species of insult and desecration."

No remains of the church are now distinguishable in the jungle of weeds and brambles with which the place is over- grown, but a number of headstones, some of them a couple of hundred years old, remain in excellent preservation. In the churchyard are some ancient trees, and the trunks of others blown down by storms. Immediately inside the wall, next the lane, is a headstone erected to the memory of the soldiers who perished in the transport packet Prince of Wales in 1807. It bears the following inscription : —

" Sacred to the memory of the soldiers belonging to " His Majesty's i8th Regiment of Foot, and a few belonging *' to other corps, who, actuated by a desire of more ex- " tensive service, nobly volunteered from the South Mayo " and different Regiments of Irish Militia into the line " and who were unfortunately shipwrecked on this coast " in the Prince of Wales Packet, and perished on the night "of the 19th of November, 1807. This tribute to their " memory has been placed on their tomb by order of " General the Earl of Harrington, Commander of the " Forces in Ireland." Walsh's Im-partial News Letter of i6th May, 1729, contains the following curious item of news in regard to this neighbour- hood : — " This morning we have an account from Merian that ■" a parcel of these outlandish Marramounts which are called

BOOTERSTOWN 31

■" Mountain Rats who are now here grown very common . . . " walk in droves and do a great deal of mischief." The account then goes on to relate how these mysterious pests devoured a woman and a nurse-child in Merrion, and that the inhabitants " killed several which are as big as Katts and Rabbits. . . . ■*' This part of the country is infested with them. Likewise " we hear from Rathfarnham that the like vermin destroyed " a little Girl in the Fields."

Passing out of Merrion, we presently enter Booterstown, a locality held in high repute as a fashionable summer watering place, and the scene of much gaiety a hundred years ago. In 1435 the name appears as Ballybothyr, or town of the road, from its position on the ancient road to Dunleary and Bray, and this name, by a translation of the first portion, resolved itself in time into Butterstown or Booterstown.

Ferrar, in his View of Dublin (lygS), writes enthusiastically of the strand here : — " To ride over the extensive strand from " hence to Booterstown, while the waves roll over the horse's ^' feet ; to see numerous ships with expanded wings passing and " re-passing the azure main ; to see so many groups of men, " women and children bathing, walking, jaunting, coaching, " in pursuit of that inestimable blessing, health ; to consider that " we are within ten hours' sailing of Britain's favourite isle, ■" added an indescribable gaiety to our spirits."

Thirty years later, in 1826, Brewer in his Beauties of Ireland describes the road at Booterstown as being " enlivened, par- " ticularly at a time of bathing, with numberless carriages of " various descriptions, from the well appointed equipage, at *' once convenient and superb, down to the jaunting car of " passage, drawn by one miserable garron, so ill-fed, so ill- " groomed and lean, that it would appear to be scarcely *' capable of accelerating its own dissolution by an effort "' towards speed of foot. . . . The street of transit, thickly " lined with houses of an ordinary description, holds forth no *' charms, and independent of some agreeable and ornamental " dwellings retired from the busy thoroughfare, the sole

32 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

" inducement to visitants is found in the facility of bathing on " the soft and gently sloping strand."

" Going to the County of Wicklow, the road to Blackrock " is evidently the pleasantest, most frequented, and level. " At Booterstown the fields are disposed in a style of judicious " husbandry, the villas are neat and commodious. . . . The " elevation of the road contributes greatly to the pleasure of " the traveller. The vast expanse of the prospect, opening on " the wide expanse of the ocean, the steep, indented shore, " the strand stretching three miles to the lighthouse, the " fertile, verdant banks, everywhere fringed with wood and " hanging gardens."

This delightful picture became completely altered by the construction of the railway in 1 832-1 834, and the old sea-wall, over which, prior to that time, the storm-driven waves had often swept on to the road, thenceforth became the boundary of a foul-smelling salt marsh, the exhalations from which in time drove everyone out of the neighbourhood except those whose circumstances obliged them to reside there. ^

The road next passes through Williamstown, until recently a ruinous and miserable looking village, but now improved out of all recognition, the removal of the houses on the inland side of the road bringing prominently into the view the imposing buildings of the French College. There is nothing of interest, topographical or historical, to chronicle here, and we next enter Blackrock, once a fashionable watering place, but, like Booterstown, ruined as a seaside resort by the railway, which did the double damage of cutting off access to the shore and at the same time bringing more attractive places within easy reach of the city. For many years Blackrock languished in a dilapidated condition until it was constituted into a township, when great improvements resulted, and from a decayed village it rapidly grew into a prosperous suburb, while an attractive: park replaced the malodorous swamp enclosed by the railway embankment.

BLACKROCK 33

No vestige whatever of the " black rock " (calp limestone), which originated the name of this locality, can now be dis- covered in situ. It is said that some few feet of it remained above the sand before the People's Park was laid out, but if so, the deposits of rubbish to raise the level have long since covered it. The original vein of this rock was extensively used in con- nection with the railway, and some of it may be seen in the walls near the station, as well as on the top of the sea wall along the railway near Williamstown. Although not of a dark colour in a dry condition, it becomes when wet almost black, and in its original position on the shore, wetted by the waves and spray, must have presented, from the sea, so striking a contrast to the granite beside it, as inevitably to command attention.

In A Narrative of an Excursion to Ireland, by members of the Honorable Irish Society of London, privately circulated in 1825, the writer, referring to a journey from DubHn to Black- rock, says : — " There are some very neat cottages on the road, *' the thatching of which is the very best work of the kind I " have ever seen, and although I had heard much of the neat- " ness of these buildings, they far exceeded my most sanguine " expectations. I looked out in various directions for the " Black Rock, expecting to see some stupendous mass —

" ' Huge as the tower which builders vain " ' Presumptuous piled on Shinar's plain.'

* but could find nothing more than a dark coloured limestone " crag, just peeping above the surface near the water's edge.'*

From this it would appear that even so far back as 1825, the original Black Rock had nearly disappeared, either as the result of artificial removal or long continued erosion by the sea.

The " Rock " was under what is now the Park-keeper's lodge,

formerly the Peafield Baths. Between forty and fifty years ago

these baths were fairly well patronised, and a row of bathing

boxes stood on the shore, now portion of the public park, a

culvert through the railway embankment allowing the water

to enter and pass out with the tide.

c

54 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

Blackrock, some hundreds of years ago was variously called Newtown-at-the Black Rock, Newtown on the Strand by the Black Rock, Newtown Castle Byrne, or simply Newtown, so that " Blackrock " is simply an abbfeviation of one of its ancient titles.

At the upper end of the main street, upon a pedestal, stands the ancient cross of Blackrock, which, from a remote period,

Blackrock Cross.

marked the limit of the municipal jurisdiction in this direction. This relic of the olden time was owned and kept in repair by the Byrne family, from whom the name Newtown Castle Byrne is derived. The Dublin Corporation, when riding the fran- chises, crossed the sands from near Poolbeg to " the Black Rock," and thence by low water mark to a point opposite the cross, where one of the party waded out as far as he could, and cast a javelin into the sea, to indicate the limit of the boundary eastward. The procession then rode by old Bath Street to the cross, and thence along the main road to Old Merrion church- yard, already alluded to.

BLACKROCK 35

In 1865 it was proposed to replace the cross by a new one, but public opinion in the locaHty declared itself in so un- mistakable a fashion against such an act of vandalism, that the project was abandoned.

Blackrock in the i8th century was a great social centre, and the residence or resort of many distinguished people. Conway's Tavern, the scene of many a brilliant function, stood in the main street, on the right-hand side entering George's Avenue, and the annual melon feast held there was an event of great local interest, gold and silver medals being awarded to the producers of the best melons grown in the neighbourhood.

An article on Blackrock which appears in Walker's Hibernian Magazine for 1783, states that :— " This is a noble village, " situated about three miles from the north-east corner of " Stephen's Green, on a rising ground south of the Bay of " Dublin ; it consists of a considerable number of elegant *' country houses, and in summer it is much resorted to by the " citizens for the purpose of bathing. In fine evenings it is as " much crowded with carriages as the most populous streets in " the city ; and as there is a number of genteel families residing " here at this season of the year, they have drums and assembhes " as in town, whereby it is very sprightly and agreeable to such " as have nothing to do."

The Vauxhall Gardens, which were opened here in 1793, were, for a time, a favourite place of public amusement until the fickleness of fashion consigned them to obscurity. The house had previously been called Fort Lisle by the first Lord Lisle, who built it as a residence for himself. The following notice of the gardens appears in The Dublin Chronicle of 29th June, 1793 :—

" VAUXHALL GARDENS, BLACKROCK, FORMERLY OCCUPIED BY LORD

" LISLE.

" The proprietors of the above place respectfully inform " the nobility and gentry residing at and visiting the Rock, " that they have engaged a complete miHtary band to attend

36 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

" on Tuesday next, and every Tuesday and Monday from 5 to " 9 p.m. They humbly solicit public patronage and support, " which they will anxiously endeavour to deserve. Admittance " on the music nights, 6id. The house is laid out in a style " of elegance as a hotel and tavern, and provided with every " accommodation, equal to any house in England or Ireland.'*

A further advertisement in the same journal states that " the house is furnished with everything in season — bowers, " grottoes, interspersed through the dark, shady walks — make " the garden truly romantic, and the effect the music has on " the sea, which flows at the foot of the garden, can better be " imagined than expressed."

Notwithstanding these alluring announcements, Vauxhall Gardens failed to obtain the patronage and support so humbly solicited by its proprietors. In 1804 the place was advertised for sale, and after experiencing a succession of changes and vicissitudes as a private house, boarding school, and industrial school, it was at length demolished when the People's Park was being laid out. The house stood on the ground now occupied by the entrance gate to the Park, and the grounds sloped down to the water's edge.

Perhaps the most interesting house from a historic point of view in this neighbourhood is Frascati, formerly the seaside seat of the Leinster family, and the favourite residence of the unfortunate Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Here he spent many happy years with his talented young wife, and appears to have been greatly attached to the locahty. After his death Frascati became the residence of the Dowager Duchess of Leinster, and was subsequently sold to Sir Henry Cavendish, Receiver- General for Ireland. In 1804 it became a boarding school, and afterwards underwent considerable alterations on being divided into two dwellinghouses.

In 1787 the state of the Rock Road became so dangerous owing to highwaymen, that a special meeting of the Blackrock Association was held in Jennett's Tavern, with Lord Ranelagh in the chair, to consider the best means of ridding the road of

THE TROOPSHIP DISASTERS OF 1807 37

these pests. They offered ^20 reward to anyone prosecuting to conviction persons guilty of highway robbery or burglary on the road between Dublin and Dunleary, and, finding the local watch useless, established a nightly patrol from Blackrock to Baggot Street to protect passengers.

The following extract from ^he Chronicle of 5th July, 1792, throws an interesting sidelight on the means of communication with Dublin in those days : — " Sunday night an affray happened " at Blackrock. The new carriage, called the Royal George, " which passes between Dublin and the Rock, and carries, with ^' perfect accommodation, sixteen passengers, was the object of ^' an envious attack, made by the drivers of jaunting cars, " noddies, &c. Fortunately, some gentlemen of rank and spirit " were passengers in the George, who, aided by the gentlemen *' resident in the village, not only protected that useful vehicle " but made two of the assailants prisoners."

After the exodus of the gentry from Dublin and its neigh- bourhood consequent upon the Union, Blackrock fell rapidly into decay, and many of the large houses were untenanted or abandoned for years, until there was a slight revival of the place as a bathing resort in the early part of the last century. This neighbourhood was in 1807 the scene of a fearful tragedy, almost without parallel in shipping disasters on the Dublin coast. On Wednesday afternoon, the i8th November, two transport vessels, the Prince of Wales and The Rochdale, sailed in company of some others from the Pigeonhouse harbour with volunteers for foreign service drawn from Irish militia regiments. A snowstorm set in soon after their departure, accompanied by a violent easterly gale, and on the following morning they were observed labouring in the heavy sea outside the Bay to the southward, endeavouring, as it was believed, to return to the harbour. As the day advanced the snow fell so thickly that it was impossible for them to see their way, while the sea was so violent that they could not come to anchor. After a long and futile struggle, the Priiice of Wales was driven on to the rocks behind Sir John Lees' residence, Blackrock House.

38 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

The long boat was launched, and Captain Jones, the crew, two soldiers and the steward's wife and child jumped into it and rowed off as speedily as possible. In the darkness of the night they seem to have rowed for some distance along the shore, of the proximity of which they were ignorant, until one of the sailors falling overboard, found that he was in shallow water. Upon this the whole party walked ashore and made their way to Blackrock, where they found shelter. Extraordinary to relate. they made no effort whatever to rescue the passengers on board (about 120 in number), who were left to their fate and perished without exception.

The fate of The Rochdale was even worse. On the day after her departure she was observed from Blackrock, labouring heavily in the ofhng, burning blue lights and firing guns as signals of distress, but the weather was such that no succour could be afforded. She threw out several anchors, but thev dragged and snapped their cables, and she then drove with bare poles before the storm. Driven gradually towards the shore in the direction of Sandycove, she swept in the darkness past the old pier at Dunleary, and struck on the rocks under the Martello Tower at Seapoint, half a mile from where the Prince of Wales struck. Of the troops on board, their families, and the ship's officers and crew (some 265 in all), not one escaped, and their mutilated bodies were found in great numbers next morning strewn along the shore.

When the ill-fated vessel was driving past the pier at Dunlearv, the inhabitants of the adjoining houses could hear the cries of the terrified passengers and the reports of the muskets which they fired to attract assistance. Some people on the east side of the old harbour seeing the flashes and hearing the reports, ran round to the westward in the hope of affording help, but on reaching the road at Salthill, they were obliged to lie down behind the parapet abutting on the sea to protect themselves from the bullets fired in the dark by the despairing troops on board.

The wrecked vessel was poised in an extraordinary manner

THE TROOPSHIP DISASTERS OF 1807 39

on the rocks at the foot of the tower, and lay so close to the shore that a twelve-foot plank sufficed to reach to her quarter- deck, but at the time she struck, the night was so dark and the snowstorm so dense that the unhappy passengers were doubtless unable to see anything off the vessel, and were consequently unaware of their proximity to the land. The Martello Tower, which is shown in a contemporary print of the disaster, was probably unoccupied at the time.

Nearly four hundred lives were lost in this double disaster, and for days afterwards the bodies of men, women and children were cast up by the sea along the coast from Merrion to Kings- town. The bodies of The Rochdale victims were in almost every case unrecognisable owing to the violence with which they were dashed to death on the rocks or torn to pieces by the action of the sea in the hold of the vessel after she commenced to break up. Most of them were interred in the old Monkstown church- yard, while those from the Prince of Wales were buried at Merrion as already stated.

Owing to the plundering of the bodies and the thefts of articles from the wrecks, a detachment of soldiers was stationed at intervals along the shore for some days after the occurrence.

The bottom of The Rochdale was completely smashed, but the decks to a great extent remained unbroken. The entire of the following Sunday was spent in removing the bodies from the holds of both the wrecks.

At the inquest on the thirty-seven bodies found in the wreck of the Prince of Wales, which were laid out in Sir John Lees' coachhouse. Captain Jones deposed that on Thursday morning when the snowstorm was in progress, he commenced to back, facing towards Howth. About 7 o'clock in the evening the vessel struck, and the waves broke over her, whereupon they launched the boat.

One of the witnesses, a soldier, stated that the Captain, after he had assured them that there was no danger, proceeded to hoist the boat, and that when he, the witness, got into it, the Captain endeavoured to throw him overboard. It was also

40

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

alleged that the Captain, with a view to facilitating his own escape and that of the crew, removed the ladder communicating from the cabin to the deck, thereby depriving the unfortunate passengers below, of any chance of escape. Another witness deposed that he heard the Captain say that " he did'nt care

'■' a who were lost, provided that his own men were saved."

An inquest was also held on the seventy-three bodies found on The Rochdale, but nothing of importance transpired, as the

Scene of "The Rochdale" disaster, Seapoint. (1911.)

completeness of the disaster had deprived the proceedings of all material testimony.

After the inquests had concluded^ the captain, mate and steward of the Prince of Wales were arrested on a charge of murder, for having removed the ladders communicating from the hold to the deck, while the crew were escaping from the vessel. The remainder of the crew were detained as witnesses pending the trial, but when the case came on in December, the Crown abandoned the proceedings, finding, presumably, that the evidence was insufficient.

The Martello Tower at Seapoint at the present day looks a rather unlikely place for a shipping disaster, but it must be

MONTPELIER PARADE 41

remembered that all the coast along here was much altered by the construction of the railway, and that many of the sharp rocks which proved so fatal to the victims are now covered over by the embankment and by the adjoining road and houses ; moreover, in 1807, the immediate locality was so lonely and unfrequented that a vessel might easily be wrecked there at night without attracting notice. The scene of the Prince of Wales wreck is a reef of dark, jagged rocks projecting from the shore immediately behind Blackrock House, and easily identified by an ornamental embattled structure overlooking this spot of tragic memories. It is accessible on foot at low water only, and is visible from Seapoint Martello Tower, from which it is distant almost exactly half a mile.

The rocks all along this portion of the shore are so sharp and irregular that even in fine weather it is a difficult task for an active person to climb them without injury, so that it is not surprising that at night during a snowstorm, in a furious sea impelled by an easterly gale, not even one of the unfortunate passengers cast ashore on these cruel crags escaped.

Passing out of Blackrock by the main road, we reach Temple Hill, a little beyond which, on the right, is Montpelier Parade, one of the first terraces built in this locality. An illustration in The Hibernian Magazine represents this place as it appeared in 1802, the terrace having been completed a few years earlier by a Mr. Molesworth Green, with the idea of making this a residential neighbourhood. At the time it- was built, this terrace must have enjoyed an uninterrupted view of the sea, as there were no houses to the south or east of it ; but notwith- standing its attractive situation, it is surprising if any city people lived so far away from town in those days, when we consider the dangers of the road to Dublin owing to highway- men, as well as the absence of any regular means of com- munication with the Metropolis.

In the picture referred to, also appears the tower of old Monkstown Church, taken down in 1832 to make room for the nondescript edifice which now disfigures its site.

42

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

Turning to the right at Monkstovvn Church up Carrick- brennan Road, we arrive at Monkstown Castle, situated within tthe grounds of the modern residence of the same name, and forming a picturesque and extensive ruin. It is enclosed by a grove of trees, and must originally have been a large building.

It is not certain when this castle was built, but it is recorded

Monkstown Castle. {1905-)

that in 1546 it was granted to Sir John Travers for his services to the Crown, and that in 1565 Sir Henry Sidnev, the Viceroy, passed the night here after his debarkation. From 1650 to 1660 the castle was in possession of General Ludlow, one of the regicides, who constantly alludes to it in his memoirs {Ludlow's Memoirs), and mentions the details of several con- versations he had with the Protector's son, Colonel Henry Cromwell. Describing one of these, he writes : — " There on *' a subsequent occasion, after a short collation, walking in the

MONKSTOWN 45

" garden, I acquainted him with the grounds of my dissatis- " faction with the present state of affairs in England, which I " assured him was in no sort personal, but would be the same " were my own father alive, and in the place of his. He told " me that his father looked upon me to be dissatisfied upon a " distinct account from most men in the three nations, and " thereupon affirmed that he knew it to be his resolution to " carry himself with all tenderness towards me,"

Monkstown is mentioned in that famous hunting song of the 1 8th century, "The Kilruddery Hunt" (see Index), as being one of the places through which the fox passed during an exciting hunt in the winter of 1744. Needless to say, the locality must have been thoroughly rural at that tim.e, when the fox considered it safe to make his route through it, and the huntsmen were able to follow him in hot pursuit across the country.

Close to the Castle is the old Monkstown or Carrickbrennan Churchyard, where are buried many of the victims of the shipping disaster of 1807.

The following authorities were consulted in the preparation of this chapter : — " The Antiquities from Kingstown to " Dublin," by the late Rev. Dr. Stokes, published in the Journals of the Royal Society of Antiquaries for 1895 and 1 900 ; Hill's Guide to Blackrock ; Ball's History of the CouJity of Dublin ; Dalton's History of the County Dublin ; Wakeman's Old Dublin ; Slacker's Sketches of Donnybrook and Booterstown ; Brewer's Beauties of Ireland, and various Dublin newspapers and magazines of 1807.

CHAPTER IV

DUNLEARY, KINGSTOWN, AND DALKEY

PASSING in succession through the various localities along the Rock Road, we enter Kingstown, known prior to 1 82 1 as Dunleary, and still having portion of it distin- guished by that ancient designation. Since that time the town has advanced from an obscure fishing village and watering place to one of the most important seaports in Ireland — a change in its fortunes due to two distinct causes — namely, the establishment of the Mail Packet station, with its fine harbour of refuge, and the connection with Dublin by rail.

The carrying out of the great works in connection with the

Dublin and Kingstown Railway in the years 1832-4, excited

an extraordinary amount of interest in Dublin, as it was the

first railway constructed in Ireland. On the conclusion of the

xmdertaking, The Dublin Penny Journal published a number

of illustrated articles on the subject, in one of which, inspired

by the importance of the occasion, it magnificently observed : — •

' Hurried by the invisible but stupendous agency of steam,

' the astonished passenger will now glide, like Asmodeus,

' over the summits of the houses and streets of a great city —

' presently be transported through green fields and tufts of

' trees — then skim across the surface of the sea, and taking

' shelter under the cliffs, coast along the marine viUas and

' through rocky excavations, until he finds himself in the

' centre of a vast port, which unites in pleasing confusion the

^' bustle of a commercial town with the amusements of a

" fashionable watering-place."

When we consider the importance of the railway as a factor in the development of Kingstown, it is not a little amusing

44

OLD DUNLEARY 45

to learn that when it was proposed to build the terminus m its present position, the inhabitants offered every opposition to the proposed desecration of their town by this vulgar and democratic mode of conveyance, and ultimately succeeded in obtaining an alteration in the Bill for the construction of the railway, so as to prevent the company from bringing it nearer than the com- mencement of the West Pier. The terminus accordingly was erected at this point, and the grateful inhabitants, all danger being then over, presented Mr. Gresham, of hotel fame, with an address and five hundred sovereigns in recognition of his valiant and successful defence of their town against the attempted invasion by the railway company. In after years, when the inhabitants had grown accustomed to the innovation, the railway was extended to the point occupied by the present station.

Wisdom comes frequently after the event, and if we feel inclined to laugh at what looks hke folly on the part of the good folk of 1834, ^^^ ^^ remember that a few years ago, when the electric trams first ran to Kingstown, the cars had to start from Northumberland Road, and that there was fierce opposition to the proposal to run them through the streets of the city.

The old picturesque name of Dunleary, meaning Leary's Fort, was originally applied to a dun or rath, standing on ground where a Martello tower, long since taken down, was erected in the last century, and where the Coastguard Station now stands. This dun and many other interesting relics were ruthlessly swept away during the construction of the railway through the district.

This neighbourhood was in vogue as a summer watering- place so far back as the beginning of the i8th century, and although communication with England was, at that time, principally made from Ringsend direct, a considerable number of packets also sailed from Dunleary. Arthur Young, in his Tour in Irela7id, relates how on 19th June, 1776, he embarked at Holyhead on board The Claremont packet, and arrived the next day at Dunleary. A hotel and coffee-house for the re-

46

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

ception and entertainment of travellers then flourished at this place, and an illustration of it appears in The Hibernian Magazine for 1803. The old building, though much altered, still remains, overlooking the Monkstown gas works, and contains the original inn kitchen.

About 1760, a harbour was formed at Dunleary hy the construction of a small pier about 200 yards in length, which although insufficient for the requirements of the locality, un-

The Dunleary Coffee House in 1803. From " The Hibernian Magazine."

doubtedly afforded effective protection against the east and south-easterly gales, so full of evil memories along this coast. In a few years, however, the harbour began to fill with sand, and in time became quite useless.

After some years of agitation, stimulated by the failure of Howth Harbour as a packet station, the necessary Parliamentary authority was obtained for the construction of a harbour of refuge, and in 1 817 the first stone of the East Pier was laid by the Lord Lieutenant, the pier being finished four years later, when the visit of King George IV. was made the occasion for .superseding the old name of the town by the modern one. The construction of the west pier followed, together with

CONSTRUCTION OF KINGSTOWN HARBOUR 47

many minor alterations and improvements which were not concluded until 1859.

The stones for this great work were drawn from Dalkey Hill on lorries running on a tramway, still owned by the Harbour Commissioners, and locally known as " The Metals." The immense amount of stone taken from the hill materially de- creased its bulk and quite altered its appearance, and so ex-

'.i'>,*»-s5sr?.- ■'Aiu^y-sr-f.

%^SA}0m

K-ingstown Harbour and Cictirgcb Mmiumtruu (T897.)

tensive were the various works in connection with the under- taking that the employment of a small army of workmen became necessary, descendants of whom remain to the present day near the original settlement beside the quarries.

About the time that Kingstown first assumed its modern title, a person standing on the ground now occupied by Sandy- cove Railway Station, and looking along the open country road towards the newly-named town, beheld a view which, except ■for its setting, would scarcely be recognised by a modern in- habitant. Not a house intervened between the observer and a group of cottages around the Royal Marine Hotel ; and about

48 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

midway on the inland side a massive rock surmounted hy a half-moon battery overhung the road, forming a conspicuous object in the view. Only one pier, the eastern one, sheltered the new packet station, and as yet no pier lighthouse showed its welcome beams to the storm-tossed mariner seeking the refuge of the port. To the right of the main road, fields sloped down to the sea, where a few cottages and cabins were scattered at intervals along a rough bridle path that skirted the rocky shore. Opposite the Royal Marine Road, Patrick Street and Mulgrave Street were represented by a few small terraces, while to the right of these, rising through its scaffolding, was the tallest building in the neighbourhood, the Royal Marine Hotel, then in course of erection, towering high above the humble dwellings adjoining. In the distance might be seen the South Wall and the squat form of the old Poolbeg Lighthouse, with Howth and the northern shores of the Bay.

Immediately in the foreground to the right was a Martello tower, surrounded by a kind of circumvallation, partly artificial and partly natural, and situated on a slight eminence over- looking the harbour. This tower has long since been taken down to make room for building, but indications of the eminence on which it stood may be seen in the rising ground on the left hand side of Martello Avenue, close to Sandycove Railway Station.

The rock on which stood the battery was removed by blasting some fifty years ago, and while the operations were in progress, passengers and traffic were warned by a bell rung on the road some minutes before the firing. The name Stoneview, applied to the portion of Upper George's Street now occupying its site, commemorates the existence of this almost forgotten landmark.

At the present day, instead of the rural aspect described above, houses extend the whole way from Kingstown to Dalkey, with the exception of a short open space beyond Bullock ; and the once detached villages intervening have become absorbed in the adjoining townships.

GLASTHULE— SANDYCOVE

49

Shortly after passing out of the main street of Kingstown and crossing the railway, we enter Glasthule, where may be seen traces of the original village which derives its name from a Httle stream (Glas) flowing into Scotch Bay, and Tuathail or Toole, a surname, the whole name meaning Toole's stream.

Immediately adjoining Glasthule is Sandycove, a name which originated with the little haven there, and was sub- sequently applied to the rocky point on which a battery or fort, now dismantled, and a Martello tower were erected. The fort was, until a few years ago, occupied by the military.

Sandycove Point. (1904.)

and at certain seasons of the year was utilised for artillery practice, the firing causing much havoc among the windows of the adjoining houses.

About the beginning of thelast century an extravagant scheme was propounded to construct a ship canal from Sandycove by Monkstown and Stillorgan to Milltown, where it was to cross the Dodder valley by a gigantic aqueduct, proceeding thence in a direct course to James's Street Harbour. The object was to connect Kingstown with the canal traffic through the interior of the country, but it is not clear what commensurate advantage could have been anticipated from so costly and chimerical a project as compared with sailing up the Liffey as far as Ringsend Canal Docks.

50 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

Beyond Sandycove is Bullock, a town of some note in ancient times, where the ruin of a fine castle stands in a commanding and conspicuous position over the harbour. The castle is an oblong building, originally tw'o storeys high, flanked by towers of unequal height, rising above the body of the structure at the ends. One of these towers, upon its ground floor, contains the original doorway and inner porch. A spiral staircase com- municates with the upper apartments and leads to a series of small rooms in the same tower. There is a garderobe on the first floor, and the upper walls are gracefully battlemented. There was formerly a rocking stone at Bullock, which was sketched by Gabriel Beranger in 1777, but was removed about the beginning of the last century.

Goshawks — so-called from their habit of preying on wild geese — were found in the neighbourhood of Bullock until about a hundred years ago.

The port or harbour of Bullock was known from a very early period, and as far back as 1346 the Cistercian Monks of St. Mary's Abbey, Dubhn, who built the castle there, established their right to exact from every fishing boat entering the harbour a toll of one of their best fish, herrings excepted ; and from every herring boat a meise (about 600 fish) annually.

Bullock in early times seems to have been a self-contained settlement, enclosed by a wall, strongly fortified, besides being equipped with a church, so as to avoid any unnecessary risks to the inhabitants entailed by attendance at places of worship outside. (Ball's History of the County Dublin.)

In 1402, Prince Thomas of Lancaster, the King's son, landed at Bullock as Lord Lieutenant, and in 1559 the Earl of Sussex, as Lord Deputy. In 161 1 the town and lands of Bullock are described as consisting of one castle, one ruinous tower, thirty dwelling-houses, 10 acres of meadow, 200 acres of pasture and furze, with the fishing and haven to the main sea. (Dalton's History of the County Dublin).

Clarendon's History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in Ireland contains the following reference to Bullock : —

BULLOCK 51

" In the same week [2 November, 1641] fifty-six Men, Women " and Children, of the village of BuUogge (being frighted at " what was done at Clontarff) took boats and went to sea, to " shun the Fury of a party of Soldiers come out of Dublin, *' under the command of Colonel Crafford, but being pursued *' by the Soldiers in other boats, were overtaken and thrown " overboard."

The incident at Clontarf referred to is the burning of the village -by Sir Charles Coote in 1 641.

A serious affray between a party of smugglers and the local Revenue officers occurred here in 1735, and is described as follows in The Dublin Weekly Journal of 26th April, 1735 : —

" Last week some of the King's officers made a seizure of a *' large quantity of tea and brandy at Bullock ; and next " morning several persons attempted to rescue it from the " officers, which occasioned a great battle, in which several " were wounded on both sides ; one Mr. Brown, an officer, *' was shot through the thigh, and 'tis thought two of the *' smugglers were killed."

As we pass the little harbour, the road rises considerably, affording an extensive view of Dublin Bay, and we now enter on the only remaining bit of wild rocky country between Dublin and Dalkey — a gap which doubtless, within the next few years, will be filled by terraces and dwellinghouses.

We next reach Dalkey, formerly a port of great importance, to which most of the goods consigned to Dublin by sea were at one time shipped, owing to the diihculty of navigating the Port of Dubhn before the construction of the great South Wall.

In 1306, it appears that the King made a complaint that the wines sent to him from Ireland arrived in a sour and deteriorated condition, and an inquiry upon oath was thereupon instituted to ascertain the cause. The commissioners found that the wines in question were shipped from Bordeaux to Dalkey w^here they were reshipped to Skinburness on the Solway Firth, and that the deterioration complained of was caused, not by any default

52 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

of the mariners or merchants, but by the tempestuous nature of the latter voyage, which was usually from one to two months in duration.

In 1369 one Reginald Talbot was sued in the Court of Exchequer for delivering therein, as the rent of his estate at Dalkey, one goshawk, which on inspection and examination proved unsound, unfit, and of no value, and inasmuch as the same was a fraud on the Court, and a grievous damage to the King, the said Reginald Talbot was fined.

Goshawks were highly prized in the days of falconry as being a large and powerful variety of hawk.

Many passengers of distinction landed here from time to time, and in 1396 the place had become of such note that King Richard II. granted to the Archbishop of Dublin the privilege of exercising the rights of Admiral or Water Bailiff of this port. A contemporary document on this subject states that " there is no anchorage or good lying for great ships " coming into the Port of Dublin with wines, salt, corn, and " other merchandises, freighted for Dublin from foreign parts, " only at the Port of the Archbishop of Dublin in the town " of Dalkey, which is six level miles from Dublin, and out of " the port and liberties of the city, at which place they are " bound to unload, and there is no other port in the neighbour- " hood where they can ride so safe from storm, and the mer- " chants were wont to buy their goods at said port of Dalkey " as well as in the port of Dublin and other ports, to land same " and to bring it up on cars or in boats to the city, and there " land same and pay the customs." (Dalton's History of the County Dublin).

It was at this period of its history that the castles of Dalkey, ^ originally seven in number, were built for the storage of the merchandise and valuables landed there, where they could be protected against the predatory incursions of " the Irish " enemie " until such time as they could be safely escorted to Dublin.

in 1451 the King appointed as bailiff of Dalkey, James Pren-

DAL KEY 53

dergast, portion of whose duties was to receive all customs and dues, payable to the municipal authorities of Dublin, arising out of the sale of merchandise and wares at the fairs of Dalkey, of which seven were annually held ; such customs, &c., to be applied towards walling and paving the city of Dublin, of which Dalkey was then the port.

In 1538 Walter Cowley landed here with treasure for the King's service in Ireland. An account of his disbursements in this behalf is preserved in the State Paper Office, and the treasure is certified to have been conveyed in two hampers on pack horses to Holyhead via St. Alban's, Brickhill, Towcester, Daventry, Coventry, Lichfield, Vyleybridge, Stone, Nantwich, Chester, Conway, Rhuddlan and Beaumaris.

For further information in regard to this locality and Dalkey Island, see next chapter.

CHAPTER V

CARRICKMINES CASTLE; THE VALE OF SHAN- GANAGH ; DALKEY, KILLINEY AND BALLY- BRACK HILLS

THE three above-named hills, which so gracefully sentinel the southern shores of Dublin Bay, are seen to great advantage from the inland side, for which reason Carrickmines has been selected as the starting point for this excursion. Carrickmines can, of course, be most readily reached by train from Harcourt Street, but those desiring a longer walk might, perhaps, get out at Dundrum, proceeding thence by Sandyford, after which the third turn on the left should be taken. Just at the turn is a high whitewashed wall, in the masonry of which, over a former entrance door, is a tablet bearing the quaint inscription : — " Content in a Cottage, "and Envy to no One. BD. M. 1771." A secluded road about two miles in length, conducts us thence to Carrickmines, formerly Carrigmayne, a locality of great historic interest and the site of a castle, portion of which still remains.

During the Insurrection of 1641, a strong body of the insur- gents established themselves in the castle, to dislodge whom a small body of cavalry was sent out from Dublin on a Saturday in the month of March, under command of Sir Simon Harcourt, an officer of experience and distinction. When he arrived there, however, he found that the castle and its garrison were much stronger than he had expected, and that to attack would be hopeless with the force at his disposal, the smallness of which excited the derision of the defenders on the battlements ; and, accordingly, he sent to Dublin for reinforcements. As these did not reach the place until late that night, he decided to

54

CARRICKMINES CASTLE

55

defer the assault until next day, encircling the castle meanwhile with his forces, and placing musketeers and horsemen alternately in the cordon, with the view of preventing the escape of any of the garrison.

Signal fires were lit on the battlements after dark, and others answering them on the surrounding mountains, revealed the proximity of the insurgents in such numbers that Sir Simon

View from Sorrento. (1900.)

Harcourt hesitated to make the attack even with his reinforce- ments, and sent into town for further assistance. During the interval the garrison were not idle, utilising every opportunity that presented itself, by sorties and musket fire, of inflicting losses upon the besiegers. In repelling one of these sorties, early on Sunday morning, Sergeant-Major Berry was mortally wounded by a shot in the side. At this time Harcourt with some of his officers, had taken shelter behind a thatched cabin, but incautiously exposing himself to give commands, he was picked out by one of the sharpshooters in the castle armed with

56 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

a long piece which had already done great execution, and shot in the breast under the neck bone. He attempted to walk away, assisted by two of his men, but had to desist from weakness, and as it was then seen that he was seriously wounded, a vehicle was procured, and he at once set out for Dublin accompanied by an escort. The jolting on the way, however, occasioned him such pain that the party decided to break the journey at Merrion, leaving him at Lord Fitzwilliam's castle, where he died next day.

Further reinforcements with artillery having now arrived, Lieut. -Colonel Gibson, the next in command, ordered a bombardment and general attack, which was met with desperate resistance by the defenders, but the superior numbers and equipment of the besiegers prevailed, and they at length succeeded in making a breach sufficiently large to effect an entry into the building. The first two that entered were killed, but they were followed by others who, acting under orders, deliberately proceeded to slaughter the entire garrison, with a great number of women and children who had taken refuge in the building, to the number of about 200 to 300 in all. The castle was then blown up. The besiegers lost about 40 altogether in this action.

The authorities from which this account has been compiled are : — A tract, entitled The Last True Intelligence jrom Ireland, " (1641), and Borlase's History of the Irish Rebellion.

In Lord Clarendon's History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in Ireland (p. 343), however, it is stated that quarter had been given by Lt.-Col. Gibson before the slaughter : — " After " quarter given by Lt.-Col. Gibson, to those of the Castle " of Carrigmayne, they were all put to the sword, being about " three hundred and fifty, most of them women and children, " and Col. Washington endeavouring to save a pretty child of " seven years of age, carried him under his cloak, but the child " against his will was killed in his arms, which was a principal " motive of his quitting that service."

A totally different account of this siege is given in the

CARRICKMINES CASTLE

57

Jphorismicall Discoverie, Vol. I., p. 24, which is, however, un- supported hj any authority. According to this version, the castle was garrisoned by 15 men only, who repelled the attack with a loss of 500 of the besiegers, and after capturing, by a sortie, a quantity of powder with which it was attempted to blow up the castle, stole out by a back door and escaped with a loss of only two of their number.

The last of Carrickmines Castle, (1906.)

On approaching Carrickmines Station by the road already referred to, on the right will be seen a farmhouse entered from the Glenamuck road. The castle stood on the site of this house and adjacent buildings, and although no definite trace can now be discovered of the foundations other than the great quantity of stones about the place, there still remains, incor- porated with one of the outhouses, portion of the western wall containing a light or window and constructed with great

58 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

strength and solidity. Some fifty yards to the south-west is the remnant of a square watch tower that evidently formed part of the outworks. Portion of the moat lies eastwood of the farm buildings, and still contains water supplied from the stream that flows through the adjoining fields. An old lane, now closed, probably the original entrance to the castle, leads to the Kilgobbin road.

Resuming our journey, we cross the bridge at Carrickmines Railway Station and turn immediately to the right over a stile. We now keep to the laneway beside the railway wall as far as the first hedge, after which we follow the pathway through the fields, passing to the left of Barrington's Tower, an ornamental castellated structure, erected by a local proprietor. The district between Carrickmines and Foxrock has come greatly into favour in recent years for residential purposes, and now contains quite an extensive settlement of handsome detached houses, many of them built in the old English style of archi- tecture. As we reach the road close by the tower, to the right will be seen the dense woods of Glendruid, within whose dark shades is concealed a large cromlech, or Druid's altar, as these structures were formerly called, that originated the name of this glen.

Keeping to the road for about half a mile, we reach Cabin- teely, whence we proceed aloiig the main road towards Bray for a little over a quarter of a mile, till a slated cottage is seen on the left. Here cross the stile beside the iron gate, pass between the wooden posts, and keep to the pathway along the hedge down to the bottom of the field, where cross the foot- bridge over the stream. Now take the pathway uphill to the swing-gate at the corner of the field, proceed along by the wall of Kilbogget Farm, cross the low wall into the lane, and emerge by the stile on Church Road, Ballybrack. Bally brack hill, easily identified by its flagstaff, with its bright green golf links, stands prominently in view all the way from Cabinteely.

In the grounds of St. Columba's at Ballybrack, is a pyramidal limestone monument commemorating the death while huntings

BALLYBRACK

59'

at the early age of twenty-one, of the 4th Duke of Dorset. It bears the inscription : —

THIS PILE

WAS RAISED TO MARK THE FATAL SPOT

WHERE AT THE AGE OF 21

GEORGE JOHN FREDERICK,

The 4th Duke of Dorset,

Accidentally lost his life 14th Feb. 18 15.

On reaching Church Road turn to the right, and proceed for some distance until an entrance gate is seen on the left, bearing the names " Balure " and " Larkfield " ; pass through

Memorial to Duke of Dorset at Ballybrack.

this entrance into the laneway and pathway uphill through the swing gate into the golf links, and thence towards the boundary wall at the top of the hill, where another swing-gate and stile will be seen, leading out on a lane which joins the main road tcv Dalkey near the entrance to Victoria Park.

The view of the mountains and of the district inland is seen to better advantage from Ballybrack hill than from Killiney

6o THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

hill, the westward view from which is frequently obscured by the smoke from Killiney village and the numerous houses adjoining it.

We now enter Victoria Park by the entrance gate, and pro- ceeding by the steep pathway up the hill, we presently come in view of the sweep of coast extending map-hke from the base of the hill on towards Bray, fringed in rough weather by a long

Killiney Obelisk 80 years ago. From " The Dublin Penny journal.'

white selvage of foam. On reaching the Obelisk, at an elevation of 512 feet, we obtain what is probably the finest coast view in the county, comprising the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains extending from south to west, Kingstown and its harbour below the hill, to the north Howth, Sutton, and Portrane, and to the left of these the South Wall, the Poolbeg Lighthouse, and the metropolis enveloped in its smoke. ^

The Obelisk, which gives such a distinctive character to this hill, has undergone so many repairs and alterations since it was erected, that it may be said to resemble the traditional Irish-

KILLINEY— SHANGANAGH 6i

man's gun, of which the only portion of the original left after the many alterations was the touchhole, and, in consequence, the drawings made at different periods vary considerably in their representations of it. The masonry work is of a very rough description, probably carried out by unskilled workmen, so that it is not surprising that it required frequent attention. It seems to have been at one time surrounded by a circular walled enclosure, entered by a massive gateway, which in time gave place to a railing that was ultimately removed to allow visitors access to the structure. Then, again, a flight of steps formerly led up to a balcony over the lower portion, and the upper part, which is now conical, is represented in one of the older pictures as curved at the sides, giving it somewhat of the appearance of a gigantic sugarloaf. Two marble slabs on the side facing the sea bear the inscriptions : — ■" Last year being hard with the " Poor, the Walls about these Hills and This etc. erected by " John Mapas, Esq, June, 1742." " Repaired by Robert " Warren, Esq., mdcccxi."

The winter of 1 741-2, known as " the hard frost," was a time of such distress and suffering among the working classes^ that wealthy proprietors all over the country erected fanciful structures merely to give employment to the poor.

The flat, well wooded tract extending along the coast from Killiney to Bray, including portion of the valley of the Loughlinstown river, is known as the Vale of Shanganagh, and owes its attractions to its environment rather than to the possession of picturesque features.

From any of its higher points the views are strikingly beautiful. To the north and north-east are Ballybrack, Killiney and Dalkey hills with Dalkey Island and the MugHns, to the east is the sea dotted with various craft on their way to and from Dublin, southward the bold form of Bray Head rises precipitously out of the water, and on the west are seen Carrickgollogan with its conspicuous chimney and the higher mountains of Dublin and Wicklow in the background.

Situated on the very bank of the Loughlinstown river are

62 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

the ruins of the ancient castle of Shanganagh, the ancestral home of the Walsh family, whose connection with the locality lasted over three centuries.

The name Shanganagh, which should be accented on the first syllable, the other two being pronouced very short, means a place abounding in ants, and at the present day these insects are found in great abundance in the district, especially along the sandy banks of the river. (See Joyce's Irish Names of Places," Vol. II., p. 293.)

On a high cliff immediately south of the flat stretch of shore where the Loughlinstown river flows into the sea, are the remains of a battery erected about a hundred years ago in what appears to be a very ill-chosen position, for although elaborately loop-holed, no portion of the structure, owing to the rising ground in front, commands a view of the shore, or even of the sea, except in the distance. Remains of the dwelling for the accommodation of the garrison may still be seen, and under- neath is a vaulted chamber, probably the ammunition store.

Adjoining Shankill Railway Station is a village now known as Tillystown or Chantilly, but which seems to have originally been called Shanganagh, as evidenced by a tablet dated 1830 in the wall on the main road. No indication of a village or even house, however, appears here in the Ordnance Survey Map of 1837.

In 1 75 1 a lead mine was opened at Killiney, which contained some silver, but, proving unremunerative, it was abandoned after a considerable sum of money had been wasted on the project. Small garnets have occasionally been found among the sands of Killiney strand.

The descent from the Obelisk should be made by the pathway leading down to the Vico Road, along which we proceed towards Sorrento, turning to the left up the flight of stone steps leading to the Torca Road so as to reach the road at the back of Dalkey hill. This hill was originally much larger and higher on the northern side than it is at present, the quarrying away of the rocks to build Kingstown Harbour having greatly

DALKF.Y

63

reduced its bulk, and rendered it so precipitous that in places it is steep and rugged enough to test the agility of even an experienced Alpine climber. The ornamental castle on its summit is fashioned out of a semaphore station which stood there in the old days, before the invention of the electric telegraph, when the hill was generally known as " Telegraph Hill " — a name not yet extinct among the aboriginal inhabi- tants. The castle, which is substantially the same structure, was nearly undermined by the quarrying operations.

The Caollc on Dalkev Hill. (1906.)

Early in the last century, up to about the time the building of Kingstown Harbour commenced, the whole coast from Dunleary to what is now called Sorrento, but then generally known as " The Land's End," presented an almost uniform appearance of wildness and solitude, with open expanses of sward and heather, broken by masses of granite rocks amid thickets of golden furze, and, except for the villages of Glasthule, Bullock and Dalkey, was almost uninhabited. The portion known as the Commons of Dalkey, lying between the village and Sorrento, was a place of singular beauty, much in vogue as a holiday and Sunday resort for the Dublin folk of that day.

64 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

A few cottages standing on the shore, with a solitary cabin originally built by miners, were then the only habitations in this neighbourhood, all of which has now been built over with the exception of a small portion remaining in its original con- dition of wildness on the hill over Sorrento.

Up to the close of the 1 8th century there stood on Dalkey Commons a cromlech enclosed by a circle of granite stones, ar d almost concealed by a luxuriant growth of ferns. This interest- ing relic was unfortunately removed during the Martello Tow^r epidemic, and the stones utilised in the construction of one of these ungainly edifices in the neighbourhood. This cromlech was such a conspicuous landmark on the Commons that they were generally known as " Dalkey Stone Common," and as such are referred to in the famous old hunting song, " The Kilruddery Hunt " (see Index.)

In consequence of Dalkey having been for so long the port of Dublin, quite a number of distinguished historical personages landed there from time to time, and a metal tablet, setting forth their names and the dates of arrival, was formerly attached to a large rock at Coliemore harbour.

In 1385 the Lord Deputy, Philip de Courtney landed here, and Sir John Stanley, the Deputy of the Marquess of Dublin, two years later. In 1414 Sir John Talbot, afterwards the re- nowned Earl of Shrewsbury, landed here as Viceroy, and in 1488 Sir Richard Edgecombe embarked from this harbour for England, after having taken the homage and oaths of fidelity of the nobility who had espoused the cause of Lambert Simnel. Here also landed Sir Edward Bellingham as Lord Lieutenant in 1548, Sir Anthony St. Leger in 1553, and Sir John Perrot as Viceroy in 1584 ; and it was also from this harbour that the Earl of Sussex, in 1558, embarked a large expeditionary force to oppose the invasion of the Scots at Rathlin Island.

In 1834 numbers of persons attracted by rumours of buried gold, flocked to Dalkey where they worked and mined, day and night, at the rocks, under the directions of a young girl who claimed to have had the place of concealment revealed to

DALKEY ISLAND 65

her in dreams. Whei the craze had gone on for a time, some wags let loose among the operators at night, two black cats covered with phosphorescent oil, which scattered the gold seekers in all directions, and effectually put an end to the proceedings owing to the ridicule provoked by the incident.

A land cra?,e immediately succeeded the gold fever, and a number of modern residences were soon afterwards erected at Dalkey, the old squatter tenants selling their holdings for high prices in consequence of the enhanced values produced by the construction of the railway.

Dalkey Island, so conspicuously in view from all points along this coast, is of nearly oval form, with a long reef of rocks ex- tending in a north-westerly direction, and has a very irregular surface, partly rocky and partly consisting of fertile pasture land. It contains several springs of fresh water, one of which, within a few yards of the shore on the western side, was in former years considered to possess valuable sanative properties, and was much resorted to for the cure of scurvy and cutaneous diseases. On the verge of the cliffs, and often washed by the spray from the raging surf, is the ruin of an ancient church dedicated to St. Begnet or Benedict, the patron saint of the parish. At the south-eastern extremity of the island there is a dismantled battery, and adjoining, on high ground, is a Martello tower, the entrance to which was originally constructed on the top with a view to affording extra security, but was subsequently altered to the side.

To the northward of the island are three small rocky islets called Lamb Island, Clare Rock, and Maiden Rock, and to the north-east is the group of rocks known as the Muglins, on which, in 1766, were hung in chains, tlie bodies of the pirates MacKinley and Gidley, who were executed for the murder of Captain Cochrane, Captain Glass, and other passengers of the s\i\p Sandzvich, on the high seas in the previous year.

Dalkey Island, in 1575, became a refuge for a number of the Dublin citizens who fled from a terrible outbreak of plague in the Metropolis. At a later period it was the scene of the

66 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

annual coronation of the King of Dalkey, a burlesque cere- monial continued up to 1797, when owing to the political troubles at the time, the promoters voluntarily discontinued the proceedings. An interesting description of the scene on the island on one of these occasions, is given by an eye-witness, surviving in 1840, who communicated it to The Irish Penny Journal in that year. According to this writer, both Dalkey Island and the Commons, on the occasion of this festivity, were covered with dense masses of people, gaily dressed and arranged into groups of happy parties, each with its own musician. The dresses of the women were almost invariably white, with green silk bonnets — a costume that lent a brilHant effect to the scene. A large marquee was erected about the middle of the island for the use of His Majesty and Officers of State, and a cordon was drawn around it to prevent intrusion by unauthorised persons.

A military band was generally in attendance to provide music for dancing — the noblemen and ladies of the Court remaining within the cordon, whilst the ordinary subjects of the monarch danced outside. For the Dalkey boatmen it was a red-letter day — they were kept busy from morning till night, and generally reaped a harvest sufficient to maintain them in idleness and inebriety for a considerable time afterwards.

The ceremony of coronation was performed in St. Begnet's Church, on the island, with a mock gravity which was irresis- tibly humorous, and as the various functionaries were chosen for their known wit and eloquence, it can readily be imagined what a treat it was for the audience. The long coronation sermon was one of the principal events of the day, and produced effects such as sermon never produced before.

During this august and imposing ceremony the church was not only crowded to its utmost capacity, and its ruined walls covered by anxious listeners, but it was also surrounded by a dense crowd, most of whom could hear little or nothing of the proceedings beyond the loud bursts of laughter that punctuated the various speeches and addresses.

THE KING OF DAL KEY 6-]

Towards evening the people commenced to return from the island, but it took many journeys by the boats to convey them all back, and it was generally late at night or early in the morning before all his loyal subjects had reached their homes after paying their respects to, and drinking the health of " His Facetious Majesty (Stephen the First), King of Dalkey, " Emperor of the Muglins, Prince of the Holy Island of Magee, " Elector of Lambay and Ireland's Eye, Defender of his own " Faith and Respecter of All Others, Sovereign of the Illustrious " Order of the Lobster and Periwinkle."

The ruined Church of St. Begnet, apart from these pro- ceedings, was subjected to very irreverent treatment about a hundred years ago, when the tower and battery were being constructed on the island. The masons and other workmen finding it inconvenient and often dangerous to cross the Sound to their lodgings, fitted up the ruin as a dwellinghouse, added a fireplace, and enlarged a doorway and some of the windows.

Distances — From Dundrum to Carrickmines Station, \^ miles ; Carrickmines Station to Killiney Village, 3-1- miles (approximately by route described above); Killiney Village over the hill to Dalkey by Torca Road, about i^- miles.

CHAPTER VI

BALLYMAN GLEN, CARRICKGOLLOGAN, BALLY- CORUS, TULLY, AND BRIDE'S GLEN

LEAVING Bray Station, we walk up the Quinsborough _j Road, cross Bray bridge into Little Bray, and after about half a mile, turn up the road on the left, presently entering the village of Old Connaught, where may be seen the ruin of an ancient church overgrown with ivy and elder trees. The name of the locality is properly Old Conna, but the only instance in which this form has been preserved is the name, Old Conna Hill, a modern residence about three-quarters of a mile to the north of the village.

Early in the i6th century the lands of Old Connaught came into possession of the Walsh family of Shanganagh, who maintained a residence on the site of the present Old Connaught House until after the Treaty of Limerick, when they finally severed their connection with the locality and went abroad.

As we reach the higher portion of the road above Old Con- nauglit, a stile will be seen on the left, from which a pathway leads down to the secluded glen of Ballyman or Glenmunder watered by a little stream that rises in the Scalp and here forms the boundary between the counties of Dublin and Wicklow. This glen is well wooded, and on portions of its southern slopes may be seen in the springtime such a wonderful profusion of primroses that their pale, delicate tint quite dominates the colouring of the banks on which they grow. At the bottom of the glen, not far from the stream, is the ruin of a very ancient church, dating probably from a period not later than the I2th century. Only the eastern portion of the

68

CARRICKGOLI-OGAN 69

building remains, enveloped in a luxuriant growth of ivy, and the eastern and southern windows exhibit marks indicating that they were at one time protected by upright bars, while traces of concentric carving may be seen on the southern one. A few old tombstones, scarcely recognisable as such, lie scattered around the ruins.

Not far from the church, and situated on the banks of the stream, though almost entirely concealed by the wild tangle of brushwood, is St. Kevin's holy well, still honoured by the observance of the old custom of tying rags and ribbons to the adjacent bushes. This well enjoys a high reputation among the people in the neighbourhood for its curative qualities, the fame of which has extended through the surrounding districts, whence persons come occasionally to take away some of the water for use in affections of the eyes.

Retracing our steps to the road, we continue along it, until, at a distance of nearly a mile from Old Connaught, we meet a narrow lane on the right, the enclosing banks and hedges of which are so high as to shut out all view, the foliage in places meeting overhead. After about half-a-mile, the lane sweeping to the right, affords a view of the rounded rocky " hump " of Carrickgollogan (popularly corrupted into " Katty Gollagher "), and just at this point two cottages will be seen on the right, opposite which is a gateway opening in on the mountainside, where a marble slab, bearing an inscription to that effect, has been placed by some friends to commemorate a Dr. Alcock. By a short, steep ascent through the bracken and heather we arrive at the cairn which marks the top, 912 feet high, from which a fine view is obtained of Bray, Howth, Dalkey, and Kil- liney,the vale of Shanganagh, and Bray Head and town. Between the observer and the sea will be seen LoughHnstown, looking very closely built from this point, Hke the towns of mediaeval times, which were built within as small an area as possible, so as to reduce the circuit of the enclosing wall. To the west- ward will be seen the wooded hill of Barnaslingan, forming the eastern side of the Scalp, beyond that the Two and Three

70

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

Rock Mountains, and south of these the higher Wicklow hills — ^War Hill, Douce, and Duff Hill. Having finished our observations from the top, we may make our way towards the tall chimney, which is such a conspicuous feature on the hill and gives it an indi\-iduality by which it can be readily identified at a distance. A descent from the summit, equally steep as that by which we reached it, conducts us

r

The Chimney on CarrickgoUogan, (1905)

to the wilds of fern and heather beneath, intersected by path- ways in various directions.

The chimney is about 80 feet high, terminating a flue nearly a mile in length, which is carried up the whole way from the Ballycorus Lead Works in the valley below. A winding flight of stone steps ascends for about two-thirds of the height of the structure. These works were established about ninety years ago, at which time sufficient ore was found on the spot, supple- mented by that taken from the company's mines at Glendalough, to keep a large staff of workmen constantly employed.

Dr. (afterwards Sir Robert) Kane, in his Industrial Resources

BALLYCORUS LEAD MINES 71

of Ireland (1844), "states that 'the dressed ore' (from the " Luganure Mine at Glendalough) is brought in cars to the " company's smelting works at Ballycorus, where it is worked " up along with ores from other sources by processes to which " I shall, after a little, return.

" The lead mine situated on the hill of Ballycorus, contains " two lead veins, which at the surface are nearly parallel, and " cross the junction of the granite and mica slate, which takes " place at its summit. In the workings these veins have been " found sometimes to diverge, and at others to coalesce, and " were then in every case found to contain valuable bunches " of ore. These veins have latterly, however, become unpro- " ductive, and although some limited explorations are still " carried on by the Mining Company, this mine cannot be " reckoned as being at the present time in action. In its " vicinity are situated the Mining Company's smelting works " to which all their lead ores are brought for the purpose of " their reduction and manufacture."

At the present time a considerable business is carried on by the company at their works, where the ore is smelted and con- verted into ingots, the silver separated and refined, and litharge, red lead and shot manufactured. The flue, which was re- modelled and extended about fifty years ago, at the cost of about £10,000, is a unique structure, in Ireland at least, and is stated to be one of the best constructed of its kind in the United Kingdom. One of the various purposes it serves is the carrying off and depositing of all poisonous products, delivering the almost purified vapour at an altitude of nearly 900 feet above sea level, thereby relieving the works and neigh- bourhood of the usual deleterious effects resulting from lead smelting. The deposits, chiefly in the form of sulphate of lead, are removed periodically by workmen with barrows, after the flue has been thoroughly ventilated by opening the various doors, &c.

The shaft of the mine runs westward from the chimnc}-, under the adjoining wood, where considerable quantities of

72

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

native silver were found when the mine was started. The shot tower, a conspicuous object, in the valley, is a handsome and substantial structure, having a spiral stairs within, terminating in an artistic iron verandah on the outside, nearly lOO feet from the ground, overlooking the adjoining pond, water-wheel, machinery, and shot premises, while in the immediate vicinity are a number of cottages, built for the employes of the company.

?gf-!i»?afaMaBUJt*^'

Puck's Castle. (I905-)

On leaving the chimney, by heading towards Loughlinstown, we can again reach the narrow lane we had previously left, presently observing on our right the square fortified dwelling known as Puck's Castle, constructed with great strength and solidity, and still in excellent preservation. It has three entrances, two of which appear to be modern ; the northern side is dashed, and the whole edifice bears evidence of many minor alterations carried out after it had ceased to be used for its original purpose, the brickwork fireplace in particular, on the eastern wall, presenting a distinctly modern appearance. This castle is one of the many buildings credited by popular tradition

BRIDE'S GLEN 73

Avith having afforded shelter to King James for a night during his flight southwards after the Battle of the Boyne.

From here a short journey across the fields in an easterly direction conducts us to the ruins at Rathmichael, consisting of the remains of a church and the stump of a round tower, the latter, locally known as " The Skull Hole," being a receptacle, as the name suggests, for skulls and bones from the adjoining burial ground. These ruins stand on the slopes of Carrick- gollogan, almost in the centre of a large caher or rath, doubtless the original Rathmichael, while on an adjoining eminence are the remains of a similar enclosure. Their situation is most picturesque, overlooking the hills of Dalkey, Killiney and Ballybrack, and the blue waters of KiUiney Bay. The ruins are maintained in excellent order, showing, perhaps, rather obvious evidences of repair, and are approached by an ancient roadway exhibiting traces of paving, and known as Rathmichael lane.

Continuing our journey by this lane until we reach the main road at the head of Bride's Glen, a sharp descent conducts us to that romantic wooded defile, doubtless deriving its name from St. Brigid or Bride, to whom the adjacent church at Tully was dedicated. Although in the i8th century this glen was called Cherrywood Glen, and as such is referred to in "The Kil- ruddery Hunt," this name is probably one of comparatively modern origin, which has been discarded in favour of the original one. The name of Cherrywood, however, still remains as the designation of a modern residence at the lower end of the glen. The slopes are thickly planted with larches, Scotch firs, limes, and Spanish chestnut trees, and among them may be seen a few old cherry trees— remnants, perhaps, of the original cherry wood which gave name to the glen. Beneath the shade of the trees a fresh green sward slopes down to the Loughlins- town river, and, as we approach the village of Loughlinstown, the railway is carried across the valley by an imposing stone viaduct, built before iron bridges had come generally into vogue for such purposes.

From Bride's Glen the return home can be made by Shankill

74 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

Station, three-quarters of a mile distant, but a much more interesting and picturesque route is to return from Carrick- mines Station, visiting on the way the ancient church and cross of Tully, and thence walking by Carrickmines golf links to the station. If this latter is desired, we turn back from Bride's Glen, ascending the hill and taking the first turn to the right at a place called Hearnsford or Heronford, whence a short sharp rise conducts us to an iron gate and stile opening on to a pathway across the furze and heather. On approaching the venerable ruins of Tully, the cross will be seen on a high pedestal, standing in the middle of the road, which was formerly on a level with the base of the plinth. A few paces from the cross is the church, darkly shaded by trees and presenting little appearance of intrusion. Tully was anciently known as Tullagh- na-Nespuc, or the Hill of the Bishops, and a legend relates how seven of these holy men went from this establishment to pay a visit to St. Brigid at Kildare. The cross on the road is that commonly known as the Celtic pattern — i.e., a cross within a circle, and is of plain design, with little attempt at decoration, while that in the adjoining field is of the Maltese pattern, very tall, and embellished with rude carving, though much more dilapidated than the other, the right arm being missing. The carving consists of a full length figure in high relief, in the conventional attitude of a saint. Both crosses are supposed to date from about the eighth or ninth century.

In the churchyard is a monumental stone curiously inscribed with three sets of concentric circles, and almost identical in pattern with that of similar stones in Rathmichael churchyard. These stones have been rather a puzzle to antiquarians, being conjectured by some to be of early Christian origin, and by others to be of Pagan origin converted to Christian purposes.

Having seen these interesting relics, it will be necessary to turn back a short distance along the road, and indeed it is advisable for those not familiar with the locality, to inquire at the adjoining farmhouse for the track across the fields by the golf links to Carrickmines Station. The distance

TULLY RUINS 75

from Bride's Glen to Carrickmines Station is about two miles.

The comparatively short circuit described in this chapter, about seven miles, including the ascent of Carrickgollogan, is, of course, practicable only to pedestrians, but cyclists desirous of following it as closely as possible, should proceed to Little Bray, thence to Old Connaught, and by the lane skirting Carrickgollogan to Puck's Castle, Laughanstown, Tully Church and Cross, Cabinteely, and home by the Bray road. Many portions of these lanes are, however, too rough for cycling, and must be walked.

CHAPTER VII

THE BRAY ROAD— DONNYBROOK, STILLORGAN, LOUGH LI NSTOWN, OLD BRAY AND ITS SMUGGLERS

LEAVING town bv what was formerly known as the , Donnybrook road, but which, since its accession to respectabihty, has become the Morehampton Road, we enter Donnybrook, now almost merged in the populous district around it, though stiU retaining its distinctive character as a village. Few of its old features, however, now remain, its quaint inns are gone, its thatched cottages have vanished, and the whole place has assumed a less rural appearance than it possessed in the days when the " glories " of its Fair shed around it their halo of renown. It must be confessed, however, notwithstanding the glamour with which prose and ballad writers have endeavoured to invest Donnybrook Fair, that for many years prior to its abolition, it had forfeited every claim to recognition as a national festivity, and in its final stages had grown to be a gigantic public nuisance and disgrace.

This Fair was established by Royal Charter in 1204 to com- pensate the Dublin citizens for the expense of building walls and defences around the city, and was for centuries the most important fair in Ireland. It is now, indeed, difficult to realise that the deserted, low-lying field on the left as we pass out of the village, is the historic ground where for over six hundred years was held the world-renowned Fair of Donnybrook, so famed for fighting, dancing, love-making, and drollery, and so long associated with the name and character of the Irish people.

Only a brief reference can here be made to the circumstances which led to the abolition of this historic festivity. For several

76

DONNYBROOK FAIR 77

weeks in August every year, all business in Dublin was more or less paralysed in consequence of the general demoralisation caused by the Fair. An agitation commenced by the Press led to the inauguration of a public subscription to purchase the patent from the owners, and this having been satisfactorily arranged in 1855, ^^^ ^^^^ ^^'^^ allowed to lapse, and the " glories of Donnybrook " were thus quenched for ever.

Donnybrock. (1906.)

Memories of its vanished revels still linger in tlie locality, and in the minds of strangers the place is still associated with the Fair, the name conjuring up visions of shillelaghs, dancing, whiskey drinking, and skull cracking, but these frolicsome days are gone, never to return, the generation that witnessed them has nearly passed, and Donnybrook, repenting of its evil ways, has now settled down as a respectable suburb of the cit}*, anxious to atone in its later years for the faults and follies of a disreput- able past.'

Lewis's Dublin Guide (1787) contains the following notice

78

THE NEIGHBOl'RHOOD OF DUBLIN

of Donnybrook : — " A large and pleasant village, two miles " from the Castle of Dublin, and much frequented by the " citizens of Dublin, on account of the good accommodation " to be had here, particularly at the two principal tea- " houses, one at the sign of the Rose at the entrance of the " place, and the other a little further on, kept by Mrs. " Darby."

^^%:,

A " Fail " Fight. (From a sketch by Samuel Lover,)

The Rose Inn, ?o frequently alluded to by writers in con- nection with old Donnybrook. was situated at the end of Church Lane, and occupied premises which had originally been the glebe house.

Crossing Anglesea Bridge over the Dodder, we enter on a rather uninteresting stretch of road, three miles long, to Stillorgan, anciently Tigh-Lorcan, meaning Lorcan's house or resting-place. Opposite Mount Merrion Avenue will be seen the entrance gate to Mount Merrion, the Irish residence of the Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, representative of the

STILLORGAN

79

Fitzwilliams of Merrion, whose ancestral castle stood near the site now occupied by the Blind Asylum at IMerrion.

We next enter Stillorgan, situated in a hollow, and well sheltered by its surrounding woods. There is little of interest to notice in the village, but a short distance east of it there stood until some twenty-five years ago, the manor house of

Donnybrook Fair. (I-rom " The Dublin Penny Journal,")

Stillorgan, a stately mansion, formerly the home of the Barons Allen of Stillorgan. Here many a gay company assembled in the early part of the i8th century during the lifetime of the second Lord, and in after years, when it had passed out of possession of the Allen family, it had many distinguished occupants, and was a social centre of considerable importance in the i8th century.

A conspicuous object for a considerable distance around is the fine obelisk standing in grounds which formerly were

8o THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

portion of Stillorgan House Park, but now belong to Obelisk Park. This obelisk was erected in 1741 during the severe winter known as " the hard frost," to give employment to the poor.

In Ware's Antiquities of Ireland it is mentioned that in 17 16 a sepulchral chamber was discovered at Stillorgan, lined with flag-stones and covered over with one massive, flat stone of such a size that ten men were unable to lift it. In the interior were fragments of human bones, accompanied by an urn containing what appeared to be loose earth. It was evidently the grave of some chieftain or person of distinction, though no tradition has been handed down to us as to his identity, and it may be that he was the Lorcan commemo- rated in the ancient name of the locality, which has been modified into the modern designation of Stillorgan.

The road now ascends to Galloping Green, a small village deriving its name from a miniature race-course which existed here many years ago, and about half a mile further, the highest point of the road is reached, 303 feet over sea level. The road now begins to descend, and we presently reach the village of Cornelscourt, where up to a few years ago stood the remains of the ancient castle or fortified dwelling which gave name to this hamlet. Of this old building only portion of an end wall now survives, the rest having been taken down to make room for two new houses at the far end of the village.

A mile beyond Cornelscourt we enter Cabinteely, in which there is nothing calling for notice ; and in a mile and a half further along a pleasant open road, we reach Loughlins- town, situated in the sheltered valley of the Loughlinstown river. In the middle of the road leading into the village will be seen a fine tree with seats around it, beyond which, to the left is a waste sandy tract along the bed of the river. At the far end of the village, in a commanding position above the valley, is the Rathdown Union Workhouse, an extensive establishment which, with its out-offices and grounds, covers a considerable area.

LOUGHLINSTOWN 8t

Loughlinstown House, to the left of the village, has been in possession of the Domvile family since the Restoration, and although it has undergone considerable alterations since that time, portion of the original structure still remains.

In the 1 8th century, Loughlinstown was the centre of a great hunting district, and was much patronised by devotees of the chase. There was then in the village a well-known hunters' inn, owned by one Owen Bray, which, according to Dr. Ball's History of the County of Dublin, has since been altered into the modern residence known as Beechwood, opposite the entrance to Loughlinstown House, These sporting times have been commemorated in the fine old hunting song, " The Kilruddery Hunt," which is reproduced at the end of this chapter. It is interesting by reason of its allusions to many places where fox hunting would now be utterly impossible, but which at that time were wild and unenclosed.

During the troublous period at the close of the iSth century, the lands lying for a considerable distance to the west of the village were the site of a great military camp, which extended over 1 20 acres, and accommodated 4,000 soldiers. Notwith- standing the scenes of bloodshed and misery which were of frequent occurrence in the neighbourhood, the troops found ample opportunities for amusing themselves, and contemporary writers describe the camp as being n constant scene of gaiety, a ballroom having been specially erected for dancing. Vivid traditions of this camp still survive among the people of the locality.

Passing out of the village by a steeper hill than that by which we entered it, in about a mile we reach Shankill Station, situated at the junction of the Bray and Killiney roads.

Crossing the high railway bridge, we enter the village of Tillystown, not far from Avhich, to the left of the road, are the almost indistinguishable remains of the ancient Church of Kiltuck. Just before entering the portion of Bray town called Little Bray, formerly included in the County Dublin, we pass, on the left, the modern residence known as Cork

F

82 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

Abbey, in the grounds of which is shown the site of an old burial place, together with a well, said to have belonged to an ancient monastic establishment.

Passing through Little Bray, the only object worthy of notice is the Castle, which is probably only portion of a much larger structure, as so important a position, commanding the passage of the road from Dublin and of the only practicable ford across the river for miles, would require to be defended by an ex- tensive and strongly fortified building. Walter de Ridelesford, a renowned Anglo-Norman warrior, was, in 1173, granted the lands of Bray and the surrounding district by Strongbow, and in all probabiHty built the castle here. In 12 13 King John granted to de Ridelesford a charter entithng him to hold a fair in the town every Thursday.

In 1402 John Drake, Mayor of Dublin, marched out with a well-equipped force against the Irish tribesmen, whom he encountered and defeated near Bray, for which service he was re- elected to the Mayoralty for the following year. Bloody Bank, now changed to Sunny Bank, on Bray Common, is said to derive its name from having been the burial place of those who fell in this battle.

The two portions of Bray divided by the river (formerly the county boundary at this point) were anciently known as Much Bray and Little Bray, of which names it is curious that the latter alone has survived.

It is somewhat interesting to read in a " regal visitation " of 1 61 5, that one Maurice Byrne was then the Vicar of Bray, that the value of the benefice was (j, that he read the service in Irish, and that the Book of Common Prayer in use in the Church was printed in the Irish language. It would thus appear that the native language was in general use at the time in this district, irrespective of religious or racial distinction, as the records of the time would go to show that there was a fair sprinkling of persons of English descent dwelling in the locality.

In 1690, on the day after the Battle of theBoyne, King James, in his flight from Dublin, arrived in Bray earl\- in the morning,

OLD BRAY

83

and learning that he was closely pursued, posted a strong force at the bridge, with instructions to them to remain until noon, to oppose the passage of the pursuing party, while he and his retinue made their escape through the mountains of Wicklow, on the way to Waterford. A skirmish is said to have taken place in consequence, but no details are forthcoming on the subject, and it must have been only a trifling affair.

Bray, as a watering place, may be said to date from the extension of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway to the town

Bray Bridge. (1905-)

in 185 1. In the earlier part of the century there was no esplanade extending by the shore — nothing but the heaped sand, shingles and low sand dunes, along which a rude raised pathway led to the Head, interrupted by numerous hollows and irregularities caused by the digging and carting away of the sand by farmers and others in the neighbourhood. All the space now occupied by the Esplanade was swept by a fierce sea during easterly gales, and the present line of house frontage marks, roughly speaking, the extreme range of the waves on such occasions.

The few persons who went in the summer to enjoy the sea breezes had to pick their way as best they could among the slippery pebbles and sand heaps that strewed the shore. The

84 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

route from Bray Bridge towards the beach was the old road which runs beside the river, and the present Quinsborough Road was represented by a pathway through fields, while Quin's Hotel possessed a splendid garden extending the whole way down to the sea.

At this period there were only two habitations along the sea front — one a small, pretty cottage where Bray Head Hotel now stands, whilst somewhere on the ground occupied by Claddagh Terrace was the other, a mud hovel, so diminutive, so wretched and so miserable as to earn for it the local soubriquet of " The Rat Hole." This strange dwelling was tenanted by an equally strange occupant — an eccentric, solitary, tar-begrimed old fisherman, who was a well-known character in the neigh- bourhood, and who took a delight in surrounding his un- attractive abode with ill-smelling heaps of manure, offal, sea- weed and every other abomination that came within his reach, until at last it became difficult to distinguish between the dwelling and these strange accessories. To what end he accumulated these malodorous tumuli none who knew him could surmise ; but that he enjoyed the possession of them could be open to no doubt, as he was to be seen there daily, during his leisure hours, regaling his nose and eyes on their perfume and proportions.

In the other cottage near the Head lived an elderly woman and her daughter, whose ostensible means of livelihood were seeking and selling the pebbles peculiar to the locality, known as Wicklow pebbles, but who really were engaged in the profit- able business of smuggling, and, in conjunction with others, acted as agents for the various overseas craft that then frequented this coast for the contraband trade.

The mother was a woman of great courage and strength of character, and always went about armed ; she was known to have amassed a considerable fortune by her operations, and was, at least on one occasion, engaged in an affray with the Preventive men. When she died many years afterwards, her daughter found herself a rich woman.

SMUGGLERS— ^' THE BRANDY HOLE" 85

The A\ild and lonely coast of Wicklou' offered so many facilities for smuggling that the efforts of the Govern- ment were unable to accomplish more than barely to interrupt and at most delay the well-laid schemes of the contrabandists.

The usual plan adopted by smuggling vessels plying here was, under cover of night or misty weather, to send their contraband goods ashore in boats to the preconcerted places of concealment on the coast, and then to sail openly with their legitimate cargo to Dublin or other port, and thus hoodwink the Revenue authorities. There can be little doubt, however, that corruption was rife among the Revenue and Customs officers at that period, and that they could, when necessary, look in the wrong direction.

The natural conformation of the coast around Bray Head lent itself readily to the adaptation of places of concealment, of which there were several, but the principal one was that known as " The Brandy Hole," half a mile along the shore from where the road crosses the railway on the Head. Here was an immense cavern, with its entrance opening to the sea, and its many ramifications extending far in under the hill, affording ample accommodation for the cargoes of all the vessels plying their risky trade here. Into this great natural store- house, fully laden boats were easily able to make their way by the light of lanterns, and discharge their contents high and dry into the numerous receptacles prepared for them.

Immediately over this cavern, and adjoining the rude goat track that then encircled the Head, was a shaft sunk in a slanting direction into the earth, communicating with another subterraneous chamber — a sort of second storey to the lower one — but showing no trace of its existence on the surface, as the entrance was carefully concealed by a thick groAvth of brambles and bracken. This provided for the initiated a ready means of access from the land to the cavern, which was furnished where necessary with steps and platforms wherebv a person above could, b\^ means of a rope, assist those below to

86 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

climb out on top, or if need be, drag up bales of goods for storage in the upper chamber.

In after years, when reports began to be whispered abroad as to the existence of this Ali Baba's cave, the locality became the scene of some fierce struggles between the Revenue men and the desperadoes engaged in the contraband traffic. It was a time when a Revenue officer's life was one of constant excitement ; he needed to be a man of courage and determina- tion, and the risks of his avocation were almost as great as those of a soldier's in the field.

Both the caves mentioned were utterly obliterated during the construction of the railway, but the name of " The Brandy Hole " still attaches to an inlet in the cliffs, and is the sole memorial of this great smugglers' rendezvous, the very tradition of \\ hich has been lost among the modern population.

With the advent of steam, telegraphs and police, smuggling has been shorn of much of the romance with which it once was associated ; the picturesque figure of the bold smuggler with his slouched hat and feather, jack-boots and huge pistols, has disappeared from the stage of modern life and survives only in that of melodrama, and the Dublin folk of to-day, whirled rapidly along the railway around Bray Head, look down on his former haunts with scarcely a thought for the desperate scenes enacted there a hundred years ago.

THE KILRUDDERY HUNT

The author of this spirited song was Thomas Mozeen, an actor and singer, who also wrote " An Invitation to Owen Bray's at Loughlinstown," and was a well-known patron of that hunters' hostelry. Before the publication of " The Kilruddery Hunt," and only a few days subsequent to the event which it commemorates, it was sung for the first time at the house of one of the sportsmen who took part in the hunt, at his house on Bachelor's Walk, Dublin.

"THE KILRUDDERY HUNT"

87

S^

±L

fi=q^= ii:1^=te-^zj^-d^^

v^:

i=t^-

F^

I^ZlM

Hark! Hark!jol-ly sportsmen, a » while to my tale, Which to

^S^5^=^^Jp^S^E5

:S=^i:

pay your at-ten-tion I'm sure cannot fail; 'Tisof lads and of horses, and

dogs that ne'er tire,0'er stone walls and hedges, through dale, bog and briar;

9

^fe^EE^S^

pack of such hounds and a set of such men, 'Tis a

1^

^^^^=a3?il|^

shrewd chance if ev - er you meet with again; Had Nimrod, the mightiest of

^^^^^^:^^:Ei^^^^^^

^=S=M^^

m

hunters, been there, 'Fore God he had shook like an as - pen for fear.

" Hark ! Hark ! jolly sportsmen, awhile to my tale, Which to pay your attention I'm sure cannot fail ; 'Tis of lads and of horses, and dogs that ne'er tire. O'er stone walls and hedges, through dale, bog and briar ; A pack of such hounds and a set of such men, 'Tis a shrewd chance if ever you meet with again ; Had Nimrod, the mightiest of hunters, been there, 'Fore God, he had shook like an aspen for fear.

" In Seventeen Hundred and Forty and Four, The fifth of December, I think 'twas no more, At five in the morning by most of the clocks, We rode from Kilruddery in search of a fox.

5 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

The Loughlinstown landlord, the brave Owen Bray, And Johnny Adair, too, were with us that day ; joe Debil, Hal Preston — those huntsmen so stout — Dick Holmes, some few others, and so we set out.

" We cast off our hounds for a full hour or more,

When Wanton set up a most terrible roar,

' Hark to Wanton ! ' cried Joe, and the rest were not slack.

For Wanton's no trifler esteemed in the pack.

Old Bonny and Collier came readily in,

And every hound joined in the musical din ;

Had Diana been there, she'd been pleased to the life,

And one of the lads got a goddess to wife.

" Ten minutes past nine was the time of the day, When Reynard broke cover, and this was his way ; As strong from Killegar as if he could fear none, Away he brushed round by the house of Kiltiernan ; To Carrickmines thence, and to Cherrywood then. Steep Shankill he climbed, and to Ballyman Glen ; Bray Common he crossed, leaped Lord Anglesea's wall. And seemed to say ' Little I care for you all.'

" He ran Bushe's Grove up to Carbury Byrne's

Joe Debil, Hal Preston, kept leading by turns ;

The earth it was open, yet he was so stout,

Though he might have got in, still he chose to keep out.

To Malpas high hill was the way that he flew ;

At Dalkey Stone Common we had him in view ;

He drove on by Bullock, through Shrub Glenageary,

And so on to Monkstown where Larry grew weary.

" Through Rochestown wood like an arrow he passed, And came to the steep hill of Dalkey at last ; There gallantly plunged himself into the sea. And said in his heart, ' None can now follow me.'

"THE KILRUDDERY HUNT" 89

But soon to his cost, he perceived that no bounds Could stop the pursuit of the staunch-mettled hounds ; His policy here did not serve him a rush, Five couple of Tartars were here at his brush.

" To recover the shore then again was his drift ; But ere he could reach to the top of the chft, He found both of speed and of daring a lack, Being waylaid and killed by the rest of the pack. At his death there were present the lads I have sung, Save Larry who, riding a garron was flung, Thus ended at length a most delicate chase, That held us for five hours and ten minutes space.

" We returned to Kilruddery's plentiful board. Where dwell hospitality, truth and my lord ; We talked o'er the chase and we toasted the health Of the men who ne'er struggled for places or wealth.

Owen Bray baulked a leap says Hal Preston ' Twas odd,'

' 'Twas shameful,' cried Hal, ' by the great living .'

Said Preston, I halloo'd ' Get on though you fall, ' Or I'll leap over you, your Wind gelding and all.'

" Each glass was adapted to freedom and sport,

For party affairs we consigned to the Court ;

Thus we finished the rest of the day and the night,

In gay flowing bumpers and toasts of delight.

Then till the next meeting, bade farewell each brother—

So some they went one way, and some went another ;

And as Phcebus befriended our earlier roam.

So Luna took care in conducting us home."

Explanation of Namls occurring in the Song. Wanton, Bonny, rtw J. .Favourite hounds in Lord Meath's

Collier pack.

Killegar .On western side of the Scalp,

90 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

The House of Kiltiernan. .Th.t residence of "Johnny Adair,"

referred to in the song near the

Scalp.

Cherryzvood Bride's Glen, near Loughlinstown.

Ballyman A sequested glen near Old Connaught.

(See Index.)

Steep Shankill Carrickgollogan Mountain.

Carbury Byrne's A well-known residence at that time

near Cabinteely. Malpas high hill Killiney Hill, the obelisk on which was

erected by Colonel Malpas or

Mapas. Dalkey Stone Common. . .Between Dalkey and Sorrento. (See

Index.) Rochestoujn Wood Between Ballybrack and Glenageary.

Some of the wood still remains.

Garron (Irish) a worthless old horse.

My Lord The 6th Earl of Meath.

Shrub Glenageary An old name for Glenageary,

CHAPTER VIII

RATH DOWN, GREYSTONES, KILLINCARRIG, DELGANY AND THE GLEN OF THE DOWNS

CYCLISTS and pedestrians desirous of making this excursion should proceed to Bray, making their way up the main street and keeping to the left at the Markethouse, whence the road gradually ascends to Kilruddery, the entrance gate of which will be seen on the right, bearing in high relief the motto, " Vota vita mea," and surmounted by the arms of the Meath family. Immediately opposite this gate, at the other side of the road, is the entrance to the walk and carriage drive round the top of the Head, admission to which can be obtained by signing one's name at the gate lodge, and, if accompanied by a bicycle, paying a toll of 3d. Entering at the gate, we pass a succession of plantations, largely composed of Scotch firs and other evergreens, and continuing the track, at length reach the open mountainside, where in summer may be seen in profusion the purple splendour of the heather, interspersed with the gay colouring of the gorse, the brilliant contrast enhanced by the varying shades of sward andbracken. The track now sweeps to the seaward, andjooking over the adjoining wall, we can see, far below, the railway and path overhanging the deep green water, with, perhaps, a border of white surf showing boldly against the dark rocks. From this point, our view comprises Dalkey and Killiney, Dublin city under its pall of smoke, portions of the southern suburbs, and the familiar forms of the tall twin chimneys at Ringsend, a conspicuous landmark even at this distance. As we proceed, an extensive view inland is obtained, including the Two and Three Rock Mountains, Prince William's Seat, the Scalp and

9'

92 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBIJN

the Sugar Loaves, with the long open valley of Glencree, Not far off is Bray Head summit, on which stands a small monument, erected to commemorate the Jubilee of the late Queen Victoria.

Continuing the ascent, we arrive at a high ledge, ^vhere we imexpectedly come into view of the entire coast as far as Wicklow Head, readily identified by its three lighthouses, while on the curve of the coastline may be dimly discerned the town of Wicklow. From this point the pathway begins to descend, considerable portions being practicable for cycles, and we presently enter another pine plantation, ultimately reaching the exit on the main road, where the key of the gate can be obtained at the adjoining lodge.

On reaching the road we turn to the left up the hill, presently arriving at the little hamlet of Windgate on the very summit, about 400 feet over sea level, and from here a long descent of about tAvo miles conducts us to Greystones. About half a mile from Windgate, a laneway called Rathdown Lane will be seen on the left, leading down to the site of the ancient castle of Rathdown. For pedestrians it is somewhat of a short cut to Greystones, but cyclists w-ill find it rather difficult, and would be well advised to avoid it and keep to the main road.

Near the end of the lane will be seen in a field a little to the southward, the ruins of the church of St. Crispin, thickly enveloped with ivy. The adjacent ground now shows no in- dication of having been a graveyard, although it certainly was such during the period when the church was in use, and the last interment known to have taken place there was that of the bodv of a sailor which was washed ashore early in the last century. When the ancient village of Rathdown in course of time disappeared, the local proprietor removed all the tomb- stones, disinterred the bones, and buried them in one heap at the eastern end of the church. Some tradition of this act of vandalism survived when Eugene O'Curry visited the place in 1838.

RATHDOWN 93

The church is 23 feet long by 14 feet wide, and the entrance was by a porch at the western end. In the eastern gable is a window 6 feet Square, and in the southern wall there is another about 3 feet square. The ruin bears several indications of com- paratively recent repair, and does not look more than about three hundred years old, having been probably used as a chapel during the existence of the village of Rathdown.

A short distance north-east of the church, on a slight eminence, and facing the lonely sea-beaten shore, stood the ancient castle of Rathdown that in time gave name to the barony. No portion of the building now remains, and its site is partly occupied by a limekiln, which, as well as the adjoining railway bridge, was probably constructed out of the materials of the walls. The ruin, which is still marked as existent on the Ordnance Survey maps, was taken down some sixty years ago, and at that time consisted of some massive outer walls from 5 to 8 feet in height. The castle was built on an ancient fort or rath, portions of which are yet discernible to the south and east of the site.

The village of Rathdown stood a short distance to the north- west, and in draining one of the fields there during the last century, the remains of a paved street were discovered. Adjoining the site of the castle is a clear spring well which probably supplied the household with water.

Resuming our journey, we presently enter Greystones, some thirty years ago only an insignificant village consisting of a group of cottages around the Coastguard station, but now bidding fair to become one of the first watering-places in Ireland.

The following interesting notice of this place appears in Atkinson's Irish Tourist, published in 1815, and it should be remembered that there was then no village here, and that the name Greystones applied only to the reef of rocks still called " The Grey Stones," jutting out into the sea immediately north of the railway station. " Between Bray and the village " of Killincarrig, I looked at a spacious indenture in the coast,

94

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

" which I had heard spoken of as the native outline of a harbour, " and which, considering its favourable position, and the ad- " vantages which would result to that neighbourhood from " the suitable accommodation of shipping, I was not surprised " to hear had become an object of attention to some public " spirited gentlemen in that neighbourhood. Some idea may

m

The Beach, Greystones. (1906.)

" be conceived of the character of this half-formed harbour, " from the circumstance of a vessel in distress having been " towed in there, as the best which was to be met in that part " of the coast, and though incapable in its present form of pro- " tecting a ship from the eifects of a storm, its favourable " position for a harbour may in some degree be inferred from " the above circumstance." The hopes entertained by the writer of the above, have unfortunately not been realised, and the harbour, as it now stands, may be regarded for all practical purposes as useless.

GREYSTOXES— KILLIXCARRIG

95

Greystones possesses an irregular sea frontage of nearly a mile in length, and extends inland from the sea in a south- westerly direction to within a short distance of the hamlet of Killincarrig, which it threatens to absorb, as also, in time, the more distant village of Delgany. The sea is visible for a con- siderable distance inland, as the ground gradually rises from the shore. There is ample accommodation for bathing, both off the rocks, and at the pretty strand immediately south of " The

Killincarrig, {1906.)

" Grey Stones " already alluded to. The houses are for the most part detached or semi-detached, instead of being built in terraces.

The great charm of Greystones consists in its unconven- tionality and the absence of the features which go to make up the typical modern watering-place, while its golf-links, its pic- turesque surroundings, and the p>leasing combinations of rural and seaside scenery in its neighbourhood, combine to render it a most attractive and restful holiday resort.

From the top of the Killincarrig road a field-path leads by the golf-links, through a wood, to the village of Killincarrig, entering the latter beside the grim, ivy-clad ruins of an old

96 THE NEIGHBOl^RHOOD OF DUBLIN

mansion popularly known as " Killincarrig Castle," which appears to date from about the Elizabethan period. There was a tradition current that Cromwell slept a night in it, which may have had some foundation in fact, as his troops were engaged in several skirmishes in this neighbourhood during the troubled times of 1641-2.

Killincarrig stands upon a considerable eminence, com^ manding views both of the sea and of the mountains inland, and although the village is of considerable antiquity, the old houses have nearly all disappeared, and have been replaced by dwellings of a modern type.

In 1 641 some troops were quartered in a temporary barrack in this village to protect the property of residents in the neighbourhood. In connection with the sojourn of this garrison, it is recorded in Dudley Loftus's minutes of the Courts Martial at Dublin Castle, that one Kathleen Farrell was arrested at Killincarrig as a spy, taken to Dublin, and sentenced to be hanged, which sentence, it may be presumed, was duly carried out. Another case from the same locality was that of John Bayly, a soldier, who was tried for desertion. As the penalty for this offence was usually death, there must have been some extenuating circumstances in his case, as he was merely sentenced to run the gauntlet of the soldiers stationed at Killincarrig, the soldiers armed with switches, and the culprit with his back bare and his hands tied behind him. The carrying out of this sentence probably provided a pleasant day's amusement for the inhabitants of the village, who doubt- less had anything but friendly feelings for the soldiers quartered there, and were heartily glad when the time came for their departure.

At a distance of about half a mile from Killincarrig is the pretty village of Delgany, picturesquely situated on a rising ground, in the midst of an undulating and richly-wooded country, and adjoining the southern entrance to the Glen of the Downs. Immediately below the village is the deep wooded vallev of the Three Trouts river, a small stream, which, after

DELGANY 97

flowing through the Glen of the Downs, empties itself Into the sea a mile south of Greystones, Delgany possesses a newCatholic Church attached to the convent, as well as a Protestant Church built in 1789, by Peter La Touche, the tower of which forms a prominent feature in the view of the village, as seen from various points in the surrounding country. The La Touche family, who have been connected with this locality since their purchase of the lands of Bellevue in 1753, settled in Irelandwith many other Huguenot refugees after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. They were originally a family named Digges who left England in the reign of Henry H. and settled on their estates at La Touche near Blois, from which circum- stance they derive their second name. David Digges La Touche, the first of the family who came to this country, was an olhcer in La Caillemote's regiment of French refugees in the service of William the Third during the Irish War of the Revolution. When the war was over he entered into business as a banker in Dublin, in the concern known as " La Touche's Bank," which he managed for many years, and at length died suddenly, at a ripe old age, in 1745, while attending service in the Chapel Royal. {Lodge's Peerage.)

The ancient name of Bellevue was Ballydonough, which was changed to its present one in 1753 on the purchase of the lands by David La Touche.

Atkinson, in The Irish Tourist" (18 15), above quoted, makes the following reference to Delgany : — " The village of Delgany, " situate about fifteen miles south of Dubhn, and ten north " of Wicklow, forms a feature too significant to render its in- " significant extent an adequate apology for wholly neglecting " it, in a description of the beauties of this county. It is " composed principally of thatched cottages in the English " style (something similar to the village of Abbeyleix), and of " these, in which the parsonage house, a large stone edifice, and " the church of Delgany, a very ornamental structure, are not " included, there may be from fifteen to twenty habitations in

G

98 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

" the village. The influence of Delgany Church (which stands *' suitably elevated above the valley) on the scenery of that " neighbourhood, is well known to the numerous visitors of the " district."

At the time the above was written, there was a straw hat and bonnet factory in the village, which articles were, according to the same authority, sold at prices varying from one to thirty shillings, and the writer adds that some hats which were shown to him at eight shillings, made of Irish straw, were of exceptional quality.

It may be mentioned that one or two of the original " thatched cottages in the English style," referred to in the above description, survived until a few years ago, and the parsonage house is still the largest building in the village.

The original name of this place was Dergne, the pronuncia- tion of which would be represented in English by the spelling Dergany, and this by the change of the liquid r to I became converted to the modern designation of Delgany. The name Dergne, meaning a little reddish spot, took its origin in the red colour of the clay and rock underlying the surface soil around the village, which is more noticeable after heavy rain.

In the older authorities the place is referred to as Dergne- Mochorog, the latter portion of which is the name of the local saint, a Briton by birth, who settled here about the end of the 6th century, building his church on the site now occupied by the old churchyard at the lower end of the village. (See Irish 'Names of Places, Vol. II., p. 26.)

Local tradition avers that an ancient town of Delgany stood some four miles out to the seaward, where there is now a shallow and rock called Delgany Bank, and that one stormy night it was entirely submerged by the sea.

Delgany to a great extent owes its popularity to its proximity to the Glen of the Downs, and to the fact that it lies in the direct route between the latter and Greystones Railway Station. The Glen of the Downs, which is too well known to require a

THE GLEN OF THE DOWNS 99

detailed description, is a ravine a mile and a half in length, the sides of which, rising to a height of some 700 feet, are so densely wooded that with the exception of the roadside, scarcely i glimpse of the ground is visible the whole length of the Glen. The views from the road are very soft and pretty in the summer- time, looking up along the apparently fathomless mass of foliage, relieved in places by dark patches of pines. It has been customary to admit visitors on Mondays to the eastern side, which forms portion of the demesne of Bellevue, but permission must be obtained for admission on other days. The principal attraction at this side is the octagon house at the top, from which an extensive view is obtained.

One of the best short excursions from Delgany for either cyclist or pedestrian is to go through the Glen, and after emerging at the upper end, to take the first turn on the right up the steep hiU, keeping to the right throughout, and again entering the village by a well shaded road down a long decline. This will entail a journey of a little over four miles.

Cyclists arriving in Delgany via Bray and Greystones, should return by the Glen of the Downs, Enniskerry, and the Scalp.

Distances from G. P. O. (for cyclists) : — Bray Bridge, 12+ miles ; Greystones by route described around Bray Head and via Rathdown, i8| miles ; Killincarrig, 20 miles ; Delgany, 20i

miles ; back to G. P. O. via Glen of the Downs and Enniskerry, 41 miles.

Distances from Bray Railway Station (for pedestrians) : —

Greystones by route described, 6| miles ; Killincarrig, 8 miles ;

Delgany, Si miles j back to Greystones Railway Station,

10^ miles.

CHAPTER IX

TINNEHINCH, THE GREAT AND LITTLE SUGAR LOAF, KILMACANOGUE AND POWERSCOURT

THE district described in this chapter can be most readily visited by means of cycles, but it will be necessary to leave them at the top of the Rocky Valley while ascending the Great Sugar Loaf, and at Kilmacanogue during the ascent of the Little Sugar Loaf, We first proceed to Enniskerry by the Scalp, continuing straight ahead at the upper end of the village street, passing on the left the church, the spire of which is such a conspicuous feature in pictures of Enniskerry, and on the right, one of the entrance gates to Powerscourt Demesne. As we turn the corner just opposite the entrance to the Dargle, we descend a very steep decline down to the bed of the Dargle River — a very dangerous descent in the old cycling days before the invention of rim brakes. At the bottom of the hill is the entrance to Powerscourt known as the Golden Gate, with its pretty lodge, and beside it, Tinne- hinch Bridge over the Dargle. Near the bridge, and situated in the sheltered vale of the river, is Tinnehinch, for some time the residence of the distinguished patriot and statesman, Henry Grattan, who spent his declining years in the seclusion of this romantic retreat. Twiss in his 7our Through Ireland (1775), states that this house was designed and erected by the then Lord Powerscourt as an inn, and that it was for some years the leading hostelry in this district, and Arthur Young spent some days there, as stated in the quotation further on, during his tour in Ireland in 1776.

Alter crossing Tinnehinch Bridge we turn to the right along

KILLOUGH HILL

lOI

a road which, gradually ascends through a wooded district, glimpses being obtained at intervals of the surrounding moun- tains through the trees. Having reached the top of this road we turn twice in succession to the left, and are now facing the Great Sugar Loaf, which looks very high and abrupt from this point of view, in consequence of being seen across the inter- vening valley of the Killough river. A steep descent con- ducts us to a bridge over that river, beyond which an equally

Tinnchinch House. (1906.)

Steep ascent rises to the head of the Rocky Valley, where we turn to the right up a long ascent, properly Killough Hill, which must be walked the whole way to the top, a distance of about a mile. This ascent is commonly, but erroneously, called the Long Hill, which is at the opposite side of the Killough River valley.

As the elevation increases, the area of our view extends, and we can see to the north the Scalp and the steep sides of Glen- sink through which flows the Glencullen or Cookstown River ; then Prince William's Seat, the Glencree Valley, with the low

102 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

hill of Knockree midway, and the Reformatory at the far end, and to the left of these TondufF, Douce, and War Hill. Between us and Glencullen will be seen Powerscourt House standing on the summit of a rising ground, and enclosed within its extensive demesne. We at length reach the summit level of the road, at a group of cottages, 850 feet over sea level, and here cyclists must arrange to leave their machines pending their return from the ascent. From this point the pathway can be seen the whole way to the top — an easy ascent through stunted furze and heather until the peak is reached, where the gradient becomes much steeper, and the difficulty of ascending is enhanced by the loose condition of the stones under foot.

Viewed from below, the peak presents an imposing appear- ance, denuded in patches by the winter rains, and rising to so sharp a point that there is no more than room for a small party of visitors there.

From the summit, 1,650 feet high, may be seen Lugnaqiiillia, Roundwood and its reservoir, Croghan Kinsella Mountain on the borders of Wexford ; Douce, Tonduff, Glencree Reforma- tory and the Military road ; Wicklow Head, the Scalp, Dublin Bay, and Howth, while the country in the immediate vicinity presents the appearance of a map.

Descending the mountain, we again reach the road, and return as far as the head of the Rocky Valley, which, as its name in- dicates, is a defile strewn on all sides with jagged and precipitous rocks, overhanging the road in a threatening manner. On the southern side of the road will be seen a well called the Silver Springs, under the shadows of a rocky cliff, and opposite is a pretty cottage enclosed by a grove of trees. Below this point the sides of the valley become very irregular and precipitous, and small patches of reclaimed ground may be seen at intervals, with little cottages nestling among the rocks. Continuing the descent, we reach the scattered hamlet of Kilmacanogue (pronounced Kilmakanik), with its church on a conspicuous eminence off the main road ; and from here we may either return home at once, via Bray, or ascend the little Sugar Loaf.

THE LITTLE SUGAR LOAF 103

If the latter be decided on, cycles should be left at Kilmac- anogue, and the ascent commenced by turning aside from the main road at the post office, into a lane which rises steeply between high hedges, through which occasional glimpses are seen of the valley below, and of the Great Sugar Loaf and the mountains beyond it. The lane sweeps somewhat to the left at a farmhouse beside a grove of firs, after which a wooden gate is met, from which the ascent may be made either direct up the

-^

Summit ot the Great Sugar Loaf. (1906.)

slope of the mountain, or by following the track to the right — a somewhat longer, but easier route. As we ascend, the little hamlet of Kilmacanogue appears to great advantage below, embosomed in its sheltering woods at the foot of the Rocky Valley; while overshadowing all, rises the Great Sugar Loaf, and beyond it the great range of mountains, of which Douce is the centre. To the northward are Killiney Bay, the Hills of DaU.ey and Killiney dotted with their pretty villas, and further off, Howth, the Poolbeg and Pigeonhouse ; underneath is the town of Bray, and at the foot of the hill Kilruddery House — an extensive establishment — while to the right of that is the small

104 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

group of cottages called Windgate, at the summit of the long hill between Bray and Greystones. Right under the mountain is Bray Head, looking low and flat from this point of view ; to the right is Greystones, with its houses scattered and de- tached, and then a long uninteresting sweep of flat shore extends away towards Wicklow town, beyond which rises Wicklow Head.

On reaching the top of the Little Sugar Loaf it will be observed that there are three distinct summits a couple of hundred yards apart, but when seen from the north-west or south-east it appears to have only two, and it is by this latter appearance, as a double-topped mountain, that most Dubhn people recognise it.

The following extract from Arthur Young's Tour in Ireland (1776-^) is of some interest, as showing the impressions of a stranger visiting the district at that period : — " Took my leave " of General Cunninghame, and went through the Glen of the " Downs on my way to Powerscourt. The Glen is a pass " between two vast ridges of mountains covered with wood, " which have a very noble effect. The vale is no wider than " to admit the road, a small gurgling river almost by its side, " and narrow slips of rocky and shrubby ground which part " them. In the front all escape seems denied by an immense " conical mountain [the Great Sugar Loaf], which rises out of " the Glen, and seems to fill it up. The scenery is of a most " magnificent character. On tlie top of the ridge to the right " Mr. La Touche has a banqueting-room. Passing from this " sublime scene, the road leads through cheerful grounds all " under corn, rising and falling to the eye, and then to a vale *' of charming verdure broken into inclosures, and bounded by " two rocky mountains [the Great and Little Sugar Loaf] — " distant darker mountains filling up the scene in front. This " whole ride is interesting, for within a mile and a half of " ' Tinnyhinch ' (the inn to which I was directed) you come to " a delicious view on the right ; a small vale [the Dargle] " opening to the sea, bounded by mountains, whose dark shade

POWERSCOURT

105

" forms a perfect contrast to the extreme beauty and lovely *' verdure of the lower scene, consisting of gently swelling " lawns, rising from each other, with groups of trees between, " and the whole so scattered with white farms as to add every " idea of cheerfulness."

After breakfasting at the Tinnehinch inn. Young drove to see Powerscourt Waterfall, and thence to the Dargle, his descrip- tion of which, pitched in a high key, extends to a considerable

Rilniacnnogue. ( 1 906. )

length. Of Powerscourt he writes, that " it presently came in " view from the edge of a declivity. You look full upon the *' house, which appears to be in the most beautiful situation " in the world, on the side of a mountain, half-way between " its bare top and an irriguous vale at its foot. In front, and *' spreading among woods on either side, is a lawn, whose " surface is beautifully varied in gentle declivities, hanging to a *' winding river."

The celebrity of Powerscourt is almost entirely due to its Waterfall, which, although of great height, possesses but a

io6 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

small flow of water, except after heavy rain. It has been de- scribed by successive WTiters in such extravagant terms, that the tourist who visits it in fine weather is apt to be much dis- appointed.

The Wingfields, the ancestors of the Lords Powerscourt, derive their name from the manor and castle of Wingfield in Suffolk, of which the family was possessed before the Norman Conquest. Sir John Wingfield, Lord of Letheringham, served the Black Prince in the wars in France, and afterwards wrote a history of the campaign. Coming down to the reign of Elizabeth, we find that Jacques Wingfield was appointed Master of the Ordnance and Munition in Ireland, and in 1560 was commissioned to execute martial law in the territories of the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles. Twenty years later he accompanied Lord Grey of Wilton, on his ill-starred expedition against the Wicklow tribes, which culminated in the Battle of Glenmalure, where the English troops becoming entangled in the dense forests, met with signal defeat at the hands of the Irish clansmen under Feagh MacHugh O'Byrne and FitzEustace, Earl of Baltinglass.

In 1600 Sir Richard Wingfield was appointed Marshal of Ireland by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his services against the French at Calais ; for his further services in Ulster he was granted the district of Fercullen, containing nearly the whole parish of Powerscourt, and in 1 61 8 he was created first Baron Powerscourt.

The district of Powerscourt takes its name from the De la Poer family, who came into possession of it through a marriage with a daughter of Strongbow, and who it is believed, built a castle on the site now occupied by the present Powerscourt House. That this latter house incorporates some of the ancient structure would appear probable from the fact that some of the walls in the central portion are from eight to ten feet thick.

According to the Down Survey, Sir Richard Wingfield was granted the lands of Powerscourt, " five miles in length by foui " miles in breadth, in the territory of Fercullen in the County

POWERSCOURT 107

"of Wicklovv, by James the First, said land being mostly " mountainous and stony, and with a ruinous castle."

Pedestrians desirous of ascending either of the Sugar Loaf Mountains should take the train to Bray, walking thence to Kilmacanogue and back, a distance of seven miles for the double journey.

The distance from the G.P.O. to Kilmacanogue ma the Scalp and Enniskerry is I5i miles.

CHAPTER X

RATHFARNHAM, WHITECHURCH, KELLY'S GLEN AND KILMASHOGUE MOUNTAIN

TO reach Rathfarnham, we either proceed there direct in the tram via Harold's Cross, or take the Rathmines tram as far as the top of the Rathgar road, walking thence along Orwell Road to Orwell Bridge, and then turning to the

Ratlifarnham. (1906.)

right along the grassy bank of the Dodder. Orwell Bridge was built about sixty years ago, replacing a wooden footbridge

108

7. Mount Pelier.

;e as seen from Greej

:i9i2.)

I. Three Rock.

P^inomm., iit tlie Dublin range .is seen from Greenhills, Tallaght

ORWELL BRIDGE— THE DODDER

109

which had done duty for a number of years, and had at length become unsafe.

Prior to the erection of Orwell Bridge, vehicles had to cross by a ford, which is still to be seen about half way between the bridge and the Dartry Dye Works. There are some large stones in the river near this point, which appear to be the remains of a line of stepping-stones. Orwell Bridge was formerly called " Waldron's Bridge," from the name of a former proprietor of the mills adjoining.

i^'	^^g^.
'^RHj^^^^^^^^^^E^ "'"'
	\ .^"^^ ■ w^^^^^^^^H^'

The Dodder from Rathfarnham Bridge. (1903-)

The portion of the river between Orwell and Rathfarnham Bridges is extremely picturesque ; a high wooded bank rises above the northern side, crowned by modern residences, while adjoining the road is the densely wooded demesne of Rath- farnham Castle. The entrance gate, in the form of a Roman triumphal arch, was erected in the early part of last century by Charles, Lord Ely, who, for his vote and influence in connection with the Act of Union, received a step in the peerage and j^45,ooo in cash.

This quiet spot was, in 1841, the scene of a crime which excited an extraordinary degree of interest in Dublin. On the night of the 27th February, an Italian named Domenica

no THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DUBLIN

•Garlibardo, an organ-grinder, was murdered, and his body thrown on the waste ground in front of Lord Ely's gate, where it was found next morning by a poHceman. The inquest was of a protracted character, lasting no less than eight days, and resulted in a verdict of wilful murder, accompanied by a rider attaching strong suspicion to a tinker and his wife from Rathfarnham. These two were in due course placed on trial, but during the proceedings the evidence of the principal wit- ness (Patrick Bryan) broke down on cross-examination, and he contradicted himself to such an extent that he was arrested in court for perjury, and the prisoners were consequently acquitted. It was understood, however, that the police had another informant named Delahunt, who, for reasons unex- plained, was not produced at either the inquest or trial ; but no further developments took place, and the mystery seemed as far from solution as ever, although public opinion strongly inclined to the suspicion that Delahunt was the guilty party.

A few days before Christmas of the same year, the Dviblin folk were horrified to hear of anothei^ murder, that of a boy named Maguire, whose body, still warm, was found in Pem- broke Lane, at rear of Pembroke Road. About an hour after the body was discovered, Delahunt turned up at the police headquarters with the story that he had seen a murder com- mitted at the spot, adding incriminating details as to the con- duct of the victim's mother, but his strange demeanour and s'lifty answers excited the suspicions of the police, and he was detained. Inquiries being set on foot, a mass of damning e/idence was soon obtained against him, principally from his own immediate relatives, and after a brief trial he was found guilty and executed on the 5th February following.

Before his execution he acknowledged having murdered the boy, Maguire, but denied the murder of GarUbardo. Many of the public, however, continued to believe that he was guilty of both murders, and that the motive was the hope of getting a reward from the authorities for evidence leading: to a conviction.

HALL'S BARN

III

Less than a mile south of Orwell Bridge, and situated on a by-road, is a strange-looking, conical shaped structure, called *' Hall's Barn " after a local proprietor who erected it during *' the hard frost" in the winter of