Irishtown

BATH LODGE

November 2, 2023 by infomatique

AT THE CORNER OF CHAPEL AVENUE AND BATH STREET

This property was sold back in 2016 for €350,000 but other than that I know little about it. My photograph may make lead you to conclude that the building is unoccupied but it is not and it appears to be in very good condition. I suspect that the corner section was once a local corner shop which is no longer active as a business.

Here is an extract from the property section of a local newspaper: “If you opt to live in Irishtown, you choose to live in an area with character, history and activity. The area was formerly known as the Golden Sands of Irishtown. St Matthew’s Royal Chapel, one of the oldest dating churches in the city, was originally built in 1704 by architect J. F. Fuller before being modernised in 1879.

BATH LODGE [AT THE CORNER OF CHAPEL AVENUE AND BATH STREET]-224743-1

ST MAGDALEN TERRACE AND OLIVER PLUNKETT AVENUE

August 31, 2023 by infomatique

STELLA GARDENS IN IRISHTOWN

Stella Gardens was part of a major house-building campaign initiated in Irishtown and Ringsend by the nationalist councillor Charles O’Neill in the early 20th century. It is claimed by some locals that O’Neill named the development after his daughter Stella.

St Magdalene of Canossa was born in Verona, Italy, on 2 March 1774. At age 15 she announced she wished to become a nun, but after trying out her vocation with the Carmelites, she realised she really wanted to serve the needy without restriction. She began a charitable organisation to help the wounded and the sick, but gave special attention to girls living in poverty and those who had been abandoned.

Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket 1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975, thus becoming the first new Irish saint in almost seven hundred years.

The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the executions of at least 22 men and precipitated the Exclusion Bill Crisis. During this tumultuous period, Oates weaved an intricate web of accusations, fueling public fears and paranoia. However, as time went on, the lack of substantial evidence and inconsistencies in Oates’s testimony began to unravel the plot. Eventually, Oates himself was arrested and convicted for perjury, exposing the fabricated nature of the conspiracy.

DERMOT O’HURLEY AVENUE

August 31, 2023 by infomatique

STELLA GARDENS IN IRISHTOWN

Blessed Dermot O’ Hurley was an archbishop who was tortured and martyred in 1584 AD at the age of 54 years. He was born to a wealthy family in Ballyneety, County Limerick and spent time in Belgium and France studying. He received a doctorate in law and began teaching in a university for some years. In 1581 Dermot, while still only a layman was appointed by Pope Gregory XIII to be the archbishop of Cashel. He was immediately ordained and consecrated, then returned to Ireland. He managed to get smuggled into the country under an alias and stayed with Catholic families keeping his identity a secret. However he was soon betrayed and handed over to the authorities. Dermot was captured at Carrick-on-Suir and was imprisoned. He adamantly refused to take the Oath of Supremacy or to reveal the whereabouts of other clergy. His torturers, among other atrocious acts put his his feet in a stocks and burned them over a slow fire. Despite his immense sufferings Bishop Dermot remained steadfast and refused to renounce his faith. On 20 June 1584 he was hanged on Hoggen Green, outside the walls of Dublin. His grave is located at St. Kevin’s Church, Camden Row, Dublin

VICTORIA TERRACE FEATURES A MEMORIAL TO DOCTOR WILLIAM ASHFORD

August 31, 2023 by infomatique

IRISHTOWN

William Ashford, who for many years was an apothecary and general practitioner at Ballsbridge, and died at his residence, No. 1 Serpentine Avenue, on 15th July, 1892, in his 80th year. A pillar memorial to him was erected at Irishtown in 1893, commemoration of his services for half a century to the poor of the parish.

His grandfather was William Ashford [1746-1824] the well known English landscape painter who worked exclusively in Ireland.

The memorial is a simple pillar made of limestone. It is about 10 feet tall and has a plaque on the front that reads:

IN MEMORY OF

DR WILLIAM ASHFORD

APOTHECARY AND GENERAL PRACTITIONER

WHO DIED 15TH JULY 1892

IN HIS 80TH YEAR

THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY THE POOR OF THE PARISH

IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF HIS BENEVOLENCE AND KINDNESS

LANEWAY CONNECTING ROSARY TERRACE TO IRISHTOWN ROAD

August 31, 2023 by infomatique

STELLA GARDENS IN RINGSEND

Rosary Terrace is in an area known as Stella Gardens in Ringsend. Stella Gardens was part of a major house-building campaign initiated in Irishtown and Ringsend by the nationalist councillor Charles O’Neill in the early 20th century. It is claimed by some locals that O’Neill named the development after his daughter Stella.

Margaret Keogh was born in Dublin in 1900, she was the second eldest of 10 children born to Margaret and Michael Keogh who lived at Number 20, Stella Gardens. On July 8 1921, after two-and-a-half years of conflict, the British Army and the IRA agreed a ceasefire that would end the War of Independence. On the eve of the Truce, the Black and Tans launched raids on suspected IRA safe-houses in Irishtown. During these raids Margaret Keogh was fatally wounded by a gunshot wound in mysterious circumstances. She was immediately taken to Patrick Dunn’s Hospital for emergency medical treatment but she died two days later.

There is a memorial plaque which was unveiled at Fitzwilliam Quay by Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland on 11th July, 2021, having been proposed by a group of local residents.