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Properties Past

@propertiespast

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A peek into the history of the homes currently for sale in Ireland. (And occasional insights from the breadcrumbs I find along the way).
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3 Victoria Villas, Clontarf, Dublin 3. €725,000. 3 Beds. 2 Baths. 125sqm. Maud Corry was living in Victoria Villas when she got the news her husband, Alexander Corry, had been killed by a torpedo. Alexander Corry was born in 1868 in Belfast to Hugh Corry and Ellen Kirkpatrick. He was one of at least five children. His mother died of TB when he was 13. In 1906 he married Matilda ‘Maud’ Macarthur - eldest daughter of a doctor from Co.Down. The couple had two daughters in Belfast, before moving to Dublin c.1912. Alexander was a marine engineer. In 1913 he joined Arthur Guinness & Co. and worked on their cross-channel ships. These ships carried wooden casks filled with Guinness from Dublin port to Manchester and Liverpool. By 1914 the Guinness St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin was the largest in the world. Things changed drastically on the outbreak of WW1. Barley growing was restricted by the government, who required the land to grow other foodstuff. There were also restrictions on the amount they could produce, which affected the strength of the stout. In 1917 Alexander was the first engineer on the SS W.M Barkley. It had a crew of 13, including a gunner who operated a gun mounted on deck. At 7pm, whilst en route from Dublin to Liverpool with a cargo of stout, the ship was hit by a torpedo fired from a German submarine. It broke in half almost immediately. Five people were killed, and, according to one survivor’s account, it was the Guinness that saved the rest. Thomas McGlue was making tea when the ship was stuck. “The Barkley was doing her best to go down, but the barrels were fighting their way up through the hatches and that kept us afloat a bit longer - in fact, it’s the reason any of us got out of her.” - Harp magazine 1964. Alexander’s body was lost at sea. Maud died in 1949. 1. Front of property 2. Living room 3. Alexander & Maud 1910 4. St James’s Gate brewery c.1910 5 & 6. Rigging plan for the Barkley 1899 7. Northern Wig 1917 8. Map of area 1757 9. Map of area c.1829-41 10. Map of area c.1897-1913 taken in Clontarf, Dublin by @propertiespast
17
3 years ago
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Fernmount, Cabra Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7. €1,150,000. 5 Beds. 2 Baths. 263sqm Once the home of Emily Walker, Fernmount has a connection to one of the most notorious landowners in Ireland: Sarah Kelly. Emily grew up in Kiltoom House, Roscommon, with her parents Thomas and Mary Strevens—a house Thomas inherited from his aunt, Sarah. Sarah was born in Kent, England c.1801, the daughter of an innkeeper. At 15, Anglo-Irishman Joshua Meredith abducted her and fled to Dublin. She gave birth to a son, but Meredith abandoned them, leaving her destitute. Their son likely died in infancy. To survive, she turned to prostitution. In 1828, Sarah married Edmund Kelly, an extremely wealthy lawyer and landowner from Kiltoom. In 1838, Sarah visited her sister in Kent and brought her nephew Thomas Strevens, then 19, to manage an estate. She later invited his brother George, who also took on estate duties. Edmund died in 1845, leaving Sarah over 2,000 acres—including the Ballinderry and Kiltoom estates. Her wealth equaled over €2 billion today. She took on Christopher Campion as her attorney, who settled down in her house, devoting himself to her. As a landlord, Sarah was harsh, known for evictions and crop seizures during the Great Famine. She was hated among her tenants. In 1848, Sarah’s first will left Kiltoom to Thomas and Ballinderry to George. Over time, she accused George of mismanaging funds and grew distant from him. Campion, her attorney, encouraged this estrangement and persuaded Sarah to reduce George’s inheritance. By the 1854 will, George’s share was significantly reduced, while Campion gained a life interest in Ballinderry and was freed from debts owed to her. On April 8, 1856, Sarah was inspecting work on her Ballinderry estate with George when she was ambushed by two men disguised as women. They shot her, killing her instantly. Despite rewards being offered, no one came forward, and the case went cold. Campion later accused George of conspiring in her murder, though there was suspicion against Campion himself. In 1977, a man revealed his grandfather and another tenant were the murderers. They were motivated by Sarah’s threats to evict them. taken in Phibsborough, Dublin by @propertiespast
18
2 years ago
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Selection of photographs of people and places in Dublin, by Evelyn Hofer. 1965-1966 taken in Dublin, Ireland by @propertiespast
21
3 months ago
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The National Museum of Ireland Kildare Street, Dublin 1886 taken in National Museum of Ireland by @propertiespast
0
4 months ago
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House call! Do you own a period house and want to know who lived there 100 years ago? If you don’t mind me posting it on my page, send me your house details. > Address: I need the address, but I will only post the street name, not the house number. > Photos: I need a picture of the front of the house, and if you feel extra generous, one picture of the interior that includes an original period feature. > Content Style: The content will be similar to what I usually post. I won’t be providing any documents or additional materials. > Disclaimer: Don’t ask if you don’t want to hear any horror stories—if I find one, I’ll include it! taken in Ireland (country) by @propertiespast
11
7 months ago
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8 Geraldine Street, Phibsborough, Dublin 7. €725,000. 2 Beds. 2 Baths. 105sqm. In November 1916, 21-year-old Marie Rochford filed a claim for compensation against the Crown — ten shillings and sixpence for a woollen sports coat destroyed during the Easter Rising. Marie was working as a shop assistant at the time. The coat had been inside Lipton’s on Dame Street, which was taken over by the military. Back then, a woollen sports coat was precious. Marie was born at No. 8, as were most of her ten siblings. Her father, Thomas Rochford, was a Linotype operator — a typesetting machine that created entire lines of metal type for printing. Thomas would type on a keyboard, and the machine would assemble the letters into a line, which was then cast in molten metal using a lead-based alloy. By 15, Marie was already working, she was an apprentice dressmaker. She married William Tisdall, a clerk from Drumcondra. They had at least one child. Work was hard to come by for William, and in 1949 he wrote to the newspaper “The Catholic Standard”, “I am unemployed for over three years and have been unable to obtain work. I have been refused unemployment benefit, and am dependent on my wife’s wages for my very existence. Though I have applied for a labourer’s cottage, I have not received a reply.” William was admitted to Grangegorman Mental hospital, where he died of an heart atrack, aged 53. Marie died later the same year. 1. Front of property 2. Front room 3. Dining/kitchen 4. Bathroom 5. Thomas Rochford 6. Marie Birth Cert 7. Family photo 8. Claim documents 9. Claim documents 10. Phibsborough c.1914 taken in Phibsborough, Dublin by @propertiespast
16
a year ago
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19 Northbrook Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. 7 Beds. 3 Baths. 390 sqm. €2,750,000. This was once the home of Sarah Biggs, wife of Richard Biggs—the driver in the accident that made Mary Ward the first recorded motor car fatality in the world. Mary was born in Co. Offaly in 1827. While her brother received a formal education, she was taught at home by a governess. From the age of three, she collected butterflies and used her father’s magnifying glass to draw them in detail. As a teenager, she made her own specimen slides from slivers of ivory—glass was scarce. British scientist David Brewster commissioned her to prepare microscope specimens and used her illustrations in his publications. Mary wrote three books—an uncommon achievement for a Victorian woman. In 1854, she married Captain Henry Ward of Castle Ward, Co. Down. They had eight children, and household duties were entirely hers. With her husband having no regular income, they moved frequently. She wrote and illustrated books to support the family, working around domestic duties. She was also an amateur astronomer and cousin of William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, who built the Leviathan of Parsonstown—the world’s largest telescope from 1845 to 1917. She sketched each stage of its construction. On August 31, 1869, William Parsons’ sons, Richard and Charles, built a steam-powered car capable of four miles per hour. Richard Biggs, a 22-year-old Englishman who had founded a school in Birr under the Earl’s patronage, was driving. Aboard were the Parsons brothers, Mary Ward, and her husband. As the car rounded a bend near St. Brendan’s Church in Birr, Mary was thrown from her seat and fell under its wheel. A doctor arrived within minutes: “She was merely breathing… her neck was broken, jawbone fractured, and she bled from the ears.” She died almost instantly. At the inquest, the jury ruled her death an accident. Biggs became the new Headmaster of Portora Royal School, which educated Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett. He introduced educational reforms, including advocating for separate pass and honors exam papers. In 1904, his canoe was found floating upside down in Lough Erne, near Portora. He had drowned. taken in Ranelagh by @propertiespast
8
2 years ago
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This arch on Fishamble Street once led to Neal’s Musick Hall, where, in 1742, Handel first performed Messiah. The hall was purpose-built by The Charitable and Musical Society, a group previously known as the Bull’s Head Musical Society (a better name if you ask me). They were a group of music lovers who met regularly at the Bull’s Head Tavern, also on Fishamble Street. The group raised funds for charitable causes, like debt relief for prisoners. John Neal, an instrument maker and music publisher, was president. His son, William Neal, was secretary and treasurer. In October 1741, the hall opened, becoming the largest and most modern concert venue in Ireland. In November 1741, Handel traveled to Dublin from London. He rented a house on the corner of Abbey and Liffey Street. The following April, the world premiere of Messiah took place at the hall. Over 700 people attended. To make space, women were asked to leave their skirt hoops at home, and men were asked to forgo their swords. Two more performances were held. Traffic got so chaotic that organizers requested attendees to arrange their carriages and sedan chairs to approach the hall from the Liffey to prevent blockages. The hall was repurposed as a theatre in 1777 and called the ‘Fishamble Street Theatre’. The theatre closed in 1867 and was bought by Keenan & Sons the following year. Over time, most of the original building was demolished. By 1912, only the entrance gate remained. 1. Neal’s Musick Hall 2. Remaining arch 3. Map of area 1756 4. Herald 1921 5. Engraving of Dublin view by J.Tudor 18th century 6. Sackville Street and Gardiner’s Mall c.1750 J.Tudor 7. George Frederic Handel 8. Messiah printed 1742 9. Plaque on Fishamble street taken in Dublin, Ireland by @propertiespast
2
2 years ago
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12 Florence Street, Portobello, Dublin 8. €915,000. 3 Beds. 1 Bath. 96.1sqm. Leo was only five years old when his mother, Mary, passed away from throat cancer. She was 35. He was born in 1901 in Dublin, to bricklayer Patrick O’Flaherty and American born Mary Gandon. His sister, Amelia, was born a year later. After Mary’s death, the family moved to the Iveagh Trust buildings on Bride Street—a place founded by Edward Guinness to improve living conditions for the working poor in Dublin. Two years after his wife’s death Patrick remarried, and 8-year-old Leo was sent, alone, to stay in the South Dublin Poor Law Union—known locally as “The Spike”—for four months. The Union was a place where the destitute could seek aid, but it was by no means a safe place. Unions were designed to discourage reliance on state aid by making conditions deliberately harsh. The inmates were segregated according to age and sex, and those who were able-bodied were expected to work in the workhouse—which was in the centre of every union. Children had three hours of education a day. Marked by its imposing brown gate, high grey walls, and iron-barred windows, the union was feared within the community. Tales circulated of being pulled in through the gate and given the “blue pill of death.” Kids would sneak into the morgue to see the “stiffs”—a dozen or so bodies laid out on slabs, with pennies on their eyes and flies crawling all over them. After the workhouse, Leo was reunited with his family when they all moved into no.12 Florence Street together. They shared with three other boarders. Leo worked as a labourer, never married, and died of TB at just 37. He died in Grangegorman Mental Hospital, where he was an inmate. It is not clear why exactly Leo was admitted to the mental institution: records are unavailable to the public, accessible only to family members. Patrick died in no.12 in 1944. 1. Front of property 2. Hall 3. Living room 4. Bedroom 5. Workhouse on map c.1897-1913 6. Workhouse admission 1909 7. Census 1911 8. Leo death cert. 9. Map of area c.1829-42 taken in Portobello, Dublin by @propertiespast
11
2 years ago
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22 Marino Crescent, Clontarf, Dublin 3. €875,000. 5 Beds. 2 Baths. 186sqm. It was on this very crescent that Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, sat in his bed as a child listening to his mother’s horror stories of death and disease from the cholera epidemic. She was a talented storyteller, and had a profound effect on him. Bram was born at no.15 in 1847. He was bedridden with a mysterious illness until the age of 7. No.22 is one of twenty-five houses built in 1792 by Quaker, Charles Ffolliott—a painter and building contractor from Aungier Street. After a conflict, he built the crescent to spite the Earl of Charlemont, hiding his view of the bay from Marino House. It became known locally as Spite Crescent. In retaliation, Charlemont tried to hinder Fflolliott’s work on the crescent by increasing tolls, to prevent building materials from reaching the site. Fffolliott got around this by having his supplies delivered by barge across Dublin bay. During the construction, numerous human remains were unearthed, believed to be the bones of those who perished in the Battle of Clontarf. In 1902, no.22 was home to the O’Dowds. Michael and Margaret, and their seven children. Margaret had lived in no.11, with her parents. Her father worked in the GPO, as did Michael, which is perhaps how they met. Michael was an overseer in the telephone dept. Between 1913 and 1930, TB would kill six of their children, and Margaret herself—who died a month before one of her sons. Their youngest, Marjorie had travelled to LA in 1927, but by 1930 she too had succumbed to the disease. 1. Front of property 2. Living room 3. Bram as a child 4. Bram’s mother 5. Marino House 1853 6. Map c.1829-1843 7. Battle of Clontarf, created 1826 8. GPO c.1900 9. Marjorie birth 1904 10. Marjorie death 1930 taken in Clontarf, Dublin by @propertiespast
22
2 years ago
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Coolbeg, 14 Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. €12,500,000. 5 Beds. 4 Baths. 553sqm. Coolbeg was once the home of Thomas Montgomery, brother of James Montgomery—the first Irish film censor, who said in his acceptance speech “I don’t know much about films, but I know my Ten Commandments”. Ironically, years later, Nicole Kidman was shot in front of the neighbour’s house — when her character Shannon in the 1992 film Far and Away was caught fleeing with her lover, played by Tom Cruise, on Shrewsbury Road. John Whelan, Thomas’s father in-law originally lived in the house. A self-made man, he was listed as a waiter at the birth of his son in 1867. He went on to own a hotel called “The Star & Garter” on D’Olier Street, as well as the renowned “Red Bank” restaurant. John died in 1919, leaving the house to his daughter Katherine and her husband Thomas—who were living there at the time. Thomas was a well-known solicitor, and worked as the solicitor for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress. He also took on the roles of chairman and director at the Red Bank Restaurant. He died in the house in 1940, aged 67. 1. Front of property 2. Reception room 3. Dining room 4. Star & Garter 1892 5. D’Olier Street 1880 6. Thomas Montgomery 7. Eucharistic Congress 1932 Phoenix Park 8. Eucharistic Congress closing ceremony 9. James Montgomery 10. Far and Away 1992 taken in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 by @propertiespast
9
2 years ago
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The Peak, Uplands Road, Glenalua Road, Killiney, Co. Dublin. €1,750,000. 5 Beds. 2 Baths. 309 sqm. This was once the home of writer and adventurer Marion Mulhall and her famous statistician husband, Michael. Marion grew up in a time when few women ventured beyond traditional roles, yet she defied expectations—travelling through the dense forests of the Amazon, encountering indigenous tribes, and journeying 600 miles in a canoe. She was also the first woman granted papal permission to conduct research in the Vatican Library. Marion wrote several books, historical essays, and documented the land and lives of Irish immigrants in South America. Born in Balbriggan in 1847, Marion married Michael Mulhall in 1868, a statistician and journalist ten years her senior. Michael was known for founding The Standard, the first English-speaking newspaper in South America. Michael, the son of a prosperous Dublin family, had originally begun studies to become a priest but later changed his mind. In 1858, he moved to Argentina, where he initially pursued agriculture and teaching before founding The Standard in 1861. After a short honeymoon in Killarney, Michael’s career took them to Buenos Aires. In early 1871, Michael and Marion survived the yellow fever plague that devastated Buenos Aires. In 1885, after 17 years of marriage, Marion gave birth to a baby, Michael Oliver, named after his father and St. Oliver Plunkett. Sadly, the baby died after only a few months. In 1894, Michael stepped down from The Standard. The couple then returned to Europe, living between Dublin, London, and Rome, as Michael was appointed chamberlain to the pope in 1896. Michael died in 1900 at The Peak from a malignant abdominal tumour. Following his death, Marion remained active, writing about explorers, ancient civilizations, and Irish heritage abroad. She died in 1922 in Surbiton, England. 1. Front of property 2. Living room 3. Dining room 4. Marion 5. Michael 6. Engraving 7. Engraving 8. Marion’s ‘Between the Amazon and the Andes’ 9. Michael’s ‘Dictionary of Statistics’ 10. Michael death certificate taken in Killiney by @propertiespast
7
2 years ago
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