Book: “Enniskerry – A History”

Link to Book Publisher Website (The History Press Ireland)

This book charts the development of the village of Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, from 1760 until the 1901 Census using archival data from a range of sources. Cartographic and topographic images give a valuable insight into the early development of the village, from Rocque’s map of Powerscourt in 1760 showing a small settlement clustered by the river through to maps produced by private contractors and ultimately the Ordnance Survey project of the 19th Century. Estate maps from Powerscourt Papers give insight into the local developments and land use over the period. Topographic images, from the early artists commissioned by local landlords through to the images developed for the boom in tourist handbooks complement the data from maps. Census information from the 1820s through to 1901 provide information on the movement of people through the parish throughout the 19th century, and the effect of the Famine on the parish of Powerscourt.

Several themes are explored in the context of the above geographical data. Enniskerry was home to schools, churches, a Courthouse, and a fever hospital at various stages of the 19th Century and its society was dominated by the presence of the Powerscourt Estate. Education and religion – dominant forces in 19th Century Ireland – are explored in detail using House of Commons Parliamentary Reports and the records of the Board of Education, which established the National School system in 1831. Religious demographics, and divisions between two faiths in the Parish are discussed in the context of the local clergymen, the politics of education and in the context of national politics at the time. The history of the Glencree Reformatory and its inmates, isolated at the edge of the Parish, is outlined.  The lives of ordinary people – health, employment and the impact of the Famine are presented.

The book is available from April 2011. This website is the author’s personal website, and is for providing information prior to publication as well as being a location for comments and information exchange post-publication.

Michael Seery

One thought on “Book: “Enniskerry – A History”

  1. Hi Michael,

    Myself and my husband have taken over The Old Forge Inn (nancy murphys) and we were looking for any history on the building that we can get, would I find any information in your book?

    Many thanks.

    Alison Buckley

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