Fr Thomas O’Dwyer & his church at Enniskerry-Back in 2019 I published a booklet on the history of Enniskerry church. I forgot to add it to the website – so here it is to download. Hope you enjoy it! Fr Thomas ODywer and his Church at Enniskerry Book Michael
Powerscourt Parochial Records-The website of Jenny Self, familiar to many viewers of this site, seems to have disappeared. It was a treasure trove as it documented her hard work in transcribing several parish records. While we hope it returns, in the interest of those who used it regularly, I have posted the Powerscourt records from that website […]
Remembering Patsy Sheehan-Patsy Sheehan was from Monastery, Enniskerry. She worked at the Wayside Cafe for Mrs Windsor for many years. Patsy was fostered from St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home with Frances Patterson at an early age by Bride Rafferty and they lived at 3 Shamrock Cottage in Monastery, Enniskerry. Patsy passed away on 15 July 2014 aged 81, […]
An Irish composer and World War I-The current commemoration of the First World War brings the composers of the time and music that was inspired by the war into focus. When the war started the Irish composer Ina Boyle (1889-1967) was 25 years of age. Some of the works that she composed between 1914 and 1918 reflect the influence of events […]
Unveiling of Bray War Memorial by Lord Powerscourt, 1923-One of the first war memorials in the Free State was unveiled in 1923 by Lord Powerscourt at Bray. The memorial—a Celtic cross made from Tullamore limestone on a plinth of Wicklow granite—was designed by Sir Thomas Manley Deane and constructed by architectural sculptors Charles Harrison and Sons of Great Brunswick St. It lists the […]
George Telford, Enniskerry Merchant-In 1892, London’s Commercial Gazette reported an agreement reached by George Telford & Son, an Enniskerry grocer and general merchant to pay Andrew Byrne of Quinsborough Road, Bray, also a merchant. Evidently he had fallen behind in his bills. But who was George Telford? The 1901 Census lists George Telford, then aged 66, as a retired grocer […]
Sale of Contents at Sea View (Kilgarron House) July 1877-This large advertisement was place in the Irish Times, July 1877. It details an auction taking place at Sea View (now Kilgarron House) owing to the fact that George Posnett, Esq was moving to a new residence. It’s interesting to note that among the large variety of furniture and other wares, there was a pretty […]
Larry’s Apprenticeship: An Enniskerry story from 1872- With thanks to Úna Wogan, who found this in the County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser – a Welsh newspaper – from 21 Dec 1872. Úna says that she “found the index to the authors that contributed to the annual and “Larry’s Apprenticeship” was written by Isabella Banks or her pen name, Mrs G Linnaeus Banks. Although it’s a piece of […]
Reverse the Closure of Wicklow County Library Local Studies Section-It has been announced that Wicklow County Council have decided to close the Local Studies section in Ballywaltrim Library, Bray due to staff shortages from next Monday June 30th. This is a severely short-sighted decision. As anyone who has visited the Local Studies section will know, this is an extremely valuable resource. The Local Studies […]
Buckley’s Jaunting Car Between Enniskerry and Dublin-The Jaunting Car was described by the Dublin Penny Journal in 1832: This is, properly, an Irish machine. The JAUNTING CAR is almost peculiar to our island. A Scotchman or an English- man on first landing at Dublin or at Kingstown is struck with this peculiarity; but they soon learn to relish so agreeable and handsome […]
“Enniskerry” compilation is now free on Google Books-Last year “Enniskerry: Archives, Notes, & Stories from the Village” was published. The book was a compilation of articles from the website and other journal articles. It’s almost sold out of the second run, and as there won’t be another print run, I’ve put the entire book up on Google books. You can view it […]
Powerscourt Tenant Names from 1840s-Declarations of tenant loyalty were common in the nineteenth century. These would usually be issued on the marriage of the landlord, the birth of a child (especially an heir) or some other significant life event. A declaration by tenants to Lady Powerscourt surfaced recently, and while declarations are not unusual, this one is particularly interesting […]
Talk at Enniskerry History Society Thurs 13th March-I’ll be talking at Enniskerry History Society on Thursday 13th March on the topic of my new book. It will detail some of the work I’ve being doing on schools in Wicklow that were developed prior to the development of the National School system in 1831, and in particular the considerable local efforts to build schools […]
Whites of Parknasillogue in the 1930’s-Call for any information on Whites of Parknasillogue in the 1930’s. They may have lived in Parknasilla House. If you have any knowledge of this family, do let us know in the comments.
Education in Wicklow: Forthcoming Talk at Greystones, 20 Feb-On Thursday 20th February 2014, I am very honoured to be giving a talk at Greystones Archaeological and History Society. The talk title is: Education in Wicklow: From Parish Schools to National Schools. It will detail some of the work I’ve being doing over the last year on schools in Wicklow that were developed prior […]
Oldest Photo of Enniskerry?-Is this the oldest photo of Enniskerry? Iron bridge at Bog Meadow, little sign of St Patrick’s Church on the hill, and no dome on the Town clock (which was added in 1860). For comparison, a later view is below it. Thanks to Nivrum as always.
Tenants on the Powerscourt Estate, 1816-A map exists of the Powerscourt Estate from 1816. The names of the tenants accompanies the map. These are listed below. This is a first run of the analysis – it doesn’t distinguish very large tenancies from single plot holdings, but may be of use to those wishing to search family names. They are listed […]
Irish History Books for Christmas 2013-If there’s a history lover in your family, some fantastic books have been published over the last year on various topics in Irish history. Some of my favourites are below. Santa, if you are looking… Just published is Garret Fitzgerald’s “Irish primary education in the early nineteenth century“, which is in fact more than this […]
50th Anniversary and 3rd Birthday-December 2013 marks the 3rd anniversary of this website and to celebrate, I have a treat. 2013 is the 50th anniversary of Canon Stokes’ wonderful lecture “The Parish of Powerscourt“. I have transcribed this lecture to make it available to a new audience. In addition, I have included further reading and notes on the material […]
Talk: Tales from a Country Churchyard-A must-see talk is coming up at Kilmacanogue History Society on Tuesday December 3rd. Judy Cameron has done an enormous amount of work documenting the lives of those buried at St Patrick’s Church, Enniskerry. She has previously created a graveyard tour, and if that is anything to go by, this talk is not to be […]
Enniskerry Historical Society Talk 10th October-Enniskerry Historical Society Talk by Brian White Communications, Wicklow links to the 8th Wonder of the World and also Enniskerry Past, that will include the timeline of the building of the R.C. Church in Enniskerry and Lord Powerscourt horse riding feats between Paris and Fontainbleau in France. Enniskerry links with aviation history. Powerscourt Arms Hotel: […]
Discovering Greystones and its Environs-From Rosemary Raughter, Greystones Archaeological & Historical Society The seventh volume of the Greystones Archaeological & Historical Society Journal, just available, takes the form of an anthology of the area, in words and images, from the late 18th to the mid-20th century. The pieces included are drawn from sources such as memoir, travel-writing, newspaper reports […]
Enniskerry Petty Sessions, Dec 1912-James Scannell writes about some law and order records from 1912. In 1913 the enforcement of law and order was very different to that of today. Society expected the police to enforce the law, no matter how trivial the offence, nobility and gentry excepted as this was still a class divided society where everyone was […]
Luggala, Fancy!-Soon after his coming of age in 1857, Mervyn, 7th Viscount Powerscourt began to add to his estate, and an acquisition of considerable size was a large parcel of land to the south of Powerscourt Waterfall consisting of Ballinastoe and Luggala. Powerscourt was interested in grazing lands and forestry, and these lands offered the opportunity to […]
Did you ever hear of Mooneystown in Glencree?-Chris Corlett writes about changing land ownership around Curtlestown. This article was originally posted on his website, where you can read more of his writing on a variety of topics relating to history and antiquities. A FEW YEARS AGO I came across an interesting story recorded in the Schools Manuscripts held in the National Folklore […]
Searching for Seven and Finding More-Thanks to Úna Wogan for finding this gem. A Boston College project has made available advertisements taken out by Irish immigrants looking for Irish people in America. The advertisements were placed in the Boston Pilot. Seven names from the Parish of Powerscourt appear. They are listed in the table below. You can broaden the search, […]
Enniskerry Victorian News-Enniskerry Victorian Festival runs again this year on Sept 15th, and details of the event are at the Festival homepage. A couple of years ago I made a newspaper highlighting some news that might have been reported during Victorian times. You can read it all about it, below. Enniskerry & Powerscourt Gazette | Sept 1861 […]
Holy Wells in the Parish of Powerscourt-Holy wells were used to celebrate saints, seek cures and give thanks. There were some 3,000 wells across the country. The Irish Folklore Commission (IFC) collected oral information from people about holy wells in the 1930s, and completed a survey of holy wells in 1934. Geraldine Lynch has summarised the results of this survey for […]
Visitors to our Village-The History of Irish Travel and Tourism project is looking for support from the Arthur Guinness Projects funds, and you can vote every day until close of polls this Friday. Below are some interesting nuggets from travel documentation that I have found, and the aim of the people behind this website is to make a […]
Ina Boyle-Dr Ita Beausang writes about Ina Boyle, formerly of Bushy Park, whose work features in the forthcoming Wicklow In Song event, 23rd August in support of Bray Cancer Support Centre and the Wicklow Hospice Foundation. Ina Boyle (1889-1967) was a prolific composer of vocal, choral, chamber and orchestral music, but her works are rarely performed […]
A search for my Enniskerry pedigree-Úna Wogan writes about her impressive work on researching her family history: The first rule of genealogy is to start with the living, gather the knowledge of the family from those that are still here. So this is what we knew; Michael Wogan, who we knew to be a boot maker, was featured as an […]
William Norman Rae: Asparagus at Onagh-At Curtlestown, there is a headstone that caught my eye: In Loving Memory of | WILLIAM JOHN NORMAN RAE | M.A. (Cantab) S.c.D (Dub) | Professor of Chemistry and Physics | Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland | Onagh, Enniskerry | died 18th Nov. 1964 Being a chemist myself, a Professor of Chemistry in our […]
Tinnehinch Labourers 1828-The following names of workers on the Tinnehinch estate of James Grattan, were taken from the Workmen’s accounts book, 1828 (NLI MS 5516). As with the Powerscourt workmen’s accounts, daily activities are listed, and a sample daily activity is shown here. Interesting that it is a different set of names to those found around the […]
A visit to Killruddery House-The website grandtour.ie gives plans for various types of driving tours in Wicklow and Kildare. The Great Houses tour includes the houses Killruddery, Powerscourt, Russborough, Castletown, and Carton. I have now visited four of the five, Carton so far elusive. They are an interesting combination as they represent different eras, different styles, and different ownership […]
Curtlestown Graveyard (St Patrick’s Church)-I have compiled all of the headstones that are currently in Curtlestown Graveyard (July 2013). Photos of each headstone are on the Flickr page, named by the surname on the headstone to allow for some primitive searching. Click here to access. Names are pasted below for text search. Update These headstones have been transcribed by […]
Enniskerry Field Names Project-Have you ever heard of Gill’s Gate Field, Rushey Field, or Churchtown Big Meadow? What about Rape Field, Fernyfield, or Bottoms? These are some of the names of fields in our locality, and I happen to know these ones because they are marked on maps of the Powerscourt and Charleville estates. But every field had […]
How we came to be-Everywhere we go, People always ask us, Who we are, And where we come from. A question often asked when you initiate a conversation about family history is: “how far back have you got?” Genealogy is a quest whose ultimate goal, it seems, is Adam and Eve. The Garden of Eden for Enniskerry and its […]
Things to do in Enniskerry in 1943-Ciara O’Brien of Wicklow County Library Services recently posted an article on the County Wicklow Heritage website about an Irish Tourist Association survey of towns and villages of Ireland, carried out in the 1940s. The surveys for Wicklow are held in Local Studies Section in Ballywaltrim, and Enniskerry was one of the villages surveyed, in May […]
“People of Enniskerry” Photograph Exhibition-Saturday 24th August 2013 Parochial Hall Enniskerry 2 – 5pm A small portion of the Enniskerry History Exhibition held in May included a collection of old family photographs that had been shared on the Enniskerry History web site. The photos were a great hit, with villagers recognising old neighbours, friends and family members. We are […]
Heritage Week Village Walking Tour-Date/Time: 21 August : 18:30 – 20:00 Admission: Free, but booking essential. Please contact: mkseery@gmail.com Event Description: Walking Tour of Enniskerry recounting its history, people, and important buildings. Event Organiser: Michael Seery Venue: Town Clock, Enniskerry, Enniskerry Village, Wicklow. Any Other Details: The walk involves narrow paths and is wheelchair inaccessible in parts. However, there are alternative routes available. More Heritage Week […]
In the driving seat-Something tells me they didn’t own this car… You can see all of the latest photos collected at the Gathering weekend at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61581709@N03/ Is this the same day? (Thanks to Dick Seery)
Mr and Mrs Reilly revisited-One of the first photos sent in to the website was this one of Mr and Mrs Reilly. All we knew was that it was possibly someone on the Powerscourt Estate, as it came from an old Wingfield album. Thanks to James Byrne, who called in last week to the Gathering Weekend, we now know […]
School Days-After an incredible 45 years in service, Kay Smithers retired in 1982. She taught at least two if not three generations of Enniskerry children. Her career began before the “new” school was built beside St Mary’s Church. Here is a photo of the teachers in Enniskerry National School at the time of her retirement (thanks […]
A Procession to the Town Clock-These two photos were part of the haul at the Gathering Weekend. The car registration ID 4735 suggests a Cavan car registered prior to 1958. Mr Corcoran, school teacher is at the front of the queue in the first image. Thanks to his son, Noel, for the images. Click on these thumbnails if you want […]
Wicklow Hills Bus Company-Several photographs of Enniskerry exist showing a fleet of buses outside the Powerscourt Arms Hotel. These belonged to the Wicklow Hills Bus Company, the penultimate independent bus company to operate between Dublin and Wicklow before nationalisation brought all buses under one of a handful of national companies in the 1930s. The only exception was St […]
Enniskerry History Exhibition-The history exhibition presented at the Gathering Weekend is now online! You can view it all by going to the History Exhibition page.
Moving East-My granny married a man from the village. I wonder how they met. Maybe they met at a local dance, or on the steps at the town clock. They probably went to the same school. It’s one of the many things I regret not asking her. She lived at Kilmalin, the eldest child in a […]
Petty Sessions at Enniskerry Courthouse-Úna Wogan writes about Enniskerry Courthouse and the genealogical resource hidden in its archives. [A PDF of this article is here]. A fascinating, often overlooked, source of information about the residents of Enniskerry and the surrounding areas, and the way of life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries can be found in the records […]
Powerscourt Church, ca 1905-Great photo from Michael Richardson of Powerscourt Church. Michael has done some detective work using the headstones and reckons this photo is about 1905, and certainly between 1901 and 1906. Using his new photo too, we can see that two of the trees are still there, but only a stump remains of the middle one. […]
Gathering our Genealogies: 2013 Journal Call for Submissions-Submissions are invited for articles to the 2013 Journal of Enniskerry and Powerscourt Local History. The theme this year is “Gathering our Genealogies“. The journal is a serial published in hard copy annually. Previous journal issues can be found on the journal page. It is hoped that this journal will allow people to showcase their […]
Enniskerry Map and Historical Walking Tour-A map and tour is available to download at the link below. If you have any amendments suggestions for future updates, let me know. https://www.enniskerryhistory.org/downloads/enniskerry-map-and-tour.pdf
The day the bus crashed into the Town Clock-Who remembers this? Apart from the obvious subject of the scene, I love how this picture shows how much the houses in the background have changed.
Hydroelectric dam at Knocksink-Just above Knocksink bridge, there is the remains of an old hydroelectric dam that was apparently used to power Powerscourt House. Some photos are below. The area is accessed by a pathway running along side the Parish House; once over an intimidating gravel bank, you are into a Sylvan scene. Hard to believe more isn’t […]
St Mary’s Church, Enniskerry-Thanks to Brian White, Local Historian extraordinaire for sending on this image of St Mary’s Church, Enniskerry, which looks like it was drawn to help the appeal for funds to build the new church in late 1858/early 1859. The image appeared in Battersby’s Catholic Directory, Almanac and Registry of the Whole Catholic World (now there’s […]
Website Photos/Discussion Board-Local Photos The Local Photos page was never satisfactory as it was difficult to explore, zoom in, or comment on the pictures with the former set-up. I have moved the photos to a Flickr page – you can see all of them and comment on them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61581709@N03 Over the next while, I hope to […]
Enniskerry History Exhibition 24 – 26 May-Planning is in full swing for the History Exhibition as part of Enniskerry’s Gathering Weekend, 24th to 26th May. Tell your neighbours and your grannies to bring their expertise on Sunday as well. We need them to help us identify people in old photographs and bring their own photos and memories too… More details as they […]
New Book: “Enniskerry: archives, notes & stories from the village”-I’m just putting the finishing touches to the new book which will be sent to printers soon. The details are below. There will be an initial print run of 100 copies, so if you would like to pre-order a copy, just complete this order form. The price is €17.50. For that, you get over 200 […]
Lewis Strange Wingfield RHA-Sometimes I come across people from the past that I would really would have liked to meet. Lewis Wingfield is one of them. He was the youngest brother of the 7th Viscount Powerscourt, Mervyn. Their father died in 1844, when Lewis was two and Mervyn eight, leaving the estate in Chancery for 10 years. Another […]
Enniskerry Carnegie Library-Enniskerry Library was built in 1911, after land was made available by Lord Powerscourt (8th Viscount). His father had made land available in the same plot thirty years before for a school, which can be seen in this photo. According to Brendan Grimes in his book on Carnegie Libraries, the application was made to the […]
Some unusual photographs of Enniskerry-Some more unusual images of Enniskerry have come our way in the last fortnight from contributor Nivrum. The first is a view from St Mary’s Church which shows clearly the old National School (where the library is now situated), the bridge over the river, the cottages at the bottom of Kilgarran Hill and St Patrick’s […]
Religious Demographics since 1742-In recent discussions about the 1926 Census, there was a consideration about whether the population of Protestants has declined since the foundation of the Free State. I thought it would be interesting to trace the proportion of the population in each religion across three centuries in our area. By looking at proportions, we don’t need […]
Landowners in Enniskerry, 1876-The following is a list of returns for Enniskerry in the report “Landowners in Ireland: Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards” published in 1876. The list is not comprehensive, as it is only informative if people who are resident on that land. For example, Benjamin Lee Guinness comes in as owning […]
A road that never was?-One of my favourite maps I have come across is one drawn to mark out an alternative route from the village to Kilmalin avoiding the steep incline of Kilgarran Hill. I have drawn a representation of this map, and while it lacks the elegance of the original, it does indicate how much information it contains. […]
10 Irish History Blogs for 2013-There are no shortage of Irish history blogs and the following are ones I check in on regularly or have recently discovered. They are well-researched, well-written and well-illustrated! Some recent posts are linked to give a flavour of their content. In no particular order (apart from No. 10…) Happy New Year! The Irish Aesthete: Robert […]
The Tooles of Ballyreagh: A townland in the 1850s-Ballyreagh is towards the south end of the parish of Powerscourt on the northern edges of Powerscourt Mountain. Driving today, as you pass the entrance to Crone wood heading towards Glencree, you immediately enter Ballyreagh – the road roughly divides the townland in two. Its northern boundary is marked by the Glencree river, along the […]
Report on the state of wine at Powerscourt (1853)-The following was logged in the Guardian minute books regarding the wines in the cellar at Powerscourt. This survey was carried out during the minority of Lord Powerscourt, when his mother (who remarried Lord Castlereagh) was one of the three Guardians of the Estate, which was managed by Captain Cranfield: Report on the State of […]
Volume 2 of Journal Now Online-Volume 2 of the Journal has been published. You can read all of it or individual contributions at the Journal page. It is possible to purchase a hard-copy of the Journal and an e-copy for your Kindle. Enjoy!
“The Big House” seeking your help-Big Mountain Productions (who produced ‘Genealogy Roadshow’ and ‘The Tenements’) have been commissioned to produce a four-part television series called ‘The Big House‘ for TV3. A living history experiment based in Strokestown House, Co. Roscommon, the series will also feature testimonials from former staff who worked in Big Houses all around Ireland. Unfortunately, as we […]
Enniskerry History Talk-Roundwood and District Historical and Folklore are hosting me giving a talk on Monday 26th November, 8.30pm. Details below and on their excellent website.
Powerscourt family and local notables, 1901-Here’s a high resolution version of the Powerscourt family portrait, taken in 1901. Lord Powerscourt, 7th Viscount, is seated in the centre, with his wife behind him and children behind him, including the future 8th Viscount, who had just come of age. The 7th Viscount died in 1904. There are several Enniskerry notables are in […]
Powerscourt National School in the 19th Century-Background It seems hard to imagine now, but in the early 1800s, there was no system of education in Ireland. The provision of education was chaotic, and relied on local support, support of Christian Societies, and the efforts of parents keen to educate their children. Successive governments of the time did little more than commission […]
The Leyland Link-This year’s Journal features local stories and people. The articles will be published online in advance and the compiled Journal will be available from September in paperback. This article is from Joe Walsh. How vital a good transport link is to an area, to a community. For us growing up in Kilternan in the 40’s […]
St Moling’s Well-Thanks to Maurice Dodd for this information on St. Moling’s Well. St Moling’s well is situated in the north west corner of what is now a golf course on the Powerscourt Estate, at Kilmolin, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. The townland of Kilmolin is named after the well. With the building of the golf course, the well opening […]
10,000 Hits-Last week the website passed a milestone, with 10,000 hits since its inception, and over 30,000 page-views. Thanks everyone for visiting and sharing your expertise (264 comments and lots of Shared History). Apart from the various website pages (of which Local Photos page is most popular) the most read articles so far were: Tragedies at […]
The Widow Dixon-This year’s Journal features local stories and people. The articles will be published online in advance and the compiled Journal will be available from September in paperback. This article is from Michael Seery Mrs Dixon’s Barn is part of Enniskerry lore. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the Roman Catholic community used the […]
Growing up in Enniskerry 1940 – 1966-This year’s Journal features local stories and people. The articles will be published online in advance and the compiled Journal will be available from September in paperback. This article is from Tommy Delaney. 1940 to 1944 The memory of first three and a half years of my life is of course a blur. However starting […]
The Reverend Ernest Hamilton Whelan-This year’s Journal features local stories and people. The articles will be published online in advance and the compiled Journal will be available from September in paperback. This article is from Judy Cameron. The Reverend Ernest Hamilton Whelan began his ministry in Enniskerry in 1876, just before Christmas. He joined Powerscourt parish, (Rector, Rev Henry […]
Enniskerry and the Olympic Games-Thanks to a user who posted this link over on Facebook: At the 1948 London Olympic Games, when the competition still awarded medals for music and other arts, ‘gentle Miss Ina Boyle’ narrowly missed out on a bronze medal. Ita Beausang traces the story of the composer from Enniskerry and her as yet unperformed work. […]
Enniskerry Memories-This year’s Journal features local stories and people. The articles will be published online in advance and the compiled Journal will be available from September in paperback. This article is from Úna Wogan, in conversation with her aunt, Angela Wogan O’Neill. I was born in Enniskerry in 1934. We lived at Church Hill House on […]
Memories of Glencot, Enniskerry-This year’s Journal features local stories and people. The articles will be published online in advance and the compiled Journal will be available from September in paperback. This article is from Denise Haddon. I first went to Enniskerry before I was born! My grandmother had brought her terminally-ill daughter from England to have one last […]
Enniskerry Clock Tower Romance-This year’s Journal features local stories and people. The articles will be published online in advance and the compiled Journal will be available from September in paperback. This first article is from Fr John Wall. CLOCK TOWER ROMANCE In the summer of 1932 two Belfast-born girls, Angela and Molly, had recently moved to Dublin. Their […]
Tinnehinch Road, ca. 1957.-This image was uploaded by a website user and has been identified over on FaceBook as being just outside the Powerscourt Gate, on the road towards Lover’s Leap/Tinnehinch Hill. One of the signs says “The Dargle” . Does this mean the Dargle was still an (accessible) tourist attraction in 1950s?
History of Ireland in 100 objects: Act of Union Blacklist-Local boy Hugh Howard (Bushy Park) features in this week’s Irish Times’ History of Ireland in 100 objects. He was rewarded with the job of Postmaster General in return for voting for the Act of Union in 1800. Howard’s elder brothers were the Earl of Wicklow (Shelton Abbey) and Viscount Wicklow. Howard’s daughter Theodosia would […]
Were your ancestors convicts?!-Another archival resource has just become available for tracing ancestors. Úna Wogan recounts what she found. The Latter Day Saints have just made available the Irish Prison Registers 1790 – 1924 (it may take a minute for page to load). It is possible to narrow the search using “Residence”, and so can be used to […]
Enniskerry ca 1971-Back to history after a brief hiatus with this fantastic postcard sent in by Nivrum. It’s of Enniskerry, ca 1971. Let’s get cracking to see what can be identified. What is most striking to me is Church Hill—it’s just fields! Click on the image to get a full size version…
Wicklow Cinema Memories?-Planet Korda Pictures are currently producing a documentary for RTÉ on cinema-going in Ireland called ‘See You at the pictures!’. We’re looking for people of any age, from all over Ireland, to send us their stories / anecdotes of going to the pictures. We would love it if you had any information you could share […]
Enniskerry at the Movies – 1926-Here is an incredible find. It is film released in 1926 called “Irish Destiny” which features Enniskerry as one of its locations. Can you help with other locations (details below)? Thanks to contributor Nivrum for sending this on. The film, according to the source website: is a 1926 film made in Ireland, directed by […]
Licensed Premises 1890-The return of licensed premises in Enniskerry in 1890 is listed below. I’ve shown some other villages from Wicklow (Blessington, Newtown Mount Kennedy, Carnew, Rathdrum and Bray), including some of similar size and geography for comparison. It looks like we were a sober bunch. There’s evidence from earlier in the century of a resistance to […]
War of Independence at Enniskerry-I don’t often stray into the 20th century here, but thanks to Judy Cameron for prompting this information, gleaned from some newspapers. They are some transcripts I found from May 1921. The Barracks was attacked on 28th May, resulting in the RIC moving temporarily into the Parochial Hall. Two articles reporting the attack are given […]
Early Tourists to Powerscourt Waterfall-260 years ago, Bishop Pococke wrote about his visit to Powerscourt in 1752 which was part of his travels around Ireland: Powers Court, belonging to Lord Powerscourt… In the Park two miles from the House, is the famous fall of Water, which is a cascade that falls in one spout without breaks… the high ground […]
A Letter to Henry Grattan: The life of labourers in 1796-I was quite excited to come across this letter written in 1796 by Rev Michael Sandys to Henry Grattan, who lived at Tinnehinch. Sandys was rector of the Parish of Powerscourt until about 1813. He wrote this letter in an attempt to highlight to Henry Grattan how the income of “an honest, sober, industrious labourer” […]
Share your memories of Enniskerry this Summer-Have you memories of Enniskerry? This summer, the Journal of Enniskerry and Powerscourt Local History will publish a special issue containing memories and stories of people from the neighbourhood in times gone by. Do you or your relatives have any stories you would like to share? This is an opportunity to document them in written […]
Hall of the Ancient Order of Hibernians-What can you tell us about this building in Enniskerry? I know very little about it: This photo is from the Buildings of Ireland website.
Touring The Scalp, Enniskerry, and Powerscourt – by Poem-Of the dozens (hundreds?) of travel narratives about touring in Wicklow and Ireland from the 19th century, here is a more unusual one from Major Cosby, who in 1835, published his tour of Wicklow in the form of a poem. A extract for our locality is below: THE SCALP, ENNISKERRY, AND POWERSCOURT. The Scalp we […]
Enniskerry History Brochure-Here is a short brochure covering some of the more important aspects of Enniskerry’s history, front side and back. Click to download a PDF version. The image is used courtesy of the National Library of Ireland’s Lawrence Collection (No. 489).
Invitation to Book Launch: “A Glimpse of Empire”-See invitation below extended to all interested – looks like a fascinating book and exhibition: Powerscourt Estate is delighted to welcome Jessica Douglas Home to launch her book ‘A Glimpse of Empire’ at Powerscourt House. The book depicts Lilah Wingfield’s visit to India for the December 1911 Royal Durbar, where the new King, George V, […]
Bulletin No. 2-Monthly round-up for February: Websites: “Bray – Did You Know” ran a feature last weekend on Enniskerry with some nice photos and information. This site on Workhouses is very comprehensive and includes page on workhouses in Ireland in general, as well as the two Workhouses relevant to Wicklow – Rathdown and Rathdrum. South Dublin Libraries […]
Dining at Tinnehinch Inn, 1781-There is nothing nicer than getting a good meal served up after a good walk in the Spring sunshine that we enjoyed today. Spare a thought then for poor Edward Lloyd, who recounted the tale of his dinner at the inn at Tinnehinch in 1781: We had given orders for a dinner at Tina-Hinch, and […]
Enniskerry 1815-The following paragraph appears in The Irish Tourist, by A. Atkinson, published in 1815. A little below Powerscourt is the village of Enniskerry, which stands in a comparatively low position, and is composed of about twenty houses. Though unprovided with fair, market, or post-office, it has a pretty extensive inn, where gentlemen who come to […]
Taylor and Skinner Map of Ireland 1777-George Taylor and Andrew Skinner obtained funding to complete a map of Ireland and raised £2000 from Ireland’s landed gentry. They produced their map, surveyed in 1777 was a great aid to travellers, who would have had to previously rely on County maps. A portion of the page for the “Road from Dublin to Powerscourt […]
Bulletin No. 1-Some relevant things of note from the world of history from the last month: Websites: The National Archives of Ireland is redesigning its website, including a new improved search function. The National Library of Ireland continues its daily upload of pictures from its archives onto Flickr. Here is a nice one taken from the terraces […]
List of those with burial rights in Powerscourt-When the new church at Powerscourt gates was built, Mervyn, 7th Viscount, “requested Mr William Buckley, the then innkeeper of the Powerscourt Arms Hotel Enniskerry, who was then churchwarden, to furnish me with a list of the parishioners…[so that] the burials in the old churchyard are restricted to those families who had rights prior to […]
Planning for Journal Issue 2-The 2nd issue of the journal is planned for this summer. This year I am thinking of having a theme based around local memories—be they photographs, anecodotes or stories of growing up in Enniskerry. So hear ye, hear ye! Calling on anybody who would like to contribute. Contributions can be short or long, and take […]
Who’s Who? Enniskerry 1895-After the fire at the Powerscourt Arms Hotel in 1894, a subscription system was set up to assist the owners rebuild the hotel. The Freeman’s Journal, 9th January, 1895, listed all subscribers who had donated (Thanks to Úna Wogan & Roger Sutton). What do we know about any of these people on the list? Burning […]
Becoming Viscount Powerscourt-The Lords Powerscourt were also Viscounts—above Baron but below Earl in ranking. The first Lord Powerscourt, Richard Wingfield, was ennobled in 1618 and became 1st Viscount Powerscourt. His citation mentioned that he was a beloved and faithful soldier of Elizabeth I, who had made him Marshal of Ireland in 1600. Richard was involved in the […]
That was the year that was…-The website is now a year old and in the year Dec 2010—2011: there were 5,541 visitors making 20,012 page views visits from 64 countries including Ireland (1), UK (2), US (3), Canada (4), Australia (5) and Brazil (6) the most popular pages were Local Photos (1); About (2); Petty Session Project (3); Share your […]
Exploring Local History (PRONI/OUI)-A series of lectures from the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland and the Open University Ireland are being made available on YouTube. Lecture 1 (“What is Irish Local History?“) is embedded below, and Lecture 2 (“Poverty“) has just been made available on the PRONI YouTube channel – it looks like a series worth following: […]
New Road 1849-Here’s a note in the Powerscourt Guardian Minute books (#381) which indicates that the Forge Road was built in Summer 1849. The new road from the corner of the Free houses on the Kilgarran Road to the Police Barracks in Enniskerry has been for some months completed and the agent now produces a letter from […]
You’re Fired!-There’s some evidence to suggest that Lord Powerscourt, 7th Viscount, took control of some aspects of the demesne management well before his majority. One issue that was obviously close to his heart was the development of the gardens. In 1851, the Guardians of Powerscourt (Lord Roden, the minor’s grandfather, Lady Castlereagh, his mother, and William […]
Houses in the Village 1855-On 22nd February, 1855, Captain Cranfield, the estate agent, wrote to the Guardians of Powerscourt who were responsible during the Minority, which the minute books recorded as follows. Do you have any more details about these buildings, which seem in the main to run down Church Hill: Captain Cranfield begs to submit a list of […]
Enniskerry History Society Autumn 2011 Programme-Details of the 3-lecture Autumn 2011 programme of the Enniskerry History Society which meets under the guidance of its President, John Callan, are as follows. Thursday October 13th: The History of Glencree and the Reformatory – Frank Tracey Thursday November 10th: County Wicklow in 1911 – James Scannell Thursday December 8th: Maps of North Wicklow […]
Leckies Grocery and Provision Store 1846-The National Library of Ireland have kindly given permission to display this treat from their manuscripts in the Powerscourt Papers. What more can I add…?!
Twelve things you might miss while wandering around Powerscourt Gardens-I made some use of the bit of weekend sunshine that we had to grab some of the more unusual views at Powerscourt. Obviously the great terraces are immediately identifiable as belonging to Powerscourt, but here are some other pictures that each have a story behind them. It was hard to limit to twelve! Another […]
The Moncks and Charleville Estate-My first piece of local history ‘research’ was on Charleville House in Enniskerry. As a student working there during summers, I was smitten with the elegant grandeur of the house and the stunning gardens, fabulously restored. Using Enniskerry Library as a research base, I punched out four pages, double spacing, on my Commodore Amiga and […]
Telephone Number: Enniskerry 8-If there is ever somebody who will find Wicklow Gold, it is Nivrum, who sends in these latest treasures. These were notices that appeared in an old tourist information booklet. Any thoughts on what date they could be? Visit Powerscourt Stay in Prosser’s and play some tennis Summerhill Dinner Dance every Saturday Night
A Lady’s Diary-Úna Wogan writes of some extracts from a lady’s diary that gives a lot of information about the area around the time of the 1798 rebellion: In 1838 Catherine Mary Howard, a member of the English aristocracy privately published her diaries and personal papers. Intended for her children, she decided to preserve her recordings of […]
Mystery Stone at Powerscourt!-I saw this stone recently at Powerscourt, just beneath the Pepper Pot Tower. I took a photo to try to make out the engraving, but the last lines are difficult to make out. Has anyone any idea what it is about? I need a high-res photo to try to make it out, if anyone is […]
Prosser’s Receipt (Archive Month #23)-To finish off the August Is Archive month series, something very special. Here is a receipt from H. B. Prosser’s High-Class Grocer and Provision Merchant issued in 1948. Isn’t it just amazing?! Huge thanks to Úna Wogan and Nancy Doran for this one. If you have any old receipts, leaflets or other ephemera relating to […]
Enniskerry and Powerscourt Gazette 1861-Gazette Now Available Online Extra! Extra! As part of the celebrations for the Enniskerry Victorian Field Day, I will be publishing a special issue of the Enniskerry and Powerscourt Gazette. This most esteemed journal, never before seen in these parts, will include all of the local gossip of the time, the latest news from our […]
Curtlestown: Request for aid for salary for Asst Teacher 1875: ED1/97 (Archive Month #22)-ED1/97 No. 52, Curtlestown Roll #1119, Co. Wicklow, District 40 Request for aid by Thomas O’Dwyer towards the salary of an assistant teacher 5 April 1875 Jeremiah Golden is the principal, Margaret Dowling in the W-mistress, Mary A Doyle is monitress Request for aid for Sarah ?Morris?/?Morrin? age 17yrs, appointed 17-2-1875. 70 males, 77 females […]
Curtlestown NS: Application for Asst. Teacher Salary 1863: ED1/95 (Archive Month #21)-Further Application, 9 Jul 1863: ED1/95 No. 96 – Curtlestown Roll #1119, Co. Wicklow, District 40 & 38 Application referred to sub-committee 8th Sept 1863 Queries to be answered on application to the commissioners of national education for aid towards the Salary of an Assistant Teacher In Curtlestown National School in the Parish of Powerscourt […]
Curtlestown NS: Request for salary of evening teacher 1861 – ED1/95 (Archive Month #19)-ED1/95 No 108 Curtlestown Roll #1119 Co. Wicklow, District 40 Request for aid by Thomas O’Dwyer towards the salary of an assistant teacher for Curtlestown Evening School States that the average evening attendance has been 23, since opening as a night school. The average age is 19, and they are employed in various occupations in […]
Curtlestown NS Application for a Workmistress ED1/96 1855 (Archive Month #20)-ED1/96 No. 7 – Curtlestown Roll #1119 Co. Wicklow, District 40 & 38 QUERIES TO BE ANSWERED ON APPLICATION TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF EDUCATION FOR AID TOWARDS THE SALARY OF A WORK MISTRESS, In Curtlestown National School in the Parish of _______________ County of Wicklow Application from Thomas O’Dwyer for Margaret Dowling, aged 35 to […]
Brassington & Gale Valuation of Powerscourt 1853: Tenant Names (Archive Month #18)-In 1853, during the minority of the 7th Viscount Powerscourt, the firm Brassington and Gale (Bachelor’s Walk) were requested to carry out a valuation of all property on the Estate, to assist the Guardians of the estate in deciding on rents that should be charged for land. They produced a ledger of incredible detail, which […]
Early Photograph of the Village-Sometimes you think you’ve seen it all and then another email comes along to surprise. Here is an absolutely fantastic photograph of the village, from a slightly different perspective than usual. It’s time to get your grandfather’s monocle out as you’ll need to look very closely to see something the contributor has noticed. At the […]
ED1 File – Annacrevy NS (Archive Month #17)-Annacrevy school was a very old school in the parish—probably built at the same time as Powerscourt NS—and this application would lead it to being taken into connexion with the Board of Education, in 1866. The principal, Philip O’Connor, had been principal in the school since the early 1850s. The school no longer operates. Co. […]
ED2 Files: Enniskerry No. 2 NS (Archive Month #16)-These archives relate to Enniskerry No. 2 School, initially housed in the old fever hospital, then behind the library, before moving to its present location beside the RC Church. These ED2 files trace the minutes from the establishment of the School in 1869 to 1905. ED2/157 Folio 9 (19 crossed out) Roll number is 10177, […]
ED1 File: Enniskerry (Powerscourt) Nov 1866 (Archive Month #15)-This application refers to Powerscourt National School in the centre of the village. Formerly named Enniskerry, its name was later changed to Powerscourt. Established in 1818, this application would mean that it would be taken into connexion with the Board of Education from 1866, with the role number 9760. In 2011, the school is still […]
ED1 File: Enniskerry No. 2 March 1869 (Archive Month #14)-This application refers to a school that was housed in a room in the old Fever Hospital on Kilgarran Hill. As this was the first application for this school, it would have meant that on acceptance, this school would be taken into connection with the Board of Education. The School would later move to a […]
Killegar Church-“The cycling season is coming on,” wrote Rev. Professor George Thomas Stokes in 1891, “and cycling ought to be a great help to archæology.” And so he introduces his article on Killegar Church, which he says can be found by taking the road to Dundrum, and following “the high road to Stepaside…, riding through the […]
Powerscourt National School – ED 2 Files (Archive Month #13)-The following transcriptions come from the ED2 files for Enniskerry, later named Powerscourt National School. The school came into connection with the Board quite late – over 30 years after the Board was established. For more context and detail, see the book for more. The ED2 files are held in the National Archives of Ireland, […]
The long life of Mary Heffernan-A great find from Úna Wogan, posted on the Discussion Board and well worth repeating here, this is an extract from an article in the Liverpool Mercury dated March 30th 1838. I thought the piece was lovely. Maybe someone out there has Heffernan ancestors: “Longevity – Died on the 7th instant at Ballybrew, in the […]
Dargle National School ED/2 Files (Archive Month #12)-ED2/49 – Folio 12 – mentions Dargle School (Roll 982), Parish of Delgany, Townland of Tynehinch in 1816 taken into connexion by the board on 14 Feb 1833. Name of Teacher: Correspondent 14 Feb 1834: Miss (Anastasia) Duffy James Grattan, Bray 3 June 1841: Walter Berrick Esq, Enniskerry 7 April 1846: “Supt. Reports school […]
National Board of Education: Index Files (Archive Month #11)-The next several posts will be relating to the archives of schools in the parish and their correspondence with the Board of Education, which was established in 1831. Once schools opted to be “taken into connexion with the board”, there was a range of correspondence with the Commissioners for Education and notes kept by their […]
Pensioners of Powerscourt 1844 (Archive Month #10)-A few months ago, I posted up some details of workmen’s account books for Powerscourt, held in the National Library Powerscourt collection manuscripts. Another related item is a list of people receiving pensions from Powerscourt (MS 43,038/3). I think this would have been unusual, or at least uncommon, for the time, and is probably another […]
Judicial Rent Reviews at Powerscourt (Archive Month #9)-The pencil lead is hardly dry on this latest data collection! I’m interested in the change of ownership of land from Powerscourt to tenants, and have been looking at the Land Commission records. From my limited understanding so far the Land Commission was established in 1881 to effect the voluntary transfer of land from estate […]
Aerial View of Enniskerry (Archive Month #8)-This one is from the family archives! An aerial view of Enniskerry. What date do you think it is? There is one car that I can spot. I am guessing it is Prosser’s shop front and the optimist in me thinks the planting at Magee’s corner (opposite present toilets) follows the line of the old […]
Planting at the Dargle: Journal of Rural Affairs 1842 (Archive Month #7)-The following article about the potential for planting trees in non-arable land in Ireland appeared in the wonderfully named The Irish Farmer’s and Gardener’s Register and Journal of Rural Affairs in 1842 [Volume I, (pp 199 – 205)]. The Journal is available at the National Library of Ireland. The article uses Powerscourt as a case-study, […]
Maps from Monck Papers at the National Library of Ireland (Archive Month #6)-The Monck papers which, like the previously mentioned Powerscourt papers, have their own index (No. 4 – Part I includes the Wicklow Estate information), have two maps of interest that I came across. Monck’s lived at Charleville, and the two maps mentioned here cover the area around Tinnehinch at the end of the 18th and […]
Correspondence with Famine Relief Commission (Archive Month #5)-The Famine Relief Commission papers are held in the National Archives of Ireland. The Relief Commission was set up in November 1845, and local committees were set up from the following February. The Relief papers are arranged according to certain categories – for example the code “RLFC3/2/” refers to “Incoming letters: baronial sub-series” – these […]
Living conditions in Wicklow in 1834 (Archive Month #4)-Following on from a previous post, here is an extract from the previously mentioned Ireland in 1834: a journey throughout Ireland, during the spring, summer, and autumn of 1834, Henry D Inglis, London: Whittaker, 1834. It describes living conditions observed by this writer in Wicklow, but unfortunately no details on what part. It’s interesting to […]
Maps from Powerscourt Papers in National Library of Ireland (Archive Month #3)-The National Library of Ireland has an important set of manuscripts relating to Powerscourt and Enniskerry in its Powerscourt Papers collection. There is a general index to the collection, which is available online (Collection List 124 PDF file). Having looked at many of the maps, some more detail from notes made are provided below. As […]
House Book for Town of Enniskerry 1840 (Archive Month #2)-NAI 5.3573 30 Jan 1840: Houses in Town of Enniskerry Many of us are familiar with the wonderful Griffith Valuation records available online. The valuation of Ireland has a complicated heritage, but gathered pace as a result of the enactment of the Poor Law in Ireland in 1838, with a view to establishing a uniform […]
Travellers’ Accounts of Touring in Enniskerry (Archive Month #1)-There’s a long tradition of travellers writing accounts of passing through Enniskerry and Tinnehinch, (usually) writing about the beauty of the area. In the early stages of the book, I used some of these accounts to build a picture of what the village was like in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. There are […]
August is Archive Month!-I have come across a lot of archives, references and notes over the course of doing research for the book. Many of these made it in to the book, many more informed the book, and some while interesting didn’t make it beyond my notes. In order to give them all some more deserved exposure, I […]
The Leicester Arms Hotel-There’s a long tradition of hostelry in the village with a reference to Joseph Johnson, Innkeeper, in the 1641 depositions (more here on those). Many travel writers mention lodging at Enniskerry, including De Latocnaye, who stayed with an innkeeper, who was a representative of the O’Toole clan, according to him in his Frenchman’s Walk through […]
South Dublin County Library Images-Here’s a nice image repository that includes some pictures of historical and archaeological interest for Enniskerry. It’s an initiative of South Dublin County Libraries – search for Enniskerry: http://www.southdublinimages.ie/search.aspx Thanks to Úna for the link.
Summer Reading/Viewing-I hope you are all enjoying our “summer”! Some things I have come across that might be of interest: Books: I read Bill Bryson’s Book “At Home“. It is a really interesting read, especially if you are interested in social history. While he covers a huge breadth of material, I really liked the parts about […]
Hearth Money Rolls, Powerscourt, 1668-One of the earliest writings on placenames by the indefatigable Liam Price, historian, scholar and Wicklow judge, was his work on transcribing the Hearth Money Rolls of County Wicklow, which he published in 1931.* Price was a district justice in County Wicklow from the 1920s until the 1950s. His interest in history and antiquities apparently […]
Journal Volume 1 Now Online-The 1st collection of essays in the new journal is now available. The Introduction is given below. You can view all issues at the Journal homepage. Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Journal of Enniskerry and Powerscourt Local History! The purpose of the Journal is to provide a space for articles by authors with […]
View of the village c.1870-Here is an unusual sketch of the village from contributor Nivrum, labelled “Captain Russell, 1870”. It is drawn from the town clock, looking up Church Hill. Given that it is from a similar perspective to the Lawrence photos a decade or more later, it is useful to compare with those. If you know more about […]
Book Launch-The book has arrived and is ready for launch. The Book Launch is scheduled for 5 pm, Saturday 30th April in the Parochial Hall, Enniskerry. That is this building, the one with the old telephone box outside. I’m not quite sure what is meant to happen at these things, so am open to suggestion, but […]
Tragedies at Powerscourt Waterfall-Úna Wogan catalogues some tragic accidents at Powerscourt Waterfall over the last 150 years that were reported in the national media. Powerscourt Waterfall deserves the thousands of visitors it receives each year as, viewed from below or above, it’s one of the most beautiful scenes in Ireland, particularly when the waters are at full flow. […]
Proceedings Volume 1-One of the outputs of this project is to build up a bank of resources and information about Enniskerry’s history on the website on an ongoing basis. Proceedings of Enniskerry Local History is an edited compilation of information added to the website in a hard-copy form. The primary goal is to have a physical copy […]
Royal Visits-In May 2011, Elizabeth II will visit Ireland. Unlike her predecessors, Powerscourt will not be involved in some way with her itinerary. Elizabeth’s grandfather, George V, visited with his wife Queen Mary in 1911 and according to The Irish Times, Viscount and Viscountess Powerscourt, and their house party, joined the King and Queen at the […]
Businesses Version 2: #2: Village Square North-Continuing the update to the previous post on businesses in the village, here is the centre of the village, looking north (click to enlarge). Comments/corrections please!
Businesses Version 2: #1: Main St-Based on feedback from others to the previous post on businesses in the village, I plan to update the business lists on a series of maps. First up – Main St (does anyone actually call it Main St by the way?!!). Click to get a bigger image:
Census, 1861-Next Sunday, 10th April is Census Day 2011. In filling out the forms, we will be continuing a long tradition stretching back to 1821, perhaps 1813, and almost 1801! The first Census was to occur in 1801, but because the Act of Union came into effect on 1st January 1801, Ireland was not included. A […]
Book Launch-I’m delighted to announce that the Book Launch is scheduled for Saturday, 30th April, 2011, and will be held in the Parochial Hall, Enniskerry Village, Co. Wicklow. There is an open invitation to anyone who wishes to attend. I’ll be posting more details closer to the time. The book cover is one of my […]
Bridge at Enniskerry-Here’s an excerpt from The Dublin Builder (Vol. VII, No. 138, p. 228, September 15, 1865)*: New Bridge at Enniskerry A handsome singe-span bridge, dressed with cut granite, is in the course of erection of the river at Enniskerry, county Wicklow, from designs by Mr H. Brett, county surveyor. When completed it will be broad […]
Businesses in the Village-It is difficult to find information on businesses in the village from the 19th century, save for a few clues from receipts and personal knowledge from family histories. So as a gift to future historians of the village, I thought it would be useful to try to list the businesses that have existed in the […]
Happy St Patrick’s Day-Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s another treat from Michael Wood – a postcard for the occasion from Enniskerry. Michael thinks it was produced for the American market, with space for a one cent and two cent stamp. Also, the fact that the message and address are on the same side means that it is post-1907, […]
Movietone News Reel-A lot of us have been enjoying the Pathe news reels. Michael Wood sends in another link to Movietone news reel, which is really something special. The video shows the son of the 8th Viscount, soon to be 9th Viscount, with his new wife Sheila Wingfield arriving at Powerscourt in 1933. They are drawn up […]
School Photographs-Some school photographs from the past – ca. 1950s? If you know anyone who isn’t identified or have a more accurate date, let me know. Click on each image to see a larger version.
Calling all contributors-The site is three months old this week and I’ve been very fortunate to get a lot of great support from others who share a passion for Enniskerry’s history. I welcome contributions from all those who have a story to share. Contributions can be short or long and about recent or ancient history – or […]
Drawing stones: Workmen’s Account Books of Powerscourt-One of the most important treasures, and my personal favourite of the village’s archives, is the set of Workmen’s Account Books for Powerscourt that are held in the National Library of Ireland*. These beautiful ledgers show in pedantic detail the daily lives of workers at Powerscourt and are available for several years in the 1840s, […]
Mary Josephine Wogan-Úna Wogan tells a great story of one of her ancestors, Mary Josephine Wogan (1894 – 1980): Mary Josephine Wogan was born 6th March 1894 at Church Hill, Enniskerry. She was the eldest surviving child of Michael and Sarah Wogan. The 1911 Census return shows her at 17 years of age living with her parents […]
Five O’Clock Tea at the Dargle-Allen Mustard has sent in some information on his ancestor, Thomas James Mustard (1826 – 1902), who lived at Dargle Gate Lodge, Cookstown Enniskerry, taking payments for entering into the Dargle Glen. He had served in the RIC, and his son was born in the married quarters of the Barracks at Enniskerry. The Dargle Glen […]
Farm Workers at Powerscourt-Contributor Nivrum sent in this photo from around the 1930s of farm workers at Powerscourt. It’s a really great picture – he thinks the people in the photo are Edward Murphy, possibly Peter Coogan and possibly Kit Carney, from left to right. (Click on the image for full size) Farming in the area was […]
Pathe News Reels-This is a great find by Úna Wogan, who sent me on the details. They are a series of British Pathe newsreels based in and around Enniskerry and Powerscourt. I’ve divided the ones I can find into the categories below. Click on any of the links below to play. You can enlarge by clicking on […]
The Priest and His Dog-Enniskerry in the first half of the nineteenth century had no shortage of strong characters representing the churches, with Revd Robert Daly, the rector of Powerscourt parish and his namesake Revd Daly CC, the Roman Catholic curate for the area. It is likely to be Revd Daly CC, the Roman Catholic curate, who was the […]
18th Century Surveys of Wicklow-One of the great sources of information I had in studying the village’s history was the range of parliamentary inquiries of the 19th century, with their detailed data collection and data analysis providing a great source of contemporary information. However, I confess to neglecting similar inquiries of the 18th century. A relatively recent publication by […]
New local photos section on website-I’ve done a little bit of reorganisation of the website based on feedback from readers and have included a new section for user contributed photographs. This consists of a gallery of photographs that have been sent in. As time goes on, with hopefully more photographs, I plan to make galleries aligned to the various themes […]
Houses of the past-I was really thrilled to receive this photo from Michael Wood, who has kindly allowed me to reproduce it on the website. The photo is from a collection taken a member of the Wingfield (Powerscourt) family, taken around the beginning of the twentieth century. The Wingfields seem to have embraced photography from its inception – […]
Terry Wogan’s Ireland: Enniskerry-A recent BBC TV show saw Terry Wogan revisit many parts of Ireland, including the home of his ancestors, Enniskerry. The clip below shows this visit. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything Terry says (or at least how he says it), it is a beautiful piece of film showing Enniskerry and Powerscourt in all […]
Fire at Powerscourt Arms Hotel, 1894-The Powerscourt Arms Hotel had a significant fire which was well documented at the time in national media, including an article in the Freeman’s Journal. It’s a story I have retold in the book, but I was really delighted when I was sent a photograph of one of the people mentioned in an article written […]
Local Drama Group Photograph ca 1930s-Here’s a fantastic photo sent in by contributor Nivrum, who thinks it is of a local drama or theatre group in the village from around the 1930’s. Can you help identify any of the people on the photo or the location? If so, enter the details in the comment box below and I’ll add the […]
An Extensive View of Enniskerry: Jonathan Fisher-This painting by Jonathan Fisher was painted in the mid-late eighteenth century. It is currently hanging in Fota House in Cork, and they have generously given permission for it to be reproduced here. Click on the interactive image to find out more about the painting – you may need to install Flash Player to view […]
Enniskerry, 1910 Commercial interests mapped-Excerpt from Porter’s Directory for Enniskerry, 1910 Some notes and information on commercial interests according to Porter’s Directory, 1910 mapped on a Google map. Locations are approximate based on placename given. Green pins = farmer, red pin = local business, yellow pin = doctor, purple pin = accomodation. Click on a pin to see the […]
Enniskerry old and new-The National Library of Ireland initiated a great idea during the summer where they encouraged people to merge old photographs from their catalogue with the modern equivalent today – and generate a “Flash from the Past”. I took a few from around Enniskerry – one of them is below, sometime around the turn of the […]
Churchtown Graveyard, Powerscourt-A short video giving an overview of Churchtown Graveyard, near Powerscourt House. The shots were taken in August 2010.
The Depositions of 1641-The recent digitisation project of the 1641 depositions by Trinity College Dublin library allow text search of these documents. This allows us to probe these documents and find anything related to Enniskerry. According to the 1641 website, the depositions were recorded by the “Commission for the Despoiled Subject” and recorded testimonies from people who were […]
Welcome-Welcome to the Enniskerry Local History webpage. This website aims to compile information relating to the history of Enniskerry and Powerscourt. The website is part of a project involving the forthcoming publication of a book on the history of the village in early 2011. Contributions from everyone are welcome – you can share any information […]