A South Wicklow Miscellany (1)

© Kevin Lee
Cover Photo: Betty Whelan    

Full title: The Liars’ Bench: history, heritage and lockdown lore from South Wicklow

Creator / Author: Kevin Lee

Item Type / Page count: Book / 328pp

When Published: 2021

Publisher / Place of Publication: Coollattin Canadian Connection / Co. Wicklow

About: In March 2020, when COVID-19 pushed the country into lockdown, local historian, Kevin Lee, had the idea of starting a series of postings on the Facebook platform. These postings would cover aspects of the history of places like Carnew, Shillelagh, Aughrim, Tinahely and their hinterlands. There was a tremendous response to this initiative which has garnered over 3,000 followers. This book is a compendium of the 99 postings (and responses) which appeared between 14/03/2020 and 20/06/2020. It is the first of two collections now published in book form. A glance at the contents listing below gives an idea of the range of topics covered.

ID number(s): 9781399901055

Contents: Dedication — Acknowledgements — Photo Credits — Introduction — Foreword — 1. Snowfalls, Gales and COVID-19 — 2. The Way We (They!) Were — 3. Can You Identify This Young Man? — 4. A St. Patrick’s Day Greeting — 5. Old Photos–New Images — 6. Carnew Emmets, Kingpins of Underage Hurling — 7. Carnew Emmets, Under-14 Champions, 1976 — 8. Senior Football Final 1951 — 9. A Title Won on the Pitch but Lost in the Boardroom — 10. Who was the ‘Gunner’ Behan? — 11. Junior Hurling Champions, 1959 — 12. The Glory Years — 13. The Foundations of a Great Team — 14. A Real Piece of Nostalgia — 15. The 52-year History of Quinn’s Livestock Mart — 16. ‘Old Paddy’ Austin — 17. Is this Unique? — 18. The Water Pump on the Woolgreen — 19. The Fitzwilliam School in Carnew — 20. All Saints School — 21. All Saints Church — 22. The Relics of a Bitter Dispute — 23. Perforated Tombstones in the Churchyard — 24. Going, Going, Gone — 25. Carnew Castle-a False Dawn for Carnew — 26. Carnew Castle-the Woodhouse Era — 27. A Courthouse, a Bank, a Drapery Shop, a Restaurant — 28. McGirr’s Pharmacy-a Tailors, a Coopers, a Saddlery and finally a Pharmacy — 29. The Liars’ Bench — 30. The Liar Lives on — 31. The Last of the Benchmen — 32. Golden Jubilee Celebration 1888 — 33. Bank of Ireland — 34. Carnew Castle-the Spicer Era — 35. Carnew Castle-Doctor Zbrigniev Dabszewski — 36. A Divided Society — 37. The PTAA Hall (Pioner Total Abstinence Association) — 38. Macra na Feirme — 39. The Power of Social Media — 40. Tom Fleming, Shillelagh’s Proudest Son — 41. Carnew Stud — 42. A Methodist Meeting Room, a Tailor’s and the Workshop of a Master Craftsman — 43. Wesleyan Methodist Church (now Altura Credit Union) — 44. Appeal to Cocooning Ladies — 45. History of the ‘Tech’, aka Carnew Vocational School, aka Coláiste Bhríde-the Early Years — 46. Carnew ‘Tech’-the 1986 Extension — 47. Carnew ‘Tech’-a Tribute to a Great Servant — 48. Carnew ‘Tech’-the 1950’s — 49. Carnew ‘Tech’-the Schools Founding Father, J.J. McCrea — 50. Carnew ‘Tech’-the Advent of Free Education — 51. Carnew ‘Tech’-First Ministerial Visit — 52. Snapshots in Time — 53. An End to Cocooning — 54. Kilcavan Slate Quarry — 55. Coollattin-Heaven on our Doorstep — 56. A Memorable Day in Croke Park — 57. The Coach Building Factory of David Beddy at the Corner House — 58. The Church of the Most Holy Rosary — 59. Fundraising for The Church of the Most Holy Rosary — 60. Darlington’s, a Great Superstore — 61. Murphys of Ballingate — 62. Corrells-150 Years of Service to the Community — 63. The Liars’ Hole at the Brook — 64. School Height aka Brunswick Row aka Pavey’s Height — 65. Commemorating the Manchester Martyrs — 66. Tour of Coollattin Estate-The Story of Coollattin House — 67. The Story of Coollattin-The Pursuit of Reynard — 68. The Story of Coollattin-the Pecking Order — 69. The Woodenbridge-Shillelagh Railway Line — 70. The Playing of Cricket at Coollattin — 71. Shillelagh Courthouse-Appearing ‘Under the Fox’ — 72. Shillelagh Workhouse — 73. Lords and Ladies-Coollattin Style — 74. The Famous Chauffeur-Driven Simplex Car at Coollattin — 75. Marriage of Lord Peter to Olive Plunket, April 1933 — 76. Fatal Attraction-the Story of Peter Fitzwilliam and Kathleen Kennedy — 77. Somerset Struben de Chair-Lady Juliet’s Second Husband — 78. A Fitzwilliam Bids Farewell to Coollattin — 79. Carnew Community Care-an Appeal — 80. Bradshaws of Shillelagh — 81. Shillelagh’s Hydro-Electric Station — 82. The Building Yard at Coollattin — 83. Pat Darcy-the Village Blacksmith — 84. The Last Cook at Coollattin — 85. The Workforce in the Building Yard — 86. The Bradshaw Family Remembered — 87. A Shillelagh Miscellany — 88. ‘Patcho’ the Poet — 89. The King and I — 90. The Model Farm — 91. The Forestry Industry — 92. Ardeen Cheshire Home, 1960-2020 — 93. John Wilkinson-a Truly Remarkable Man — 94. St. Aidan’s Hall — 95. St. Aidan’s Hall-More from the Memories of John Wilkinson — 96. Ormonde Cinema…aka Arus Naomh Brigid…aka St. Brigid’s Hall, 1946-2020 — 97. Umrigar Races — 98. Carnew Sports and Cricket Ground — 99. The Liars’ Hole-Revisited.

Extra #1: Each of the 99 postings includes at least one photo or illustration.

Extra #2: Check Libraries Ireland for this publication.

Extra #3: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #4: Link to the Author’s website https://www.coollattincanadianconnection.com/

Maple Leaves from the Garden of Ireland

© The Publisher
Cover by Gerardine Cooper Sheridan

Full title: Shoeboxes: from Irish Roots to Canadian Branches

Creator / Author: Kevin Lee and Tom Jenkins

Item Type / Page count: Book / 228pp

When Published: 2022

Publisher / Place of Publication: Coollattin Canadian Connection / Co. Wicklow

About: This is a high-quality publication which traces connections between Canada and South Wicklow, particularly centred on the Coollattin Estate and the assisted emigration programme from the surrounding areas in the first half of the nineteenth-century. The authors provide a well-researched history of Coollattin Estate and outline the circumstances of the ‘perfect storm’ that triggered the leavetaking of some ten thousand people for Canada. A substantial portion of the book provides case studies of over fifty families whose stories are told in words and pictures. A comprehensive contents listing is transcribed below,

ID number(s): 9781399928021

Contents: About the authors — Dedication — Acknowledgements — Photographic Credits Foreword

[SECTION A: Coollattin Defined] [Chapter 1 – Origin of Coollattin Estate] The Garden of Ireland — Anglo-Norman Legacy — Property Portfolio of Thomas Wentworth

[Chapter 2 – Colonisation, Rebellion and Restoration] 1641 Rebellion — Cromwell — Restoration of Title to 2^nd Earl of Strafford — Visit of Thomas Watson-Wentworth 1713

[Chapter 3 – Establishing a Protestant Colony in South Wicklow] Setting of Leases — Hume’s Observations

[SECTION B: The Gathering of a Perfect Storm] [Chapter 4 – Early Famines] Year of Slaughter (Bliain an Air), 1740-1741 — Post-Rebellion Food Shortages — Famine and Typhus, 1817 — Abandonment of Newborn Infants in Carnew — Famine of 1826 — An Gorta Mór, The Great Famine

[Chapter 5 – Role of the Agent in Coollattin] Early Agents: Abraham Nickson, Reverend John Griffith, Hugh Wentworth — William Wainwright — William Haigh — The Chaloners, Robert Sr. and Robert Jr. — Late Nineteenth Century Agents: Frederick Ponsonby, Duncan McNeill, and Frank Brooke — Underagent Ralph Lawrenson

[Chapter 6 – Education] Carnew School — Shillelagh School — Coolroe School — Coolkenno School — Other Schools on the Estate Funded by Earl Fitzwilliam

[Chapter 7 – The Workhouses] Life in the Workhouse — Rathdrum Workhouse — Shillelagh Workhouse

[Chapter 8 – Assisting Emigration] Recruiting the Emigrants — Role of the Clergy in Recruiting Emigrants — Cholera Outbreak of 1832 and the First Assisted Emigrants — Tradesmen and the Famine — Logistics of the Programme — Graves Shipping, New Ross — Last Sight of the Homeland — Passenger Acts — Life at Sea — Death at Sea — Grosse Isle — Journey Inland — Building a New Home — Worlds Apart

[Chapter 9 – Coollattin Enclaves in Ontario] From Carnew to Simcoe County — From Moyne to Grey County — From Boley to Lanark County — From Killinure to Lennox and Addington County — Old Hastings Colonisation Road

[Chapter 10 – Thriving in Canada] A History of Irish Canadian Immigration— Urban Vs. Rural — Irish Need Not Apply — A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

[Chapter 11 – Gaining Influence in Canada] The Social Intersection of Language and Religion — Cutting the Ties to the Old Country to Survive — Irish Benevolent Society — Ogle Robert Gowan: the Carnew Orangeman who influenced Sir John A. Macdonald

[SECTION C: The Shoeboxes] THE FAMILY OF JOHN DOYLE: from the Crab Lane to Camden East — THE CASSIDY FAMILY: from Killinure to Camden Township — THE STORY OF SIMON BYRNE: from Munny Lower to St. John, New Brunswick — THE FAMILY OF LEONARD MYERS: from Tally Ho to Manvers Township, Victoria County — THE BYRNE FAMILY: from Ballykelly to Western Canada — THE FAMILY OF THOMAS KENNY: from Moatabower to Smiths Falls to Omaha, Nebraska — THE FAMILY OF EDWARD BELL: from Carnew to Cincinnati — THE FAMILY OF THOMAS BALFE AND SARAH KENNY: from Kilcavan to South Elmsley — THE FAMILY OF ISAAC FOSTER: from Motabower to Red Deer, Alberta — THE FAMILY OF JOHN FOSTER: from Ballynulta to Camden — JOSEPH DUNN’S PRAYER BOOK: a treasured family heirloom — THE HOPKINS FAMILY: from Corndog to Grey County and beyond — THE JOURNEY OF SAM DUNN: in the footsteps of his forefathers — THE FAMILY OF CHARLES WILLOUGHBY: from Ballinatone, Coollattin to Rockwood, Ontario — THE FAMILY OF WILLIAM WALL AND ANNE LOUGHLIN: from Laragh to Hamilton, Ontario — THE FAMILY OF JOHN AND MARTHA LAWRENCE: from Slieveroe to Glenelg, Ontario — THE FAMILY OF NICHOLAS BAWLF: from Hillbrook to Smiths Falls to Winnipeg — THE GROVES FAMILY: from Aghold Upper to Fergus, Ontario — THE FAMILY OF JOHN POPHAM: from Munny Upper to New Orleand and back — THE ORMOND FAMILY: from Carnew to the Corktown Area of Hamilton, Ontario — THE FAMILY OF ROBERT PRESLEY: return to Motabower after 171 years — THE FAMILY OF PATRICK KEHOE: from “Hot Pot Lane” to Augusta, Ontario — THE FAMILY OF PATRICK McGUIRE: from Shillelagh to Camden East — THE FAMILY OF THOMAS HUTTON: from Sleaghcoyle to Grey County, Ontario — THE FAMILY OF JOSEPH COSGROVE: from “Hot Pot Lane” to Gloucester Township to Iowa — THE FAMILY OF THOMAS BRAZIL: from “Hot Pot Lane” to Carleton County to Kansas — THE DOWSE FAMILY: from Kilninor to Winnipeg and back again — THE FAMILY OF DANIEL KELLY: from Killballyowen to Umfraville — THE OWENS/BYRNE FAMILY: from Tomnafinnogue to Wisconsin — THE HOPKINS FAMILY: from Moylisha to Brownsville to Moose Jaw — THE FAMILY OF JOHN McGRATH: from Killinure to Camden — THE FAMILY OF THOMAS HAYDEN: from Glenphilpeen to Port Hope — NAOMI NIGHTINGALE: the Coollattin cook who emigrated to Montreal — THE CODD FAMILY (aka CODE or COAD): a North American dynasty with Wicklow roots — THE FAMILY OF MICHAEL HENDRICK: from Kennystown to Meech Creek — THE FAMILIES OF WILLIAM BREEN AND MARGARET HEADON: from Ballynulta to Oswago, New York — THE FAMILY OF WILLIAM KELLY: from Ballyconnell to Quebec — THE FAMILY OF DENNIS TOMKINS: from Newtown to Kemptville — THE JAMES FAMILY: from Mungacullin to Lanark County — THE STORY OF WILLIAM YOUNG: an exception to all the rules — THE STORY OF JOHN KENNY AND MARY DEEGAN (nee Shannon): from the Crab Lane to all parts North of Kentucky — THE FAMILY OF BENJAMIN STYLES: from Balisland to Manvers County — THE FAMILY OF JOHN AND CELIA BYRNE: from New Row to Admaston in Renfrew County — THE FAMILY OF NED FINN AND ANNE FINNEGAN: from Knockballystine to Wilkinson — THE FAMILY OF JOHN KAVANAGH (later Cavanaugh): from Killinure to Camden East — THE FAMILY OF JOHN KAVANAGH: from Parkmore to Barrie in Simcoe County — THE FAMILIES OF FRANCIS DUNN, THOMAS GRIFFIN AND ALICE KEEFE: united by their bonds of kinship and their roots in the Wicklow Hills — THE MURPHY FAMILY: from Tomnafinnogue to Dundalk — JERVIS WHITE: from Ballyellis, Carnew to the 30,000 islands of Parry Sound — THE TOOLE (O’TOOLE) FAMILY: from Ballyshonog to Tecumseth County — ELVIS PRESLEY HAD WICKLOW ROOTS: from “The Dying Cow” to Graceland.

[SECTION D: Post-Famine Coollattin] [Chapter 12 – The Built Heritage] Contribution of the 6^th Earl Fitzwilliam — The Woodenbridge Branch Railway — Building Boom

[Chapter 13 – Transfer of the Land to the Occupiers] Land League and Tenant Rights Movement — The 7^th Earl Fitzwilliam — The Wyndham Act — Kilcavan Slate Quarries — Hydro-electricity

[Chapter 14 – Decline and Fall of Coollattin] Tragic Death of Lord Peter, the 8^th Earl Fitzwilliam — Lady Juliet Fitzwilliam

[SECTION E: Reaching Out, Touching Hands] Reunion with my roots / John Hopkins, British Columbia — Our return to Lawrence’s Lane / David Lawrence, Toronto — Journey back to New Row / Jan Fortier, Alberta — “Byrne’s Garden” revisited / Deborak Walsh, South Carolina — New beginnings for both of us. Standing in Handrick’s Field / Larry Carroll, Guelph, Ontario — The Lees of Donaghmore / Pat Lee, Fort Qu’appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada — Return to the land of my ancestors / David Code, California

[SECTION F: Post-Integration] [Chapter 15 – The Irish Define Canada] The Canadian Irish in World War I — The Irish Gain Cultural Power

[Chapter 16 – The Irish Impact on Canadian Culture] Irish Towns Throughout Canada — Irish Family Names Across Canada — From Hurling to Hockey — Canadian Folk Music is Irish — Irish from Sea to Sea to Sea

[Chapter 17 – Rediscovering Irish Roots] The Global Village — A Generation Has Questions — Coollattin Canadian Connection

[APPENDICES] Appendix 1: Coollattin Family Names — Appendix 2: Emigrant Sailings on Graves Ships, 1847-1858 — Appendix 3: Emigrants on Board the Star — Appendix 4: The Coollattin Papers — Appendix 5: Famous Irish Canadians — Appendix 6: Towns With Irish Names in Canada — Appendix 7: Comparable Assisted Emigration Programmes — Appendix 8: Lest We Forget

Bibliography — Index.

Extra #1: Includes over four hundred photographs, maps and other illustrations.

Extra #2: Search Libraries Ireland for this publication.

Extra #3: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #4: Link to the Publisher’s Website

An Eighteenth-Century Entrepreneur

© The Publisher

Full title: An Architect Earl: Edward Augustus Stratford (1736-1801), 2^nd Earl of Aldborough

Creator / Author: Ronald W. Lightbown

Item Type / Page count: Book / 471p

When Published: 2008

Publisher / Place of Publication: OLL Editions (in association with the Irish Georgian Society) / Castlegarden, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny.

About: This is a substantial, scholarly and highly-illustrated study of the life, works and family of Edward Stratford, the 2^nd Earl of Aldborough. An entrepreneur and amateur architect, he left his mark on places as diverse as Belan, Co. Kildare, Stratford-on-Slaney and Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, Aldborough House, Portland Row, Dublin and Stratford Place, London.  The author is a former member of staff of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

ID number(s): 9780956082602

Chapters: PREFACE — The Stratford Family — The Young Edward Stratford — Stratford Place in London — Life in Bath — Fissures appear in the Stratford family — The opening of the First Earl’s will — Stratford-on-Slaney — The Volunteers and Wheatley’s Review at Belan — The Irish House of Lords — Second Marriage — Belan House and Demesne — George Hartpole — Prelude to the storm — Aldborough House in Dublin — The state of Edward’s finances — Quarrel with Lord Clare — Final Acts — NOTES — PLATE INDEX — INDEX.

Extra #1: Illustrated with 89 plates.

Extra #2: Check Libraries Ireland for this publication

Extra #3: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #4: Link to the Irish Georgian Society shop

Seeing the Woods AND the Trees

© The Publisher

Full title: If trees could talk: Wicklow’s trees and woodlands over four centuries

Creator / Author: Michael Carey

Item Type / Page count: Book / 290p

When Published: 2009

Publisher / Place of Publication: COFORD National Council for Forest Research and Development / Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

About: Wicklow is the most forested county in Ireland. This book, which is aimed at a general readership, looks at the historical background to this. It also details the many uses of timber and timber products over the centuries. As well as being a history of Wicklow’s woodlands, it can also be seen somewhat as a history of rural Wicklow itself.

ID number(s): 1902696646

Chapters:  Acknowledgements – Preface – [Section 1. The Woodland Resource] – Historic background – How big was the woodland resource? – Gathering evidence on past woodland cover: Archaeology, Pollen analysis, Documentary record, Ecological survey, Place names, Iconography – Woodland in the ancient past in Ireland and Wicklow – Woodland cover in Wicklow in recent centuries – Visitors’ and commentators’ views on the woodland resource – Woodland cover clues from maps and surveys – Sixteenth and seventeenth century maps and documents – Seventeenth century surveys: The Civil Survey (1654-56), Seventeenth century Shillelagh land resource surveys, Other seventeenth century documentary sources, Survey of the Meath estate 1679 – Eighteenth century surveys: Woodland surveys of the Watson-Wentworth-Fitzwilliam estate (Coolattin estate) 1724-1764 – Miscellaneous eighteenth and nineteenth century maps and paintings: Bayly estate maps, Ballyarthur 1700 and 1810, Tighe estate, Rosanna, Ashford 1756-1820, Jacob Nevill map of Co. Wicklow 1760, Updated Nevill map 1798, Jacob Nevill map of the Powerscourt demesne 1763, Downshire estate maps, Blessington 1785-1806, Early nineteenth century estimate of woodland area (Fraser 1801), Evidence from eighteenth and nineteenth century paintings – The Ordnance Survey 1835-40 – 1841 Census of Ireland – Nineteenth and twentieth century photographic evidence of woodland – Twentieth century surveys: John Nisbet survey 1903 – Woodland expansion and transformation in the twentieth century – Summary – [Section 2. Tree planting over the centuries] Background to tree planting – Legislation on tree planting – The plant hunters – Eighteenth and nineteenth century planting initiatives: The Dublin Society, Tenant tree planting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Tenant tree planting under the Tree Registration Scheme 1788-1905, Estate tree planting in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries- Watson-Wentworth-Fitzwilliam estate, Tighe estate at Rosanna, Ashford 1718-1874, Downshire estate-the Coronation Plantation, Planting at Charleville estate, 1840’s onwards, Kilmacurragh, Killruddery estate, Powerscourt, La Touche, Bellevue, Mount Usher and Glencormac Gardens, John Nisbet survey (nineteenth century estate planting) – Planting in the twentieth century: The Avondale initiative 1905-1915, Other recent twentieth century initiatives – [Section 3. Woodland industries] Introduction – Timber-using sectors: Ship building, House building and firewood, Pipe and barrel staves for the provision trade, Bark for tanning leather, Charcoal and iron smelting – Woodland business at Watson-Wentworth-Fitzwilliam estate in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: The estate, Woodland business, Trespass and protection of the coppices, Summary, The twentieth century at the Watson-Wentworth-Fitzwilliam estate – Woodland business at the Tighe estate, Rosanna, Ashford — Woodland business at the Powerscourt estate, Enniskerry — Woodland business at the Ballyarthur estate, Avoca Valley — Woodland business at the Castle Howard estate, Avoca Valley — Woodland business in Wicklow in the twentieth century – Epilogue – Appendix 1 – Appendix 2 – Appendix 3 – Index.

WW Connection #1: Some of the key areas referred to in the text include Kilbride, Russborough, Tulfarris, Rathsallagh, Oakwood, Humewood and Coolattin.

Extra #1: Check Libraries Ireland for this publication.

Extra #2: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #3: Includes several colour photographs, maps, other illustrations and tables.

Russborough Through the Years

© The Publisher

Full title: The Story of Russborough House

Creator / Author: Valerie Ryan

Item Type / Page count: Booklet / 42p

When Published: 2013

Publisher / Place of Publication: Prince Publications / [Main Street, Naas, Co. Kildare]

About: This is a compact publication which packs a lot of information into its 42 pages. It chronicles the major events associated with the house from its foundation in the 18^th century up until 1974. In addition, a complete list is provided of the owners and heirs of Russborough House throughout the years. Overall, it is an easy to read introduction to West Wicklow’s finest house.

ID number(s): 9780992652708

Contents: Introduction – Before Russborough – [1741] The story of Russborough begins – Russellstown – [1744] Paintings and furniture from Europe – [1750] Art and portraits from the Second Grand Tour – Four new paintings – Grand Kildare friends pay a Spring visit to Russborough’s waterfall – [1763] Joseph Leeson becomes the Earl of Milltown – [1798] The Rebellion and Russborough House – [1814] Russborough House had never been seen in better condition – A grandson becomes the Fourth Earl of Milltown – [1765] Wedding in the Music Room – [1861] The Prince of Wales pays a visit – A wedding before Christmas – [1871] The winds of change at Russborough – [1906] – The National Gallery of Ireland extended to house the contents of Russborough House – [1914] An inquest at Russborough – Paintings returned on loan to Russborough House – [1930] A gift for the new Irish State? – [1931] A home from home for the Daly Family – [1934] A Hunt Ball at Russborough – [1946] Daily life at Russborough in the 1940’s – Who was going to buy Russborough House? – [1952] A proposal under the Portrait of a Woman in a Black Dress – [1957] A Christmas Party at Russborough – [1974] A second gift to the State – Acknowledgements – Sources – At a glance-the owners and heirs through the years.

Extra #1: includes several photographs and illustrations.

Extra #2: Check Libraries Ireland for this publication.

Extra #3: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

The Blessington Link with County Down

© The Publisher

Full title: The Blessington Estate and the Downshire Connection

Creator / Author: Kathy Trant

Item Type / Page count: Journal Article / [??]pp

Journal Information: Lisburn Historical Society Journal, Volume 10, 2005-2006

When Published: 2006

Publisher / Place of Publication: Lisburn Historical Society / [Lisburn, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland].

About: An article that gives a brief history of the Blessington Estate which extended to around 17,000 acres and included 36 townlands in West Wicklow and Kildare. In particular, the author traces the connection between the estate and the Hill Family of Hillsborough, Co. Down. This family were more commonly known as the Downshires.

ID number(s): None

Extra #1: Includes two illustrations.

Extra #2: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #3: Link to the Table of Contents of this journal and read the full text of this article online.

Hat-Tip: To the website Lisburn.com for hosting this journal and making it freely accessibility online.

Russborough : a Plea for its Future

© JSTOR

Full title: What Now for Russborough?

Creator / Author: Desmond Fitzgerald / Sir Alfred Beit / John Mulcahy

Item Type / Page count: Journal Article / 6p

Journal Information: Irish Arts Review, Vol. 22, Number 4, pp. 120-125

When Published: Winter, 2005

Publisher / Place of Publication: Irish Arts Review / Dublin

About: This feature is a composite article comprising a republishing of the text of a concise account of the history and heritage of the building and its contents originally written by Sir Alfred Beit in booklet form in 1978 together with a much shorter opinion piece on its future development by Desmond Fitzgerald, President of the Irish Georgian Society, plus a paragraph on the Alfred Beit Foundation. It would now seem that the concerns of Mr. Fitzgerald regarding the future of Russborough have been allayed by the continuing increase in its popularity as a cultural and tourism destination.

ID number(s): 1649-217x

Contents: Russborough, Blessington, County Wicklow / Sir Alfred Beit — The Alfred Beit Foundation / John Mulcahy — Some thoughts on Russborough / Desmond Fitzgerald.

Extra #1: includes several colour photographs

Extra #2: Read this article online via JSTOR. [Personal registration / conditions apply]. Alternatively, your local public library may provide free online access to this article.

Extra #3: Check Libraries Ireland for this publication.

Extra #4: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #5: Check our blog entry for the booklet containing the original article by Sir Alfred Beit.

The Book of Blessington

© The Publisher

Full title: The Blessington Estate, 1667-1908

Creator / Author: Kathy Trant

Item Type / Page count: Book / 239p

When Published: 2004

Publisher / Place of Publication: Anvil Books / 45 Palmerston Road, Dublin 6.

About: The definitive history of the Blessington area from the mid-17th century to the beginning of the twentieth. It combines the story of the Boyle and Hill families of nobility with the eternal tension of the landlord and tenant relationship.  The author has researched the subject extensively and the highest levels of scholarship are evident. However, the book is very accessible and a recommended read for local historians.

ID number(s): 1901737519 / 9781901737516

Chapters: Foreword — The Struggle for Land — The Boyle Dynasty — The Downshire Connection — The Rebellion of 1798 — Bad Debts and Good Neighbours — Land Tenure and Agents — The Tenants — Rents and Arrears — The Landlord’s Role — The Famine Years — The Social Round — The Final Chapter — Epilogue — Appendix: List of tenants on the Blessington Estate, 1850 — Acknowledgements — Abbreviations — Notes and Sources — Notes on Illustrations — Bibliography.

Extra #1: includes 98 illustrations and images.

Extra #2: Check Libraries Ireland for this publication

Extra #3: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #4: Read a review of this book online via JSTOR. [Personal registration / conditions apply]. Alternatively, your local public library may provide free online access to this review.

Extra #5: For information, a review of this book was also published in the Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society, Volume 19 (3), 2004-5 pp568-570.

More than a Beit-sized Plan

© Heritage Council

Full title: Russborough County Wicklow Conservation Plan

Creator / Author: The integrated conservation group for The Heritage Council and The Alfred Beit Foundation

Item Type / Page count: Book / 93p

When Published: 2005

Publisher / Place of Publication: The Heritage Council / Áras na hOidhreachta, Church Lane, Kilkenny

About: A thorough and insightful report, which perhaps for the first time, puts the significance of the house and its grounds fully into the public record. It details the history, profiles the current state of the property and provides a roadmap for its future sustainability as one of the major tourist attractions not just of West Wicklow but of the wider South-East region.

ID number(s): 1393–6808 / 1901137457

Contents: FOREWORD — SUMMARY — the background — the conservation plan – participants — UNDERSTANDING RUSSBOROUGH — historical development — the house — the architect — Richard Castle — the families of Russborough — the collections and the collectors — landscape, built features and habitats — changes through the centuries — THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RUSSBOROUGH — the estate — the house — the demesne — the Milltown and Beit collections — the architectural drawing collection — the statues — wildlife habitats — the visitors — ISSUES AFFECTING THE ESTATE TODAY — issues affecting the integrity and setting of the demesne — issues affecting the house — issues relating to services installations, safety and security — issues affecting the collections — issues affecting other estate features — visitor management issues — resource management issues – POLICIES – Policies relating to the integrity and setting of the demesne — Policies relating to maintenance and repair of the built fabric of the house — policies relating to services installations — Policies relating to the collections — Policies relating to other estate features — Policies relating to visitor management — Policies relating to resource management — RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION, MANAGEMENT AND REVIEW — implementation and management — business plan — visitor survey — review procedures – BIBLIOGRAPHY — LIST OF PLATES — LIST OF FIGURES – APPENDICES.

Extra #1: Contains many illustrations, photographs and maps.

Extra #2: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.

Extra #3: Link to the full text of this publication online via the Heritage Council of Ireland website

No Room on the Estate

© The Publisher

Full title: Surplus people: the Fitzwilliam Clearances 1847-1856

Creator / Author: Jim Rees

Item Type / Page count: Book / 156p (168p)

When Published: 2000 (Re-issued 2014)

Publisher / Place of Publication: The Collins Press / West Link Park, Doughcloyne, Wilton, Cork.

About: During the Irish Famine Period, a number of landlords persuaded or coerced their tenants into emigrating from Ireland. In West Wicklow, a major clearance of about 6,000 persons took place from the Coolattin Estate of Lord Fitzwilliam. These men, women and children ended up in the Canadian districts of Quebec and New Brunswick. This book details the circumstances of the clearout and gives some account of how the displaced families managed in Canada.

ID number(s): 1898256934 / 9781898256939 / 9781848892040

Contents: Introduction — Coolattin Estate — Life on the Coolattin Estate 1830-1845 — The Poor Law — Crisis: 1845-6 — Shedding the Surplus — Life in the ‘Tween Decks — Quebec — New Brunswick — 1850-6 — Conclusion — Appendices — Endnotes — Bibliography.

WW Connection #1: The Coolattin Estate comprised 80,000 acres in South-West Wicklow and amounted to around one-fifth of the total area of County Wicklow.

Extra #1: includes several illustrations and maps.

Extra #2 Check Libraries Ireland for this publication.

Extra #3: Check OCLC WorldCat.org for this publication in libraries worldwide.