Friarsland
NAME Friars Land/Friarland/Friarsland/Fryarsland Hall/Friarsland Hall/Glenard
AREA LOCATION Goatstown Road at the Roebuck Road junction.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Friarland and it is annotated as Friarland and Friarsland respectively.
GENERAL Friarsland was for sale on 24 plantation acres in 1789 by John Scott.
In 1826 it was for sale described as a substantial property with 2 sitting rooms, 6 bed chambers,
with stabling for 6 horses, a walled garden and a water tank capable of holding 700 gallons of
water. By 1856 a new house had been recently built on the site in the 'Italian Style'. The site
had a gardeners cottage, gatelodge and a vinery. One of the main selling features was the
polished plate glass windows. There was a fire at the house in 1941 and the back stairs and
a wall were damaged. By the 1950's there are a number of business' being run from the site
including a nursery and a poultry/egg farm. The site was reduced by a Corporation CPO in
1956 during a road widening scheme. Donegal Design Ltd moved to the site circa 1958.
Circa 1987 a gym and bathroom showroom moved to the site. The house was purchased
by Opus Dei in 1964 and the name changed to Glenard. The former Friarsland gym and
bathroom showroom site which was just over .5 acre was put up for sale for €1 million in 2012
and Friarsland Crescent built.
A house was built on the site circa 1800 called Roebuck Grove (one of three Roebuck Groves
in the area). This house was demolished and is now the site of 'The Grove'.
YEAR BUILT 1789
VALUATION The valuation in 1921 was £132
Number of
Rooms In the 1901 census it is noted as having 14 rooms.
ARCHITECT New house and gate lodge erected on the site circa 1856 possibly the work
of J S Mulvany. Gatelodge no longer extant.
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, NAI Census & Wills
Griffith's Valuation, RCB Library and OSI Maps.
OCCUPANTS
1619 St Mary's Chantry, Church of St Nicholas Within (Dublin)
Lease from John Hyde, chaplain of the chantry of St Nicholas' Church to
William Wolferstone, Stillorgan, Co Dublin of Friarsland, Co Dublin on
15 Jul 1619.
1780 - 1789 John Scott, Lord Earlsfort, Viscount Clonmel
1815 William Lafarelle
1815 - 1820 James Lafarelle
1822 - 1826 Thomas Wilson
1835 Lease owned by Hutchins Thomas Williams
1835 - 1842 Charles Copland
1843 - 1844 The Misses Johnson
1847 - 1858 William Stowell Henry Curran
1858 - 1863 Colonel Augustus de Butts
1863 Lease for Sale
1864 - 1866 Mr M'Geogh
1866 - 1877 John Richard Somers
1877 - 1878 For Sale
1879 - 1885 Hugh Michael Macken
1886 - 1914 Richard Davoren
1917 - 1928 Reginald Stratford Phillips
1929 - 1932 Thomas Smalley
1932 - 1942 Mrs Smalley
1943 - 1949 William Joseph Clarkson
1949 - 1961 Miss Mary Clarkson & Anthony Leo Clarkson
1964 - todate Opus Dei - in use as a university residence
STAFF
1849 William Stewart - Gatekeeper
1901 Teresa Kelly - Cook
Mary Sweeny - Kitchenmaid
Anne Holloway - Nurse
Catherine Fleming - Nurse
1901 - 1911 Catherine Cullen - Parlourmaid
1911 Anne Somers - Housemaid
Julia Cooney - Kitchenmaid
Hanna Flynn - Cook
1911 Michael Callaghan - Coachman (living at gate lodge)
1901 - 1911 Daniel Flynn - Gardener (living on site)
CURRENT
STATUS Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2020
AREA LOCATION Goatstown Road at the Roebuck Road junction.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Friarland and it is annotated as Friarland and Friarsland respectively.
GENERAL Friarsland was for sale on 24 plantation acres in 1789 by John Scott.
In 1826 it was for sale described as a substantial property with 2 sitting rooms, 6 bed chambers,
with stabling for 6 horses, a walled garden and a water tank capable of holding 700 gallons of
water. By 1856 a new house had been recently built on the site in the 'Italian Style'. The site
had a gardeners cottage, gatelodge and a vinery. One of the main selling features was the
polished plate glass windows. There was a fire at the house in 1941 and the back stairs and
a wall were damaged. By the 1950's there are a number of business' being run from the site
including a nursery and a poultry/egg farm. The site was reduced by a Corporation CPO in
1956 during a road widening scheme. Donegal Design Ltd moved to the site circa 1958.
Circa 1987 a gym and bathroom showroom moved to the site. The house was purchased
by Opus Dei in 1964 and the name changed to Glenard. The former Friarsland gym and
bathroom showroom site which was just over .5 acre was put up for sale for €1 million in 2012
and Friarsland Crescent built.
A house was built on the site circa 1800 called Roebuck Grove (one of three Roebuck Groves
in the area). This house was demolished and is now the site of 'The Grove'.
YEAR BUILT 1789
VALUATION The valuation in 1921 was £132
Number of
Rooms In the 1901 census it is noted as having 14 rooms.
ARCHITECT New house and gate lodge erected on the site circa 1856 possibly the work
of J S Mulvany. Gatelodge no longer extant.
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, NAI Census & Wills
Griffith's Valuation, RCB Library and OSI Maps.
OCCUPANTS
1619 St Mary's Chantry, Church of St Nicholas Within (Dublin)
Lease from John Hyde, chaplain of the chantry of St Nicholas' Church to
William Wolferstone, Stillorgan, Co Dublin of Friarsland, Co Dublin on
15 Jul 1619.
1780 - 1789 John Scott, Lord Earlsfort, Viscount Clonmel
1815 William Lafarelle
1815 - 1820 James Lafarelle
1822 - 1826 Thomas Wilson
1835 Lease owned by Hutchins Thomas Williams
1835 - 1842 Charles Copland
1843 - 1844 The Misses Johnson
1847 - 1858 William Stowell Henry Curran
1858 - 1863 Colonel Augustus de Butts
1863 Lease for Sale
1864 - 1866 Mr M'Geogh
1866 - 1877 John Richard Somers
1877 - 1878 For Sale
1879 - 1885 Hugh Michael Macken
1886 - 1914 Richard Davoren
1917 - 1928 Reginald Stratford Phillips
1929 - 1932 Thomas Smalley
1932 - 1942 Mrs Smalley
1943 - 1949 William Joseph Clarkson
1949 - 1961 Miss Mary Clarkson & Anthony Leo Clarkson
1964 - todate Opus Dei - in use as a university residence
STAFF
1849 William Stewart - Gatekeeper
1901 Teresa Kelly - Cook
Mary Sweeny - Kitchenmaid
Anne Holloway - Nurse
Catherine Fleming - Nurse
1901 - 1911 Catherine Cullen - Parlourmaid
1911 Anne Somers - Housemaid
Julia Cooney - Kitchenmaid
Hanna Flynn - Cook
1911 Michael Callaghan - Coachman (living at gate lodge)
1901 - 1911 Daniel Flynn - Gardener (living on site)
CURRENT
STATUS Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2020