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Scattered around the area of Blackrock, Stillorgan, Kilmacud, Drummartin, Dundrum and Roebuck are over 100 'Grand Houses' - a reminder of Ireland’s colonial past. There were at one time over 300 'Grand Houses' in the area while many of these have been taken over by religious orders most have been demolished to make way for housing estates and the story of their former occupants has gone untold for decades.
In the 19th century, when the great famine struck, the starving tenants could not afford to pay their rent. This was the beginning of the end for the ‘Grand Houses’; incomes declined and landowners locked up, and left the country. The Land Wars began in the 1870s, when the first Irish Land Act was brought in and during the War of Independence and Civil War some of these houses became targets of the Irish Republican Army, but the biggest threat has always been the property developer and 2013 to 2025 has seen a renewed interest in the area by same.
The aim of this volunteer project is to record by way of images/descriptions these 'Grand Houses' (both those that have been demolished and those that are still extant) and with the help of relatives to tell the story of the families that lived in them. We also hope that on this journey we will uncover the hidden people - the gardeners, the coachmen, the nursemaids, the staff that made these houses run smoothly.
The idea is to provide a simple outline of each family in the hope that descendants will contact us to add the details and fill in the gaps.
The contributors are:-
June Bow, Catherine Brugha, Mairead Byrne, Michael Fitzgerald, Bríd Nolan, Ross Nolan, Karen Poff & Des Smyth
A map of the houses covered is provided with the much appreciated help and input of Brian Hollinshead.
OpenStreetMap of Grand Houses
Map data copyrighted OpenStreetMap contributors
The villagers of Stillorgan 1901. The Villagers of Stillorgan 1911
In the 19th century, when the great famine struck, the starving tenants could not afford to pay their rent. This was the beginning of the end for the ‘Grand Houses’; incomes declined and landowners locked up, and left the country. The Land Wars began in the 1870s, when the first Irish Land Act was brought in and during the War of Independence and Civil War some of these houses became targets of the Irish Republican Army, but the biggest threat has always been the property developer and 2013 to 2025 has seen a renewed interest in the area by same.
The aim of this volunteer project is to record by way of images/descriptions these 'Grand Houses' (both those that have been demolished and those that are still extant) and with the help of relatives to tell the story of the families that lived in them. We also hope that on this journey we will uncover the hidden people - the gardeners, the coachmen, the nursemaids, the staff that made these houses run smoothly.
The idea is to provide a simple outline of each family in the hope that descendants will contact us to add the details and fill in the gaps.
The contributors are:-
June Bow, Catherine Brugha, Mairead Byrne, Michael Fitzgerald, Bríd Nolan, Ross Nolan, Karen Poff & Des Smyth
A map of the houses covered is provided with the much appreciated help and input of Brian Hollinshead.
OpenStreetMap of Grand Houses
Map data copyrighted OpenStreetMap contributors
The villagers of Stillorgan 1901. The Villagers of Stillorgan 1911