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History of Palmerstown

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Palmerstown is a town situated 6 KM West of Dublin city centre.

It is in fact one of the first settlements around Dublin. There is plenty of evidence of this borne out by the existance of a number of features

The Ring Barrow

This is a Prehistoric burial mound which is to be found along mill lane. It is more commonly known locally as the Clump. It is 15 metres in diameter. These burial mounds date somewhere between 1800 and 750 BC. The Celts used these type of burial mounds until 750 BC. These were then replaced as preferred methods of burial by the flat tombs

In 1868 earthern vases in burial chambers were discovered by labourers working on the Limestone Quarry near the graveyard. These vases were buried with the dead. Unfortunately during excavation and work on the quarry , a lot of the urns and pots were destroyed. But some of the remaining urns can be seen to this day in the muesum of the Royal Irish academy

It is interesting to note that the original Catholic church is near these pagan burial grounds

Tig Giuire

This is Palmerstown's old original name. And in fact it describes the old church on Mill Lane. It can also be spelt as Teach Guaire meaning Church of Yews. The fact that the church is built in the same area as the Pagan burial grounds , continues on the tradition of the special place that the Yew tree had in Pagan beliefs. The special place of the Yew is also held within the Christain community.

There is a school of belief that the name actually comes from an unknown saint, known as Guaire. And that Tig Guaire in effect means The House of Guaire.

Others say that in fact the name comes from The House of Lepers. This is in conjunction with The Leper Hospital of St Laurence (Founded at a very early date)

There is another school of thought , that the name comes from Guaire, meaning a generous man. This originates from the connaught King called Guaire who was known the lenght and breadth for his kind ways and for his incredible generosity.

In recent decades the old name of Tig Guaire has been replaced on offical documents and on signs as its Anglized name..Baile Pamar

Palmerstown

No one fully knows where the English version of the name Palmerstown derived from. It is thought amongst many to derive its name from the Yew tree also. Again the name origin takes us back to Mill lane and the old Church there, which was surrounded by Yew trees.In fact up until in 1885 , one of the oldest yew trees in Ireland grew in the old church yard here. The name palm was often , and still is , give to the branches of the Yew tree.

Other Palmerstown's

Various names have been attributed to Palmerstown over the years. Originally , in order to distinguish it from Palmerstown at Fingal. It has been known as "Palmerstown by Annilfy" , "Palmerstown By Aniliffe" and also as "Palmerstown Upon Annilyfy".
By the 17th century the preferred spelling was Palmerstowne changing by the 18th century to the spelling still used today , Palmerstown.

The name which is sometimes used , Palmerston, originates from the Temple family who lived at Palmerstown since 1666. The son of Sir John Temple, Harry, took the noble title The Right Honorable Lord Viscount Palmerston. And as he lived in the locality , this was sometimes used as the place name. In particular the Ordnance survey Maps from this time, mainly created by the English, used this as the spelling for Palmerstown.

The Leper Hospital of St Laurence

In Medieval times , leprosy in Ireland was very prevalent. The townland of St Laurence, located between Chapelizod and Palmerstown was the location of a leper hospital. The hospital was known as The House of Lepers. And attached to this hospital was a church. However in the early 15th century , under an English direction , all religious houses were dissolved , and their lands confiscated..Including the House of Lepers.

The land and now ruined church were lent , at a cost to various people . They were considered valuable lands to have. As the rights of the land also allowed for a fair to take place upon the lands, this fair was a valuable source of income over the years to the holders of the land.

Unfortunately there are no remains of the church today or indeed of the Leper Hospital. However the fair still continues and , to this day thrives.

The Palmerstown Fair

The fair , on the lands of the former Leper hospital took place in August of each year. Cattle and horses were traded here. And at fair time there was always great hustle and bustle. Excitement was in the air. Unfortunately however, the fair was also renowned for drunkeness and the fights which frequently occurred.

Its notoriety was further cemented with the murederous act which occurred there on the 9th August 1738. Henry 4th Lord of Santry , a man of ill repute. Known for his wild ways and his drunkeness. Henry was drinking in a local Public House. A fight broke out between Henry and another drinker called Humpheries . During the fight Henry twice tried to draw his sword, but failed on both occassions. His inablility to defeat his foe caused him to storm from the tavern.
Upon leaving the tavern he encountered the unfortunate Loughlin Murphy , whom he pushed aside. Uttering that the next person that spoke to him, he would kill. Murphy protested over his treatment from Henry. For daring to speak to Henry , his life ended. Santry stabbed him , and made a hasty exit from the establishment. The unfortunate Murphy died from his injuries on September 25th.
Lord Santry was tried for this crime on April 27 1739. His defence was that Loughlin had died from disease. The trial was a sensation at the time, with extra space having to be made for the spectators who wished to watch proceedings.
The verdict was returned as " Guilty". But in lieu of any real punishment, the peers decreed that Henry should be shown mercy. His punishment was that he was stripped of all ranking and banished from Ireland. And Barred from ever coming back.

Despite incidents like this the market continued to thrive.

Further Changes to the Palmerstown area

In 1615 the parishes of Lucan , Aderrig, Kilbride , Kilmahuddrick, Esker , Palmerstown, Ballyfermot, Drimnagh and Clondalkin were all merged into one parish. This parish became known as the parish of Clondalkin and Lucan.
In 1697 , another decree from the British government, ordered all Dublin priests and clergymen to leave the country or be deported.
In 1765 Palmerstown and Lucan once again became seperate parishes.

Murder of Fr McCartan

On the 3rd of June 1807, Reverand James McCartan, a clergyman of Palmerstown was set upon by a gang of thieves as he returned home from performing the Stations of The Cross. As a result of his injuries the unfortunate clergyman died. The villians who carried out this deed face the hangman's gallows , and were hung. There is a stone monument in Lucan commerating this incident.

In 1821 the population of Clondalkin parish , which included Palmerstown , Lucan and some of Chapelizod, had a population of 1553...Of this population 1440 were Catholics...How times change!

The Church of Ease (And the Bell)

In 1915, Patrick William Molloy presented a bell to the Church Of Ease. The Belfry , where the bell was proudly hanging , collapsed in the early part of the century. The bell was removed from the rubble and was hung in a lime tree near the church yard. And it was from this tree that the bell rang out , calling people to the church.
In 1948 , the new church , St Philomena's , opened its doors. It replaced the Church of Ease as the Catholic place of worship. The Church of Ease itself was sadly demolished. However many of the fittings from the Church Of Ease were taken to St Philomena's . The original bell from the Church Of Ease , now hangs proudly in St Philomena's church.

Industry In Palmerstown

Palmerstown in 1906 contained the townlands of Fonthill,Irishtown,Johnstown,Palmerstown Upper and Lower, Quarryvale,Redcowfarm,St Laurence,Woodfarm and Yellow Walls. From the 1500's through to the 1800's Palmerstown people were mainly involved in the farming industry. Conditions, in general , tended to be poor, with the Irish themselves living in mud huts. These mud huts had straw, or grass rooves. There was no windows on these huts, and very few had chimmeys , owing to the tax that the British government had placed on chimmeys.
There was however some industry in the area. As early as the sixth century cornmills began to appear in Ireland, and Palmerstown had its fair share of this type of mill.

The abundant supply of water in the area also meant that in Palmerstown, industries like the iron works industry thrived. Iron mongery in the form of smelting, slitting and plating was the primary industry in the area. One of the main businesses in the area was the plating mill. This mill had a shop attached
The mill was leased to 2 iron mongers in 1713. Debris known as clinkers from the iron works can still be seen in the area of Palmerstown.These clinkers were used as capstones on some of the old walls which can be seen around Mill Lane. By the middle of the 19th century , the iron industry in Palmerstown went the same way as the iron industry in Ireland.It went into serious decline

Lucan Printing

One of the earliest, and most successful ,linen printing factories in Ireland was setup in Palmerstown.There is evidence that this factory was established by the Wheatley family , and that it was well established in the area by 1720. By 1763 their daughter Mary Knobbs took over the business. It was at this time a very substantial business, it covered over 20 acres and had, at any given time 100 plus men in its employ. The turnover was a substantial £8000. This linen printing works had an excellent name and linens came from far and near to this particular printing works

Quarrying and Building

Quarries existed at varying times at Mill Lane, Quarryvale and Brickfields.There were 2 Mill Lane quarries, 1 at Palmerstown Demesne in the woods and the other a short distance from the churchyard over looking the Mill race.There are many monuments in the old church yard which commerate the many skilled tradesmen who helped to build Palmerstown

The Ferry

Records from as long ago as 1816 show a ferry service between The Strawberry beds and Palmerstown. However as other forms of transport became more popular the amount of people using the ferry dwindled year by year until the 1920's.Around this time , people began to question whether a foot bridge between the 2 would be more beneficial. Ultimately it was deemed to expensive to provide this bridge and the ferry crossings were to continue up until the 1940's

Early Schools

The earliest known school in Palmerstown is the female school at Mill Lane. This school dates to at least 1816. Schools due to the high expense of maintaining and running them were often contributed to by the local landlords.
In this manner Palmerstown was very very lucky. The local landlords at the time counted amongst them The Earls of Donaghmor , who were strong advocates of Catholic Emancipation. By 1821 there were 2 free schools in Palmerstown, both in Mill Lane. One of the schools was for Male children , the other for female. The children in these schools were very well looked after and the poorest of them were clothed and fed. At this stage there were 100 pupils attending these schools.
By 1837 this number had increased to 150. Lessons were taught Monday through to Saturday. Allowances on attendance and school time were made for pupils who also worked in the mills and the farms of the area. In fact, a seperate roll call was kept for these "part-time" scholars. Class rooms were determined by proficiency and not by age. Each class was taught by one teacher.

As the schools became older, they unfortunately fell into disrepair. Leading to in 1892 the opening of a new school. One of the biggest problems for the new school was its size. Unfortunately there was enough space for just 53 pupils. A huge shortfall on the actual numbers who were in the old schools. Often classes were held in hallways and any excuse was used to get the class outside to teach on days when the weather was nice.

The Milestone

Beside the Coach house, made of granite...and these days unfortunately very worn away. On this stone was information for travellers in days of yore. Carved into the stone were the distances between Palmerstown and other destinations.

Brewers and Inn Keepers

In 1713 Thomas Simpson and John Gibbons were brewers of note in the locality. Palmerstown was a popular spot for people travelling between Dublin and all other parts of the country. A number of Public Houses began to spring up in the 18th century as more and more people began to travel. The names of some of the public houses at this time were The Swan, The Red Lion, The Black Bull, The White Swan

The Deadman's Inn

It is said that the name of this historic pub , was derived from an incident which occurred there in 1798. The story goes as follows. District Justice Norbury, who was better known as the "Hanging Judge"( For obvious reasons). Norbury had been the judge who had presided over the Robert Emmet case and other notable cases of the time. Norbury was returning home to his residence in Clane.
As they approached the tavern where the Deadman's currently is, one of the drivers, who had become ill, wanted to get off the carraige.He attempted to alight. The judge demanded to know what was going on. He roared that if the coach stopped, he personally would have both the drivers flogged and hung.
Terrified the main driver sped back up. The unfortunate ill man , who was attempting to alight fell from the carraige. But the terrified driver continued on ahead. The ill driver was found dead the next morning. An inquest into his death delivered a verdict of "Death By Misadventure".

Trams

Trams ran between the Pheonix Park and Lucan commencing in 1883. Originally this was a steam tram, but was replaced by the electric model in 1900. Eventually trams were replaced altogether by buses by 1940.
However during their relatively short period as the transport mode of choice, they provided a vital link between Palmerstown and Dublin , and Palmerstown and the rest of the country. Not only did commuters find the trams invaluable..But also they were extremely popular and indeed novel way for many Dubliners to see the country

Major Houses and Families

Newtown Clarke House
Now known as Riverdale. There is a nursing home now on these historic grounds. The Clarke family originally owned this fine house and its date of contruction can be traced back to pre 1829

Lord Edward Fitzgearld
Arrested once in Palmerstown during the historic rebellion of 1798. Whist Edward was checking on manoevres, he was stopped and questioned by patrol He was questioned at lenght.
But he managed to convince the patrol guards that he was a doctor. The gaurds allowed him on his way

Palmerstown House
Now within the grounds of Stewarts Hospital. John Hely Hutchinson built this impressive mansion in 1763.

Hospital of St John the Baptist
Before dissolution in 1539 this was indeed a very impressive spread.The grounds consisted of a castle , 30 dwelling houses (complete with out-buildings , courtyards and their own land) a water mill and 320 acres of prime land. Also there was a rectory and a church.
However after dissolution this all fell into disrepair and there is no evidence left of any of the outbuildings or religious buildings

Stewarts Hospital

Dr George Kidd is credited as the actual founder of Stewarts hospital. In 1866 he wrote a paper about the condition of the mentally handicapped children of Ireland. This paper caused an absolute sensation when it was published. And the powers-that-be resolved to find a suitable location for a specialist hospital for the mentally handicapped
£8,000 was raised in the locality for the project, but alas, it was still some way short of what was needed. The project looked doomed to fail. That is until the timely intervention of Dr Henry Hucthinson. Dr Hutchinson had been working with the mentally handicapped in Lucan. He offered to hand over his asylum and the sum of £5,000. At this time Dr Hutchinson was operating from the Spa Hotel in Lucan
By 1869 the asylum had moved to Palmerstown.And to Palmerstown House.
Dr Henry Hutchinson died in 1879. He was a truly great and generous man. Almost every year, on top of his already generous donation , he added more and more financial aid to research and treatment of the mentally ill.The Hospital in Palmerstown was renamed as Stewart's Hospital in his memory.

Modern Palmerstown

Up to 1948 , Palmerstown was a small village. As the mills ceased to exist, the centre of the village moved from Mill Lane to Upper Palmerstown.
In 1921 Palmerstown's population was only 186. In the late 1940's a new church Philomena's was erected, as well as council houses and shops were built. A few years later a large housing development was completed on Kernelsfort Road Upper.
As of todays date, the village is now dissected by the the imposing and impersonal dual carraigeway. And the link between old Palmerstown and new Palmerstown is the pedestrian footbridge.

Invaluable help for this History was obtained from the excellent and informative book on Palmerstown by Nessa O Connor ***********Nessa O’Connor, Palmerstown – An Ancient Place, Dublin, 2003*******

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