History of Blackrock from circa 1892.

A short guide to Blackrock and the surrounding areas. Published circa 1892. K.F August 2002.

**Hill’s

Guide to Blackrock.

***With

A description of the Neighbourhood

and excursions to

The Numerous Objects of Interest and Attraction.*

**Guide to Blackrock

***Compiled out of Rev. B. Blacker’s “Donnybrook and Booterstown,” Dalton’s, “Co. Dublin;” Rev. Dr. Stokes’ Lecture on Blackrock; Ordnance Survey Maps, &c. *

(1.) History.

The town of Blackrock is a very ancient place, though its name, Blackrock, is simply the tail or termination of its ancient name. Three hundred years ago Blackrock was always called Newtown-on-the-Strand, or Newtown-at- the-Black-Rock, a name which still survives in Newtown Avenue, and Newtown House. It was thus distinguished from Newtown-in-the-Deer-Park, as the village of Newtown Park was then called, from* *the circumstance that it was built in the Deer Park belonging to Stillorgan House, or Castle. The Black Rock which gave the distinguishing name to our town was much more clearly seen before the railway cut off the inhabitants from the full enjoyment of the shore, though pieces of it can still be seen in the railway ramparts in the People’s Park and outside the new baths. This rock is remarkable in a geological point of view. In the Rev. B. Blacker’s “Sketches of Booterstown,” &c., p.259, there is an article composed by a former resident of Black rock, G. V. Du Noyer, Esq., explaining the geological phenomena presented by the Black Rocks. They are remarkable from a scientific point of view as being the point where the junction of the limestone and granite formations is manifest on the surface. Mr. Du Noyer says: “What remains visible of the ‘Black Rock’ which gave the name to the place is a boss of calp limestone, rising out of the sand under the Peafield Baths, and to the north of Blackrock Railway Station, the granite being within a few hundred feet of ti to the south.” These Peafield Baths are no longer used as such.

They were used till 20 years ago, but have now been turned into the residence of the Superintendent of Blackrock People’s Park. The limestone boss described by Mr. Du Noyer will be found in the same Park, a few yards north of the grounds of Lisaniskea. “The granite formation comes very close to the limestone,” continues Mr. Du Noyer. “On the surface of the embankment of the railway, close to and north of the Blackrock Station, there is a singular granite boss which deserves to be noticed. The rock consists of sharply angular fragments of the ordinary granite, varying in size up to a block some feet across, all of which are cemented in a hard granite sand full of white mica. At first sight this looks like a conglomerate, which might be supposed to rest on the surface of the granite, and to be the base of the border drift, inland cliffs of which we see over the old harbour of Dunleary to the south of the Kingstown Gas Works. This granite breccia, however, is I believe, much older than any of the drift, and is analogous to those dyke-like masses of breccia, which are not unfrequently found in the Trappean rocks of the Lower Silurian period; such as is to be seen on the shore near Lady’s Cove at Tramore.” Mr. Du Noyer’s paper is worth study by scientific visitors to Blackrock, proving that our neighbourhood has scientific as well as other attractions. (With this paper may also be compared the memoir published by the Geological Society of Ireland, to explain their map, sheets 102 and 112,. by J. B. Jukes, and G. V. Du Noyer, and a memorandum of objects of geo1ogic interest in the county of Dublin, p. 17, drawn up for Royal Dublin Society, preparatory to the meeting of the British Association, 1835 - “Blacker’s Booterstown,” p.203).

Let us now return from this scientific digression to the history of Blackrock. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Newtown-on-the-Strand was merely a small village, usually thrown in with Monkstown in the various grants and confiscations of those times. (See the survey of the Half-Barony of Rathdown made in 1654, in Lodge’s “Desiderata Curiosa Hibernica,” ii, 529-568.) Blackrock and Monkstown were before the Reformation the property of St. Mary’s Abbey in Dublin, hence the latter name. Blackrock was always a notable spot for Dublin people because it was* *the farthest point whither the Lord Mayor and Corporation advanced when perambulating the Liberties and franchises of the Corporation of Dublin. This ceremony was kept up till within living memory, and went back to the most remote times. A full description of it as performed in the Middle Ages will be found in Walsh *& Whitelaw’s *History of Dublin.

The following short history, compiled by Captain Sheffield Betham, of the ancient cross of Blackrock, which marks from ancient times the limits of the Lord Mayor’s jurisdiction, explains a good deal of our local history. We take it from Mr Blacker’s work above quoted, p. 257. “In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Sir John Travers, a man of note, lived in Monkstown Castle. He had an only daughter, who married a Mr. Cheevers, who had one son drowned on Merrion strand, and two daughters. One of those daughters was married to Mr. Byrne of Cabinteely, and the other to the ancestor of Lords Longford and De Vesci. The estate was divided, the Byrnes getting the portion called Newtown-on-the-Strand or New town Castle Byrne. The Cross was the property of the Byrne family; it was always repaired by them, and was the landmark of the boundary of the city jurisdiction; the line coming down the lane at Old Merrion Churchyard and running along the centre of the road as far as the Cross of Blackrock, thence in a straight line to the sea, where old Bath Street used to run, extending out to sea as far as a man could wade at low water and cast a javelin. The Cross is not, and never was, an ecclesiastical one, but simply a boundary, and the city people when they rode the fringes, came up to it as their extreme limit.” In 1865 it was proposed to replace the ancient cross by a new one, from the design of the late John M’Curdy, Esq. Fortunately the old one (hundreds of years old as it is) was preserved and raised to its present position in the Main Street. In the last century Blackrock became a very fashionable place. As the north side of Dublin fell, the south side began to rise, and Blackrock was then, as it is still, the most accessible point for Dublin residents to get to the sea. A great number of distinguished people lived in Blackrock and neighbourhood 100 years ago; perhaps the most celebrated was

Arabella Denny, granddaughter of Sir William Petty, the famous Surveyor of Ireland ni the time of the Commonwealth; she lived during the latter half of the 18th century, from about 1750 to 1785, at Lisaniskea - which, as Mr. Blacker remarks, p. 81, seems originally to have been called Elm Cliff, a name subsequently transferred to a neighbouring residence – where she endeavoured to introduce silk worms and silk culture into Ireland. She was a great friend of Swift and Mrs. Delany, who, in her charming journal often mentions Blackrock and Lisaniskea. Here she was visited on Monday, May 5th, 1783, by the Rev. John Wesley, who thus describes Lisaniskea in terms which apply to it still. “We prepared for going on board the packet, but as it delayed sailing on Tuesday, 6th, I waited on Lady Arabella Denny, at the Blackrock, four miles from Dublin. It is one of the pleasantest spots I ever saw; the garden is every thing in miniature: on one side is a grove, with serpentine walks; on the other, a little meadow and a greenhouse with a study (which she calls her chapel) hanging over the sea; between these is a broad walk, leading down almost to the edge of the water, along which run two narrow walks, commanding the quay, one above the other. But it cannot be long before this excellent lady will remove to a nobler paradise.” She was then 76 years of age; she died at Lisaniskea, March 18th, 1792. A picture of this lady is preserved in the Board Room of the Magdalen Asylum, Leeson Street, an institution which she founded. At the same time many I noblemen lived in Blackrock. The spot now occupied by the gate into the People’s Park from Merrion Avenue was marked till a few years ago by a house called Elm Cliff. Its original name was Fort Lisle. About 1760 to 1790 it was the residence of the first Lord Lisle, who built it. In 1787 his lordship’s brother-in-law died at Fort Lisle. His name was Admiral Moore, and he was so devoted to the sea that he ordered his body to be buried at low-water mark, which seems accordingly to have been done. He was a man of opulence, and so attached had he been to a marine character, that from the turret of his garden the different naval flags. of England were always seen flying, and in particular a flag for Sunday. In 1793 Fort Lisle fell from its positron as a nobleman’s residence, and became a place of public entertainment called Vauxhall Gardens. The following advertisement appeared in the *Dublin Chronicle *of June 29th, of that year: “Vauxhall Gardens, Blackrock, formerly occupied by Lord Lisle. The proprietors of the above place respectfully inform the nobility and gentry residing at and visiting the Rock, that they have engaged a complete military band to attend on Tuesday next, and every Tuesday and Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. They humbly solicit public patronage and support, which they will anxiously endeavour to deserve. Admittance on the music nights, 6½d. The house is laid out in a style of elegance as a hotel and tavern, and provided with every accommodation, equal to any house in England or Ireland.”

In the same newspaper of July 6th, it is stated that Vauxhall Gardens were crowded as usual on Thursday last with a most brilliant and fashionable assemblage. “The house is furnished with everything in season, bowers, grottoes, interspersed through the dark shady walks, make the garden truly romantic, and the effect the music has on the sea, which flows at the foot of the garden, can better be imagined than expressed.” Vauxhall Gardens did not flourish. It was for sale in 1804, then became a boarding-house, then the Industrial School, till finally, some 10 years ago, it was pulled down, and the trees which decorated Vauxhall Gardens now ornament the entrance to the People’s Park. Ferrar’s “View of Dublin,” published in 1795, tells much about Blackrock. He was a literary bookseller of Limerick. He made a tour of Dublin and Wicklow, publishing his observations. He remarks about our neighbourhood thus: “Going to the county of Wicklow the road to the Blackrock is evidently the pleasantest, most frequented, and level. At Booterstown the fields are disposed in a style of judicious husbandry. The villas are neat and commodious, particularly Lord Carleton’s Willow-Bank, Mr. Latouche’s Sans Souci; Mr. D’Olier’s Collegnes; Mr. Alexander’s Seamount (now St. Helens); Sir Boyle Roche’s Rockfield (in Newtown Park Avenue). Williamstown is adjoining Blackrock, and has been much improved by Councellor Vavasour.” Vavasour lived in Castle Dawson, or Williamstown Castle, now the French College. Frescati was a favourite residence of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, and was searched for him when the authorities desired his arrest. In his letters, written about 1790, he often becomes rapturous in its praise. It was the residence of the Dowager Duchess of Leinster till the time of the Union, when, about 1802, it was sold to Sir Henry Cavendish, Receiver-General for Ireland. He died in 1804, when it became a famous boarding-school for boys, after which it was divided into separate dwelling-houses. About the same period there lived around Blackrock, the Earl of Aldborough, in Merrion Avenue, probably at Brooklawn; the Countess of Brandon (died in 1789), in Bell-Vue, Cross Avenue; the Rev. Dr. Burrowes, well known as a political writer, kept a famous school in Prospect, Temple Road, now a monastery, where the second Lord Cloncurry was educated; Sir Harcourt Lees, lived at Blackrock House, built by his father about 1770, and often occupied by the Lord Lieutenant as a seaside residence. Some of the viceroys embarked for England from the harbour at the back of Mr. Vance’s grounds. Sir Nicholas Lawless, afterwards Lord Cloncurry, lived at Maretimo. Messrs. Jephson and Atkinson, famous poets and literary men, lived, the one at Newtown Castle-Byrne, and the other at Melfield, Newtown Park. Archbishop King, about 1730, Lord Chancellor Jocelyn (ancestor of Lord Roden), about 1740, and Lord Chancellor Fitzgibbon, about 1790, lived in Mount Merrion. The Earl of Clonmel lived in Neptune, now Temple Hill; the Earl of Mayo lived and died at Blackrock in 1792; Nathaniel Sneyd, Esq., M.P., lived at Chesterfield, Cross Avenue; Attorney-General Saurin, at Carysfort House; Prime Serjeant Fitzgerald, at Herbert Lodge, or Cherbury; Mr. Ward, the Surveyor-General of Ordnance, at Newtown Park. So that it is manifest that Blackrock was then a great social centre. Old newspapers tell us a great deal of the social life of these times. Thus we learn from the *Dublin, Chronicle *of August 21st, 1787. that an annual Melon Feast was celebrated at Conway’s Tavern, at the Blackrock, at which a numerous crowd of the most respectable citizens attended. There were two medals for the best melons - the first, a gold one, to the Right Hon. John Beresford; the second, a silver one, to his Grace (Robert Fowler, D.D.), Archbishop of Dublin. To reach Blackrock must often have been then a work of danger, and so we find in the same year, 1787 the Blackrock Association, meeting at Jennett’s Tavern, in Blackrock, with Lord Ranelagh in the chair. They offered to reward to anyone prosecuting persons guilty of highway robbery or burglary upon the Blackrock Road, from Dublin to Dunleary. The constables seem to have been of little use, so “the gentlemen of the Blackrock Association determined to establish a nightly patrol from the Rock to Baggot Street, to secure passengers.” As for the means of communication with town, the following extract from the *Chronicle *of July 5th, 1792, speaks for itself:- “Sunday night an affray happened at Blackrock, The new carriage, tailed the Royal George, which passes between Dublin and the Rock, and carries, with perfect accommodation, 16 passengers, was the object of an envious attack, made by the drivers of jaunting-cars, noddies, &c. Fortunately, some gentlemen of rank and spirit were passengers in the George., who, aided by the gentlemen resident in the village, not only protected that useful vehicle, but made two of the assailants prisoners.” While to close our extracts we notice that the Martello Towers at Williamstown, Seapoint, &c., were building in the year 1804. After the Union of 1800, Blackrock rapidly decayed till the construction of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, in 1834, since which time Blackrock has as rapidly revived. So many improvements have been made within the last 30 years that the whole appearance of the place has been changed, rendering it, with its express train and efficient tram service, its baths and People’s Park, the most accessible and attractive suburb of Dublin.

Suggested Excursions.

We now offer a variety of excursions suited for tricyclers and bicyclers, or travellers by car. Several of them may also be easily made on foot. We shall note the objects of antiquarian, scenic, and scientific interest in connexion with each.

I.* Three-Rock Mountain, alias Slieve Roe, or the Red Mountains.*

Route Carysfort Avenue, Newtown Park Avenue to the White Cross. Thence across the railway, past the entrance to Leopardstown Racecourse, and Burton Hall (built 150 years ago, by Benjamin Burton, the celebrated Dublin banker). Then by a stile across some wild and rocky fields, or else round the road to the village of Kilgobbin, where is one of the ancient castles of the Pale, built by the Walshes, the ruins of an ancient church, seated on a lofty mound, and a splendid stone cross, which once had been carved. Hence there are several ways to the top of the mountain, which looks particularly fine from this spot, with the woods of “Fern Hill” hanging along the sides, which here seem steeper than they are. For a cyclist, the best route is to follow the road up by the old church, then the road to the left till the shoulder of the mountain is attained. The remainder of the journey must be done on foot. Or one can go on to Stepaside - famous for a battle in the Fenian rising of 1866-67 - thence up the steep road by the Police Barrack. Good bread and butter, soda and milk, sound beer, and fresh eggs can be got at Stepaside. The Three Rocks are well worth a visit. The view by land and sea is magnificent. The Three Rocks are thus described by Mr. Du Noyer, in the paper already quoted:- “The remarkable-looking bosses of granite on the summits of the Three Rock and Two Rock Mountains are not perched blocks, but the solid granite weathering in place; and this weathering is solely the result of long-continued atmospheric action - rain, frost, and snow. The rock being evenly jointed in vertical as well as horizontal planes, has weathered on the lines of separation; and some of the rough, cubical masses thus formed have resisted the action of the weather more completely than the others. In this way, are left those great table-like masses, having their edges moulded along the horizontal joints.” The pedestrian will find that the farther he goes along the Glencullen Road the easier will be the climb to the top. A stream, the head-water of the Loughlinstown river; its banks laden with primroses in May and June, crosses the road, running due south, about a mile and a quarter from Stepaside. Following it up, the tourists will easily find the Three Rocks, 1,479 foot; the Two Rocks, a quarter of a mile west, 1,699; and the Fairy Castle, in ruins. 1,763. The mountains behind will furnish abundant room for rambles. Kilmashogue, 1,339, with Caldbeck’s Castle, built in the last century as a hotel for a mineral spring supposed to exist here; Tibradden, 1,441; and then, across the Glencullen Valley, Glendoo, 1,919; Cruagh, 1,714; Killakee Mountain, 1,761. The pedestrian can descend by Tick-Nock, Glen Southwell, and the Little Dargle, a romantic and historic spot, famous for primroses and cromlechs, and a battle fought there between the Danes and the Irish in 919. Time from Blackrock, two hours and a-half ascending, two hours descending.

II. Kilternan Cromlech and old Church

Follow same route as No. 1. till steep road out of Stepaside, by Police Barrack, is ascended. At point of junction with the road passing Fern Hill gate, turn through a gate on the left, and follow a lane to a farm-house; press on, due south, and in a few hundred yards is a fine cromlech on the bank of the river which descends from Three Rock. Pursuing the stream, we come to the ruins of a paper mill, flourishing 60 years ago, and of the ancient Church of Kiltiernan, Or Tiernan’s Church, a most romantic and retired spot for a picnic, clad with primroses and wild flowers in the early summer. ‘The church is very ancient; it was in ruins, as now, in 1615. The ancient font can be seen embedded in the ground in the interior. From this church the cyclist has a choice of many roads; he may come down to the main road and return to Blackrock either by Stepaside, by Carrickmines, or by Rathmichael. He may pursue his way to The Scalp, or he may take the first road to the right after leaving the church, which will bring him over the lofty hill called Bally-Edmondduff into Glencullen. Time for the shorter route about four hours, (See Excursion III.)

III. Glencullen and its Valley

This excursion is a long one, scarcely suitable for any but very first-rate pedestrians, cyclists, and cars. The same route may be pursued as in Nos. I. and II. till the shoulder of the Three Rock is reached. Thence fine mountain and sea views are to be had, reaching down into Wicklow, and embracing, in clear weather, the Welsh and Mourne Mountains. The ride down to Glencullen Police Barrack is very easy, whence a very steep road leads to the Bridge of Glencullen, spanning the stream which finally becomes the Dargle and Bray River. The view from this bridge is very fine, dark and lofty mountains combining with the rushing brown flood, shut in by precipitous banks, to form a noble picture. Thence a steep and poor road leads, by some abandoned mines, to Enniskerry. The cyclist must push his machine up this hill, and ride the dangerous hill down to Enniskerry with his brake hard down. Another ride in this valley, and a fine one in many respects, is in the opposite direction. Having descended from Three Rock, take the road to the right for two or three miles, when a beautiful plantation is reached. The road leads down a steep hill with a brawling, but lovely, brook beside it. (Keep brake hard down, cyclist.) This wood affords many charming spots for picnics, and is little known. The road leads down to the village of Rockwork, whence the first turn to the right brings one to Whitechurch, St. Columba’s, Harold’s Grange, Stillorgan, and Blackrock. Time, for a steady walker, six hours ; distance, about 20 miles.

IV.* The Scalp.*

This famous spot is convenient to Blackrock for a cyclist. The shortest route is through Newtown Park Avenue, Stepaside; Golden Ball, &c. Time, about two hours going and the same returning, for a good walker. About a mile from the true Scalp there lies the Little Scalp. It will be found by turning to the left off the road which leads from Carrickmines to Golden Ball. It is a wild and unknown spot.

V. Puck’s Castle and Carrickgollogan, vulgarly called Katty Gallagher.

This excursion is one of the finest from Blackrock, and is very easy for a cyclist, as his machine can travel the whole way, except the last few hundred yards. The shortest road is by Temple Hill and Dean’s Grange Cemetery, through Cabinteely and Loughlinstown, where the workhouse and its grounds occupy the site of the famous encampment which, from 1790 to 1800 protected the metropolis; the outline of some of the squares can still be traced in the fields in Bride’s Glen. In 1690 an encampment was also formed on this spot, and James II. is said to have encamped under the big tree in the centre of the road at the entrance to Mr. West’s demesne, before one arrives at the village of Loughlinstown. In the latter village, the road turning sharp to the right should be followed, leading under the railway bridge into Bride’s Glen, by the Glebe House, built in the middle of the last century by Dr. John Lyon, the friend of Swift, and the favourite retreat of Dr. John Leland, the historian of Ireland, who planted the shrubbery. The late Dr. Petrie spent many summers in this Glen, which about June 1st, is one white sea of hawthorn ; it is then one of the sweetest spots in the county, thick with wild flowers, redolent with sweet scents, and resonant with the river which flows from Three Rock by Kiltiernan. A sharp ascent brings us close to new Rathmichael Church whence Puck’s Castle can be seen up a lane; it was one of the castles of the Lawless family. James II. is said to have slept a night there after the defeat of the Boyne. It is worth inspection, as showing what the fortified residences of the 16th and 17th centuries were like. The stone staircase is inserted in the walls. There is a splendid view over Bray, Shanganagh, Killiney, &c., from the roof. A few hundred yards southeast are found the ruins of old Rathmichael Church, together with the stump of a round tower, to which is said to have been attached a singular underground gallery, now choked up. A little to the south-west of the church, and higher up the hill, is a very fine rath, while above rises the Chimney Hill, and the rocky summit of Carrickgollogan (912 feet), a famous ground for wild flowers, ferns, and blackberries; stairs wind round the chimney shaft, affording a very fine view. On the side of Carrickgollogan there runs a road elevated 600 feet above the sea level, with a grand view; if pursued it will lead down close to the Scalp; this neighbourhood offers matter for many excursions.

VI.* Dundrum, Tallaght, and Bohernabreena. *

This is a charming excursion, extending over 25 miles; the best way for a cyclist is Merrion Avenue, Foster Avenue, Dundrum, Churchtown to Bushy Park, then by Roundtown, following the steam-tram track to Tallaght. See the ruins of the ancient Archiepiscopal Palace, 13th century, now the Dominican Convent, and the steeple of the Church formerly belonging to the ancient Irish Monastery of St. Maelruan and AEngus the Culdee. In the Churchyard the ancient trough for washing the pilgrims’ feet is preserved. Returning from the Church, the road on the right leads to the Dodder at Old Bawn Bridge; crossing the bridge, take the first turn to the right, which will lead up to Bohernabreena and St. Ann’s, where the reservoirs of the Rathmines Water Supply may be inspected, the Valley of Glenasmoel, or the Glen of the Thrush. These Glens of the Dublin Mountains are wonderfully warm; when a bad east wind is blowing in Dublin, the glens in the mountains, all looking towards the south, and being sheltered from the east, are charming. An active man will find Kippure Mountain, 2,473, at the head of Glenasm good practice for an Alpine excurelon.

VII.

The following will offer interesting excursions either on foot or cycles. (1), Stillorgan Church, road, and Park. Stillorgan Church is dedicated to St. Bridged, rebuilt about 1725. The Churchyard is ancient. Stillorgan is Tech-Lorgan or House of Laurence; it has had a Church and Mill since the 12th century. The old Mansion House was pulled down 12 years ago, and the new house now occupied by Mr. Monahan erected in its place. The site has been occupied for hundreds of years by a mansion; in Charles I.’s time it was owned by a family named Wolverstone; they lost it under Cromwell. Under Charles II., the Duke of York, afterwards James II., got it; after the Boyne Sir Joshua Allen bought it. His son was created Baron Allen of Stillorgan, a title which became extinct only of late years. The property passed by marriage into the family of the Earl of Carysfort, who built Carysfort House as their residence. The Allen family built the splendid obelisk which now adorns the grounds of Obelisk Park, as their Deer Park, used to extend over to Newtown Park. The obelisk was built early in the last century, probably to give employment in some famine, as the obelisk on Dalkey was built to give employment after the famine of 1739-40. There was a tradition that a man was killed in building it and buried underneath. Mr. Manders, who rented the place 25 years ago, opened the ground and found human remains, as thus indicated. This obelisk is mentioned in Mrs. Delany’s autobiography in 1727. (2.) Ancient Church of Dean’s Grange, called anciently St. Fintan’s of Clonkene. The body of the church is very ancient; the chancel seems to have been added subsequently; on the road up to it is an ancient sanctuary cross. This is an easy walk of two short miles along the Bray road; the cyclist who follows it to Cabinteely, taking the turn to the right at the pump, and then the first turn to the left, will arrive, after crossing the railway, at the ancient Church of Tullow; dedicated to St. Bridget; here is one perfect Irish cross, the remains of another, and those of a very ancient church: from the perfect cross is a fine view. The old castles of the district are numerous, and will repay inspection and investigation. In 1654 there were 23 such castles in the half-barony of Rathdown. There are castles, or some remains of such edifices, still at Monkstown, Cornell’s Court, Dundrum, Shankhill, Loughlinstown, and Kilgobbin. The ancient graveyard at Merrion received a vast number of soldiers’ bodies, drowned on the coast in a transport sailing to Spain in 1807. A nice walk or ride passes Merrion gates to the House of Rest, then entering a lane a couple of hundred yards nearer town, on the left hand, pursue the lane to Nutley, thence back to Blackrock by the Donnybrook or Stillorgan road. This lane was the ancient high road from town through Donnybrook to Blackrock. The present road by Ballsbridge was constructed only about 100 years ago. Another ramble through fields will be found between the White Cross and Stillorgan railway gates; crossing a stile, one can ramble till Carrickmines station is reached;

Blackrock Post Office

Hours of Despatch

10.20 a.m. - For country and city.

12.20 p.m - For North Ireland, Scotland, City and local districts.

5.20 p.m - For all Ireland and city.

6.20 pm. - For England, Scotland, the Continent, and Monkstown.

10.00 pm. - For Provincial, England, Scotland; and City.

Letters can be posted 5 minutes later, with additional postage of ½d.

Parcel Post despatches are made up 3.15 p.m. and 8.0 p.m. each day (Sunday excepted).

Deliveries

7.40 a.m. - English, Provincial, and Scotch.

1.5 p.m. - Scotch, Suburban, and City.

8.0 p.m. Provincial, English, Scotch. and Monkstown.

Parcel Post Deliveries

1.5 p.m. and 8.0 p.m.

Office Hours

For Postal Business, 7.0 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For Telegraph Business, 8.0 a. m. to 8.0 p.m.

For Money Order Business, 9.0 a.m. to 6.0 p.m.; and on Saturday, 9.0 to 8.0 p.m.

Pillar and Wall Box Collections.

Southill, Merrion Avenue - 8.30 a.m., 4.45 p.m., 8.50 p.m.

Cross Avenue - 9.15 a.m., 5.0 p.m., 9.15 p.m.

Prince Edward Terrace - 9.15 a.m., 4.30 p.m., 9.15 p.m.

Newtown Park - 9.0 a.m., 4.30 p.m., 8.0 p.m.

Stradbrook - 8.20 a.m., 4.10 a.m., 8.5 p.m.

George’s Avenue - 9.0 a.m., 5.0 p.m., 9.0 p.m.

Temple Hill - 8.30 p.m., 4.0 p.m., 8.15 p.m.

Merrion Avenue (foot) - 9.30 a.m., 5.0 p.m., 9.30 p.m.

Williamstown - 8.30 a.m., 4.0 p.m., 8.15 p.m.

Ovoca Terrace - 8.45 a.m., 12.10 p.m., 5.0 p.m., 8.15 p.m.

White Cross - 9.0.a.m., 4.15 p.m., 8. 15 p.m.

Stillorgan Park - 9.10 a.m., 12.0 p.m., 5.0 p.m., 8.15 p.m.

Sundays, only collection only in the afternoon.

Methodist Church

Sunday Service, 11.30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Week-day, Thursday, 8p.m.

Rev. John Lee, Minister.

Sunday School, Sunday 4 p.m.

T. J. Nicholl, Superintendent. *

Church of St. John the Baptist.

Officiating clergymen: Rev. Joseph Murray. Rev. Pierce Gossan, Rev. John Brady.

Hours or Service:

Masses on Sundays and Holydays at 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 o’clock;

Evening Service:

Sunday Afternoon at 4 o’clock, Holyday Evenings at 7.30 o’clock.

Christ Church, Carysfort, Blackrock.

Incumbent

Rev. Edmund Rambaut, B.A., The Parsonage, Blackrock.

Hours of Service – Sunday, 11.30 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Tuesday, 7.30 p.m.

The Lord’s Supper – 1st Sunday in the month and festivals.

Sunday School – 10.15 a.m.

Men’s Meeting – 3rd Tuesday in the month, 8.30 p.m.

Y.W.C.A. - 2nd Friday in the month, at 3 o’clock p.m.

Meeting for Psalmody – Monday, 7 o’clock, p.m

All Saints’, Blackrock.

Vicar:

Rev. G. T. Stokes, D. D., Vicarage, Proby Square.

Curate:

Rev. H. W. Burgess, LL.D., Clonmore, Queen’s Park, Monkstown.

Sunday Service.

1st Sunday of Month

Morning Prayer and Holy Communion – 11.30 a.m.

Litany and Catechising – 3.30 p.m.

Evening Prayer – 9.0 p.m.

Every other Sunday –

Holy Communion – 8.0 a.m.

Morning Prayer – 11.30 a.m.

Evening Prayer – 7.0 p.m.

On the third Sunday of the mouth the Litany is said at 3.30, and there is Catechising.

St. Philip and St. James/

Rector - Rev. John Leonard, M.A., Rectory, Blackrock.

Curate – Rev. F. H. Battersby, M.A., 18 Peafield Terrace.

Hours of Service

Sunday – 11.30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Week-day – Wednesday, 11.30.

Children’s Service – First Saturday in the month, at 4 o’clock.

Holy Communion:

Every alternate Sunday, at 8.15 a.m. and 11.30; First Wednesday in the month, at 11.30, and all chief Festivals.

Stillorgan Church.

Divine Service

Sunday, 11.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Wednesday, 11.30, a.m.

There is also Divine Service on Christmas Day, Circumcision, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Ascension Day, at 11.30 a.m.; and on Christmas a further Service at 8.30 a.m.; and on Good Friday a further Service at 4.30 p.m.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is administered on the third Sunday in each month at 8.30 a.m.; and on all other Sundays at the 11.30 a.m. Service. On Christmas Day, Easter, and Whitsunday, both at 8.30 a.m. and at 11.30 a.m.

Trains.

As a general rule the Train Service to and from Blackrock is as follows:-

Trains leave Blackrock for Dublin at 10 minutes and 25 minutes past the hour; and 20 minutes to the hour; and leave Dublin for Blackrock, at the hour; the half-hour, and the quarter to the hour.

The following are the exceptions - There are three periods of irregularity between 8.30 and 10 in the morning, 5 and 8, and 9.30 and 12 in the evening.

Trains leave Blackrock for Dublin, in the morn at 8.57, 9.10, 9.25, 9.40, and 9.57 The train service from Dublin is then regular.

Trains leave Dublin for Blackrock at 5.15, 5.30, 5.45, 6. 6.15, 6.30, 6.45, and 7.15, 7.25, and 7.40.

Trains leave Blackrock for Dublin at 5.57, p.m., 6.10, 6.40, 6.57, 7.10, 7.25, and 7.55.

The trains leaving Dublin after nine are 9.30, 10, 10.15 (Express), 10.30, 11, 11.15 (Express) and 11.45 (all stations)

Blackrock Medical Directory

Pollock, James F.; M.B., Dublin., F.R.C.S.I., L. & F.K.Q.C.P.L., Avoca House, Avoce Avenue.

Boyce, J. Wallace, M.B., Dub. Univ., L.K.Q.C.P.I., L.R.C.S.I., 19 Glenart Avenue.

McEvoy, Thomas M., L.R.C.S.I., L.K.Q.C.P.I., 9 Upper Prince Edward Terrace.

Armstrong, G. C., M.D., Glasg., F.R.C.S.I., L.A., Lond., 26 Sidney Avenue.

Finucane, T.D., M.D., L.F.P.S., Glasg., 34 Main Street, Blackrock.

Hill’s

China, Glass and Delph Warehouse,

16 Main Street, Blackrock,

China, Glass, Cutlery & Nappery, Lent out on hire.

Balls, Concerts, &c., supplied at Special Rates.

Hill’s

Select

Fancy Stationery & Toy Depot,

16 Main Street, Blackrock.

Lending Library

Rates of Subscription;

10s. 6d per Year, or, 6d. per Week.

Monthly Magazines Sold.

Agent for

Pullar’s Dye Works, Perth,

And

The Dublin and Belfast Tea Company.

Servants; Registry Office.

General Index.