Kilvare

Kilvare.

The next place to Spawell is Kilvare, now in possession of Mr. Roche. The demesne is surrounded on three sides by the river; the Tallaght road bounds the fourth. Mr. Geoffrey Foot, the brother of Lundy Foot, before mentioned, lived here in 1812. He built a cut-stone wall, at a cost of £1,000, along the river, to keep out the floods. This wall now looks very ridiculous, the river being many feet below its foundation, and never rising near it, owing to the carting away of shingle and stones.

In Mr. Geoffrey Foot’s time, Captain Domvile, who then lived at Templeogue House, close by, built a wall about 30 feet high along the road opposite Kilvare, to prevent his place being overlooked. It is said that the Hell-fire Club often met in this house, for some of the Domviles were members of it. There was another house on the roadside at Kilvare, where once lived Archdeacon Magee, the celebrated parson of St. Thomas’s Church, Dublin. His father, Archbishop Magee, resided in Kilvare about 1829, and some curious fittings were said to have been transferred here when the old palace (at Tallaght) was demolished.

John Sealy Townshend, Master in Chancery, lived here subsequently. He was rather an oddity: cranky, irascible, and penurious. An attorney met Townshend one day on Essex Bridge, enveloped in an old shawl, which he used to wear in his office, and had forgotten to take off. The attorney, about to call his attention to this fact, said, “I beg your pardon, Master, but” -

“Don’t speak to me here, sir,” said the Master; “whatever you have to say, attend at my Office at a proper hour.”

“I only want to show you this,” said the attorney, holding up one end of the old striped shawl. Master T. was greatly confused, and was reported to have actually growled some thanks.

He was of a saving disposition, and never spent more than half his income. He sometimes gave dinner-parties, and would pretend to fall asleep when he thought the wine had sufficiently circulated. On one such occasion B. T. Ottley, of Delaford, who was a guest, and who was well aware of the Master’s peculiarity, seeing the manoeuvre, said, - “Now, boys, as the Master’s asleep, I must take his place.” He pushed round the wine merrily, to the great amusement of the rest of the party, and disgust of Master T., who soon woke up. Ottley did not dine there again. When presiding in his office, in addition to the old shawl in winter, Townshend used to wear a parchment deed suspended round his neck to keep his vest clean, with cuffs of the same material, which had an odd effect. He died worth over £100,000, but was knowing enough to dispose of it previously. His representatives had therefore no probate or legacy duty to pay.

Templeogue House originally belonged to the Talbots, who, some 300 years ago, seem to have owned half the County of Dublin. In 1686, the lands of Templeogue were mortgaged for £3,000, by the then proprietor, Sir James Talbot, to Sir Compton Domvile, together with several houses in Dublin. Talbot espoused the cause of James II in the war of r688, and, following the fortunes of his royal master, was accordingly attainted.

Sir Compton Domvile thereupon got possession of Templeogue, the king being indebted to him for services performed in his offices as Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper. Having expended £3,600 in repairs, and in discharging incumbrances, he had a grant made to him of the forfeited equity of redemption. This grant was subsequently confirmed by an English Act of Parliament. There was a strong castle here in the Talbots’ time. The lower parts of some of the towers still remain. The vaults under the house are of great antiquity, being wattled for the support of the arches - a proof of their having been built in early times. The two round towers at the back of the present house are of great thickness; they are built up inside, so that there is no access to them. [The house is said to have been a resort of the Knights Templars. It is also traditionally reported that James II slept there after his defeat at the Boyne. - Fitzpatrick’s *Life of Lever, *vol. i, p. 323.]

On the site of the castle, a curious red-brick house was built, probably by sir Compton Domvile; it had an immense window across the front, several gables, and other quaint specimens of Elizabethan architecture.

At the beginning of the present century the place was untenanted for a number of years, and became very dilapidated. At that time the demesne was densely wooded with fine old timber; there were several large ponds, and opposite the house there was a series of waterfalls, like steps, with statues on each step, all of which have long since disappeared. There was a waterfall near the gate, under a lofty Gothic arch. Its fall was about 20 feet. The water was supplied from the city water-course, which runs along the highest part of the grounds, and was diverted into these different waterfalls and ponds. At a lower level it again joined the course. [O’Keeffe, the actor, mentions that in 1764 he went to see Temple Oge.” the seat of Sir Compton Domvile. He says it might well be called Oge, on account or its beauty. He describes the gardens as delicious, and the cascades as being in the Marly style. - *Recollections of the life of John O’Keeffe, *vol. i, p. 117.]

The temple before referred to stood on a high mound at the end of the largest pond, on each side of which was a row of beautiful limes. It is said that an underground passage led from the house to the temple; but I consider this to be a myth. There are several conduits and arches under the house and in other places, for conveying the water from the ponds. This fact probably gave rise to a report, that the house was haunted. This really prevented people living in it for a tong time. The old proprietors had the right, or perhaps took it, of turning the city water-course through the channels aforesaid.

When this water-course was made I cannot discover. At one time it saved the life of a murderer. In the year 1738, Lord Santry, being tried and convicted by his peers for the murder of one of his servants, was sentenced to death. His uncle, Sir Compton Domvile, when all interest and intercession failed, declared that he would cut off the water-supply to the city if the sentence was carried out. The threat proved effective and Lord Santry was reprieved.

This water-course, for many hundred years the principal supply of the city, could at any time have been wholly diverted at this place. It runs much above the level of the adjoining fields, being carried along between embankments, which it often overflows.

As I said before, the old place was neglected by its noble owners. It was taken by a Mr. Gogerty about 1820. He was permitted to cut down timber, in consideration of his repairing the house. This he did by demolishing it altogether. He was the builder of the present plain two-story house. It has since been occupied by several tenants.

Charles Lever, the celebrated novelist, had it for some years. He and five or six members of his family were often to be seen riding about the country. [Lever resided in Templeogue House from 1842 to 1845. He was then editor of *The Dublin University Magazine *and wrote for it (in 1844) one of his most characteristic novels, *Tom Burke of Ours.” *He also wrote in 1844, *Arthur O’Leary, *and, in 1845, *The O’Donoghue. - *See notice of Lever in Dictionary of National Biography.]

James Knighting - celebrated in another way, for having swindled the Great Southern and Western Railway Company out of thousands - lived here in great style on his ill-gotten gains. He was very charitable, and the poor about Templeogue blessed him.

Many others subsequently lived here. It is now owned by Mr. Murphy, but is not at all like what it was. Some of the finest elms in Ireland grew here-enormous trees. Most of these were blown down in 1839. [It is now the residence of W. Alexander, Esq.]

Outside this place is a large flour-mill, now owned by Mr. J. C. Colvill, who has laid out a good deal in making it very perfect. Formerly Mr. Burke held the mill. It was burnt down by an accident, and the present fine building erected by the company with which it was insured.

Close to the mill, and on the brink of the city watercourse, stands the old ruined church, and burial-ground of Templeogue. The church measures about 18 yards by six. It is in complete ruin, and covered with ivy. The churchyard, becoming overcrowded some years ago, was surrounded by a high wall, and no further interments permitted. Templeogue signifies “the new church.” About 1615, the ancient church of Killsantan, near Castle Kelly, was found inconvenient. This church was then erected. It could not have lasted more than 50 or 60 years. I often wondered how a graveyard was allowed here, for it drains right into the city water-course, which runs through or rather bounds it. In old times, however, people were not so particular, and sanitary measures were not so much the fashion.

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