The Phoenix Park, Castleknock, Clonee and Dunboyne

CHAPTER XXXIX

The Phoenix Park, Castleknock, Clonee and Dunboyne

Entering the Phoenix Park at Parkgate Street, we proceed along what is now known as the Main Road, but which was formerly called Chesterfield Road, after Lord Chesterfield, who was instrumental in having it constructed during the period of his viceroyalty about the middle of the 18th century. it is a little over 2½ miles in length, and being nearly straight, is a more direct route to Castleknock than the old road, which it practically superseded. As constructed by Lord Chesterfield, however, it differed slightly from the existing route in deflecting to the northward between Parkgate Street and the Phoenix monument, and to the southward between that and the Castleknock gate. It was straightened out between 1840 and 1850.

In order to trace the successive steps in the process of acquisition, formation, and enclosure by the Government, of the Phoenix Park, it is necessary to go back to the 16th century, when, in consequence of the Suppression of the Monasteries by statute of 1537, the Hospital and lands at Kilmainham, where the Royal Hospital now stands, belonging to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, became the property of the Crown. For a time the place was maintained as a residence for the Viceroys, but at length becoming too dilapidated for further repairs, the hospital buildings and lands of Kilmainham, together with a large tract at the northern side of the river, were ceded to Sir Richard Sutton in 1611 in exchange for certain lands in Cornwall. Sutton sold them to Sir Edward Fisher, who erected within the next few years a country residence which he called “The Phoenix,” on Thomas Hill, now occupied by the Magazine Fort - the finest site in all the district, commanding an unrivalled view of Dublin city, the Liffey valley, and the mountains and country to the southward.

The name “Phoenix,” as applied to this old manorhouse, appears for the first time in documents of the date 1619, and we have to consider what were the circumstances which led Sir Edward Fisher to adopt this name. It has been supposed by some that he chose it because the majestic appearance of the house, standing on a hill overlooking the Liffey valley, suggested the conventional attitude of the Phoenix bird rising from its ashes. The more widely accepted origin of the name, however, is that given by Warburton, Whitelaw and Walsh in their *History of Dublin *(1818), who state that it is derived from a spring called Fionn-uisge (Feenisk), which had been resorted to from time immemorial for the beneficial effects of its waters. This spring was situated on the narrow neck of land between the pond in the present Viceregal grounds and the pond in the Zoological Gardens, close to where there is now a picturesque keeper’s lodge built like a Swiss chalet. Despite its merits as a chalybeate spa, it remained in an exposed and neglected condition until the year 1800, when in consequence of some cures said to have been effected through its agency, it acquired celebrity, and was resorted to by numbers of fashionable people from the metropolis. About five years afterwards it was enclosed, and an approach constructed to it by a gradual descent along a planted avenue, all traces of which have since been lost owing to alterations in the adjacent ground. Lord Whitworth having derived some benefit from its waters during his viceroyalty, had the spa covered by a small structure of Portland stone surmounted by a figure of an eagle as the emblem of longevity, while above it, on the summit of a rising ground, the Duchess of Richmond erected a rustic dome with seats around, for the accommodation of those frequenting the spa, in the back of which structure was an entablature bearing the inscription:-

This seat

Given by Her Grace,

Charlotte, Duchess of Richmond,

For the Health and Comfort

Of the Inhabitants

Of Dublin. August 19th, 1813.

The example set by the Duke of Richmond and Lord Whitworth, Lords Lieutenant, in taking the waters of the spa, was largely followed by the Dublin citizens, and during the height of its popularity it was visited by over 1,000 persons every week. The price charged was 5s. for the season, or id. a tumbler.

In after years the spa, when it had greatly fallen out of vogue, was rented from time to time to persons who made a precarious living, ostensibly by retailing the water to the public, but really by the sale of more potent beverages.

As Warburton, Whitelaw and Walsh give no authority for their statement that this spa was the original Fionn-uisge, and as it does not appear to be mentioned by any earlier writer, it is possible that their information was derived from the common tradition at the time. Dalton, in his *History of the County of Dublin *(1837), follows their statement, as also the author of *The Picture of Dublin or Stranger’s Guide, *&c. (1843), and other writers.

It seems probable, therefore, that the Fionn-uisge or Feenisk spa originated the name of the lands on which the Phoenix manor house was built by Sir Edward Fisher, who naturally adopted the same name in selecting a title for the house. These lands formed the earliest portion of the Park subsequently known as the Phoenix, a name so closely resembling “Feenisk” that it was substituted for it as the nearest English equivalent, as happened in the case of the river Finisk, a tributary of the Munster Blackwater, which has been corrupted into

“Phoenix” by at least one historical writer on the district. The stone covering erected over the well by Lord Whitworth was in time replaced by a rustic thatched structure which Was accidentally burnt about 1877. There then remained only some stone steps and jambs, on the removal of which soon afterwards, the site was levelled and sown with grass. For some time prior to its obliteration, the well, becoming neglected, had degenerated into a mere puddle, and there seems to have been a suspicion that, owing to the construction of two main drains in its Vicinity, the water had become contaminated.

Near the Phoenix column, and just outside the Viceregal grounds, behind the gate lodge, is a beautifully clear Spring which has been supposed by some to be the original Fionn-uisge.

The Government, being without any official residence for the Irish Viceroys, in 1618 repurchased the Phoenix lands with the new house which Sir Edward Fisher had built thereon, and from that time until the Restoration, the Phoenix manor house was the principal viceregal residence, Strafford, Ormonde, and Henry Cromwell being among its occupants during that period. About 1670 a new residence for the viceroys, subsequently known as “The King’s House,” was acquired at Chapelizod, but the Phoenix house continued in occasional use by viceregal functionaries until 1734, when it was demolished to make room for the present Magazine Fort of which Swift sarcastically wrote:-

“Behold a proof of Irish sense,

Here Irish wit is seen,

When nothing’s left that’s worth defence,

We build a magazine.”

The Crown lands held with the manor house after its purchase from Sir Edward Fisher in 1618, cannot have exceeded 400 or 500 acres, and this being considered inadequate for a viceregal demesne and deer park, additional lands were at intervals acquired at Chapelizod, Grangegorman, Castleknock, and Ashtown, as well as the land extending to the site of the present Viceregal Lodge, the Cost in all amounting to over £40,000. The Phoenix Park, as thus constituted, was of considerably greater area than at Present, including as it did, the lands of Kilmainham and Chapelizod, and a connecting strip between them on the south of the river.

About 1660 the limits of the Park having been sufficiently extended, the Government considered it advisable to enclose it, and, accordingly, the sum of £6,000 was expended on the erection of a boundary wall, but the contractor proved to be little better than a swindler, and in the absence of proper supervision the work was executed in sorry fashion.

In 1680 a Royal Warrant having been issued for the erection of the Royal Hospital, and for the appropriation to its use of 64 acres from the lands of the Park, it became necessary to re-adjust the southern boundary, and opportunity was at the same time taken to detach all the lands at the south side of the river from the Park, which thereupon assumed its modern shape and dimensions.

Within the past few years the Strips of land along the river between Islandbridge and Chapelizod have been acquired by the Crown as a technical addition to the Phoenix Park, which, therefore, extends now as it did of old to the south side of the Liffey. The immediate purpose of the acquisition was, however, to prevent the disfigurement of the view from the Park by the erection of unsightly buildings along the river.

While the original conception of the Park would appear to have been that of an appanage and game preserve of the Viceregal residence, the public from an early date seem to have been admitted to it, and by the beginning of George the Second’s reign it had come much into vogue as a fashionable resort. Improvements by successive viceroys added to its attractions and popularity, but no name has been so closely associated with the Park in the Public mind as that of the Earl of Chesterfield, who, during his viceroyalty, ornamentally planted and laid it out, constructed the Main Road, and erected the Phoenix column, besides opening the greater portion of it to the public. The Phoenix monument was, of course, designed in complete ignorance of the true etymology of the name of the Park, which, if ever recognised, must have been completely lost on the abandonment and subsequent demolition of the old Phoenix manor house and the transfer of the viceregal residence to Chapelizod.

This graceful monument bears on two opposite sides of the pedestal the inscriptions:-

Civium oblectamento

Campum rudem et incultum

Ornari jussit

Philippus Stanhope

Comes de Chesterfield Prorex

Impensis suis posuit

Philippus Stanhope, Comes

De Chesterfield, Prorex.

[Translation.]

Philip Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, Lord Lieutenant, ordered this wild and uncultivated land to be ornamented for the pleasure of the citizens.

Philip Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, Lord Lieutenant, erected [this column] at his own expense.

The monument, which was erected in the years 1745-7, is beginning to show the effects of time, and the portion above the plinth has taken a perceptible list to the northward. It would greatly add to its interest if a tablet were affixed, setting forth the circumstances under which the Park acquired its name, and explaining the misconception under which the column was erected by Lord Chesterfield.

It may be mentioned that in bright warm weather a remarkable mirage is at times visible on approaching the Phoenix monument from the Dublin side. The road on these occasions assumes the appearance of a pool of water in which reflections of passing objects are seen. This phenomenon has appeared only since the road was treated with tar to mitigate the dust raised by motor traffic, and is caused by refraction resulting from the heating of the layer of air next the road surface, the tar on which is easily heated by the sun.

The King’s House at Chapelizod, acquired about 1670, as already stated, falling into decay in the 18th century, the Irish Viceroys ceased to use it, and about 1758 it was finally abandoned as a viceregal residence. For many years afterwards, the viceroys had to find quarters for themselves, as had other officials on appointment here, but this proving inconvenient and unsatisfactory, negotiations were opened for the acquisition of a suitable residence, and in 1781 the Government purchased the house of Mr. Robert Clements, then a plain brick structure, which, with the additions made by Lord Hardwicke, the Duke of Richmond and Lord Whitworth, developed into the present Viceregal Lodge.

The Main Road is the usual route to Castleknock, but is not nearly so picturesque as the more circuitous road skirting the southern boundary and commanding a succession of views of the fertile valley of the Liffey, the more prominent objects in the southern portion of the county, and the mountains extended in the distance. Proceeding by this road, which diverges from the Main Road a short distance from the Park Gate, we pass on our right the site of the old Star Fort, an extensive fortified enclosure which was never completed. We next pass the Wellington Testimonial, 205 feet high, the most conspicuous object in the Park, and presently the Magazine Fort, about a mile beyond which is the Royal Hibernian Military School, situated on the heights over Chapelizod. Leaving the Fifteen Acres on our right, we take the first turn to the left, leading to the Furry Glen and passing out of the Park at the Knockmaroon Gate, where instead of descending the steep hill down to the riverside, we keep to the right, up hill, to reach Castleknock. About three-quarters of a mile further is a cross-roads, close to which will be seen two somewhat similar hills, each surmounted by a ruin. That on the right is Windmill Hill, and the ruin on its summit was originally designed as a small observatory. To the left, and partly concealed by the south-western wing of Castleknock College, is the “knock” or hill from which Castleknock derives its name, prettily planted with tall trees and crowned by the ruined castle of the Tyrrells. The hill and ruin are maintained in excellent order, and visitors desirous of seeing them are admitted on application. From the summit of the hill an excellent view is obtained of the surrounding country when the trees are not in full foliage.

Local tradition avers that a vast treasure is buried in Windmill Hill - a type of tradition which is, however, quite common in the neighbourhood of ruins throughout the country.

Towards the close of the 12th century Strongbow made a grant of the lands of Castleknock to his friend, Hugh Tyrrell, a distinguished warrior, who, on taking up possession, built a castle and assumed the title of Baron of Castleknock, held by his descendants for three hundred years. In 1317 King Robert Bruce and his brother Edward, with an army of 20,000 men, encamped here, intending to besiege Dublin, but owing to the energetic measures adopted by the citizens, who burnt all the houses and buildings outside the city walls, the besiegers, deprived of all shelter, abandoned their project and marched on Limerick instead.

In 1642 Colonel Monk, afterwards Earl of Albemarle, with a body of Parliamentarians, took the castle by assault, some eighty of the defenders being slain, and many more hanged on surrender. In 1647 Owen Roe O’Neill and Sir Thomas Esmonde, in command of a Royalist force, retook the castle from the Parliamentarians after defeating a strong force of cavalry sent to the assistance of the garrison. The castle fell into decay about the time of the Restoration, and has never since been repaired. In one of the walls is a window, of which Stanyhurst *(1584), *wrote:- “Though it be neither glazed nor latticed, but open, yet let the weather be stormy, and the wind bluster boisterously on every side of the house, and place a candle there, and it will burn as quietly as if no puff of wind blew. This may be tried at this day, whoso shall be willing to put it in practice.”

Half a mile further is the village of Castleknock, where an old old tradition avers there is a spring well innocuous to human beings, but poisonous to all the lower animals. No information is now available as to its position, and it remains for some investigator to achieve the fame of its re-discovery by experiment. Adjoining the church is a holy well dedicated to St. Brigid, the patron saint of the parish. A short distance to the north-east of the castle is a vein of lead ore, where a mine was opened in 1744 by a Mr. Edward Ford.

A mile beyond Castleknock is Blanchardstown, near which the road crosses the Midland Railway and the Royal Canal by a high bridge affording extended views along the green banks of the Tolka. Three hundred years ago there was a wood known as the Great Wood of Blanchardstown or Scald Wood, in the possession of the Luttrells, and a considerable portion of it still remains to the north and east of the village. Continuing our journey, after a mile and a half further, We enter the hamlet of Mulhuddart, situated on the right bank of the Tolka and traversed by one of its tributaries. A little over half a mile to the north-east is the ruin of the old church, close to which is Our Lady’s Well, enclosed by a stone covering with two niches for statues.

In an account of “A Journey from Dublin to the Shores of Lough Dergh,” written by Isaac Butler about 1741, it is stated in regard to Mulhuddart Church, that “Ye Church, at present in ruins, is situated on a hill and dedicated to ye Virgin Mary; from it appears a most extensive and delightful prospect into ye County of Dublin and Meath; in it was committed a most barbarous and infamous action by some of ye neighbouring Inhabitants in September, 1690, a Company of Colonel Foulkes men in their march to Dublin by stormy and rainy weather, retreated into ye Church for Shelter, but were all of them murthered in cold Blood before ye morning, some of ye wretches were afterwards executed in Thomas Street, Dublin, among ym Pat Moore, And. Cannon, Ph. Strong, Jhn. Cummin, &c., others made their escapes.”

“About midway ascending to ye Church is an excellent Well; it is carefully walled, and several large trees about it. Here on the 8th September, a great patron is kept with a vast Concourse of all Sexes and Ages from many miles, upwards of eighty Tents are pitched here furnished with all kinds of Liquors and provisions for ye Reception and Refreshment of ye Company.”

From Mulhuddart the road follows the course of the Tolka through a somewhat uninteresting country, and after a couple of miles enters the County of Meath at the village of Clonee in which there is little of interest to notice. From Clonee, we continue along the main road, taking the first turn to the left to reach Dunboyne, which comes into view at this point.

Dunboyne has a wide street and a village green, on which the fair is annually held on the 9th July. In the graveyard adjoining the village is the ivied tower of the old church. In the reign of Henry VI. a writ was issued, dated 28th July, 1423, ordering the Ponreeve and Commons of the town of Dunboyne with the able men of their bailiewick to proceed to Trim and aid in its defence.

In 1534 the village was sacked and burnt by Silken Thomas immediately before the siege of Maynooth Castle, and in 1798 it suffered considerable damage, the church and many of the houses being burnt. Turning to the left at the end of the village, we keep straight ahead for about two miles, where we again turn to the left, and after a mile and a halt once more turning to the left, we meet a road on the right crossing the Midland Railway and leading into the town of Leixlip by a very steep hill. Before crossing the railway will be seen on an adjoining eminence, a structure bearing the euphonious title of Knockmulrooney Tower, over the entrance door of which is a slab with the inscription “Rd. Wilson, 1812.” From the summit of the hillock, which is difficult of access owing to the fencing, a tine view is obtained of the surrounding country.

Leixup has been described elsewhere, and we proceed home by the main road through Lucan and Chapelizod or by Lucan and Clondalkin if the southern suburbs are to be reached.

Distances from G.P.O.:- Castleknock, 5¾ miles, Mulhuddart, 6¾ miles; Clonee, 10½ miles; Dunboyne, 12 miles; Leixlip, 16¼ miles; and back to G.P.O. by Palmerston and Chapelizod, 27 miles. If the lower road be taken from Lucan, it will add somewhat less than a mile to the journey.

Authorities consulted:- An article on “The Phoenix Park, its origin and early History,” by the late Mr. C. Litton Falkiner, published in the *Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy for *1901; *Rambles Near Dublin; *Dalton’s *History of the County Dublin; *Warburton, Whitelaw and Walsh’s *History of Dublin; Journals of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, *&c.

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