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Monkstown (), historically known as ''Carrickbrennan'' (), is a suburb on the southside of
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, located in
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown () is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished in 1994. It is named after the former ...
. It is on the coast, between
Blackrock BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational investment company. Founded in 1988, initially as an enterprise risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager ...
and
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
while also bordering
Sallynoggin Sallynoggin () is an area of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, County Dublin. The area consists mainly of former local authority housing built between the late 1940s and the mid-1950s by the Corporation of D� ...
and
Deansgrange Deansgrange () is a southern suburb of Dublin, centred on the crossroads of Clonkeen Road and Kill Lane. The area shares the name Clonkeen () with the area further east, known as Kill of the Grange (i.e. "Church of the Grange of ": referring to ...
inland. The lands of the Carrickbrennan estate form the greater part of the civil parish of Monkstown.


History

A church was built at Carrickbrennan (as Monkstown was then known) before the 8th century, and dedicated to Saint Mochonna, bishop of Inispatrick or Holmpatrick by Skerries. The grange of Carrickbrennan, otherwise Monkstown, was granted by the King to the Cistercian monks of Saint Mary's Abbey, Dublin, in 1200. The monks built their grange near to the church, and the village grew up around it. The lands of which it was a part extended as far south as Bulloch harbour on the outskirts of Dalkey, where the monks constructed a fishing harbour protected by a castle. In 1539,
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
awarded the Monkstown lands to Sir John Travers, Master of the Ordnance in Ireland. John Travers lived in his Castle at Monkstown from 1557 to his death in 1562 (he is buried in the Carrickbrennan Graveyard) when the property fell to James Eustace 3rd Viscount Baltinglass through his marriage to Mary Travers. In 1580, the Castle was used as a rebellion stronghold, after which it was awarded to Sir Henry Wallop, Vice-Treasurer of Ireland. The lands were later returned to Mary, the widowed Lady Baltinglass, who later married Gerald Alymer. On her death in 1610, the Castle was transferred to the Chevers family through the marriage of Mary Travers's sister Catherine to John Chevers, and the property passed directly to his second son Henry Chevers, who married Catherine, daughter of Sir Richard Fitzwilliam. Henry and Catherine Chevers lived here with their four children (Walter, Thomas, Patrick, Margaret). Upon the death of Henry in 1640, the castle and lands were passed to Walter Cheevers. Walter and family received a command to vacate Monkstown in 1653 by the Cromwellian Commissioners, and transplanted to Killyan,
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
. In 1660, Walter Chevers was restored to his estate at Monkstown Castle until his death in 1678. His death occurred on 20 December 1678, and he was buried at Mountoun (Monkstown), two days later on the 22nd. The Shivers family of America trace their lineage to Thomas Chevers, brother of Walter Chevers of Monkstown, through the Cromwellian warrant, authorized on 26 November 1653 for Captain John Whittey to transport the Thomas Chevers family to America. Monkstown was later purchased by the
Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
, Michael Boyle, and his son
Murrough Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington Murragh Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington (c.1645–1718) was an Irish peerage, peer and member of the Irish House of Lords. Murrough (or Murragh) Boyle was born in Cork (city), Cork, Ireland, the only surviving son of Michael Boyle (archbishop of A ...
enlarged the castle, making it one of the finest residences. Until about 1800, Monkstown was a rural area of open countryside, dotted with large houses owned by the merchants of Dublin. The Monkstown Church (Church of Ireland) had been built – but was smaller than the present church. The two small local rivers met in the area now called Pakenham Road. The river known as Micky Briens originated in
Sallynoggin Sallynoggin () is an area of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, County Dublin. The area consists mainly of former local authority housing built between the late 1940s and the mid-1950s by the Corporation of D� ...
. A lake beside Monkstown Castle had one small island. The coastline was ragged and rocky, with a harbour stretching over 100 yards inland at the mouth of the aforementioned rivers, adjacent to the area now occupied by the West Pier.
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
(then called Dunleary, and later Kingstown) was then a small group of houses in the area of the Purty Kitchen, and the present area of Dún Laoghaire was an area of rocky outcrops and, later, quarries. The night of 18 November 1807 was one of disasters in south Dublin. In a horrific storm, two sailing ships, the Rochdale and the Prince of Wales, were blown onto the rocks, one at Seapoint and the other at Blackrock. About 400 lives in total were lost on that night, many of them washed up on the shore at Monkstown. The disaster was one of the factors which led to the building of Dún Laoghaire Harbour. Most of the victims were buried in Carrickbrennan Churchyard. The building of
Dún Laoghaire harbour Dún Laoghaire Harbour and Carlisle Pier were constructed in the nineteenth century for the purposes of sheltering ships and accommodating the mailboat which sailed between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead. The nearby settlement of Dún Laoghaire h ...
gave impetus to the area, and Montpelier Parade was the first of many terraces built in the area. The coming of the railway in 1837 changed the topology of the coast and led to Monkstown becoming a commuter suburb of the city of Dublin. Most of the houses along Monkstown Road and the avenues north of that road were constructed over the next 30 years. The maps of 1870 show this phase completed, but the rest of Monkstown consists of mansions surrounded by extensive gardens. For the following 50 years there was little change. The post-war developments of Castle Park, Richmond, Windsor, etc. and the more recent developments of Brook Court, Monkstown Valley, and Carrickbrennan Lawn mean that there is little opportunity for further development. The diaries of the Rev. John Thomas Hynes (1799–1868), a Catholic bishop who retired to Monkstown in 1861–68, provide a valuable insight into daily life in Monkstown in that period. Hynes lived at Bloomwood, Monkstown Avenue (later renamed Carrickbrennan Road), and later moved to Uplands, The Hill, Monkstown. The Hynes Diaries recount such details as the coming of gas lighting, the postal and travel facilities, church affairs, and lots of local gossip. The Hynes diaries are now preserved in Melbourne, but the full text has been made available online.


Documentary references

* Monkstown is first mentioned in 1450; ''Tenants Cistercians at Carrickbrennan, Villa Monachorum''. * Carrickbrennan, or "Carigbrenna", features on the 1598 map "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles" by
Abraham Ortelius Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer from Antwerp in the Spanish Netherlands. He is recognized as the creator of the list of atlases, first modern ...
. * Records of the Abbey of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1640. * Forfeiting Proprietors under the
Cromwellian Settlement The Act for the Settling of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against Irish civilians and combatants after the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest. British historian John Morrill wrote that the Act and a ...
1657. * In James Joyce's " The Dead", Gabriel Conroy and his wife Gretta live in Monkstown.


Built heritage

Monkstown has two old established churches, Saint Mary's
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
(1831) and Saint Patrick's Catholic Church (1866), both on Carrickbrennan Road. Saint John's Church, located at Gamble's Hill, was originally constructed as a Church of Ireland Church in the 1860s but was renovated and re-consecrated by the
Society of Saint Pius X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX; ("Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X"), FSSPX) is a canonically irregular traditionalist Catholic priestly fraternity founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Lefebvre was a leading traditionalis ...
after 1985. Buildings of other religious denominations include the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses at Monkstown Farm, and the Meeting Hall of the
Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
at the junction of Pakenham Road and Carrickbrennan Road. There is also the Friends Burial Ground (Quaker) located at Temple Hill just off Monkstown Road. Monkstown Castle, which was probably built in the 12th or 13th century, was erected by the monks of the abbey of the Virgin Mary, near Dublin. Monkstown is also noted for its coastline, which is home to a number of historical buildings of the Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian periods. One of the most notable buildings of the Salthill and Monkstown area is the
Martello Tower Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...
, located at Seapoint beach.


Transport

The DART stations of Salthill and Monkstown and Seapoint serve the area.
Dublin Bus Dublin Bus () is an Irish State-owned enterprise, state-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 145 million passengers in 2023. It is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann ...
serves the area with routes 7, 7a, 7n, S8 and 63. An
Aircoach First Bus Ireland Limited trading as Aircoach is an Ireland-based subsidiary company of FirstGroup. It provides airport express coach services from Cork, Belfast, Derry, Southside Dublin and Dublin to Dublin Airport and from Derry to Belfast ...
service starting in Dalkey links the area with Dublin Airport 24 hours a day.


Sports

Monkstown Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1877. It was the first tennis club in Ireland. Monkstown Football Club was founded in the village in 1883 before moving to
Sandymount Sandymount () is a coastal suburb in the Dublin 4 district on the Southside, Dublin, Southside of Dublin in Ireland. Etymology An early name for the area was Scal'd Hill or Scald Hill.
in 1901. Monkstown (Dublin) Boxing Club was founded in 2004. Their gym is situated in the newly built Mounttown Community Centre in Fitzgerald Park, in the Monkstown Farm Area. Farm Utd Football Club was formed in 1935 and uses part of the Monkstown Community Centre as its dressing rooms. Monkstown also has a Brazilian jiu-jitsu club, Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu Ireland. Their gym is situated in the Mounttown Industrial Estate. A hockey club,
Monkstown Hockey Club Monkstown Hockey Club ( Irish: ''Cumann Haca Baile na Manach'') is a field hockey club based at Rathdown School in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. The club was founded in 1894 and was originally based in Monkstown, County Dublin. The club's ...
, is based in the Rathdown School.


Culture

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (; meaning "Society of the musicians of Ireland") is the primary Irish organisation dedicated to the promotion of the music, song, dance and the language of Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1951 and has pr ...
, an organisation promoting Irish culture (particularly
Irish traditional music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...
), has its headquarters in Monkstown, as does
BirdWatch Ireland BirdWatch Ireland (BWI) is a voluntary conservation organisation and registered charity devoted to the conservation and protection of wild birds and their habitats in Ireland. It was formerly known as the Irish Wildbird Conservancy (IWC). Irish Wi ...
. Monkstown had for decades a
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...
theatre, the Lambert Puppet Theatre, a family-run business, which for many years hosted an international puppet festival. It also used to appear on national television for
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
. It closed some time after a fire. There are several references to Monkstown and its wealthy residents in the Ross O'Carroll Kelly series.


Education

A multi-denominational primary school, Monkstown Educate Together National School (METNS), a fee-paying junior and senior school Monkstown Park Junior School and CBC Monkstown Park, and Holy Family National School are located in the Monkstown area. A
Gaelscoil A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language- medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary a ...
is also located in Monkstown,
Scoil Lorcáin Monkstown (), historically known as ''Carrickbrennan'' (), is a suburb on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It is on the coast, between Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire while also bordering Sallynoggin and Dea ...
, teaching all classes through Irish. St. Oliver Plunkett N.S. is a school for children with a Specific Learning Difficulty (SLD). This school caters for children from a wide catchment area. Christian Brother's College is based on the old estate of Charles Haliday at Monkstown Park. It consists of two schools: an Independent preparatory school with 200 students and a fee-paying secondary school with more than 500 students. CBC caters for boys from junior infants through the sixth year. The college recently completed a major development which saw existing buildings upgraded and a new extension built.


Representation

Monkstown is part of the
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
constituency of
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
.


People

*
D. J. Carey Denis Joseph Carey (born 11 November 1970) is an Irish former hurler who played as a left wing-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county team. Carey began his hurling career at club level with Young Irelands. He broke onto the club's t ...
, hurler * Nuala Carey, weather presenter *
Tim Pat Coogan Timothy Patrick "Tim Pat" Coogan (born 22 April 1935) is an Irish journalist, writer and broadcaster. He served as editor of ''The Irish Press'' newspaper from 1968 to 1987. He has been best known for such books as ''The IRA'', ''Ireland Since t ...
, writer *
Cathy Davey Catherine Davey (born 1979) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She has released one extended play, "Come Over" (2004), and four albums, '' Something Ilk'' (2004), '' Tales of Silversleeve'' (2007), '' The Nameless'' (2010) and ''New Forest'' (2016) ...
, Irish singer-songwriter grew up in Monkstown *
Chris de Burgh Christopher John Davison (born 15 October 1948), known professionally as Chris de Burgh ( ), is a British-Irish singer-songwriter and musician. He started out as an art rock performer but subsequently started writing more pop-oriented material ...
, singer-songwriter * Helen Dillon (b.1940), gardener who moved from Ranelagh in 2016 *
The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is a British-Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist o ...
, guitarist of U2 *
Howard Grubb Sir Howard Grubb (28 July 1844 – 16 September 1931) was an Irish optical engineer. He was head of a family firm that made large optical telescopes, telescope drive controls, and other optical instruments. He is also noted for his work to per ...
(1844–31) was a designer and maker of telescopes. He lived at De Vesci Terrace, and from 1925, at 13 Longford Terrace, which now bears a plaque. * Alfred Gresham Jones (1824?–1913), Irish architect. He lived at Queen's Park House, at Clifton Lodge on Seafield Ave, at Villa Carlotta on Queen's Park, and then emigrated to Australia. *
Marian Keyes Marian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish author and radio presenter. She is principally known for her popular fiction. Keyes became known for her novels ''Watermelon'', '' Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married'', ''Rachel's Holiday'', ''Las ...
, Irish author and radio presenter, spent some of her upbringing in the suburb *
Paul McGuinness Paul McGuinness (born 16 June 1951) is an Irish talent manager. He was the founder of Principle Management Limited, a popular music act management company based in Dublin, Ireland. He was the manager of the rock band U2 from 1978 to 2013. Ea ...
, manager of U2 * Charles Mitchel, first RTÉ television newsreader *
Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...
, singer-songwriter *
Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy ( ; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. His works encompass both stage and screen, and his accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He made his professional debut in Enda Walsh's 1996 pl ...
, actor * Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, TV presenter *
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
, singer-songwriter *
Peadar O'Donnell Peadar O'Donnell (; 22 February 1893 – 13 May 1986) was one of the foremost radicals of 20th-century Ireland. O'Donnell became prominent as an Irish republican, socialist politician and writer. Early life Peadar O'Donnell was born into an I ...
(1893–1986), Irish socialist republican revolutionary *
John O'Shea John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland men's national team. He was known for his versatility in playing several defensi ...
, humanitarian *
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (17 June 1800 – 31 October 1867), was an English engineer and astronomer. He built several giant telescopes. His 72-inch telescope, built in 1845 and colloquially known as the "Leviathan of Parsonstown", was ...
(1800–64) lived at 1 Eaton Place, and built the world's largest telescope in 1845, which remained the world's largest for the rest of the century.. *
Richard Pigott Richard Pigott (1835 – 1 March 1889) was an Irish journalist, best known for his forging of evidence that Charles Stewart Parnell of the Irish National Land League had been sympathetic to the perpetrators of the Phoenix Park Murders. Parne ...
(1835–1889) lived at 7 De Vesci Terrace. He was an Irish journalist, best known for selling the Pigott forgeries. *
Ryan Tubridy Ryan Tubridy (born 28 May 1973) is an Irish broadcaster. He currently presents the weekday mid-morning programme ''The Ryan Tubridy Show'' on Virgin Radio UK, as well as a weekend programme on Sundays. His broadcasting career with RTÉ spanned ...
, presenter of '' The Late Late Show'' * Anthony Upton (1656–1718), judge of the
Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) The Court of Common Pleas was one of the principal courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England. Common Pleas was one of the four courts of justice which gave the Four Courts in Dublin, which is sti ...
, lived at Mountown House, in present-day Monkstown. *
Eve Watkinson Eve Watkinson (6 March 1909 – 15 November 1999) was an Irish stage, film and television actress. Biography Eve Panton Watkinson was born 6 March 1909 in Terenure to Arthur Panton Watkinson and Kate née Hollingsworth. Her father was the direct ...
(1909–1999), stage, film and television actress


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland


References


External links


"Monkstown Village"





Monkstown Castle, Co. Dublin at National Monuments Service
{{Authority control Monkstown, Dublin Places in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Towns and villages in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Civil parishes of Rathdown, County Dublin Dublin (barony)