Province: Leinster / County: Dublin / Local Region: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
Few towns have been transformed as much so as the town of Dundrum, in Dublin 14 — it was founded in the 8th century, fortified against country folk in the 13th century and transformed into the nation’s largest shopping mecca in the 21st! One hundred years ago, Dundrum was known as a country health resort based on the alleged healing powers of its clean hilltop air and goats’ milk. While the shopping is what likely draws most people to the area today, Dundrum is rich with history and there are plenty of hidden treasures within the town itself that are worth exploring, from the beautifully constructed churches to frame-worthy examples of architecture and building design as you stroll along the streets… but it also has a past that many don’t know about!
Old Dundrum’s Restorative Powers
Just over a century ago, Dundrum was quite different from the shopping mecca of Ireland that it is mostly visited for today. Due to its fresh mountain air and the abundance of goats in the area… it was believed to be a health resort, a place where people would come for restoration and healing aides. Doctors sent those with tuberculosis to the area with the belief that the combination of breathing in the air while consuming the goat’s milk would help improve their conditions. These were the remedies available in Dundrum to those in the final stages of recovery from illness! Even punters would make their way out to Dundrum for its restorative atmosphere!
The Dundrum House pub was the main hotel for guests during this time, and the town’s supposed restorative qualities helped lead to the establishment of Europe’s first secure hospital right in Dundrum itself, the Central Criminal Lunatic Asylum, in 1850. Today it operates as the Central Mental Hospital and is the State’s only facility for holding and treating severely mentally ill people who have committed serious crimes. The railroad followed soon after the hospital was built, with a station designed by its most famous engineer William Dargan, from nearby Mount Anville.
Only in the mid-20th century did the remaining green, rural fields of Dundrum fill with homes, turning the resort into a suburb and thus joining the village to the city. However, due to extensive suburban traffic, the air is no longer completely pure, and the absence of goats has made this beneficial beverage harder to find. Nods to the goat milk therapy of Dundrum’s past still linger, though, in the names of Goatstown — a neighboring township — and the Goat Grill, a local restaurant in Goatstown that played home to a real goat when it first opened in 1982, Gertie, who acted as a mascot and kept visitors entertained as they dined until she was released into the wild around the Dublin Mountains in 1983. Both serve as proud reminders of Dundrum’s former fame due to the excellence of its breed of goat.
Dundrum Luas Station
Dundrum railway station first opened on 10 July 1854. The need for improved transportation to this area, aside from the development of the hospital, was likely due in part to the prior arrival of Thomas Carlyle in the summer of 1846, who travelled from Scotland to Dundrum to spend time with a friend of his — Charles Gavin Duffy — one of the founders of Young Ireland. Young Ireland was a political and cultural movement in the 1840s committed to an all-Ireland struggle for independence and democratic reform. Joining Duffy were many other local writers and orators, and what is now known as Dundrum Carnegie Hall became a meeting place amongst the men (but more on Carnegie Hall shortly!).
After the arrival of the Dublin and South Dublin Eastern Railway in 1854, the village expanded even further. By 1876, the Manor Mill became a laundry and was the largest employer of female labour in the region! Locals in the area may recall the laundry hooter being a regular sound in its day… it would sound for 30 seconds at 7.50am, then at 8am to signify work starting, and at various other times throughout the day until 17.00. Soon a local builder named John Richardson built twenty-six cottages called Pembroke Cottages in 1881, and the Manor Mill Laundry purchased six of them for their workers to live in. This encouraged the growth of residential capacity in the area, and with faster transportation permitting easier access Dundrum to the area, more and more people would begin to settle down.
St. Nahi’s Church
One of the earliest mentions in Irish history of the Dundrum area concerns the location of the original St. Nahi’s Church in the 7th century. The site remains today, however the current structure on it was rebuilt in the 18th century. Tradition has it that Saint Nahi established a monastery on the site of St. Nahi’s Church here in Dundrum. The ancient name for Dundrum is “Taney” which derives from Tigh Naithi, meaning “teach” and “the house or place of Nathí”.
While it would not be shocking if religious worship took place here for considerable time prior to the Anglo-Norman conquest of 1172, the earliest original records deposited in the Library of the Representative Church Body (a library in Dublin which contains records from parishes, dioceses, and cathedrals mainly in the Republic of Ireland) dates back to 1791. The parish continued to grow as local population grew, with Taney opening in 1818 and St. Thomas’ — the parish’s third church — built in 1874. In 1867, a license was granted for the performance of Divine Services at what was then known as the “Dundrum Lunatic Asylum” (the Central Criminal Lunatic Asylum) and Church of Ireland services are still held regularly at the Central Mental Hospital to this day!
Today, Taney is the largest numerical Church of Ireland parish in the Republic, with a community formed by families and people with a rich diversity of backgrounds and traditions.
Carnegie Library
The most westerly branch library in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown is Dundrum’s historic Carnegie Library. It was opened on the 12 August 1914 and was the last library to receive a contribution from Andrew Carnegie before the foundation of the UK Trust in 1913.
A bit of background information on who Andrew Carnegie was and how he made an impact in Ireland: Carnegie emigrated as a child with his parents from Scotland to America in 1848. He became exceptionally successful in the steel business, eventually gaining a near monopoly of steel production in the US during the Gilded Age era. Over time, his wealth grew to be so vast and increasing that he found it difficult to match his philanthropic schemes with the money he had. Between 1897 and 1913 he promised over £170,000 to pay for the building of about eighty libraries in Ireland. Sixty-two of the libraries were built and sixty-two of them have survived!
Although the money that Carnegie gave for Irish libraries was small in proportion to his total expenditure, it greatly helped the library movement in Ireland. In 1919, 81% of the towns in Ireland which had libraries received contributions from Carnegie.
The Dundrum Carnegie Library has had many other purposes over the years. In addition to its primary role, it had originally been an entertainment facility for the community, used for concerts, dances, plays, céilís and even jumble sales. The upper floor of the building was even equipped with a stage and a kitchen at the time! Local people will also remember the library being used as a school for a time during the 1930s and 1940s.
Dundrum Castle
Dundrum Castle still exists today as well, sort of… but not in the form that one would imagine. When the Normans arrived in the Dublin area in 1169, they built a series of fortifications around Dublin to protect it from potential threats and intruders. Around the 13th century, a castle was built in Dundrum as part of this series of outer fortifications. Later in 1590, a newer castle was built by Richard Fitzwilliam as part of a strategic line of castles within the Pale.
What is “the Pale,” you ask? The Pale was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. Consider it almost as a strip of land, centred on Dublin, that stretched from Dundalk in Louth to Dalkey in Dublin. It was the base of English rule in Ireland. The English ruled Ireland for 800 years, from 1169 until about 1949, when most of Ireland became a fully independent republic (however Northern Ireland, as you surely know, remains part of the United Kingdom). You may also notice in this area, down towards what was the Earldom of Kildare at the time and all the way up north towards Trim and Kells, that many townlands have English or French names!
The original Dundrum village, however, clustered around Dundrum Castle as a sort of rural defensive tactic against assaults and raids from Irish tribes and families such as the O’Tooles and the O’Byrnes. In 1619, a relation, William FitzWilliam (3rd Viscount FitzWilliam) was granted the castle due in part to his courage while defending the village and its inhabitants against these assaults, however FitzWilliam was driven out in 1642. He returned by 1646 but left again in 1653, never to return. His family held onto the Fitzwilliam seat until 1790. After that, the castle was never reoccupied and in time fell into disrepair. It exists today, but only as ruins overlooking the Dundrum bypass and the shopping centre. Despite the castle not having maintained its original form, it is obvious from visiting the ruins that it was a rather architecturally detailed structure in its day, overlooking the river which flows through the village and possessing several features of interest, including windows, passages and small chambers constructed in the thickness of the walls, a garderobe (an English term for a room or closet where clothing is stored) and fireplaces of remarkable size.
Holy Cross Church
Holy Cross Church is the focal point on Dundrum’s main street and one of the most architecturally outstanding edifices in the township. Holy Cross Parish dates from 1879 however up until then, Dundrum was in Booterstown Parish. In 1813 a chapel was built on the site of the present church, behind a row of cottages which after Catholic Emancipation, in 1829, were removed and the chapel enlarged. This work was financed by annual charity sermons held in the area which also raised funds for schools in houses on Ballinteer Road, where the ‘garden’ behind Campbell’s is now. The Boys School bean in 1826 and the Girls School in 1828.
The chapel was finally ready for dedication in 1837 and on 14 September — the feast of the Holy Cross — the ceremony was performed. The population of south County Dublin grew rapidly in the following years after the opening of the railway in 1854 and in the 1870s, the parish decided to demolish the chapel and build a new church. A new schoolhouse was built as well, and soon after this it was decided to divide Booterstown Parish, with anyone west of Stillorgan Road now becoming Dundrum Parish.
After World War II, local population increased again, and the church needed enlargement once more. This was competed in 1954 and the new school on Upper Kilmacud Road was opened that same year, leaving Holy Cross Parish pretty much as it is today. Built in Gothic style, its walls are of Dublin granite, with dressings of Portland and Bath stone providing a stylish setting for its doors and windows.
The Airfield Estate and the Overend Family
The Airfield Estate is Dublin’s only working farm and covers 38 acres of Dundrum. The farm has been up and running since 1894, when the Overend family moved there from Ely Place, a street in central Dublin known for its Georgian architecture near Upper Merrion Street and Merrion Row. Trevor Overend was a successful solicitor from Dublin that had three daughters with his wife, Lily Butler. Letitia was born in 1880 and their second daughter, Constance, in 1894… however, sadly Constance died as an infant of meningitis just before her first birthday. In 1900, the couples’ third daughter, Naomi, made a surprise entrance into the world.
Letitia and Naomi had a large extended family growing up which took part in many family gatherings and celebrations held at Airfield, as it was a central point for both sides of the family. Their mother was the driving force behind the farm, operating business and encouraging her daughters from a young age to be charitable ladies of society and raise money for children less fortunate than themselves. Lily helped from a branch of the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) called The Children’s League of Pity in Dundrum in 1909, and her daughters helped the cause by hosting garden parties that raised funds for donations.
As a result of losing a child, Lily was active throughout her entire life supporting charities to better the health for women and children. She helped set up Dublin’s first pasteurised milk depot through her work with the Women’s National Health Association, and after Lily retired in 1962, her daughter Naomi joined in and took over as president of the Dundrum and Ballinteer District Nursing Association. The main goal of the Association was to educate people in the care and prevention of tuberculosis, but it also reached people in need all over through ‘Baby Clubs’, schools and homes of the sick and pregnant women.
World War I, however, changed the lives of many people, including the Overends, with friends and family in active service. As casualties accumulated across Europe, women stepped up and joined in on the war effort. In Ireland, sphagnum moss was collected from the bogs in Ireland to use in dressings bound for soldiers on the front lines. The Overend women contributed in many ways: in the Dundrum district of the War Hospital Supply Depot, Lily gathered clothing, cigarettes, and material for bandages for the front line. Letitia worked as a volunteer at the central depot of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, packing and ensuring supply shipments arrived undamaged on the war front. Records even demonstrate that Letitia dedicated more hours to the cause than any of the other volunteers, and she was even offered an OBE from the King. (An OBE is one of many levels of honours tied to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which was founded by King George V in 1917 as a way of honouring citizens for their service to society.) When offered this honour in recognition of her great work, Letitia turned it down, feeling that if all could not be recognised for their good work during the war, she should not be.
In 1984, Letitia and Naomi left Airfield in trust to the people of Ireland. They were trailblazers who understood, practised and encouraged the concepts of self-sufficiency and sustainability amongst many other wonderful traits. From farming to cattle trading to car maintenance, these women were not afraid to take anything on. They turned heads in Dublin… at one point they even owned three cars — one of them, a Rolls Royce! This was unheard of in their time. However, in true Overend women fashion, they only purchased the Rolls Royce after being assured that it came with a tow bar (for transporting their cows, naturally) and a course on car maintenance so that they would be able to keep the car running efficiently for as long as they would need it.
While the Overends were well known for pushing boundaries, they are remembered most for their sense of community and charitable contributions that helped many people all over, not just the locals. Today, their 38-acre estate serves as a wonderful tribute to their legacy and works hard to continue it on, finding new and innovative wats to use the original home, gardens — and now an award-winning restaurant, Overends Kitchen — to bring happiness and joy to people from all over.
Dundrum Town Centre
The most recent major addition to Dundrum’s history is the development of Dundrum Town Centre which opened on 3 March 2005. Located just south of Dundrum’s village centre, it holds over 160 tenants across 140,000 m² floor space and is Ireland’s largest shopping centre to date, as well as one of Europe’s largest capital city-based shopping centres.
It was built on the former site of Pye television factory. Possibly established in the 1930s due to high import taxes during de Valera’s “Economic War” with the UK from 1933 to 1938, Pye factory produced radio sets for the Irish market, similar but not identical to UK models. The factory closed sometime around 1969 or the early 1970s and then became Dundrum Bowl, a local entertainment and bowling centre. When Dundrum Bowl closed in 1993 due to flooding, the property was left unused until development on the shopping centre began. When it finally opened, over 5,000 people queued in the main square and within just three short years, over 70 million people visited Dundrum Town Centre to shop there!
“Dundrum Town Centre” — the name of the shopping centre — was originally a local government term defined before the centre was built by the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. It was used to describe the area between the Luas line, the Dundrum Relief Road, the Taney Road/Upper Churchtown Road junction, and the Wyckham Bypass Route. Many people refer to the town centre as “Dundrum Shopping Centre” however that actually refers to an older, smaller shopping centre right off Main Street. The Dundrum Shopping Centre is still open today, but it is home to grocery stores and smaller local shops and is more currently known as Dundrum Village Centre.
