Heritage Timeline

Jonathan Swift connection with Rathcoole

In 1713 Dean Swift (portrait below) who was waiting his promised appointment to Dean of St Patricks Cathedral wrote to the letter below to the then Archbishop William King of Dublin (portrait below).

Rathcoole, Dublin. Year 1840.

Historical Description

Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1840 by Samuel Lewis

RATHCOOLE, a post-town and parish, in the barony of UPPERCROSS, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 8 miles (S. W.) from Dublin, on the road to Naas; containing 1409 inhabitants, of which number, 602 are in the town. This place, anciently called "Radcull," appears from, various records to have been incorporated prior to the time of Hen. III., and to have had burgesses. In the 24th of that reign (1240), it is recorded that "Lucas, Archbishop of Dublin, grants to the burgesses of Radcull common of pasture and turbary in the mountain of Slescol with his men of Newcastle near Lyons, at 4s. per annum."

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1844-1864 Griffiths Valuation Rathcoole Main Street

People who lived on Main Street village of Rathcoole 1844-64 Griffiths Valuation

Map of Rathcoole main street land area is marked as area 72 on the map below

Rathcoole in 1844 had a National School at Dublin end of Town opposite Church sponsored by David La Touche and a Glebe house beside the church. A Dispensary with doctor funded by chartable donations was located in centre of town. At Nass end of town, Police barracks, animal pound and poitin still which was a lodging house for Drovers can be seen. St Bridgets well (St bridget was said to have drunk from the well on her way to Nass) can be seen marked in the grounds at the rear of the then vacant Mercer school being rented by William Borne from Mercer Charity Trust. Below is extract from ledger, showing who resised in each house, who owned the property, details of the holding and land size in acres, roods and perches.

1852 Rathcoole Thoms Almanac Directory

1913-1921 Record of Doctor Clark

St. Bridgets Well Map

First Transatlantic Flight From Ireland to USA

First East-West Atlantic Crossing, Bremen Aircraft

In 1928 on April 12 the name South Dublin runway Baldonnel Airdrome echoed across the world when Commandant James Fitzmaurice joined Baron Húnefeld and Hermann Kóhl in their Junckers W33 “Bremen Aircraft” as they took off on what would be the first east-west aircraft crossing of the Atlantic.
Almost 37 hours later the trip landed to a rapturous welcome on Greenly Island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Newfoundland, Canada.

Rathcoole Church Clondalkin Parish Book Extract 3

Chapter Seven

Rathcoole Village and Church

Tallaght Church

This chapter deals briefly with the village of Rathcoole; St. John's sister church in Rathcoole and her clerics over the years; and St. Maelruain's church, Tallaght, formerly in a Union with Clondalkin and Rathcoole.

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VOL. LXXIII, PART III (VOL. XIII, SEVENTH SERIES)

RATHCOOLE, CO. DUBLIN, AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.

Notes on Place-names, Topography and Traditions.

By Liam Ua Broin, Member.

OLD maps of the Rathcoole neighbourhood, a list of which is given on pages 96-97, have preserved a number of local place-names : some of these are still remembered, others have been altogether lost. In the following paper I have noted the more interesting of these names, and an attempt has been made to offer an explanation of some of them ; I have inserted some local traditions, and details about such matters as the building of roads and bridges. The reader may be referred to the Ordnance Survey Letters for County Dublin for information collected in the year 1838 by Eugene O Curry about some of the antiquarian remains in the district.