A self-portrait of Sarah Cecilia Harrison, reproduced by kind permission of the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin’s first female city councillor, is the front cover illustration for this issue as it relates to one of the articles in it.
Articles featured in this issue of the Dublin Historical Record, which has the wider world of Dublin’s Industrial, business, economic, and social life as a common theme, include:
‘In Around the Town’ Dr. Séamas Ó Maitiú reflects on various events that have taken place in the city, including the presentation of the Lord Mayor’s Certificate in Local Studies to students who completed this course over 2018/2019, and the discovery of the walls of one of Dublin’s most important eighteenth and the nineteenth century Catholic chapels in Townsend Street.
Margaret Smith in ‘Samuel Clayton, Forger, Freemason, Freeman’ provides a biography of this former Dublin engraver who died in New South Wales, Australia, in 1853.
Brenda Ryan in ‘The Monument Creamery Ltd (1918-1966): 100 Year’s Anniversary’ provides a brief history of this unique Irish business which at his peak had 24 shops, two cafés, and two bakeries, but ceased operation in the 1960s due to changes in retail patterns, a fate suffered by several well-known Irish brand names.
Thomas A. Burke in his biography of ‘Sarah Cecilia Harrison: Dublin’s first female city councillor’, elected in 1912 reveals the attempts to unseat her on various technicalities and her outstanding work on the Housing Committee and Paving Committee. Failing to be re-elected in 1915 and in 1920, she devoted her remaining years until her death in 1941 to portrait painting and exhibiting.
Fergal McCabe in ‘Down with Dublin! – Frank Gibney and the role of Dublin in the vision of the nation’ recalls the work of this architect who drew up many visionary plans for Dublin which were never implemented by Dublin Corporation, in which he argued for proper and orderly development of the city.
Public disorder in eighteenth century Dublin is recalled by Hugh O’Reilly in ‘The Theatre Royal bottle riot of 1822 and the Orange Order in Dublin’, an event which brought the end of over a century of popular expressions of Orangeism in Dublin.
John Healy writing about his paternal grandfather Liam Devlin in ‘Liam Devlin, BB Toffee and Gloucester Street Lower’ tells the story of his grandfather’s remarkable life and businesses, and the various candy products he produced.
Seán Donnelly in ‘An “odd” incident at the Yellow Lion Inn, Thomas Street, 1739’ provides an addendum to Audrey Mac Cready’s article ‘ The Yellow Lion Inn – one building, 260 years of Irish history’ published in a 2015 issue of the Dublin Historical Record, by recalling a strange incident in the building.
Paul Huddie in ‘The Seaton Needlework Association: Dublin’s British military charity, 1854-2014’ reveals the long-lasting and valuable work of this association and fund, one of many little known charities in Dublin.
‘Christmas 1918 in Kingstown and Dalkey’ is recalled by James Scannell, who provides a picture of how those in south Dublin celebrated the first Christmas following the signing of the 11 November 1918 Armistice.
Other items in this publication are Society News, Book Notices and Reviews, and Obituaries to Rev. Dudley Levistone Conney, and Kurt Kullman. Over the counter copies of this journal can be obtained from Books Upstairs, Westmoreland Street, Dublin, Hodges Figgis, Dawson Street, Dublin 2, or directly from the Old Dublin Society via www.olddublinsociety.ie or by email: olddublinsociety@gmail.com.
James Scannell, Hon. PRO.
Cumann Le Seandacht Átha Cliath (The Old Dublin Society).
Directors: Bernardine Ruddy, Anthony P. Behan, Barry Farrell, James Scannell, Bryan MacMahon.
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