CASTLEKNOCK

In 1868, the parish of Castleknock contained the following places:

"CASTLEKNOCK, a parish in the barony of Castleknock, in the county of Dublin, province of Leinster, Ireland, 4 miles to the N.W. of Dublin. It is situated on the banks of the river Liffey, and includes the hamlet of Blanchardstown, which is a station on the Midland Great Western railway. This parish was the site of an old fortress, said to have been first founded by the Danes. It was besieged and taken by Edward Bruce in 1316; and was taken by Monk, during the civil war of the 17th century, for the parliament. This castle, of which some remains exist on a hill by the village, was at one period the property of the Tyrrells. An abbey of the Augustine order was founded here in the 13th century. The parish is crossed by the Royal canal, and contains some extensive quarries of limestone. The land is good and well cultivated. The living is a prebend and vicarage in the diocese of Dublin, Glendalagh, and Kildare, value with two other benefices, £623, in the patronage of the bishop of the diocese In this parish is Vice-Regal Lodge, the residence of the Lord-Lieutenant. There are several other residences of the gentry in the vicinity."

"BLANCHARDSTOWN, a hamlet in the parish and barony of Castleknock, in the county of Dublin, province of Leinster, Ireland, 5 miles to the N.W. of Dublin. It is a station on the Midland Great Western railway. A police force is stationed here, and petty sessions are held in the village once a month. Here are also a Roman Catholic chapel and the Cabra nunnery, in connection with which is a large girls' school."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018