THE HISTORY CLUB’S 2025-2026 SERIES OF TALKS RETURNS ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 16th 2025– IN THE FOXROCK PARISH PAROCIAL CENTRE AT 20:00
TALK: – SHANKILL IN 1837- PEOPLE, HOUSES AND EVENTS
Speaker – Rob Goodbody
In 1837, Shankill, was a rural village. It was part of a larger estate owned by Sir Charles Compton William Domvile, who later sought to develop it into a more attractive area for Dublin city residents. At this time, Shankill was primarily characterized by smallholdings and a more rural lifestyle. Domvile aimed to transform Shankill by building grand Georgian-style housing, squares, and streets to attract Dublin’s wealthier professionals. Rob has spent many years researching this area of Dublin and his wealth of knowledge of this subject will be very informative.
Admission for Non- Members is EUR 5.00
NEW PUBLICATION – 2025
Holy Year Oratory, Cornelscourt 1975-2025 – Fifty Years of Service
by Tommy Lyons (R.I.P.), Tony Keane. 
In 1974, before the Holy Year of 1975, Archbishop Dermot Ryan set up a Commission of Laity to look at the church’s organisation in the Diocese. One suggestion was setting up a caravan in a shopping centre to have a priest attend for counselling and confessions. The elder Ben Dunne was enthusiastic about this project and firstly two mobile homes were set up in the car park of Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt called Holy Year Oratory and mass and services commenced in 1975. With various building, road widening for the N11, etc. The Dunne family had the present purpose built Oratory constructed in 1992. Now 50 years since the first Oratory started, the services are still going strong.
Annual Membership Fee
The annual membership covers from September 2024 to July 2025 and is €20. This entitles you to 8 talks, free to our two short summer outings and preference for places on our full day summer outings. Please renew this as soon as possible to help us manage the club’s running expenses.
See the “Annual Membership Subscription” page for details on how to pay.
Our email is: info@foxrocklocalhistory.ie
**********************************************************
TALKS – OUTINGS PLANNED FROM SEPTEMBER 2025 to MAY 2026
( The talks are on the third Tuesdays of the month in the Foxrock Parish Pastoral Centre Hall )
2025-26 Season |
TALK |
SPEAKER |
|
Monday Oct 20th |
IN DEANSGRANGE LIBRARY BOOKING ESSENTIAL AT (01)2047218 Local history sources on a local theme |
SPEAKER – Martin McCarthy |
|
Tuesday Oct 21st |
Cottage Industries in the Rural Economy |
SPEAKER –Prof. Liam Downey |
|
Tuesday Nov 18th |
A.G.M. Followed by:- Digging up the Raj in the Attic.
|
SPEAKER –Shabnam Vasisht |
|
Monday Nov 24th |
IN DEANSGRANGE LIBRARY BOOKING ESSENTIAL AT (01)2047218 Carriglea – From Country House to the College of Art and Design |
SPEAKER –Moira Laffan |
|
Tuesday DEC 16th |
A Xmas item |
|
|
Tuesday Jan 20th 2026 |
The Shooting of Alan Bell who went looking for Michael Collins’ Funds |
SPEAKER – Jim Scannell |
|
Tuesday Feb 17th |
A History of Lifeboats in Dublin Bay |
SPEAKER – Cormac Lowth |
|
Monday Feb 23rd |
IN DEANSGRANGE LIBRARY BOOKING ESSENTIAL AT (01)2047218 To be announced |
|
|
Tuesday Mar 10th |
To be announced |
|
|
Tuesday APR 21st |
A People’s History of Dun Laoghaire – Rathdown |
SPEAKER – Deirdre Nuttall |
|
Monday APR 27th |
IN DEANSGRANGE LIBRARY BOOKING ESSENTIAL AT (01)2047218 Windsor House |
SPEAKER – Philip Lecane |
|
Tuesday May 19th |
To be announced |
|
|
May |
Short Outing |
|
|
May |
Short Outing |
|
|
June |
Full Day Outing |
|
|
Tuesday |
|
|
All our meetings are held in the Foxrock Pastoral Centre, which is at the junction of the N11 and Kill Lane. We meet on the third Tuesday of every month between September and May. The meetings start at 20:00 with an introduction, this is then followed by the main talk. After the talk there is an opportunity for questions and answers. Then after, the vote of thanks, tea and biscuits are served and you can get a chance to meet the speakers and ask questions you may have.
**********************************************************