Clontarf is one of the most richly historic areas in Dublin Ireland or the world !.So while your attending our Clontarf Castle Hotel
Halloween Horror Festival ,in your spare time,do acquaint yourself with some of Clontarf's visitor attractions.
Here are a few suggestions.
Clontarf Castle itself dating from 1172
and beside it
Clontarf Cemetery dating from 550
with ruins of the church in which Bram Stoker was baptised in 1847
The unique Bull Island is a bird sanctuary and UNESCO reserve
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Clontarf's great natural amenities
The sea itself with Clontarf's landmark green promenade.
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Dollymount strand, the famous Bull Island bridge.
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St Annes Park a magnificent public park on the Clontarf Road, featuring the world famous rose garden.
St Annes was originally home estate of the Guinness (brewing) family who came to Clontarf in 1835
Visit Clontarf's six Churches,St John The Baptist 1835 Clontarf Road
St Anthony's Old Church 1927 ,New Church 1975 St Lawrence Road
St Gabriel the Archangel 1956 St Gabriels Road
St John the Baptist Church of
Ireland 1866 Seafield Road
Clontarf Presbyterian Church 1890
junction Howth /Clontarf Road
Clontarf Methodist Church 1906 junction of Clontarf/St Lawrence road
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The Casino on the Malahide Road
The Casino, by Carlos Luna
Pay a call to The Casino on the Malahide Road,no this is not a gambling den but probably Ireland's most perfect building and the best surving example of 18th century Sicilian Doric architecture in the world.
Widely acknowledged as the best neo-classical Georgian building in Ireland, this was built in the second part of the 18th century as a ‘folly’. a garden pavilion for James Caulfield, the 1st Earl of Charlemont.
It was designed by by Sir William Chambers, who was also architect for the Examination Hall and Chapel at Trinity College and Charlemont House, which now houses the Hugh Lane Gallery.
As a young adult Lord Charlemont spent more than 9 years on a ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe, where during visits to Italy and Greece he developed a love for classical architecture.
At one time the Casino would have been the focal point of a long view down the park from the reception rooms of the original Marino House.
It was used as a summer house and occasional guest house, but its main purpose was simply to look good!
The Casino Building
Although very imposing looking, the building is quite small, just 50ft square, with enormous windows and doors which give the impression that there is just a single room inside. In fact there are a surprising number of rooms, arranged on three levels.
Carved Head, by Nicola T
The exterior is highly decorated, with urns, carvings, statues and pillars. Inside it is no less elaborate, with fine Georgian mouldings and plasterwork, inlaid floors and elegant mantelpieces and doors.
There are some wonderful little hidden details, designed to preserve the decorative look of the building while ensuring it was functional.
For example the urns on the rooftop are actually chimneys and some of the pillars are hollow and act as down pipes, draining water from the roof. An underground tunnel once gave access to the Casino from the main house, but this is now blocked.
The Charlemont estate, along with the original contents of the Casino, was sold in 1881 and the land began to be developed and built on, and the Casino fell into disrepair. It was in very poor condition when taken into state care in the 1930’s but has now been carefully and very well restored to its original condition.
The name simply comes from the Italian word ‘Casino’ meaning ’small house’ and ‘Marino’ meaning ’small sea’, so this is ‘the small house by the small sea’.
The neighbouring suburb of Marino, which began to develop in the 1920’s on what was once the Charlemont estate, takes its name from the house that once stood here – Marino House.
Visiting the Casino
The Casino is about 5km from the city centre and is convenient to several bus routes and a few minutes walk from Clontarf Road Dart Station. It is open daily from May to October, weekends only from November to April.
Entrance is free to holders of either a Dublin Pass or a Heritage Card
The Crescent
Walk along the quaint little semi-circular street of Georgian houses known as ''The Crescent'' which joins the city and the Malahide / Howth Roads and is fronted by Bram Stoker Park . At number 15 Bram Stoker was born in 1847.
The CrescentThe quaint little semi-circular street of Georgian houses connecting the Howth and Malahide Roads known as “The Crescent” is Clontarf's most famous Street. The houses were deliberately built in that style and arrangement by the builder (Charles Ffolliott) to spoil Lord Charlemont's view of the sea. Charlemont – whose Marino Mansion stood nearby – tried to prevent the houses being built by charging exorbitant dues on building materials the builder was obliged to take through the Lord's tollgate. The builder eventually brought the materials across Dublin Bay by barge and the Crescent was nicknamed “Spite Row.” Famous people who have lived at The Crescent include Bram Stoker, William Carleton and Martin Haverty and the well known Boland Fianna Fáil family.
The Park
Bram Stoker Birth Place
Clontarf is a lovely little coastal suburb located just 3km north of Dublin city centre. It's one of many seaside gems surrounding Dublin’s fair city and offers much to see and do. Clontarf is steeped in history and was the site of ‘The Battle of Clontarf’ in 1014
How to get to Clontarf…
Clontarf is easily accessible from Dublin city centre by public transport. Dublin Bus operates bus route 130 which runs from Lower Abbey Street in the city centre to Castle Avenue. Check out the Dublin Bus timetable.
Clontarf is a wonderful little Dublin gem and has much to offer with a host of many restaurants and pubs, places to visit and things to see and do.
You can purchase ''The Meadow of the Bull'' ( A History of Clontarf ) by Dennis McIntyre at out merchandise stall during our Horror Festival 3euro.
Cluain Tarabh, an ancient, proud and honourable name has been handed down to us in writing for twelve hundred years. Direct translation gives us The Meadow (Cluain) of the Bull (Tarbh). Tradition holds that the name originated with the noise the waves of the sea created as they beat along the coast – the noise resembled the bellowing of a bull.
It is generally accepted that the first church in Clontarf was one founded in 556 by the abbot St Comgall was later to establish the great monastery at Bangor in County Antrim. No records of any significance have been preserved regarding Comgall's Clontarf Church between its foundation and the Anglo-Norman invasion. But the establishment at Clontarf would fit into the general pattern of small early Irish monasteries. Since the (Irish) Christian era began with St. Patrick in 432 the monastic institutions were the chief agencies in civilising and evangelising the people. Comgall and his disciples' stated aims in Clontarf were 1) to care for and turn to Christianity the heathen Celts, a pastoral people dwelling in their simple huts in Moynalty (an old place name that includes most of present day Fingall) and 2) to train and send forth messengers of the gospel to different parts of Europe. We are not certain of the site of Comgall's church but it very likely stood on the site occupied by Clontarf cemetery on Castle Avenue.
In 1172 Adam de Phepoe or Hugh de Lacy built the castle
as an inner circle of defence sites protecting Dublin. In 1641
Luke Netherville of Corballis (near Donabate) and an army of 12,000 men took possession of Artane Castle and village in defence of their religious beliefs.
George, King of Clontarf, the then owner of Clontarf Castle joined in the rebellion. Netherville and the king seized a vessel believed to contain the weapons and ammunition of the enemy. After they seized the weapons, they returned to Swords and a lot of the local farmers and fishermen joined Netherville's rebellious army.
On 15th December 1641, the Puritan Republic General, Sir Charles Coote, led a troop of soldiers into Clontarf to quell the rebel activities. He found most of the ship's cargo of weapons and ammunition in George King's Clontarf Castle. Then the massive sum of £400.00 was put on the king's head and the castle was confiscated. Coote marched on to Swords and defeated Netherville and his rebel army.
On 14th August 1649, Oliver Cromwell granted the estate to John Blackwell, who sold it to John Vernon, who was Quartermaster General of Cromwell's army here in Ireland. The Vernons were in Clontarf for almost 300 years, with a family motto of 'Vernon Semper Viret', which means 'Vernon always flourished'. In 1660 John Vernon passed the castle on to his son, Edward Vernon. Edward died in 1684 and one of his sisters took over the castle. In 1695 a first cousin of Edward's, also named John Vernon, claimed rights to the castle. The estate was granted to him by an Act of Parliament in 1698.
Vice Admiral William Bligh September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMS Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift by the mutineers in the Bounty's launch.The Bull Wall was designed by Blythe to stop Dublin bay filling up with silt.
When the wall was built it allowed ships to sail to the centre of Dublin to offload and collect cargo. Without it Dublin might not be a port at all to-day.Click here to add text.
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The first castle on the grounds, of which no trace remains, was built in 1172 by either Hugh de Lacy, lord of Meath, or
his tenant Adam de Phepoe. Clontarf was subsequently held by the Knights Templar and, after their suppression in 1308, passed to the Knights Hospitaller, until they
were in turn deprived of it at the Dissolution of
the Monasteries. The last prior, Sir John Rawson,
was created Viscount Clontarf in 1541 in return
for surrendering the castle and its lands to the
crown.
1843, in Ireland, was Repeal Year, with Daniel O'Connell at the height of his powers. The last of his Monster Meetings was fixed for Conquer Hill, Clontarf on October 8th 1843. But in what has become known as “O'Connell's Bluff” the meeting was called off and the agitation for the repeal of the Act of Union lost its momentum.
In Clontarf Town Hall on January 16th 1916 at crucial meeting of its Supreme Council the IRB voted to in fact go ahead with the 1916 rising. The Town Hall was later converted into (the old) St. Anthony's Church and is a very significant Clontarf building.
On Sunday July 16th Erskine Childers arrived at Howth with a cargo of rifles. At the junction of Howth and Clontarf Roads a confrontation between the marchers and the army and police occurred. A mêleé cum free for all took place but the Volunteers outwitted the Crown forces and escaped with the rifles. Among those directly involved or associated with organisers on that day were Tom Clarke, Arthur Griffith, Roger Casement, Eoin Mac Neill, Cathal Brugha, Padraig Pearce, Eamonn DeValera and Thomas McDonagh.
The Crescent
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OCTOBER 2011
