Continued from Part I on previous page

18. Malahide Abbey
Adjacent to the Castle we find the ruins of Malahide Abbey. Malahide was part of the parish of Swords from the end of the monastic system of organisation in the 12th. Century until 1941 when it became a parish in its own right. Malahide Abbey may have been created for the purpose of providing an aid to legislation for the Talbot family. Its size meant that it was no private oratory or chapel and the fact that it was surrounded by a cemetery as most parish churches were would indicate that it probably served the people of Malahide from the 12th to 16th Century.
In 1630, the Abbey was stated to be in a ruinous condition and may have been closed since the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. When Cromwell installed Myles Corbet in Malahide Castle for a brief period, tradition has it that Corbet used the Abbey as stables and stripped the lead off the roof to make bullets. Within the Abbey is to be found the 16th. Century tomb of Maud Plunkett who was “ maid, wife and widow” on the one day, her husband having been killed in battle on their wedding day. On the north-east angle of the Abbey may be seen a Sheela-na-Gig, a grotesque carving, whose function it was to warn the faithful of the terrible results of sin and excess. Generations of Talbots lie buried in the adjoining cemetery and the last local burial took place here in 1960.
Though the last Lord Talbot had the ivy and weeds cleared from the walls of the church to protect it, unfortunately, to-day, the Abbey is in a very sad state of repair. Hopefully, it will not remain for too long more in such a state of dilapidation.19. St Sylvester’s Church 
On leaving the Abbey we can return to Malahide Village by heading North East through the Demesne. We pass by The Ladies’ Acre said to be haunted by two sad-faced ladies who walk here on moonlit nights. It is believed locally that these two ladies were killed during a Danish raid on Malahide.

As we reach the main Dublin Road, on our left is situated Malahide Cricket Club, founded in 1861. A famous member of this Cricket Club was the Malahide poet, Tom Kettle, who was killed at the Battle of the Somme in the First World War. Over the railway bridge and situated in a commanding position on a tree-crowned hill stands a sturdy neo-gothic structure, St. Sylvester’s Church, built in 1837. Here, too, in Pre-Danish times, possibly stood the Church of St. Fenwe. It is recorded that a small thatched church stood here in 1808. The church spire was not added until 1901 and a poem called “ The Church without a Steeple” refers to St. Sylvester’s in its non-steeple days. The spire was copied from Lord Ardilaun’s church, St.Annes, in Raheny.
The church received it’s name from the nearby St. Sylvester’s Well and not vice-versa as would be expected. It ranked as a chapel-of-ease to the parish of Swords until 1941. Two carved heads can be seen supporting the arch of the front door, St. Brigid on the left and St. Columcille on the right. It is said that the sculptor left St Brigid unfinished as the fee for his work did not satisfy his expectations.

19. St Sylvester’s Church 
On leaving the Abbey we can return to Malahide Village by heading North East through the Demesne. We pass by The Ladies’ Acre said to be haunted by two sad-faced ladies who walk here on moonlit nights. It is believed locally that these two ladies were killed during a Danish raid on Malahide.

As we reach the main Dublin Road, on our left is situated Malahide Cricket Club, founded in 1861. A famous member of this Cricket Club was the Malahide poet, Tom Kettle, who was killed at the Battle of the Somme in the First World War. Over the railway bridge and situated in a commanding position on a tree-crowned hill stands a sturdy neo-gothic structure, St. Sylvester’s Church, built in 1837. Here, too, in Pre-Danish times, possibly stood the Church of St. Fenwe. It is recorded that a small thatched church stood here in 1808. The church spire was not added until 1901 and a poem called “ The Church without a Steeple” refers to St. Sylvester’s in its non-steeple days. The spire was copied from Lord Ardilaun’s church, St.Annes, in Raheny.
The church received it’s name from the nearby St. Sylvester’s Well and not vice-versa as would be expected. It ranked as a chapel-of-ease to the parish of Swords until 1941. Two carved heads can be seen supporting the arch of the front door, St. Brigid on the left and St. Columcille on the right. It is said that the sculptor left St Brigid unfinished as the fee for his work did not satisfy his expectations.

20. Killeen Terrace
Facing you across the road from the church is Killeen Terrace, built by John Killeen who also built the railway viaduct. Killeen intended to give this terrace, as a marriage dowry, to his only daughter, but she entered a religious order in Scotland thus upsetting his plans. A wealthy man, who was master of the Fingall hounds, he renamed Seapark House, Killeen House while he lived there. Killeen Terrace was built as a typical sea-side facade after the Brighton pattern. Before the terrace was built there was a ribbon factory on the site, known as McIntyre’s Silk Factory. This is clearly marked on an 1808 map. The Mclntyres came from Ayr to Dublin in 1772 and became important hairdressers in Sackville (now O’Connell) Street, Dublin. The McIntyre who built the Malahide factory was a relative of Robert Burns, the Scottish poet. An old resident of Malahide still retains a piece of a wedding-gown woven by the McIntyre looms.
On leaving St. Sylvester’s Church and turning sharp left we enter Old Street. It is difficult to imagine to-day that Old Street was once the main street of Malahide. In 1830 all of its cottages were thatched with diamond-paned windows but by 1901 only 20 of the 26 cottages remained thatched. By the ‘fifties all thatch was gone.

21. St. Sylvester’s Well
Half-way down Old Street, we reach St. Sylvester’s Well. Here we find a natural spring possibly dating to pre-historic times. The well has also been known as the Sunday Well and Our Lady’s Well, and could have been the meeting place for traders in Roman times. The name Sylvester either comes from St. Sylvester 1st., who was Pope from 314 to 335 A.D. or from Bishop Sylvester who lived at the time of St. Patrick. Tradition states that its water first appeared on a Sunday. The well is marked on John Rocque’s map of 1756.
Through the centuries public baptisms took place here. Patterns used to be held at the well on the 15th. August of each year, when the well was decorated and worshippers came from miles around to circle it seven times while reciting special prayers. Up to 1890, an eel was inserted in the well each year in order to help purify the water which was reputed to have medicinal properties. The well was closed when a local epidemic broke out and locals blamed the well water which may have been contaminated by straying horses drinking there. The local historical society re-opened the well in 1981 and placed a replica of St. Sylvester on top to remind people of the importance of what was once the water source for Malahide’s early fishing settlement.22. The Green
Across the road from the end of Old Street is situated Gas Lane, a reminder of the gas works that once stood here. As well as supplying many houses with gas, the gas works also provided Malahide’s street lighting, the remains of which are still to be found in the village to-day.
Turning right, we reach The Green, which has always been the temporary home for every circus, carnival and strolling player who visited Malahide over the years. In olden days when the circus came to town, it was usually preceded by a parade of circus animals around the Village, always led by the elephants. The village green, so typical of many an English village, housed the village pump and here fishermen relaxed while repairing their nets.
The playwright, Sean O’Casey, spent many an afternoon here, talking to those men and local tradition tells us that he modeled some of his characters in The Plough and the Stars on Malahide fishermen he met on the Green. Here too the Coastguard had its boat-house and the well-known baritone Melfort D’Alton was born in one of the Coastguard houses. He was Vicar Choral of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin and is best remembered for his rendering of The Messiah.

23. Jack’s House
Jack’s house was situated on the far side of The Green, facing the village, about where the archway entrance to the Marina Village now stands. It belonged to John Wellington, Malahide’s first boat builder, and was known as Waterloo. Wellington was, in reality, Johann Valenhausen, a fair-haired, blue-eyed, strongly built Norweigan. He had served with the Norse North Sea fishing fleet before coming to Malahide. On one occasion when his boat was in imminent danger of being wrecked, a ship mate of his named Gregan from Malahide fearing he would be drowned told Johann that there was a girl named Margaret Farrell in Malahide, whom he hoped to marry. Gregan pleaded with Wellington that should he drown and Johann survive, he would wish him to marry Margaret instead. Gregan did drown and in due course Johann married Margaret.
He adopted the name John Wellington even though he must have felt quite at home with the many Malahide Viking names such as Hatch, Holton, and Archbold all around him. He built himself a fine sturdy house on the Village Green, with a boat-yard at the rear. He built a yacht which he helped sail to win the Tailteann Cup twice. He also received the Royal Humane Society award for rescuing three men from drowning, off Howth, on the 9th. June 1894. John Wellington died in 1927.

24. The Viaduct
Turning back from The Green and heading towards the Broadmeadow along the sea-road, the viaduct, known locally as The Arches, comes into view. Originally built in 1844 on timber trestles, forming eleven spans of 52 feet length, it has been rebuilt twice since. 90,000 tons of stone were discharged along the line of the bridge to overcome scour produced by tidal currents but 8,000 tons had to be replaced after severe storms in 1922 and 1965.
In 1965, a wholly pre-cast scheme involving erection of 2,100 tons of concrete units was installed. This was believed to be the largest pre-cast superstructure in Ireland at the time. The erection was carried out on Sundays at a cost of £83,000. To day the viaduct has 12 spans and is 577 feet in length. Though the viaduct changed the ecology of the Broadmeadow area, it alleviated the dangers of the whirlpool in the estuary.

25. Malahide Estuary
It is now time to take a look at the Estuary itself, which played such a vital part in determining the life-style of generations of Malahide people and continues to do so today. From the earliest times, the Estuary was noted for its fishing and the fishing provided a food supply rather than a sporting occasion.
Back in the 1600's the rather unorthodox method of using cormorants to catch fish was used in Malahide. Boats could be seen with up to 12 cormorants perched on the side, each with a string around its neck, thus enabling the bird to dive and catch a fish but unable to swallow it.
Circa 1700, Malahide was famous for its green-finned oysters and an oyster bed of approx. 2 acres existed where the Viaduct is to-day. In 1885 a Major Hayes tried to re-start the oyster industry, but failed. The beds which were the property of the Talbots lasted until 1903. Apart from the aristocratic oyster, there was also the more plebeian trade in mussels, cockles and winkles. Farther out the Estuary were the cod, ling and herring. During the 18th. and 19th. centuries, a substantial fishing fleet operated out of Malahide Estuary. The craft used were yawl rigged open boats up to 18m. long, which fished from Arklow to the Isle of Man.
The commercial aspect of the Estuary cannot be ignored either. In its day, it was a rival to Dublin because of its safe, sheltered position and sandy beach for unloading ships. Local goods exported included cod-liver oil while coal was imported for the manufacture of town gas in Gas Lane. As the port of Dublin developed and the gasworks closed, maritime trading ceased. Where once coal-boats traded, now sailing yachts take pride of place.
With the coming of the railway in 1844 and the building of the Viaduct, a large maritime lake was formed, one mile wide and three miles long. This has become the training ground for small boat sailors and future yachtsmen. Malahide Yacht Club, which celebrated its 50th in 2008, has produced many top quality sailors including Olympic representatives. David Wilkins competed in no less than five Olympics, a unique achiement in Irish sport, and won a silver medal in 1980. David Burrows won two races at the 2000 Olympics.
Another source of income for locals was sea-weed variously referred to as bootlace weed, sea-lace, deadman's ropes and mermaid's tresses. This was sold as wore to Dublin's undertakers who used it for padding coffins and it was found in abundance along the shore road of the Estuary. Here, where the sailing enthusiasts ply their sport to-day was where the fishermen lived in thatched cottages. Sadly, only one thatched cottage remains in the midst of a new housing development along the shore road.
The Estuary saw its tragedies too. Where once Lord Talbot's little packet boat, with brown sails, used to head for Lambay Island, many a boat has been wrecked. When the William and Sarah arrived in Malahide C.1880, the crew complained of bad sails and mutinied. The Captain beached the ship and it rotted here for 30 years. In 1886, a very fast schooner named the Oona, while on its maiden voyage from Southampton to Belfast, was forced into Malahide by storm. Capt. Plunkett went down with his ship. One year later, a featureless corpse was washed ashore on the Velvet Strand and on the handle of a clasp-knife attached to the body was carved the Captain’s name, J. Plunkett.
The Jamaica Packet also suffered the wrath of the Estuary. It struck on the Velvet Strand but by throwing its cargo of rum overboard, it managed to escape to safety. The local wreckers had a field day and horses and carts were used to carry away the barrels of best rum. Ten years later, almost to the day, the Jamaica Packet struck again at the identical spot. This time there was no reprieve and it sank with all hands on board. The sea doesn't often get robbed of its own.

26. Norse Longport

Passing under the railway we see one of Malahide’s few remaining thatched houses. Proceeding past the entrance to Texas Lane, which was at one time called Tack’s Lane because of a cobbler who lived there and who kept his tacks in his mouth, and continuing along the Upper Strand one is forced to turn sharply left to enter Sea Road. Just beyond the Malahide Yacht Club premises where the Gaybrook stream enters the Estuary is the site of a Norse Longport. Here, between 793 and 1185, the Norse arrived in their long narrow boats with their high prows richly carved and each with a single square sail. The Norse traders settled for a while in Malahide before making Dublin their home and Norse names are common-place in Malahide to-day. They used Malahide as a centre to make attacks on neighbouring areas in North County Dublin and we know that in 897 they attacked and destroyed the monastery of Glassmore, one and half miles from Swords, where St. Cronan and all his monks met their untimely fate. 
Nowadays the area is known as Cave’s Marsh and is a designated wildlife sanctuary. A great variety of birds may be seen, especially in winter.
At the top of Sea Road near the entrance to The Cove and in front of the Band room stands a granite cross on a concrete plinth, commemorating the drowning of three seamen when the sailing vessel the Gainsborough was wrecked at Gay Brook Cove in 1838. Local tradition hints that the Gainsborough was involved in smuggling. 
Nearby is a beautifully maintained thatched cottage and continuing to the Yellow Walls Road cross note the plaques and dates on the cottages. TDM stands for Talbot de Malahide and the date 1879 was when these were built for workers on Lord Talbot’s estate.

27. Pigeon House

Continuing along Millview Road we reach the Swords Road. Across the road and a very short distance towards Swords stood Gaybrook House. It had a quaint shell-house in the grounds which was demolished by developers in the 1980’s. Talbot estate now stands where these buildings stood.If we turn left we come to the main Dublin Road. Turning left and heading towards Dublin the first turn right brings us to the Pigeon House at Auburn. This unusual well-constructed building is the only one of its type in the Malahide area. It was built C.1750 and is also known as a dove croft. Thrift and food shortage may have necessitated its building. The pigeons left their home at feeding time to go around the countryside and feed on other peoples’ crops. Well fed, they returned home to be, in turn, themselves eaten by their owners. This system was used widely by monks in their monasteries.

28. Streamstown

Adjoining Auburn is the town land of Streamstown. Here an archaeological dig took place in 1982. A mound, known locally as the Fairy Dell was excavated and 17 shards of pottery dating from the 13th. to the 19th. Century were found. Other finds included part of a 17th. Century wine bottle, 2 ceramic marbles, brass buttons and two 19th. Century clay pipe bowls. The mound may have functioned as a Mill Pond though the archaeological findings seem to suggest that it was a landscaped architectural feature in the Demesne of nearby Feltrim House. In the 1750's there was a celebrated flower garden at Feltrim and the mound may have been used to complete the view from the House.

29. Feltrim Hill

Before returning to Malahide there are a few items of historical interest on the main Dublin Road, in the environs of Malahide. A mile or two out the road stands the remains of Feltrim Hill. What was once The Hill of the Wolves is to-day ravished by quarrying. In a field approaching the hill a few stones indicate where the home of Genera Richard Montgomery once stood. He was born on Dec. 2nd. 1736, emigrated to America and became the first U.S.general to be killed in action. He died on 31st December 1775 as he personally led an attack on the town of Quebec, in the midst of a blinding snowstorm. Montgomery County, in Maryland, is named after the General. Yale University displays a painting of the ‘Death of General Montgomery’ and a monument to him stands in front of St. Paul’s Church in New York. He lies buried in Washington D.C., a long way from his home on Feltrim Hill.
An archaeological dig took place on Feltrim Hill in 1947 and upwards of 500 items of interest were found. These included Roman coins and a tinned bronze mount dating to the 4th. Century A.D. Feltrim Castle was originally a ‘Ten Pound Castle’, built in 1429. The Fagan family has always been associated with Feltrim and in 1574 Sir Christopher Fagan allowed Gerald, Earl of Desmond, to escape even though he had been committed to him as a prisoner on parole.
In 1690, fleeing from the Battle of the Boyne, King James stayed for some time with Richard Fagan of Feltrim. From the 1700’s onwards the Fagan family suffered an eclipse and Feltrim Castle was demolished by the mid-eighteenth century. In the environs of the castle, Fagan’s Well still stands in a good state of preservation Also in the neighbourhood are to be found the Well of St. Werburgh, Crow’s Castle, The Hanging Tree, where executions took place in Penal Times and the remains of Malahide’s oldest house, Drynam House, built in the reign of Charles 1st.
Superstitions abound at Feltrim. Stories are still told to-day of the grey ghostly horse, the big black dog with blazing eyes and the old hag, with her bundle of faggots always gliding in the direction of the Holy Well.
Feltrim Hill is best remembered, to-day, for its wind mill or lack of it. The tower windmill was built in 1668 of best quality Dutch bricks and by craftsmen from Holland. It started out as a woolen mill and became a corn mill c.1700. Around 1800, it was used as a semaphore mill and transmitted messages from Dublin to the next hill tower, all the way to Belfast. In 1839 the sails of the windmill were blown off and up till Saturday night October 23rd. 1973, Feltrim Mill stood on the hill as an affectionate landmark for all who passed by. Sadly, on that fateful Saturday night it was demolished and the chains which helped to pull it down still are trapped underneath the bricks to-day.

30. St Doulagh's

If we were to continue beyond the Feltrim turn on the Dublin Road we would pass Abbeville designed by Gandon for Lord John Berisford and Emsworth on the right while there is now no trace of The Copper Bush, which was once a famous Highwayman’s Inn on the left hand side of the road close to Watery Lane which descends towards old Portmarnock. Near Balgriffin, stands an unique building, St. Doulagh’s.A rough hewn stone cross at the roadside stands as a landmark at the entrance to St. Doulagh’s, a saint who lived C 600 A.D. Built in the 12th. Century, the church has many characteristics of early Saxon churches and the original walls are three feet thick. There are 7 apartments altogether in the church, including a leper’s window, through which the unfortunate victim was permitted to receive Holy Communion and a penitential cell where the incumbent languished until he changed his ways. St. Doulagh himself was an anchorite, a hermit who lived walled up in a cell, measuring 10ft. by 7.5ft.. Anchorites connect the Irish Church with oriental Christianity, before the Pope’s authority here. 
Eustace Roche lived the life of an anchorite here at St. Doulagh’s in 1406. Close by the church is a baptistry, also known as St Catherine’s Well, over which rises an octagonal building. In 1609 Patrick Fagan of Feltrim decorated this building and had the wall inside covered with paintings. On the ceiling was the Descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles while on the sides were St. Patrick, St. Brigid, St. Columcille and the patron saint, St. Doulagh in a hermit’s garb. All these memorials of devotion were destroyed by Sir Richard Bulkeley when returning to Dublin from the Battle of the Boyne. Sir Richard, a hunchback and weak-minded, was influenced into such an action by religious imposters who undertook to change him to his proper shape and proportions. The well was widely known for the curative effects of its water and patterns were held here until they became scenes of rioting and dissipation. When in 1776, a Dublin magazine,"The Mercury", published an article accusing the local landlord and M.P., Sir Edward Newenham, of sectarian conduct - including defacing altar pieces and interrupting devotion at St. Doulagh's Well - the allegations were swiftly and emphatically denied by a letter to the "Freeman's Journal" signed by four priests and over fifty Catholic parishioners. They stressed that Sir Edward had merely suppressed disturbances at the well. The patterns were finally suppressed by the clergy in the 19th Century. St. Doulagh’s Feast Day is November 17th.

31. La Mancha

Time and space does not allow us to venture any further afield, so from Streamstown we must return by the main Dublin Road to Malahide. On the left we pass Auburn House and close behind the former McAllisters Garage the site where La Mancha, an imposing house, once stood. La Mancha was a Georgian mansion built by the Henley family and Thomas Henry Henley appears to be the first Henley to be buried in Malahide Abbey in 1789. So, a date of 1750 or thereabouts for the building of that mansion appears to be in order. The novel Don Quijote de La Mancha had been translated in to English over a hundred years earlier and was widely read by educated people so it was probably the inspiration for the the Henley family when naming their mansion. Dr. M. O'Grady lived there during the mid-19th C. until the property was acquired about 1870 by James Robertson, famous agriculturist and breeder of Kerry and Dexter cattle and founder of the Capel St. firm of seedsmen, Hogg Robertson. On his death in 1897 the house was purchased by the McDonnell family who lived in La Mancha until they perished in a tragic fire on the 31st March 1926 that destroyed the building.
Farther in on our left is the area where Millview House, home of the Kettle family including the poet Andrew, stood until 1971, just one of the many fine houses, like Seamount and Beechwood, which, at one time, dotted Malahide’s landscape but have succumbed to ‘development.

32. Millview House

Passing straight through the crossroads we come to a green on the right. Here stood Millview House, the home of Andrew Kettle, was situated in the centre of a ten-acre farm. It also became the centre of a major land dispute when in 1881, the Land Act set up Land Courts. Andrew Kettle was one of the first to apply for the fixing of a fair rent and he argued that his ten acres was an agricultural holding. The landlord, Lord Talbot, argued that Millview was a gentleman’s residence and, as such, did not come within the scope of the Land Act. Talbot was so determined to win this pilot case that he engaged two independent valuers, one to access the house and one to access the land. The land valuer was the first to give evidence and when asked what he thought of the house as he passed it from one five acres to the other five behind the house, he, unfortunately commented that he regarded it as a dilapidated old structure. This answer settled the question and the house valuer was never called. Kettle won his case, as an agricultural status was established and a fair rent fixed. 
The house was named for the view of Feltrim Windmill. Kettle was known as Parnell’s right-hand man and Parnell once jokingly told him that if he stuck by him, his name would soon become a household word. Andrew Kettle is well remembered for his feats of strength. On passing Kinsealy Forge one day he found men unable to move the anvil. He lifted it slowly and surely to shoulder-high with ease himself. While working on ricks of straw on his farm, he usually transferred the ladder around the rick while the workman was still on the upper rungs. He was also an admirer Napoleon as well as Parnell and named his son and daughter, Charles Stewart and Josephine respectively. His son, Tom Kettle, the poet, was killed at Ginchy on September 9th.1916. September was always a fatal month for Kettles as his father, mother, brother, son and he, himself, died in September. The epitaph of Andrew Kettle of Millview House reads:” None served Ireland better, few served her as well”. The house was demolished in 1971.

For more on Tom Kettle click this link.

33. Presbyterian Church 

Nearing the Village, with the Castle grounds on our right we come upon the picturesque Presbyterian Church. Presbyterian services were held in the Mariner's Hall in Howth from at least 1864 and usually in Gaelic which was the first language of most of the Scottish fishermen and gutter girls (those who gutted the fish) who followed the herring to Howth each season. In 1893 the Presbytery of Dublin decided to 'form a congregation' to cater for the spiritual needs of the growing numbers of Presbyterian residents in Howth and Malahide. The Howth church was built in 1898-1900. Meanwhile those from the Malahide area met for worship in the Casino before purchasing No.2 Killeen Terrace in 1893 for services. The local Presbyterian community was swelled in the early 1950's by the arrival of Scots, English and Welsh ex wartime pilots and other aviation types to help in the development of Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport and so with the devotion and enthusiasm of several local families, particularly the Dickie families, funds were collected. At a congregational meeting in 1953 Mr. George Watson formally proposed that a church be erected in Malahide. The foundation stone was laid on 7Aprll 1958 and the church was dedicated on 25 November 1956. Mr. William Baird, also from a local family, was the architect of this very attractive building which seated about 150 souls. It cost less than £10,000, defrayed, in part, by the sale of No.2 Killeen Terrace. The church was damaged on the night of 5 October1995 when an accidental fire destroyed the adjoining hall. Services were held in Howth church pending the rectum to the restored and redecorated Malahide church six months later. The rebuilt hall was opened on 23 February 1997. This was the first Presbyterian church to be erected in the Republic this Century.

34. Casino 

Nearing the end of our tour, we reach the gem of Malahide, the Casino, probably the most photographed house in the country. Built in the late 17th. Century, a major extension was added in 1837. Originally a shooting lodge for the Talbot Family, it remained their property until 1927. In 1887 it was leased from the Talbots to John Dickie of Castlebellingham, Co. Louth.The Kirker family took it over in 1923. In front of the house, a wonderful display of daffodils enhances its beauty each year. It was re-thatched in 1976 by Pat Molloy, a third generation thatcher from Kildare. Rye had to be specially grown for the thatching and then cut with an antique machine to ensure that the stalks were the correct length. The Kirker family sold the property in 1999. At the time of writing (March 2004) some trees have been taken down and the grounds are being prepared for the construction of a substantial number of residential blocks. The building itself is again being re-thatched and it remains to be seen what the future holds for this unique gem.

2011 - Update. The developer has completed the residential properties surrounding the Casino but the building itself presents a sorry picture of neglect and there are major concerns regarding its future survival - see images on the Home page of this site.
 
Epilogue

Now over the railway bridge and we’re soon back at the centre of Malahide, the Diamond, once again. Here, when Malahide was but a quiet little village men like the Duke of Wellington, Roger Casement and Cathal Brugha spent many a leisurely hour. When tourists first came to Malahide many fine houses around the village began to take in paying guests or P.G’s as they liked to call them and these P.G’s were nearly always people of consequence, such as Mr. Lippscombe, the Paymaster in Dublin Castle. His greatest single achievement was that he bred a pointer, Sean Bran to become Champion of England.
In the last twenty years, Malahide has suffered a major transformation. Maher’s Malahide Inn (1880), Green’s Royal Hotel (1888) and Ansill’s Golden Lion (1846) have long since disappeared. The original Royal Irish Constabulary barracks have gone and the Coastguard Cottages were demolished in 2000 to enable the site to be ‘developed’. Even Hogan’s “top-shop” and “bottom-shop” have changed hands and appearance and the whole aspect of the Village has undergone and continues to undergo major change. Most people agree is for the better but others are not so sure.
In the not too distant past, the Grand Hotel was the only establishment in Malahide where one could take a meal. To-day, Malahide has a large variety of restaurants to suit all palates as well as many pubs, clubs and shops, and, variety is certainly the spice of life here. The stage-coach terminus and the local Pound have now become a supermarket, the police barracks a shop and the harbourmaster’s office a pub.
Yet, despite all the changes, the discerning continue to visit Malahide, to admire its wistful beauty, to sample its peace and dry mild air and to admire the best sunsets on the eastern coast of Ireland.
It is hoped that in this brief guided ramble around Malahide something of her character has come to light and something of the past will have been recorded.

END

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