Lyons Hill
Encyclopedia
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough
in north County Kildare
. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at 3 mi/h Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal
. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by Ireland's Ordnance Survey
. The name derives from the Irish language
name for elm
tree, Liamhan.
(1946–2007), and contains his mausoleum. The village consists of apartments based in the former canalside industrial heritage buildings dating to the 1820s, a small chapel, and Café la Serre. Between 2006 and 2008, another restaurant, The Mill, was run at the site by Irish celebrity chef Richard Corrigan
. Other artisans dwellings are to be restored in the third phase of the scheme, 2007-2011. The development is beside the 13th lock on the Grand Canal and approached from a separate entrance to the entrance of Lyons House beside Kearneystown Bridge on the road from Newcastle
to Ardclough
.
dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster
between 750-1050, after which the family became Normanised as the FitzDermots. In that period 10 Uí Dúnchada Kings of Leinster established their base at Lyons. Their influence helped secure a placemyth for Cnoch Liamhna among 300 locations featured in Dinnshenchas Érenn
, the poem Liamuin
. The Toraíocht of Liamuin was based on the mythical pursuit of a beautiful daughter of King Dúbhthach Dubthaire. The Lyons kings were:
to exchange the kingship of Leinster
in rotation was almost unique in Irish history. It meant that by the end of the three century-arrangement, monarchs who were seventh cousins were swapping the kingship. By then the dynasty, traditionally clients of the Uí Néill
, had become weakened by the battle for control of the region between Brian Bóruma of Dál Cais, the Uí Néill king Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
and the Viking kingdom of Dublin
, as well as the Uí Chennselaig of South Leinster.
The Uí Dúnchada dynasty held an important ecclesiastical role within the triumvirate, the Abbacy of Kildare
, and Muiredach
was simultaneously abbot and Kings of Leinster. The Uí Néill clientship dates to 806 when High King Aed Oirdnide mac Néill invaded Leinster and deposed Finsnechtae. Finsnechtae regained the kingdom, presumably with Uí Néill support until his death in 808 causing dynastic strife and a further invasion of the High King. When Bran was “ordained” King of Leinster in 835 by High king Niall Caille mac Áedo it may have been the first instance of ordination of a king in European history. Muirchertach mac Néill
, King of Aileach, paid an official visit to Cnoch Liamhna in 941. After Cellach's death the dynasty was weakened by dynastic rivalry with the Uí Chennselaig, from whom the Uí Dúnlainge had captured the Kingship of Leinster, and incursions from the Vikings in Dublin. Domnall Claen mac Lorcáin
, who had according to the Annals of Ulster
"deceitfully killed" Murchad mac Finn in 972 was taken prisoner in 978 by the Danes of Dublin
and had to be freed by the intervention of former High King Máel Sechnaill
. After he was killed by the Uí Chennselaig in 984 his son Donchada
assumed the kingship and began a nine year rivalry with his Uí Fáeláin rival, Máel Mórda mac Murchada
and the Vikings of Dublin
.
(948–1022), and Brian Bóruma (c.941–1014) for supremacy and the High Kingship. It began in earnest in 999 when Donnchad mac Domnaill Claen was captured by Máel Mórda and his nephew Sitric Silkbeard, the son of Olaf Cuaran
. This was a challenge to Máel Sechnaill
, as the province's overlord, and he ravaged Leinster. Brian saw an opportunity to intrude into Leinster's affairs, and late in the year he led an army there which defeated the combined forces of Leinster and Dublin at the battle of Glenn Máma, on a site to the east of Oughterard Hill adjoining Lyons. It is noted as one of the few occasions when Brian engaged in open battle. Brian captured Dublin on New Year's Day 1000 and at Athlone in 1002 took the hostages of Connacht and Meath thus ending Máel Sechnaill's first possession of the high-kingship.
When Brian Bóruma campaigned again in Leinster in 1003, he deposed Donncha and set up in his stead an Uí Fáeláin rival, Máel Mórda mac Murchada
. Ironically Mael Morda was to become Brian's foe and opponent at the Battle of Clonbtarf (1014). After Clontarf, the Kingship of the Uí Dúnlainge was held by the Uí Muiredaig and shortly afterwards the Kingship of Leinster reverted from the Uí Dúnlainge
to the Uí Chennselaig dynasty based in Ferns, County Wexford
.
the Uí Dúnchada accepted Norman title and land grant and became the FitzDermot family. Carn Uí Dúnchada in Dublin was named for them and they later settled at Rathdown near Dun Laoghaire in South Dublin.
Lyons became an important manor, castle and parish. Anglicised names which occur in the calendar rolls are Lewan (Calendar of State papers) 1217, Leuan in 1223, 1224, 1225, 1228, 1230 and 1260, Lyons in 1272, Lyons (Ecclesiastical Tax 1322), Lyons in 1332 (listed as "burned by the O’Tooles" in the Book of Howth), as Lions (Calendar of Carew MS 1535 and 1537) and eventually as Lyons after 1541.Lyons church, now a mausoleum for the Lawless family, was constructed around 1350. It has intricate carvings and a stone commemorating the marriage of Richard Aylmer to Eleanor Tyrrell in 1548. Lyons parish was united with the parish of Oughterard in 1541 and with Kill in 1691, although it remained the headquarters of the Catholic parish until 1817. The oldest headstone in Lyons churchyard dates to 1693, dedicated to Edmond Moore and his son James. Royal manors were created in Oughterard on an adjoining hill and Newcastle-Lyons
, below the hill within the County Dublin boundary created in 1210. Newcastle-Lyons
developed as a separate medieval town and was granted two seats in the Irish parliament in 1606. The seats were purchased by the Latouche family before the suppression of the Irish House of Commons in 1800.
, (d. 1541?), used Lyons as a military base for his campaigns during Silken Thomas rebellion in 1535. he original Lyons house and town was burned in 1641 on the orders of Lord Justice William Parsons
(c.1570–1650), who ironically had sat for the borough of Newcastle-Lyons
in the 1613–15 parliament, and his colleague Sir John Borlase
.
, for the Manor of Cluinaghlys, in possession of his grandfather Walter Plunkett and passed down by his father Henry Plunkett. Nothing remains of the church but some scattered stones, and the oldest headstone in Clonaghlis graveyard, still in use by local people, dates to 1729. Aviation pioneer Tony Ryan
was buried in the graveyard after his death in 2007.
. Treasures which were successfully imported include three columns from the ruins of the Golden House
of Nero
in Rome
, used in the portico, and a statue of Venus
excavated at Ostia.
begun in 1756 Ardclough
was one of the first sections to be dug. The canal reached Ardclough in 1763, when the 13th lock, a 137 feet (41.8 m) double lock built with Pozzuolona mortar, was opened, following to the ambitious design of the canal’s original engineer, Thomas Omer. When a new engineer, John Trail
took over construction of the canal in 1768, the proposed canal capacity was reduced from 170 ton barges to 40 ton barges.
.
From 1777 a local river, the Morrel was proposed as water feeder for the canal, construction resumed and the first passenger boats were towed to Sallins
in February 1779.
When in 1834 Flyboats increased the average speed for passenger boats from 3 mi/h to 9 mi/h Ireland’s first railway was already under construction. The canal peaked at 120,615 passengers in 1846, the year construction started on the Dublin-Cork railway line. When a Dublin-Galway railway line was opened in 1850 the closure of the rarely-profitable passenger service followed in 1852.
Cargo traffic continued to use the canal for another 108 years, peaking at 379.045 tons in 1865 when an average of 90 barges a day passed through Ardclough. The canal was motorised 1911-24 and closed to cargo in 1960, but is still a popular thoroughfare for leisure boats. The tracks of the ropes of the horse drawn barges can still be traced at Ardclough canal bridge.
's (1906–1984) ode to a Lake was based on his stay in Lyons in 1958. Writer Emily Lawless
(1845–1913) spent part of her childhood in Lyons house. Lydia Shackleton (1828–1914), botanical artist, lived in Lyons between April 1853 when she moved to the family's newly acquired mill at the 13th lock, where she was housekeeper for her elder brother Joseph, until 1860.
founder Tony Ryan
(1936–2007), Lyons lockyard village was redeveloped and restored between 1999 and 2008.
The first phase, set around formal gardens and an artificial lake, was reopened in August 2006. The mill building was converted to a restaurant from 2006 until 2008. A second restaurant, La Serre, continued to serve meals. The mill building, called Shackleton House, is used as a venue for parties and corporate events.
Ardclough
Ardclough, officially Ardclogh , is a village and community in the parish of Kill County Kildare, Ireland, two miles off the N7 national primary road. Amongst its buildings today are a national school, a church, Ardclough GAA Club, and one shop "Buggys". Ardclough also contains the historic round...
in north County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at 3 mi/h Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal
Grand Canal
Grand Canal can refer to multiple waterways:* Grand Canal in eastern China* Grand Canal in Venice, Italy* Grand Canal , between the river Shannon and Dublin in Ireland* Grand Canal d'Alsace in eastern France...
. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by Ireland's Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
. The name derives from the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
name for elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
tree, Liamhan.
Modern Village
Lyons village located at 53.29947°N 6.55699°W. was restored 1999-2007 from a deserted and depopulated state by the aviation pioneer Tony RyanTony Ryan
Thomas Anthony "Tony" Ryan was an Irish multi-millionaire, philanthropist and businessman.He was a founder of Guinness Peat Aviation as well as co-founder of Ryanair with Christy Ryan and Liam Lonergan...
(1946–2007), and contains his mausoleum. The village consists of apartments based in the former canalside industrial heritage buildings dating to the 1820s, a small chapel, and Café la Serre. Between 2006 and 2008, another restaurant, The Mill, was run at the site by Irish celebrity chef Richard Corrigan
Richard Corrigan
Richard Corrigan is an Irish chef born in Dublin but raised in Ballivor, County Meath.Corrigan achieved a Michelin Star in 1998 and has been awarded many other culinary accolades, including Outstanding London Chef at the London Restaurant Awards. He is Chef/Patron of Corrigans in Mayfair...
. Other artisans dwellings are to be restored in the third phase of the scheme, 2007-2011. The development is beside the 13th lock on the Grand Canal and approached from a separate entrance to the entrance of Lyons House beside Kearneystown Bridge on the road from Newcastle
Newcastle, County Dublin
The village of Newcastle , in Co. Dublin, Ireland was the location of the Castle of the Barony of Newcastle, more specifically referred to in historical and official documents as Newcastle-Lyons. This ancient name is currently undergoing a welcome revival in use, given the many places called...
to Ardclough
Ardclough
Ardclough, officially Ardclogh , is a village and community in the parish of Kill County Kildare, Ireland, two miles off the N7 national primary road. Amongst its buildings today are a national school, a church, Ardclough GAA Club, and one shop "Buggys". Ardclough also contains the historic round...
.
Ownership
Four families, FitzDermot, Tyrrell, Aylmer and Lawless (Barons Cloncurry), have held possession of Lyons through most of its history.Royal Seat
Lyons Hill was the inauguration site for members of one of three septs of the Uí DúnlaingeUí Dúnlainge
The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada. He was said to be a cousin of Énnae Cennsalach, eponymous ancestor of the rival Uí Chennselaig....
dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster
Kings of Leinster
The following is a provisional list of the kings of Leinster who ruled the Irish kingdom of Leinster up to 1632 with the death of Domhnall Spainnach MacMurrough-Kavanagh, the last legitimately inaugurated head of the MacMurrough Kavanagh royal line...
between 750-1050, after which the family became Normanised as the FitzDermots. In that period 10 Uí Dúnchada Kings of Leinster established their base at Lyons. Their influence helped secure a placemyth for Cnoch Liamhna among 300 locations featured in Dinnshenchas Érenn
Dindsenchas
Dindsenchas or Dindshenchas , meaning "lore of places" is a class of onomastic text in early Irish literature, recounting the origins of place-names and traditions concerning events and characters associates with the places in question...
, the poem Liamuin
Liamuin
“Liamuin” is a poem in Dinnsenchas Erann explaining the medieval Irish placelore relating to nine assemblies and noted places in Ireland. The premise is largely dedicated to the etymological legend for Lyons, a hill, former royal inauguration site and former parish situated near the banks of the...
. The Toraíocht of Liamuin was based on the mythical pursuit of a beautiful daughter of King Dúbhthach Dubthaire. The Lyons kings were:
- 760-776 Cellach. Cellach mac Dunchad,
- 795-808 Finsnechta. Finsnechta Cethardec mac Cellach,
- 834-8 Bran. Bran mac FinsnechtaBran mac FinsnechtaBran mac Finsnechta was the third of ten Kings of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare, a member of the Uí Dúnchada, one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster between 750-1050, significant in County Kildare History...
, - 854-62 Ruarc. Ruarc mac BranRuarc mac BranRuarc mac Brain was the fourth of ten Kings of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare, a member of the Uí Dúnchada, one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster between 750-1050, significant in County Kildare...
, - 884-5 Muiredach. Muiredach mac BranMuiredach mac BranMuiredach mac Brain was a King of Leinster of the Uí Dúnchada sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Líamhain . He was the son of Bran mac Fáeláin and brother of Ruarc mac Brain , previous kings.There is much confusion in the king lists during this period...
, - 917-23 Fáelán. Faelan mac MuiredachFaelan mac MuiredachFaelán mac Muiredach was the sixth of ten Kings of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare, a member of the Uí Dúnchada, one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster between 750-1050, significant in County Kildare History...
, - 942-3 Lorcán. Lorcan mac FaelanLorcan mac FaelanLorcán mac Faelán was the seventh of ten Kings of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare, a member of the Uí Dúnchada, one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster between 750-1050, significant in County Kildare History....
, - 958-66 Cellach. Cellach mac FaelanCellach mac FaelanCellach mac Faelan was the eighth of ten Kings of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare, a member of the Uí Dúnchada, one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster between 750-1050, significant in County Kildare History....
, - 978-84 Domnall Claen. Domnall Claen mac LorcanDomnall Claen mac LorcanDomnall mac Lorcáin , called Dómnall Claen or Domnall Clóen , was king of Leinster, the south-eastern province of Ireland....
, - 984-1003 Donnchad. Donnchad mac Domnall ClaenDonnchad mac Domnall ClaenDonnchad mac Dómnaill Clóen was the tenth and last King of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare. He was a member of the Uí Dúnchada, one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster between 750 - 1050 and is a...
.
Royal Family
The arrangement of the three septs of the Uí DúnlaingeUí Dúnlainge
The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada. He was said to be a cousin of Énnae Cennsalach, eponymous ancestor of the rival Uí Chennselaig....
to exchange the kingship of Leinster
Kings of Leinster
The following is a provisional list of the kings of Leinster who ruled the Irish kingdom of Leinster up to 1632 with the death of Domhnall Spainnach MacMurrough-Kavanagh, the last legitimately inaugurated head of the MacMurrough Kavanagh royal line...
in rotation was almost unique in Irish history. It meant that by the end of the three century-arrangement, monarchs who were seventh cousins were swapping the kingship. By then the dynasty, traditionally clients of the Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
, had become weakened by the battle for control of the region between Brian Bóruma of Dál Cais, the Uí Néill king Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill , also called Máel Sechnaill Mór, Máel Sechnaill II, anglicized Malachy II, was King of Mide and High King of Ireland...
and the Viking kingdom of Dublin
Kings of Dublin
The Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest lasting Norse kingdom in all of Europe outside of Scandinavia, excepting the so-called Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. This corresponded to most of present-day...
, as well as the Uí Chennselaig of South Leinster.
The Uí Dúnchada dynasty held an important ecclesiastical role within the triumvirate, the Abbacy of Kildare
Kildare Abbey
Kildare Abbey is a former monastery in County Kildare, Ireland, founded by St Brigid in the 5th century, and destroyed in the 12th century.Originally known as Druim Criaidh, or the Ridge of Clay, Kildare came to be known as Cill-Dara, or the Church of the Oak, from the stately oak-tree loved by St....
, and Muiredach
Muiredach mac Bran
Muiredach mac Brain was a King of Leinster of the Uí Dúnchada sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin. This sept had their royal seat at Líamhain . He was the son of Bran mac Fáeláin and brother of Ruarc mac Brain , previous kings.There is much confusion in the king lists during this period...
was simultaneously abbot and Kings of Leinster. The Uí Néill clientship dates to 806 when High King Aed Oirdnide mac Néill invaded Leinster and deposed Finsnechtae. Finsnechtae regained the kingdom, presumably with Uí Néill support until his death in 808 causing dynastic strife and a further invasion of the High King. When Bran was “ordained” King of Leinster in 835 by High king Niall Caille mac Áedo it may have been the first instance of ordination of a king in European history. Muirchertach mac Néill
Muirchertach mac Néill
Muirchertach mac Néill , called Muirchertach of the Leather Cloaks , King of Ailech.-Family ramifications:Muirchertach belonged to the Cenél nEógain sept of the northern Uí Néill...
, King of Aileach, paid an official visit to Cnoch Liamhna in 941. After Cellach's death the dynasty was weakened by dynastic rivalry with the Uí Chennselaig, from whom the Uí Dúnlainge had captured the Kingship of Leinster, and incursions from the Vikings in Dublin. Domnall Claen mac Lorcáin
Domnall Claen mac Lorcan
Domnall mac Lorcáin , called Dómnall Claen or Domnall Clóen , was king of Leinster, the south-eastern province of Ireland....
, who had according to the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
"deceitfully killed" Murchad mac Finn in 972 was taken prisoner in 978 by the Danes of Dublin
Kings of Dublin
The Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest lasting Norse kingdom in all of Europe outside of Scandinavia, excepting the so-called Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. This corresponded to most of present-day...
and had to be freed by the intervention of former High King Máel Sechnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill , also called Máel Sechnaill Mór, Máel Sechnaill II, anglicized Malachy II, was King of Mide and High King of Ireland...
. After he was killed by the Uí Chennselaig in 984 his son Donchada
Donnchad mac Domnall Claen
Donnchad mac Dómnaill Clóen was the tenth and last King of Leinster to be inaugurated and based on Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare. He was a member of the Uí Dúnchada, one of three septs of the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty which rotated the kingship of Leinster between 750 - 1050 and is a...
assumed the kingship and began a nine year rivalry with his Uí Fáeláin rival, Máel Mórda mac Murchada
Máel Mórda mac Murchada
Máel Mórda mac Murchada was King of Leinster.Son of Murchad mac Finn and brother of Gormflaith, he belonged to the Uí Fáeláin sept of the Uí Dúnlainge, whose lands lay around Naas on the middle reaches of the River Liffey, in modern County Kildare.Máel Mórda is best known as the enemy of Brian...
and the Vikings of Dublin
Kings of Dublin
The Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest lasting Norse kingdom in all of Europe outside of Scandinavia, excepting the so-called Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. This corresponded to most of present-day...
.
Battleground
This rivalry was responsible for provoking a war between Máel Sechnaill mac DomnaillMáel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill , also called Máel Sechnaill Mór, Máel Sechnaill II, anglicized Malachy II, was King of Mide and High King of Ireland...
(948–1022), and Brian Bóruma (c.941–1014) for supremacy and the High Kingship. It began in earnest in 999 when Donnchad mac Domnaill Claen was captured by Máel Mórda and his nephew Sitric Silkbeard, the son of Olaf Cuaran
Olaf Cuaran
Amlaíb mac Sitric , commonly called Amlaíb Cuarán, in Old Norse: Óláfr kváran, was a 10th century Norse-Gael who was king of Northumbria and king of Dublin. His byname, cuarán, is usually translated as "sandal"...
. This was a challenge to Máel Sechnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill , also called Máel Sechnaill Mór, Máel Sechnaill II, anglicized Malachy II, was King of Mide and High King of Ireland...
, as the province's overlord, and he ravaged Leinster. Brian saw an opportunity to intrude into Leinster's affairs, and late in the year he led an army there which defeated the combined forces of Leinster and Dublin at the battle of Glenn Máma, on a site to the east of Oughterard Hill adjoining Lyons. It is noted as one of the few occasions when Brian engaged in open battle. Brian captured Dublin on New Year's Day 1000 and at Athlone in 1002 took the hostages of Connacht and Meath thus ending Máel Sechnaill's first possession of the high-kingship.
When Brian Bóruma campaigned again in Leinster in 1003, he deposed Donncha and set up in his stead an Uí Fáeláin rival, Máel Mórda mac Murchada
Máel Mórda mac Murchada
Máel Mórda mac Murchada was King of Leinster.Son of Murchad mac Finn and brother of Gormflaith, he belonged to the Uí Fáeláin sept of the Uí Dúnlainge, whose lands lay around Naas on the middle reaches of the River Liffey, in modern County Kildare.Máel Mórda is best known as the enemy of Brian...
. Ironically Mael Morda was to become Brian's foe and opponent at the Battle of Clonbtarf (1014). After Clontarf, the Kingship of the Uí Dúnlainge was held by the Uí Muiredaig and shortly afterwards the Kingship of Leinster reverted from the Uí Dúnlainge
Uí Dúnlainge
The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada. He was said to be a cousin of Énnae Cennsalach, eponymous ancestor of the rival Uí Chennselaig....
to the Uí Chennselaig dynasty based in Ferns, County Wexford
Ferns, County Wexford
Ferns is a small historic town in north County Wexford, Ireland with a population of about 900. It is 16 km from Enniscorthy, where the Gorey to Enniscorthy N11 road joins the R745 regional road...
.
FityDermot Family
After the Norman invasionNorman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
the Uí Dúnchada accepted Norman title and land grant and became the FitzDermot family. Carn Uí Dúnchada in Dublin was named for them and they later settled at Rathdown near Dun Laoghaire in South Dublin.
Manor and Parish
NormanNorman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
Lyons became an important manor, castle and parish. Anglicised names which occur in the calendar rolls are Lewan (Calendar of State papers) 1217, Leuan in 1223, 1224, 1225, 1228, 1230 and 1260, Lyons in 1272, Lyons (Ecclesiastical Tax 1322), Lyons in 1332 (listed as "burned by the O’Tooles" in the Book of Howth), as Lions (Calendar of Carew MS 1535 and 1537) and eventually as Lyons after 1541.Lyons church, now a mausoleum for the Lawless family, was constructed around 1350. It has intricate carvings and a stone commemorating the marriage of Richard Aylmer to Eleanor Tyrrell in 1548. Lyons parish was united with the parish of Oughterard in 1541 and with Kill in 1691, although it remained the headquarters of the Catholic parish until 1817. The oldest headstone in Lyons churchyard dates to 1693, dedicated to Edmond Moore and his son James. Royal manors were created in Oughterard on an adjoining hill and Newcastle-Lyons
Newcastle, County Dublin
The village of Newcastle , in Co. Dublin, Ireland was the location of the Castle of the Barony of Newcastle, more specifically referred to in historical and official documents as Newcastle-Lyons. This ancient name is currently undergoing a welcome revival in use, given the many places called...
, below the hill within the County Dublin boundary created in 1210. Newcastle-Lyons
Newcastle, County Dublin
The village of Newcastle , in Co. Dublin, Ireland was the location of the Castle of the Barony of Newcastle, more specifically referred to in historical and official documents as Newcastle-Lyons. This ancient name is currently undergoing a welcome revival in use, given the many places called...
developed as a separate medieval town and was granted two seats in the Irish parliament in 1606. The seats were purchased by the Latouche family before the suppression of the Irish House of Commons in 1800.
Medieval Wars
Sir William BreretonWilliam Brereton
William Brereton is the name of:* William Brereton in the privy chamber of Henry VIII* Sir William Brereton MP for Cheshire in 1547 and 1559...
, (d. 1541?), used Lyons as a military base for his campaigns during Silken Thomas rebellion in 1535. he original Lyons house and town was burned in 1641 on the orders of Lord Justice William Parsons
William Parsons
William Parsons may refer to:*William Parsons , Master of the King's Music*William Parsons , English writer associated with the Della Cruscan movement*William Barclay Parsons , American civil engineer...
(c.1570–1650), who ironically had sat for the borough of Newcastle-Lyons
Newcastle, County Dublin
The village of Newcastle , in Co. Dublin, Ireland was the location of the Castle of the Barony of Newcastle, more specifically referred to in historical and official documents as Newcastle-Lyons. This ancient name is currently undergoing a welcome revival in use, given the many places called...
in the 1613–15 parliament, and his colleague Sir John Borlase
John Borlase
John Borlase or Borlace may refer to:*Sir John Borlase , High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire*Sir John Borlase John Borlase or Borlace may refer to:*Sir John Borlase (high sheriff) (died 1593), High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire*Sir John Borlase (Lord Justice of Ireland) John Borlase or Borlace may refer...
.
Clonaghlis Church and Parish
Clonaghlis graveyard within the Lyons estate is also the seat of a former parish. The Calendar Rolls record that Peter de Laermerd granted the Church of Clonacles to St Thomas Abbey near Dublin in 1206 and that in 1336 John Plunkett sued Hugh de Blound of Rathregan County MeathCounty Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, for the Manor of Cluinaghlys, in possession of his grandfather Walter Plunkett and passed down by his father Henry Plunkett. Nothing remains of the church but some scattered stones, and the oldest headstone in Clonaghlis graveyard, still in use by local people, dates to 1729. Aviation pioneer Tony Ryan
Tony Ryan
Thomas Anthony "Tony" Ryan was an Irish multi-millionaire, philanthropist and businessman.He was a founder of Guinness Peat Aviation as well as co-founder of Ryanair with Christy Ryan and Liam Lonergan...
was buried in the graveyard after his death in 2007.
Lyons House
Michael Aylmer inherited the estate at the age of four in 1733 and became indebted to banker Nicholas Lawless, eventually losing the house in 1796. First Nicholas Lawless (construction during 1786) and his son Valentine Lawless (construction 1804-10) combined to build a large country house in its own gardens, decorated in the Directoire style, of which there are few examples in Ireland, and with a private lake. Valentine Lawless, after 1799 the second Lord Cloncurry spent GBP200,000 on renovation included frescoes by Gaspare Gabrielli and three ship loads of classical art imported from Italy. A fourth shipment was lost when it sank off WicklowWicklow
Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...
. Treasures which were successfully imported include three columns from the ruins of the Golden House
Domus Aurea
The Domus Aurea was a large landscaped portico villa, designed to take advantage of artificially created landscapes built in the heart of Ancient Rome by the Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome had cleared away the aristocratic dwellings on the slopes of the Palatine...
of Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, used in the portico, and a statue of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
excavated at Ostia.
Grand Canal
When work on the Grand CanalGrand Canal
Grand Canal can refer to multiple waterways:* Grand Canal in eastern China* Grand Canal in Venice, Italy* Grand Canal , between the river Shannon and Dublin in Ireland* Grand Canal d'Alsace in eastern France...
begun in 1756 Ardclough
Ardclough
Ardclough, officially Ardclogh , is a village and community in the parish of Kill County Kildare, Ireland, two miles off the N7 national primary road. Amongst its buildings today are a national school, a church, Ardclough GAA Club, and one shop "Buggys". Ardclough also contains the historic round...
was one of the first sections to be dug. The canal reached Ardclough in 1763, when the 13th lock, a 137 feet (41.8 m) double lock built with Pozzuolona mortar, was opened, following to the ambitious design of the canal’s original engineer, Thomas Omer. When a new engineer, John Trail
John Trail
John Trail is an Australian sprint canoer who competed in the mid 1970s. He was eliminated in the semifinals of the K-4 1000 m event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.-References:*...
took over construction of the canal in 1768, the proposed canal capacity was reduced from 170 ton barges to 40 ton barges.
Thirteenth Lock
Canal records show that “ Lyons or Clonaughles lock” was reduced in size in 1783, but the canal through the thirteenth lock serves as a reminder of Omer’s original plan, 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, compared with the 14 feet (4.3 m) width adopted by Trail. Ardclough bridge was named in original plans for the Bruton family of Clonaghlis but constructed with a name plate bearing the name of the Henry family of StraffanStraffan
Sruthán was mistakenly cited by Thomas O'Connor in the Ordnance Survey Letters in 1837, and adopted as the Irish form of Straffan. Seosamh Laoide used it in his list of Irish names of post-offices published in Post-Sheanchas . An Sruthán gained currency among those involved in the Irish revival...
.
From 1777 a local river, the Morrel was proposed as water feeder for the canal, construction resumed and the first passenger boats were towed to Sallins
Sallins
Sallins is a suburban town in County Kildare, Ireland, situated 3.5 km north of the town centre of Naas, from which it is separated by the M7 motorway. Sallins is the anglicised name of Na Solláin which means "The Willows"....
in February 1779.
Lock Yard
Local landowner Valentine Lawless (1773–1853) was a canal enthusiast, constructing the Lyons mill and lockyard village complex in the 1820s and serving as chairman of the Grand Canal Company five times during his lifetime. The canal was an important, if slow, passenger thoroughfare feeding passenger’s to John Barry’s hotel at Lyons.When in 1834 Flyboats increased the average speed for passenger boats from 3 mi/h to 9 mi/h Ireland’s first railway was already under construction. The canal peaked at 120,615 passengers in 1846, the year construction started on the Dublin-Cork railway line. When a Dublin-Galway railway line was opened in 1850 the closure of the rarely-profitable passenger service followed in 1852.
Cargo traffic continued to use the canal for another 108 years, peaking at 379.045 tons in 1865 when an average of 90 barges a day passed through Ardclough. The canal was motorised 1911-24 and closed to cargo in 1960, but is still a popular thoroughfare for leisure boats. The tracks of the ropes of the horse drawn barges can still be traced at Ardclough canal bridge.
Economic Life
With the accidental burning of the mill in 1903 and the decline of the estate after the Cloncurry title became extinct, the area went into decline. Lyons estate was sold to UCD as an agricultural campus in 1962. In 1990 it was purchased by Michael Smurfit and in 1996 resold.Artistic Life
John BetjemanJohn Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
's (1906–1984) ode to a Lake was based on his stay in Lyons in 1958. Writer Emily Lawless
Emily Lawless
Emily Lawless was an Irish novelist and poet from County Kildare.-Biography :She was born at Lyons House below Lyons Hill, Ardclough, County Kildare. Her grandfather was Valentine Lawless, a member of the United Irishmen and son of a convert from Catholicism to the Church of Ireland. Her father...
(1845–1913) spent part of her childhood in Lyons house. Lydia Shackleton (1828–1914), botanical artist, lived in Lyons between April 1853 when she moved to the family's newly acquired mill at the 13th lock, where she was housekeeper for her elder brother Joseph, until 1860.
Restoration
The fabric of the buildings in at the lockyard beside the 13th Lock date to the 1820s and represent an important industrial heritage site. In the period after the burning of the mill and especially after the 1950s the buildings were allowed to fall into disrepair. Thanks to the interest of owner of Lyons House RyanairRyanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
founder Tony Ryan
Tony Ryan
Thomas Anthony "Tony" Ryan was an Irish multi-millionaire, philanthropist and businessman.He was a founder of Guinness Peat Aviation as well as co-founder of Ryanair with Christy Ryan and Liam Lonergan...
(1936–2007), Lyons lockyard village was redeveloped and restored between 1999 and 2008.
The first phase, set around formal gardens and an artificial lake, was reopened in August 2006. The mill building was converted to a restaurant from 2006 until 2008. A second restaurant, La Serre, continued to serve meals. The mill building, called Shackleton House, is used as a venue for parties and corporate events.