Exploring the stories that shaped Crumlin and Walkinstown

The third annual Crumlin and Walkinstown History Festival was “very well attended”, according to chairperson Aidan Hodson, and took place on Saturday, June 27, at St Agnes Parish Centre, Crumlin Village.

The event was very well attended, and the audience heard 3 talks on historical topics. The first talk dealt with the history of the Iveagh Gardens housing development, which is approaching its centenary.

The talk was given by Margaret Mason, a member of the History Group, and covered the origins of the development as well as stories about some of the people who lived there.

Dr Tony McCarthy, author and lecturer at Maynooth University, spoke about the Shaw Family of Kimmage and Terenure and traced their rise to power and their lasting impact on the local communities of Crumlin, Kimmage, Terenure, Walkinstown and Mount Jerome.

From their family seats in Terenure and Crumlin, the family controlled numerous businesses and large tracts of land in the locality.

The final speaker was Killian Kirwan, playwright, theatre researcher and founder and artistic director of Underclass Productions.

His talk was ‘Brendan Behan, Joan Littlewood and “The Quare Fellow”: Seventy Years On’, which was the story of the first London production of Brendan Behan’s play in 1956 and covered the background and context of the play as well as its impact locally and internationally.

The Festival was organised by the Crumlin and Walkinstown History Group with the support of Dublin City Council’s Crumlin local area office.

The Crumlin and Walkinstown History Group will be participating in the forthcoming Dublin Festival of History.

The History Group would like to thank the people of the locality for their interest in the work of the Group and in the history and heritage of their area.

Thanks is also extended to Dublin City Council’s Crumlin area office and St Agnes Parish Centre.

The Group will be presenting two talks, one on the Purcells of Crumlin House and the other on ‘Vanished Crumlin – Before the Fire Station’, which begins on September 26.

Details of the events will be announced in the near future.