Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire and Killiney book

As of October 2003 my book “Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey - along the Coast from Booterstown to Killiney,” is now published - read all about it below!

That’s me (left) with the Cathaoirleach (Chairman) of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Trevor Matthews, and (right) the fantastically talented Tom Roche. The winner of the caption competition was Max Matthews for “First one to blink gets the drinks in!”

And when the serious stuff was over, myself, Anne (third from left), Tom and Aisling (fourth from left) took the tired Cottage Publications people for a pint and sandwiches in Dunphy’s of Dun Laoghaire. Why, oh why, did I think that wearing a suit was a good idea?

A Great Day!*

Up to 500 people descended on the Town Hall in Dun Laoghaire on Sunday last for the launch of “Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey: Along the Coast from Booterstown to Killiney,” by myself, Ken Finlay, and artist Tom Roche.

I was facing the event with equanimity as I figured it would be a chance to meet up with old friends, sell the odd book, sign my name every half hour or so, and generally relax.

I was wrong, from the time the doors opened at 2.30pm, right up to 4.45pm, I signed and signed … and signed. As it happened, I didn’t have time to get panicked, the only worry I had was getting someone’s name wrong.

I must admit to being pleasurably surprised by the sheer number of people who took the time to turn up, many of them people with whom I’ve dealt professionally over the past decade and more. Special mention must go to Pat Liddy and Rob Goodbody, both of them far better writers than I, and Chris Ryan and Olivia Hayes, writer and artist respectively of the previous book in the series on Dundrum, Stillorgan and Rathfarnham.

All those who attended were royally entertained by the team from Cottage Publication. Wine flowed, crisps, peanuts and the like appeared to be in unending supply - no-one went home hungry.

And there was a display by Cottage of all their various publications, there must have been upwards of 50 of them.

Tom’s painting were tastefully displayed, some of them showing “sold” stickers from early in the proceedings. A number of people complained that the one they would have bought had already been sold, Tom very kindly offered to paint another for them (though he did mention to me later that he had no intention of spending the rest of his life turning out copies!)

The painting on the cover, of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, is now awaiting hanging in chez Finlay by very kind donation from Tom.

The Chairman (Cathaoirleach) of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, travelled from his Dundrum electoral area, to make a speech.

Rather oddly, to my mind, he chose to select a piece I had written about Monkstown Church (Protestant) and turn it into an argument for development in the area.

“Monkstown Parish Church opened in 1832 and was described as F. E. Ball as a “grotesque structure”; Weston St. John Joyce described it as “a nondescript structure which disfigures the site”; Dr. Richard Brooke, its first incumbent, called it “Large and Gaunt and Lofty and Ugly …

“Nothing new here today, we still have the conservative thinking of a conservative people.

“Let us use this book to enjoy our past and preserve our heritage. But let us move forward with enthusiasm and courage with our current development plan and set the foundations to build today what will be the heritage future generations will strive to preserve,” he noted.

“In this regard the negative vote on the Dun Laoghaire Baths project was an opportunity lost. If we were to apply for planning permission today to build the spires of the Churches of Dun Laoghaire they would be refused because of height.

All fair enough, you might think! But the record of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in terms of sensitive development is absolutely abysmal. At the moment the local authority and the Harbour Board are trying to develop several large sites on the coastline - if they succeed with their current proposals I doubt that even 200 years will be enough for people to regard them with any degree of favour! I’m sure Councillor Matthews meant well, maybe I’m just being churlish.

He also described the book as “outstanding” and “wonderful” so he is obviously a sensitive man of high intellect.

After all the excitement had died down, myself, Tom, Anne and Aisling, treated the Cottage team to drinks and sandwiches in Dunphy’s in the town (one of the pubs illustrated in the book).

“Blackrock, Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey: Along the Coast from Booterstown to Killiney,” is published by Cottage Publications, (www.cottage-publications.com) and is available from most (if not all bookshops in the area covered) at a reasonable euro22.95 (Cottage haven’t updated their site yet to include the new book, but I’m sure they’ll get around to it soon).

* Apparently, by the end of the night, I was informing all and sundry, every five minutes, that it had been “a great day!”

And Finally …

Here’s one of the pieces from the book with accompanying watercolour by Tom Roche.