Lucan Village

PATRICK SARSFIELD, Earl of Lucan and CHARLES BINGHAM, Lord Lucan

The Sarsfields, originally from Herefordshire, settled in Ireland not long after the Anglo Norman conquest, at Sarsfieldstown in County Meath.

While some of Patrick Sarsfield’s feats have become household legends, very little is known about his youth in the early years. Even his date of birth is uncertain, but it is possible that he was born at Lucan before the family’s ejection in 1649. He was educated in France and spent much time in London where he was involved in some ” affairs of honour ”

Sarsfield first saw service in 1691 under Monmouth against the French. He entered Dongans regiment in 1678. During the last years of the reign of CharlesII, he served with English regiments attached to the army of Louis XIV. On the accession of James II, to whom Sarsfield showed unswerving loyalty, throughout his military career, he returned to England, where he took part in many battles.At Sedgemoor, in 1685, he was wounded, but was also promoted to Colonel. When James was deposed in 1688, he sailed for France, and Sarsfield went with him. They returned to Ireland in 1689.

Under James, Sarsfield took part in several Irish battles but his most notable feat was at Limerick. Defending the city against William of Orange, Sarsfield sneaked out at night and blew up the siege train at Ballyneety, thus depriving William of his guns, ammunition and stores.On this occasion William failed at Limerick.

Following Limerick, more battles took place where the Jacobites were aided by French soldiers. However, following defeats, the Irish retreated to Limerick once again. This time the siege lasted for a month.There appeared to be no hope of receiving further French aid and to add to his problems, Sarsfield discovered that his youthful companion and near neighbour at Lucan – Henry Luttrel – was with his infamous friend Captain Clifford, carrying out secret negotiations with the enemy to betray the city and their comrades.

There followed the Treaty of Limerick and the subsequent departure to France of a large number of the Irish army including Patrick Sarsfield. They set sail from Limerick on 22nd December 1691 on French ships, which had arrived too late to help in the siege.

Sarsfield was given a commission of Marshal de Camp (Lieutenant General) by Louis XIV. He and much of the Irish army fought bravely in the service of the French King in Flanders against the same Dutch and English armies.He was wounded at the Battle of Landen, on 19th August 1693, and died some three days later at Huy. Sarsfield was survived by his son James, and by his mother and two widowed sisters who were living in France at the time.

Sarsfield was created Baron of Rosberry and Viscount of Tully by James II, and in 1690, he was made Earl of Lucan. He was described as “tall and handsome”. In the words of O’Callaghan the historian – “His character may be comprehended in the words of simplicity, disinterestedness, honour, loyalty and bravery”. The title Earl of Lucan died with James Sarsfield in 1718, but was reinstituted in 1767 when Charles Bingham became Earl of Lucan.

The present Lord Lucan who has been missing from his home in England for many years is decended from Charles Bingham.

JOSEPH SHACKLETON, Anna Liffey Mills

In 1860 Mr. Joseph Shackleton from Ballytore, Co. Kildare, bought a corn mill at Anna Liffey. Along with two other mills bought ten years previously, at the 12th. and 13th. locks, he began what was to become a flourishing industry, there’s a pun there somewhere, surviving until the end of 1998.

The mill at the 13th. lock was destroyed by fire in 1903, and the mill at the 12th. lock, which produced poultry and pig feed, closed in 1978.

The famous Lily of the Valley Flour was produced at Anna Liffey, as well as semolina, ground rice and wheatmeal. Generations of the Shackleton family and generations of many Lucan families worked at the mill.

In 1974, the production of flour ceased and a staff of 50 were reduced to 12. In 1978, Roma Foods took over and in 1991, the mill was aquired by an Irish company, Allegro. The mill produced semolina, ground rice, rice flour, wheatmeal, pollard and various other mixes and until closure at the end of 1998, 15 people were employed.

Anna Liffey Mill is one of six of its kind left in Ireland, and milling enthusiasts were facinated by its turbines and works.

Shackleton’s owned many houses in Lucan Village, Pettycannon including Cannonbrook House and The Hollow, and also built houses for their workers on Mount Joseph (Tinker’s Hill). They were also responsible along with the Hill Family for building the Coffee House.

Although the closure is the end of an era, these people will not be forgotten, and will be forever remembered in the history of Lucan.

An interesting story is told regarding Lilly of the Valley Flour. It seems that the Kildare footballers were making their way along the Low Road to a match in Dublin, when they realised they were short a jersey or two. So quick-thinking as they were, they dropped into Shackleton’s Mill where they got their hands on a couple of Lilly of the Valley flour sacks, which were made from white cotton and which did as jerseys for that day! Hence the name Lily Whites!  The colour of these white sacks were similar to the colour of water from the spas at lucan.

JAMES GANDON, Architect

James Gandon began his career as an architect knocking on the door of Sir William Chambers (of Lucan House/Vesey fame). Gandon’s first connection with Ireland was when Chambers was working on the Marino Casino. However, he did not come to Ireland until he had obtained the commission for the Custom House in Dublin in 1791.

The proposed building created a major controversy as the old Custom House stood below Capel Street Bridge, and the move would mean a shift in the commercial life of the city.After much protest, the move took place and Gandon went on to design Carlisle Bridge (O’Connell Bridge), The Four Courts and the East front of the Parlaiment House (Bank of Ireland).

Beresford Place

In 1805 James Gandon bought the house and property at Lucan called Cannonbrook, and immediately set about improvements which included much tree planting. In 1808 he took up residence at the house, and lived there until he died in 1823.

LIAM LAWLOR, Dail Eireann

A builder has said that he paid the former Fianna Fil TD, Liam Lawlor, $40,000 to get a better postal address for a housing development in west Dublin.Seamus Ross, of Menolly Homes, said the money was paid in two instalments so the houses would be listed in Lucan rather than Clondalkin.He told the Mahon Tribunal that within days of giving Mr Lawlor a payment of $20,000, An Post wrote to him informing him that the postal address for his lands was now Lucan.

He said Mr Lawlor returned to him later in 1996, and asked him by how much had the change of address benefited him.Mr Ross said he told him the alteration had made him an extra $2.7m.He then agreed to give Mr Lawlor a cheque for $20,000 made out to Baltic Timber, the tribunal heard.

A Fianna Fil convention for the Dublin West County

Constituency yesterday selected Mr Brian Lenihan, Mr Liam
Lawlor and Mr Terry Boylan as candidates for the constituency in the forthcoming election,” The Irish Times reported on May 9th, 1977, describing the beginning of Mr Lawlor’s Dil career 23 years ago.

Addressing the convention, the FF spokesman on health, Mr
Charles Haughey, said the traditional values and outlook to which Fianna Fil subscribed would be opposed to a new political opportunism which recognised no principles.

In April of 1980 The Irish Times reported that 17 of the 150 acres of land in the Lucan area which were rezoned for housing belonged to Mr Lawlor.

Mr Lawlor said he did not intend to sell any land and rejected
as “totally unrealistic” valuations of $200,000 which were put
on the land. The local Labour Party described the rezoning as
“a hostile act against the people of Lucan”.

However in 1981, the lands owned by Mr Lawlor were again rezoned, returning them to their agricultural zoning.

In February, 1989, Mr Lawlor failed to attend a meeting of the
the Oireachtas Joint Committee on State-sponsored bodies of which he was chairman and at which it was planned to question him about his involvement with the Goodman organisation.

The subsequent resignation of Mr Lawlor from his chairmanship of the committee highlighted the lack of obligation on members of the Oi reachtas to disclose their business interests.

On March 29th 1989 there was critical reaction to the payment of $1.9 million in compensation to Grange Developments Ltd, as a result of a denial of planning permission, by the assistant city and county manager, George Redmond. Mr Lawlor, speaking at a meeting of Dublin County Council blamed the decision on the courts.

On February 4th, 1991, a letter from Mr Lawlor was published in The Irish Times in which he said “very serious questions of journalistic ethics need to be fully answered in the public interest (which) deserve full disclosure”. Mr Lawlor was questioning the coverage of the presidential campaign of Mrs Mary Robinson.

In June 1991 Mr Lawlor unexpectedly lost his Dil seat. “I’m a big fish in a small pond – it’s only a temporary setback,” he commented.

The Tribunal of Inquiry into the Beef Processing Industry heard that Mr Lawlor had travelled to Baghdad in 1989, allowing Iraqi officials believe he was a member of the Irish government.

In 1992 Mr Lawlor and Mr Brian Lenihan crossed swords over voting preferences in the constituency of Dublin West, in which they both stood. ail.

In 1993 Mr Lawlor denied he was aware that over four acres of his land had been rezoned for housing. He said a small portion of his land was to be used to realign a narrow, winding lane.

By 1994 a judgment was made against him for $15,500 in favour of Cambridge Financial Services. An application by the Irish Nationwide Building Society to repossess his home was adjourned and later settled.

Mr Lawlor achieved his first front bench position in 1995 when he was appointed Fianna Fil spokesman on the arts, culture and heritage.

In 1999 Mr Lawlor identified himself as the TD referred to in reports which linked a Fianna Fil deputy with the former assistant city and county manager, George Redmond.

However he insisted that he had no knowledge of Mr Redmond in anything other than Mr Redmond’s official capacity.

In June of that year the High Court was told that Mr Lawlor was the only member of Dublin County Council elected in 1995 who had refused to be interviewed at the Flood tribunal.

Mr Lawlor was disqualified from driving for a year and fined $116 when he admitted a drink driving offence at Don Laoghaire District Court in March of that year. In April he made a statement regarding the Liffey Valley Centre following Mr Frank Dunlop’s appearance at the Flood tribunal.

He bowed out of the hearings into the conduct of FF TD Mr Denis Foley while declaring he intended to remain a member of the Dil Committee on Members’ Interests.

On May 17th of this year Mr Lawlor said in a statement to the Fianna Fil Committee on Standards in Public Life that the real “scandalous” situation was that “young couples in Lucan and virtually everywhere else in the country (were) paying between $20,000 and $40,000 more than they should for basic housing”. The committee met Mr Lawlor for the third time on Wednesday night to seek answers to questions about payments he received in the 1980s.