Kilcoole: A History

Ireton’s at Kilcoole House

iven just how close the two towns are positioned – just over 4 miles separating the two – there’s always been a strong connection between Kilcoole and Greystones.

Truth be told though, as with many a deep-rooted town, Kilcoole has a flavour and spirit all of its own.

You can see it in the face of Michael Kuntz. Of Elaine Cassidy. Of Bill Foley, Tom Fortune, Terry Meakin and James & Esther Gammell. The connection runs tribal deep in a town that has always lived somewhat by its own rules, surviving on the outskirts, happier doing their own thing in the shadows.

Which must be why JP Donleavy decided to call the place home during a particularly productive time for the writer of The Ginger Man and A Fairytale Of New York. You’ll find his home on the Ballydonarea Leap. Not that Donleavy’s now-fallen cottage delivered quite as many stories as the melting pot that was Kilcoole House.

And talking of writers, you can read through some 1930s Kilcoole schoolchildren’s local stories handed up to teacher Thomas Butler here.

Captain Robert Monteith

It was also in Kilcoole, of course, that 600 rifles and ammunition were brought ashore for the Irish Volunteers back in August 1914, as Ireland braced itself for the somewhat inevitable Rising two years later. A monument down at the seafront railway station commemorates the event, and the town is clearly proud of its role in this significant moment in Irish history, with centenary celebrations both in 2014 and 2016. Heck, even the kids got involved.

Not that Kilcoole is all about the history. There’s that beautiful stretch of seafront, of course, with its lush wildlife and  its Little Terns bird sanctuary. Plus, for a town so small, there’s an incredible amount of art produced in Kilcoole, from JP Donleavy writing The Ginger Man whilst living here to one of RTE’s finest TV shows, Glenroe, calling Kilcoole home from 1983 to 2001. There’s also the aforementioned Elaine Cassidy, star of The Others, Harper’s Island and No Offence.

Pic: Chris Dobson

It’s in the world of music though that Kilcoole seems to shine the brightest, with, in recent years, bands such as Heathers, Adebisi Shank, Ememies, Croupier, Birds and Kidd Blunt – many coming out of the acclaimed Hive Studios – offering up, for the most part, some cocky young math rock to counter the old-school cock-waving blues rock of perhaps the town’s most acclaimed guitarist and singer, Brian Meakin. The latter is often backed by his ridiculously talented siblings. Paddy excepted, of course.

As for Kilcoole’s beginnings, its name came from the church that’s still just about standing in the town centre, whilst its future looks particularly bright these days, with that recent €44,200 Town Renewal Scheme grant plus the new playground, a new St Catherine’s Special School build and the primary school refit, plus some new neighbours always keen to join the party.

That the Little Terns Playground was built right beside that old Kilcoole Church has a certain sweet symmetry…

Kilcoole Before Those Fancy Traffic Lights

Kilcoole House: The D.C. Urell Years

Kilcoole Late 1970s Painting Dr Tittle

Kilcoole Senior Champsions 1954

St BrIgids School Kilcoole 1945 with Detty Hatton [right]

Derrick Gilbert and Liam Foley Kilcoole 1980. Pic Jack Clarke

Barry Gammell & Liam Foley stray beyond the border

With God On Kilcoole’s Side. Source Chris Dobson

Pinie Whelan, Cecil Gilbert, Filly Corcoran, George Gammell, Pat Gammell & Seamus Finn. Pic Chris Dobson

Failte Isteach May 2016

Kilcoole Intermediate Hurling Champs 1992

The source…

Kilcoole From The Sea

Kilcoole Gunrunning Plaque

Kilcoole Gunrunning Centenary

The lay of the plan…

Aerial View of Kilcoole Main Street

Aerial View of Lott Lane, Kilcoole

Opening of Kilcoole Community Centre

Opening of Kilcoole Church 1968

Glenroe, baby!

James & Esther Gammell

The Delaneys of Lott Lane have a grand Kilcoole wedding

The young John Foley getting into the swing of things

A young Pat Gormley outside O’Toole’s

Ann Foley’s Holy Communion

Anne Gammell & friend

Bella Byrne’s Pub in full flight

Byrne’s Pub 1970s Ger Darcy, Liam Foley & Joe Bush

Central Bar (now The Mollys) 1960. Back row Jimmy White, Peter Gammell, Nancy McGuire, Paddy Gammell, Christy Doyle. Middle Joey Hunt, Noel Delaney. Front Joe Delaney. Source Chris Dobson

The Molly Malone promo card

Kilcoole Main Street Snow 1982 Pic Chris Dobson

Kilcoole Under Snow 1982 Pic Chris Dobson

Cuniffe’s, now The Thrift Shop

Dan Hatton with Danny & Jimmy

David and Adrian Hunt plus Thomas Gormely head to Queen at Slane

Gammells, Foleys & Coughlans ruling the roost

Glenroe Deli RIP

St Anthony’s Church opening 1968

Heading north into Kilcoole

Holy Faith Convent Kids May 1960

Holy Faith Convent May 1962

James Cullen & Colette Coughlan’s Big Day

Railway Men Ned Caughlin, Ned Killbride, Johnnycake Roycroft (Inspector), Tom Brady, Patsy Vickers, Bert Lang, Seamie Shannon, Colm Delaney, Pat Byrne (Whacker), Billy Doran, Joe McCormick, Tony Doyle. Pic Chris Dobson

Jim Hutchinson working on his chin tan

Jim Kearns & Dan Hatton 1935

John Greene presents Willie Gahan with a wedding clock. Ahem.

Kiloole 2001

Kilcoole characters, and no mistake

Kilcoole Gunrunning 50th 7AUG66

Kilcoole Railway Station 1950s. With goats. Of course.

Major flooding Dec 1989

Miley’s Farm Shop

O’Driscoll’s shop June 1962. Aunty home from New York, so Bill Greene painted the place

O’Toole’s shop with Maureen and Ronan Whiston

Peter Kilbride rocking the garden

The Scotts of Ballygannon

Upper Green resident David Gahan

Well how do you do, old Will McBride…?

William & Winifred Foley

William Foley’s 1945 FF receipt

Willie Gammell & kids early 1930s

Let’s do The Time Warp…

Again!

And again…

Agus again.

And, sure, feck it – again!

Many of the old images of Kilcoole here from our own archives, but also we must give a big shout-out to Chris Dobson. This article was first published in December 2015.