Noel

Ballymun 400 years ago
Extract from Ballymun Community Archive :
The Ballymun flats were built in the late 1960s on
part of Santry Demesne and part of the farmlands of
Albert Agriculture College, now DCU. The first
volume of the Written History (1600-1960) deals
largely with the Barry family, who from the
beginning of the 17 th century until mid-way through
the 20 th century, owned much of Santry Demesne.
was not put on the map - almost literally - until the
arrival of the Barrys."
Santry Court
In 1702 Lord Henry, 3rd Baron Barry of Santry,
built Santry Court, "which soon gained a reputation
as 'the miniature palace of Versailles' due to the fine
murals on the walls and the large number of spacious
Santry Court, taken shortly before it’s demolition in 1947 (National Library of Ireland).
"The Barrys were a Protestant branch of the Cork
Barrymore family and they acquired the estate at
Santry by the beginning of the 17 th century, probably
shortly after it had been confiscated from the
Catholic Barnewall family in the 1620s. The estate
would remain largely intact and in their possession
until 1751 when Lord Henry, 4 th Baron Barry of
Santry died without a male heir. The patronage
exerted by this powerful, but short-lived dynasty was
felt in all walks of life in the parish. The Barrys and
their familial successors, the Domvilles, from the
mid-17 th century, built and maintained the churches,
schools, roads and many of the houses in Santry. As
the local justices of the peace the family also
administered the local law. This was in addition to
owning nearly all of the 4,700 acres of land. It has
been suggested, that although Santry was an old
medieval monastic site, the village and parish of
Santry did not begin to develop in earnest until the
Barry family began to take an economic interest in
their Santry Estate during the post-Cromwellian
period (1660s). Although not strictly true, Santry
apartments (rooms)." Santry Court, or Santry House
as it was sometimes known, was four storeys high in
the style of Queen Anne. The house was devastated
by fire in 1947 and was eventually demolished.
Santry Demesne
Santry Demesne is the name given to the walled
gardens, parks, woods and ornamental ponds
surrounding Santry Court. At the time of the Civil
Survey (1654-56) Santry Demesne was described as
250 acres of profitable land, consisting of 200 acres
of arable land, 20 acres of meadow, 14 acres of
pasture, 10 acres of shrubwood and 6 acres of ash
groves. In John Rocque's Map of County Dublin
Santry Demesne is clearly marked and the layout of
the formal gardens is well represented. In 1812 the
Santry Estate was comprehensively mapped. The
extent of the grounds, ornamentation and parkland is
clear from this excellent pen and ink map of which a
photographic reproduction is included in the
Ballymun Community Archive.
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