The Barony of Castleknock

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Castleknock and Blanchardstown, the main settlements in the Barony of Castleknock were small villages whose trade was focused mainly on agriculture. There was a thriving bloodstock industry thanks to the limestone-rich soil that provided excellent grassland ideal for horses and the cultivation of strawberries along the scenic south-facing banks of the River Liffey was so extensive that to this day the area is still known as Strawberry Beds. However, by the turn of the next century, the area had been transformed by new housing developments and had become a bustling and vibrant suburb of Dublin. Through modern and archive photographs this book traces these changes, recalling forgotten scenes and a lost way of life. From the Guinness, Churchill and Luttrell families, to Presidents, Viceroys and High Kings of Ireland, this book speaks of war and of peace, of love, hate, triumph and disaster, but mostly it celebrates the lives of those that went before us to create the idyllic woodlands, pastures, parks and villages that we enjoy today.