Lucan History

History of Lucan

There is archaeological evidence that Lucan has been inhabited since before the arrival of Christianity. However, the known history of these lands and their occupation goes back to the time of the Anglo-Normans.
The Manor of Lucan was created after the Norman invasion of 1159 and by the thirteenth century it was comprised of a manorial residence with a large curtilage and garden, a mill, and a dovecote. A town of considerable size had also grown up. The lands first came into the possession of Alard Fitz William but were granted by him before 1204 to Wirris Peche whose family held it for over a century. The Fitzgeralds next held the property down to 1554 when they were confiscated from the 10th Earl of Kildare and given to Matthew King, on condition that he inhabit the castle himself, or place in it liege men who would use the English tongue and dress and hold no communication with Irish.

A few years later Lucan castle and estate came into the possession of Sir William Sarsfield, who became Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1566. He died in 1616 at the age of 96 and was buried at Lucan. The estate then passed to his grandson who bore the same name. With him lived his cousin Patrick Sarsfield who was married to a daughter of Rory O More and it was their son Patrick who was to become the Earl of Lucan and devote his life to the Jacobite cause.

In 1649 the Sarsfields had to give up their property to Sir Theophilus Jones, an officer in Cromwell's forces. Jones later supported the restoration of Charles II and when the Sarsfields petitioned the King to restore them to their estates there was much delay as the King did not wish to upset Jones.
Patrick Sarsfield's older brother William, who had married a daughter of Charles II, had died in the meantime and the death a little time later of his two sons left Patrick Sarsfield as heir to the estate of Lucan. After the surrender of Limerick in 1690 he joined James II in France and was killed three years later on the battlefield of Landen.

A house appears to have existed at Lucan about this time, as a claim made in 1700 mentions the castle and great white house at Lucan. On the death of Patrick Sarsfield's son in 1719 the male line became extinct and the properties passed to Charlotte, daughter of William Sarsfield who married Agmondisham Vesey. On his death in 1738 he was buried in Lucan Church and was succeeded by his son the Right Hon. Agmondisham Vesey, who among other accomplishments had a genius for architecture. In 1772 he designed and built the present Lucan House. He appears to have consulted Sir William Chambers about the plans, the plasterwork was done by the Dublin stuccodore Stapleton and the roundels in the Wedgewood room were painted by de Gree. Some of the mantles were made by Bossi. In 1932 the Colthurst-Veseys sold Lucan House to the O'Connor Don. Twelve years later it was bought by the Italian government and has since served as the Italian Embassy.

The village of Lucan, despite its popularity as a residential area, is to a great extent unspoiled. There are still many small cottages on the main street and the terraces of Georgian Houses are still occupied and well maintained. Beside the old parish schoolhouse which was built in 1827 is the narrow laneway leading to the now vanished bridge which was given by Vesey in exchange for the right of way on the other side of the Griffeen River. Opposite to the school is the Protestant church built in 1822 and further on the Presbyterian church built in 1832 for Wesleyan Methodists, now converted into houses.

In the thirteenth century Lucan Church was granted to the neighbouring Priory of St. Catherine's. The oldest part of the building which now occupies the site would appear to belong to the sixteenth century. The eastern end of the church appears to be of later date and contains much brickwork. After the Restoration the parish of Lucan was united to that of Leixlip and remained so until the nineteenth century. Attached to the church on the north side is the old castle of the Sarsfields. The castle is a typical tower house of the fifteenth century and is in an exceptionally fine state of preservation. Within the estate there is also an old bath house said to have been originally an oratory dedicated to St. John, an adjoining holy well being used to supply the water. A graceful monument, known as the Sarsfield Memorial, consists of an urn on a tall pedestal decorated with medallions in coad stone. It bears no inscription and may well have been erected simply as a garden ornament during the Georgian period.

Canonbrook House is located on Moat/Esker Hill in the townland of Lucan and Pettycanon, overlooking Lucan Village, and is noted for its famous owner, the architect James Gandon (1743-1823). Gandon acquired Canonbrook in 1805; he then carried out landscaping works including planting many trees and finally moved in, in 1808, remaining there until he died in 1823.

Half a mile to the west of Lucan is the Spa Hotel in an elevated situation overlooking the main road. When the sulphur spa was discovered on the bank of the Liffey in 1758 it at once became popular with the Dublin people. Concerts and dances were held and the place continued in popularity for many years. Eventually the fickle public turned to other places for amusement and to other beverages to quench their thirst. The spa house became a school for clergymen's sons. With the introduction of the Lucan Steam tram in 1883 an interest in the spa was revived and a new hotel built near the old one. This hotel is still popular and can still supply draughts of the healing waters if required. To the south of the old Spa Hotel and situated on the crest of a high ridge is a terrace of Georgian houses known as The Crescent, despite the fact that they are built in a straight line. These are marked on Taylor's map of 1816 but are probably much earlier than that. They appear to be lodging houses, erected for the accommodation of those visiting the spa.