This plaque marks the original site of the Rotunda Hospital, founded in South Great George’s Street, then called ‘George’s Lane’, in 1745 by Bartholomew Mosse. The site is now 60 South Great George’s Street and is occupied by Decwell’s hardware. The ‘Rotunda’, Ireland’s first dedicated maternity hospital, or ‘lying-in hospital’, remained on the site until…
This plaque, at 32 Beechwood Avenue Upper, Ranelagh, commemorates the the iconic Irish actress, Maureen O’Hara. Born Maureen FitzSimons in 1920, O’Hara went on to become one of the most beloved actresses of her generation, starring in timeless classics like The Quiet Man, Miracle on 34th Street, and How Green Was My Valley. Known for…
This plaque, at 48 Cherryfield Avenue, Ranelagh, commemorates Maeve Brennan, columnist with the New Yorker magazine and writer of short stories. Maeve Brennan, once described as ‘the greatest Irish writer you never heard of’, was born in Dublin on 6 January 1917, second of four children of the journalist Bob Brennan, who would go on…
This plaque commemorates the world’s first national tennis championship for women, which took place in Dublin on 9 and 10 June 1879. The Dublin tournament was held on the courts of Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, at 24-25 Upper Pembroke Street, and preceded the Wimbledon Ladies’ Championship by five years. It wasn’t until 1884 that the…
This plaque commemorates both Dr Kathleen Lynn and her lifelong partner Madeleine ffrench-Mullen, who founded Teach Ultan (St Ultan’s Infants Hospital) at 37 Charlemont Street, Dublin 2. Teach Ultan is now part of the Clayton Hotel, who kindly agreed to allow the plaque be erected. Locate this plaque on Google maps. A native of Mayo,…
This plaque commemorates Jane Wilde, poet, feminist, and nationalist. Born in 1821, Jane Wilde was a polyglot who translated works from German and French. Inspired by Thomas Davis and the Young Ireland movement, she became a nationalist and from 1846 contributed to their journal The Nation, writing under the pen names Speranza and John Fanshawe…
This plaque commemorates Margaret Keogh, one of two Cumann na mBan members to die in the fight for Irish freedom. Locate this plaque on Google maps. The nineteen year-old printer’s assistant was shot at her home in Stella Gardens, Ringsend, Dublin, on Saturday 10th July 1921, during a series of raids by Crown forces. She died of her wounds two…
This plaque commemorates republican and labour activist Constance Countess Markievicz at Surrey House, Leinster Road, Rathmines, where she and her family lived from 1911. The house became a centre for republican and labour activity and was looted by British forces in the aftermath of the Rising. Locate this plaque on Google maps. Read Countess Markievicz’s…
This plaque honours philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch, who was born on Blessington Street, Dublin, on 15 July 1919. Locate this plaque on Google maps. This plaque is located temporarily in the Blessington Basin and will be erected at 59 Blessingotn Street in due course. Read Iris Murdoch’s biography from the Dictionary of Irish Biography…
