The Rotunda Hospital’s first home to be commemorated with a Dublin City Council plaque

The next Dublin City Council commemorative plaque will mark the original site of the Rotunda Hospital, founded in South Great George’s Street in 1745 by Bartholomew Mosse.

The ‘Rotunda’, Ireland’s first dedicated maternity hospital, or ‘lying-in hospital’, remained on the site until 1757, when it relocated to Rutland [now Parnell] Square.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin will unveil the plaque in a ceremony at 11 a.m. on 1 November, at Decwells Hardware, 60 South Great Georges Street, the date chosen to coincide with the Rotunda’s ‘Charter Day’.

Professor Seán Daly, Master of the Rotunda, will also speak, sharing insights into the hospital’s rich heritage and its transformation into a world-renowned institution.

Bartholomew Mosse established the original hospital on South Great George’s Street in response to high maternal and infant mortality rates in the 18th century. Driven by a vision to create a safe space where women of all backgrounds could access childbirth services, Mosse’s ‘lying-in hospital’ became a pioneering haven of care.

In 1757, the hospital moved to a larger, purpose-built facility on Parnell Square, where it continues to serve Dublin’s families and stands as a beacon of progress in maternal health.

This new commemorative plaque will stand as a tribute not only to Mosse’s dedication but also to Dublin’s historic commitment to public health.

The Rotunda Hospital, known worldwide for its contribution to maternal care and medical education, remains true to its founding ideals. The plaque on South Great George’s Street will mark an essential chapter in its story, reminding Dubliners of its humble beginnings and long-standing dedication to mothers and infants across Ireland.

We invite you to join us for this special event, celebrating the remarkable legacy of the Rotunda Hospital and the visionary spirit of Bartholomew Mosse, who laid the foundation for over two and a half centuries of compassionate, essential care in the heart of Dublin.

William Rowan Hamilton plaque unveiled

Iggy McGovern, Councillor Donna Cooney, Anne van Weerden, and Professor Peter Gallagher.

The latest Dublin City Council commemorative plaque marks the site of the childhood home of mathematician & astronomer William Rowan Hamilton, on Dominick Street, Dublin 1.

The plaque was unveiled on 16 October by Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Donna Cooney.

Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805–1865) was an Irish mathematician and physicist renowned for his contributions to algebra, optics, and mechanics. A child prodigy in languages, he later focused on mathematics and made significant discoveries, including the reformulation of Newtonian mechanics, known as Hamiltonian mechanics.

He also invented quaternions, an extension of complex numbers, which laid the groundwork for modern vector analysis. In honour of his invention 16 October is celebrated as Hamilton Day.

Hamilton served as the Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Professor of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin, based at Dunsink Observatory, where he lived and conducted much of his work.

Hamilton’s work greatly influenced the development of modern physics and mathematics.

Maureen O’Hara plaque to be unveiled on 7 September

Photograph of Maureen O'Hara in 1945 from the New York Sunday News

We’re delighted to announce that Dublin City Council will be unveiling a commemorative plaque in honour of the iconic Irish actress, Maureen O’Hara, on Saturday, 7 September 2024. The ceremony will take place at 11am at O’Hara’s childhood home, 32 Beechwood Avenue Upper, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, D06 E9T4.

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 her fiery red hair, her fierce independence, and her captivating performances, O’Hara left an indelible mark on both Irish and international cinema.

The unveiling will be conducted by the Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghan, and Dr Ruth Barton, film historian from Trinity College Dublin, will speak about O’Hara’s importance as a pioneering woman in cinema and her lasting legacy in the world of film.

The commemorative plaque will be erected at O’Hara’s former home in Ranelagh, where she spent her early years before making her mark on Hollywood. The unveiling is part of Dublin City Council’s ongoing initiative to celebrate and honour notable Dubliners who have contributed to the city’s rich cultural and historical heritage.

Whether you’re a fan of Maureen O’Hara’s work, a local historian, or simply someone who wants to celebrate the legacy of one of Ireland’s finest, this event is not to be missed. The public is warmly invited to attend and be part of this special occasion.

Event Details
Date: Saturday, 7 September 2024
Time: 11am
Location: 32 Beechwood Avenue Upper, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, D06 E9T4

We look forward to seeing you there as we pay tribute to an actress who captured the hearts of millions and whose legacy continues to inspire new generations.

NO FLUNKEYISM HERE! The Patriotic Children’s Treat of 1900

Photograph of a page from the Irish Daily Independent from 2 July 1900. The headline reads 'PATRIOTIC CHILDREN'S TREAT. A SPLENDID GATHERING'.

On 29 June 2024 Dublin City Council will host a ‘Picnic in the Park’ to mark the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the Patriotic Children’s Treat, which took place in Clonturk Park on 1 July 1900.

Queen Victoria visited Dublin from 3 to 27 April 1900, and got a mixed reception. The visit was welcomed by many: Dublin Corporation made a ‘loyal address’[i], and one report described ‘a tempest of fervent acclamation’.[ii]

Nationalist voices were, however, loud in their opposition to the visit. The Corporation having adopted the ‘loyal address’ in March, in April a motion was proposed by the Home Rule MP Timothy Harrington, stating that the address did not amount to ‘an abandonment of our claim for National self-government’ and that ‘so far as the vast body of the, people are concerned, there will be neither contentment nor loyalty in this country until our National Parliament is restored’. This motion was adopted with forty-nine councillors in favour and only nine against.[iii]

Outside the Council Chamber, the reaction wasn’t as polite. During the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, the Lord Mayor, Thomas Pile, who had promoted the loyal address, was booed and hissed, and stones were thrown at his coach, breaking the windows.[iv]

As part of the festivities around the Queen’s visit, a ‘children’s entertainment’ was held in the Phoenix Park, with some estimates putting the number attending at 30,000.[v] The children’s entertainment attracted particular attention from nationalist women, led by Maud Gonne, who claimed that only 5,000 of the 35,000 children in Dublin ‘had allowed themselves be used for a Unionist demonstration’.[vi]

As a reward to these children, a Committee was formed, chaired by Maud Gonne, to provide a ‘National treat’, in which all the children could take part.[vii]

Originally planned for Bodenstown, on Wolfe Tone’s birthday, 20 June, the event took place on 1 July 1900, at Clonturk Park, Drumcondra.

The children and stewards gathered at Beresford Place at noon and marched to Drumcondra, with some estimates of 25,000 to 30,000 taking part. As they marched, the children held poles with signs reading ‘Patriotic Children’s Treat – NO FLUNKEYISM HERE’.[viii]

Twenty-five wagons were required to bring the picnic to Clonturk Park; 1.5 tons of biscuits, 1.5 tons of sweets, and 50,000 buns were supplied, along with 300 dozen bottles of minerals, not forgetting 80 casks of stone beer.[ix]

All-in-all, it was judged, in the words of the Irish Independent, a ‘splendid gathering’.

The Ladies Committee which organised the Children’s Treat remained active, and by October 1900 had become Inghinidhe na hEireann (Daughters of Ireland). In 1914 it merged into Cuman na mBan.[x]


[i] Dublin Corporation Minutes 1900/248.

[ii] ‘The Queen’s visit to Ireland’ in Tunbridge Wells Journal, 19 Apr. 1900, p. 4.

[iii] Dublin Corporation Minutes 1900/268.

[iv] ‘St. Patrick’s Day: Lord Mayor’s Procession’ in Irish Daily Independent, 19 Mar. 1900, p. 6.

[v] ‘The Queen’s visit to Ireland’.

[vi] ‘Patriotic Children’s Treat’ in Freeman’s Journal, 30 Apr. 1900, p. 6.

[vii] Ibid.

[viii] ‘Patriotic Children’s Treat: a splendid gathering’ in Irish Daily Independent, 2 July 1900, p. 6.

[ix] Ibid.

[x] Senia Pašeta, ‘Nationalist Responses to Two Royal Visits to Ireland, 1900 and 1903’ in Irish Historical Studies, xxxi, no. 124 (1999), pp 488–504.

Three plaques unveiled in March and April 2024

Dublin City Council is pleased to have unveiled three plaques over the past two months.

On 20 March the Lord Mayor and the Assistant Chief Fire Officer unveiled the third in a series commemorating Dublin firefighters who were killed in the line of duty.

Fireman John Kite died on 20 March 1884 while attending a fire at 10 Trinity Street; he was the first member of the Dublin Fire Brigade to be killed in the line of duty.

On 23 March the Lord Mayor, Daithí de Róiste, and the President of the GAA, Jarlath Burns, unveiled a plaque at the Drumcondra AFC club house, Richmond Road, commemorating Clonturk Park as the venue for the All Ireland finals in 1890, 1891, 1892, and 1894.

Most recently, on 5 April 2024, the Lord Mayor unveiled a plaque to mark the site of Devlin’s Pub, one of the main locations for meetings of GHQ Headquarters of Intelligence during the War of Independence.

The next plaque to be unveiled, on 21 May, is for James Plunkett, author of Strumpet City.

Dublin writer Maeve Brennan to be honoured by Dublin City Council

On 6 January 2024 at 11 a.m., Dublin City Council will unveil a commemorative plaque for the writer Maeve Brennan, at her childhood home in Ranelagh.

Speaking at the ceremony, and alongside the Lord Mayor, will be writer Sinéad Gleeson, who is a great champion of Maeve Brennan’s work.

Born in Dublin on 6 January 1917, the writer and New Yorker columnist lived with her family at 48 Cherryfield Avenue, Ranelagh, until 1934, and many of her short stories are set in the house.

The unveiling takes place on Maeve Brennan’s birthday, happily coinciding with Nollaig na mBan.

Plaque marking the original RHA Gallery unveiled

The building which originally housed the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) has been memorialised by a Dublin City Council commemorative plaque.

Photograph of Councillor Vincent Jackson and Dr Abigail O'Brien at the unveiling of a plaque marking the original RHA Gallery at 35 Abbey Street, Dublin.
Councillor Vincent Jackson and Dr Abigail O’Brien at the unveiling of a plaque marking the original RHA Gallery at 35 Abbey Street, Dublin. Fennell Photography 2023

The Royal Hibernian Academy was founded in August 1823 and from 1825 to 1916 had its home at 35 Abbey Street.

35 Abbey Street was designed by the architect Francis Johnson, the second President of the Royal Hibernian Academy. As architect to the Board of Works from 1805, Francis Johnson worked on several of Dublin’s major public buildings, including the Chapel Royal and Record Tower in Dublin Castle, the vice-regal lodge (now Arás an Uachtárain) in the Phoenix Park, and the GPO and Nelson’s Pillar on O’Connell Street.

Johnson was a great support of the Academy and designed and paid for the gallery building himself; it cost around £15,000. He laid the first stone in a ceremony on 29 April 1824, and the first annual exhibition opened in the gallery on 23 April 1826.

Built in the neo-Classical style as a four-bay, three-storey building, the building was destroyed in 1916 but the front façade was retained and largely rebuilt around 1920. For many years it was the premises of CIE Travel.

Speaking at the unveiling of the commemorative plaque, Dr. Abigail O’Brien President of the RHA said “All of us at the RHA are delighted with the renewed focus on our origins and in celebrating this building which was such an integral part of our foundation. We appreciate the significance of this recognition by DCC and welcome this plaque as a monument to our beginnings and a reminder of why we do what we do; with passion and care for the Arts and all Artists.

Representing The Lord Mayor of Dublin at the unveiling, Cllr Vincent Jackson said, “This plaque is a small recognition of the two centuries of care and protection of the Arts that the RHA has gifted the people of Ireland with. Without their steadfast stewardship, tutelage and attention to detail, the creative landscape of Ireland would be unrecognisable today. For a land of writers, poets and artists, we owe a great debt to the RHA for the endless compassion and support they have given our creatives for the past one hundred years.”

James Connolly plaque to be unveiled by Dublin City Council

James Connolly, socialist and signatory of the 1916 Proclamation, is to be commemorated by a Dublin City Council plaque.

Born in Edinburgh in 1868, to Irish parents, Connolly became a key figure in the Irish trade union movement and socialist politics, particularly after his return to Dublin from the United States in 1910.

From December 1910 to May 1911, Connolly and his family lived at 70 South Lotts Road, where the plaque will be unveiled at 11.30 a.m. on 31 July 2023. (The house is one of two surviving in which Connolly lived in the city.)

Connolly then moved to Belfast as organiser for the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU), where he saw at first hand the sectarianism that blighted Belfast and the North East generally.

In 1912, along with William O’Brien and Jim Larkin, and others on the Dublin Trades Council, Connolly was instrumental in getting the Irish Trades Union Congress to establish a political wing, giving birth to the Labour Party.

Connolly returned to Dublin from Belfast during the 1913 Lockout and following Larkin’s departure for America in 1914 he became acting General Secretary of the ITGWU and the leader of the Irish Citizens’ Army.

Following the Rising and aganist the background of the First World War, Connolly became increasingly militant and in 1915 threw his lot in with the IRB, who were planning an insurrection.

Joining forces with the Volunteers, Connolly was one of the signatories of the Proclamation and fought alongside Pearse in the GPO.

Following the surrender, and badly wounded and unable to stand, he was executed in Kilmaimham by firing squad, while sitting on a wooden box.

The plaque was proposed by historian Dr Conor McCabe, Queen’s University Belfast and approved by Dublin City Council’s Commemorations & Naming Committee.

Cyclist Shay Elliott commemorated

Photograph of Paul Kimmage, Councillor Carolynn Moore, and Councillor Paddy McCartan, with the fron of a house and a commemorative plaque in the background.

Dublin City Council has unveiled a commemorative plaque celebrating cyclist Shay Elliott, the first Irishman to win a stage in the Tour de France and to wear the Yellow Jersey.

The event took place at 96 Old County Road, Crumlin, on 23 June, with Councillor Carolynn Moore unveiling the plaque on behalf of the Lord Mayor Sports journalist and former professional cyclist Paul Kimmage was the guest speaker.

Dubliner Shay Elliott made history on June 1963 when he won the third stage of the Tour de France, taking the overall lead and wearing the ‘maillot jaune’ for three days. 

The stage-win also made Elliott the first English-speaking rider to win a stage in each of the Grand Tours, adding to his victories in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España. 

It would be another 15 years before an Irishman won a stage and a further five years before an Irishman wore the Yellow Jersey in Le Tour, when Sean Kelly took it with a victory in stage 9 in 1983.

Shay Elliott was born at 96 Old County Road, Crumlin, Dublin, in 1934, and having served an apprenticeship as a panel beater, became a professional cyclist in 1956, following success in the amateur ranks. In 1955 he became the first foreigner to be ranked top amateur in France.

In 1958 he narrowly failed to win the Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels classics due to mechanical faults and lost a sprint stage in the Tour de France by being blocked. Professional cycling could be ruthless.

Elliott rode as a super-domestique for nearly ten years with the five-time Tour de France winner, Jacques Anquetil, as his team leader. The team was widely regarded as the Galaciticos of professional cycling such was the quality of its riders. 

In 1962 Shay competed in Salò, Italy for the World Road Race Championship. He won the silver medal, losing out to Jean ‘Stab’ Stablinksi, a teammate, best friend and godfather to his son, Pascal. Shay later claimed that Stablinski paid other riders to chase him down when he attacked on the penultimate lap thus denying him victory. The consensus among his peers was that he was cheated out of gold.

Deprived of certain victory in the 1965 Paris–Luxembourg stage race by one more betrayal by Stablinski, a devastated Shay left the team and joined Jacques Anquetil’s greatest rival, Raymond Poulidor at Mercier. Sadly the move proved to be a disaster. Looking to the future Shay invested his life savings in opening a hotel in Brittany. It haemorrhaged money and his marriage failed as a result. Faced with bankruptcy he returned to Ireland leaving his wife and son behind. 

In the years that followed Shay rebuilt his life, setting up a garage on South Princes Street, Dublin, where he also lived. He regularly tuned into French radio to listen to the cycling coverage. He even dreamed of one more victory on the bike. With the near miss at Salò never far from his mind, he looked to competing in the World Road Race Championship in Leicester in 1970. Sadly, he never got to the starting line. Less than a year later and within weeks of the death of his beloved father Jim, Shay was found dead in his home. He had suffered a shotgun wound to the chest.

60 years on from taking the Yellow Jersey as race leader of the Tour de France, Shat Elliott should be remembered as a pioneer, a man who set many firsts in his cycling career, and achieved 50 race victories. His legacy is one that inspired future Irish legends to conquer the roads and the mountains of Europe. 

Dublin City Council to unveil commemorative plaque celebrating the history of women’s tennis in Dublin.

Scanned image of item in the Dublin Daily Express of June 11 1879

The next Dublin City Council plaques will commemorate the world’s first national tennis championship for women, which took place in Dublin on 9 and 10 June 1879.

The plaques will be unveiled by the Lord Mayor at 12 p.m. on 10 June 2023.

The Dublin tournament was held on the courts of Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, on Upper Pembroke Street, and preceded the Wimbledon Ladies’ Championship by five years. It wasn’t until 1884 that the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles were first held.

The first Irish tennis clubs were founded in 1877 with tennis quickly becoming a popular sport. Writing about the 1879 Irish championships, the Freeman’s Journal called tennis the “monarch of amusements”, noting that “no properly brought up young lady or gentleman … would dare to express herself or himself unacquainted with … the fashionable game”.

The championships were organised by the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, which was founded in 1877, and another plaque, commemorating the founding of the club, will also be unveiled at the Club’s first home, 24-25 Upper Pembroke Street.

Although the men’s competition took place in public on the courts in nearby Fitzwilliam Square, the ladies’ matches were held in the grounds of the club, to keep them “as private as possible”, and entry was restricted to club members.

In the final Miss May Langrishe, from County Kilkenny, defeated Miss D. Meldon in three sets, becoming the first Irish national ladies’ champion.