History of Terenure College

The lands of Terenure were granted to Hugo Barnewall in 1215 by King John. This family continued to reside here down to 1652 when their lands were confiscated by Cromwell and leased to Major Elliott. Terenure then contained a castle and six dwellings, one of which was a mill. The population was twenty. After the restoration Charles II granted Terenure, Kimmage and the Broads to Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnel. In 1671 Major Joseph Deane, an officer in Cromwell’s army, purchased these lands from Talbot for £4,000. He converted the castle into a mansion and his family held the property down to 1789 when much of the lands were sold to Abraham Wilkinson.

The Shaws were descended from William Shaw, a Captain in King William’s army, who fought at the Battle of the Boyne, and was granted lands in the counties Kilkenny and Cork. Robert Shaw came to Dublin and in 1785 leased Terenure House from Joseph Deane.

Two years later Shaw rebuilt part of the house, now the front portion of Terenure College. The other great house, on the opposite side of the road, is Bushy Park. It was built by Arthur Bushe of Dangan, County Kilkenny, prior to 1700, and was at first named Bushe’s House. It passed through several owners and was purchased in 1772 by John Hobson who changed the name to Bushy Park. In 1791 this estate was purchased by Abraham Wilkinson who had already acquired much of the Terenure Estate. He added almost 100 acres to the residence and presented it along with £10,000 to his only child Maria on her marriage to Robert Shaw Jnr. In 1796. The same year, on the death of his father, Shaw came into possession also of Terenure House. This he sold, about 1806 to Frederick Bourne, the proprietor of a stage coach business. Robert Shaw was created a baronet in 1821. The Bournes occupied Terenure House down to 1857 and during this period the estate was renowned for the magnificent landscaping and planting of the grounds and the extent and content of the glasshouses. Furthermore, the estate was thrown open to the public at the weekend.

In 1860, the property was purchased by the Carmelite Order and opened as a Secondary School for boys. From time to time extensions have been added and a fine Church was built in 1958.
 

- Paddy Healy’s Dublin. Healy, Paddy. [South Dublin Libraries]. October 2004. (Pages 87 – 88)

TERENURE COLLEGE 1860 - 2010

A HISTORY

by Professor Fergus D'Arcy

Available to purchase from the College Reception

Price ~ €20

Professor Fergus D'Arcy Biography:

Professor Fergus D'Arcy, MA, PhD, FRHistS, professor emeritus University College Dublin, has lectured in Modern History since 1970 and has published extensively in the area of British and Irish Political and Social Studies. His research interests lie in the area of social history and popular culture. His publications include the award winning: Remembering the War Dead: British Commonwealth and International War Graves in Ireland since 1941 (Dublin, 2007); Horses, Lords and Racing Men: The Turf Club, 1790 - 1990 (Kildare, 1991); and (with Ken Hannigan) Workers in Union: Documents and Commentaries on the History of Irish Labour (Dublin, 1988).