Old Yellow Walls

About This Site

This site brings together much of the available history of the townland of Yellow Walls in Malahide, north county Dublin.

I developed the site because I felt Yellow Walls has many interesting stories that are worth researching and sharing, especially for those living locally or who are familiar with the area. The history of the wider Malahide area is well covered in the malahideheritage.com website and in various publications such Tom O’Shea’s Illustrated Guide to Historical Malahide and Roger Greene’s Old Malahide.

From early on, it was obvious that one of the most interesting and ancient parts of Yellow Walls is Cave’s Marsh. It was the site of a medieval tide mill and possibly a Norse ‘longphort’. With its location on the shores of the Broadmeadow estuary, it was also home to people from pre-history such as the Larnians and Fir Domnainn.

There are suggestions that the mouth of the Gaybrook stream, where a ford once existed, is the origin of the Malahide placename. The origin of the  ‘Yellow Walls’ placename is still something of a mystery and there are several plausible explanations.

Apart from some of the older houses, there are few physical remains of Yellow Walls’ past that are over 50 years old. The original building of St. Sylvester’s Infant School (the “Red School”) dating from 1856 is still in use and behind it there is the cemetery on Yellow Walls Road (where some of the victims of the La Mancha tragedy are buried). Other remains include the memorial cross on Sea Road and, at Cave’s Marsh, traces of the canals that once supplied the salt works.

The barracks on Old Yellow Walls road though are gone (the bridge from around the 1830s is still in use), as is the cotton mill, and many of the larger houses such as Gaybrook, the Kettle farmstead, Green Meadows and La Mancha (although much of the wall that ran around the perimeter of the grounds remains.)  

A lot of sources have been used in putting the site together, mostly online but also some hardcopy. They’re listed in the Sources section of each page and they are also grouped them together in the list below. The books can mostly be accessed via Google Books (either fully or partially). A lot of the newspapers can be accessed via the online services of Fingal libraries.

I hope you enjoy browsing the site – all comments, suggestions or material (such as photographs, etc) are welcome via oldyellowwalls@gmail.com. 

Mark Cox

Sources

Books

1. Mitchell, Brian. A new genealogical atlas of Ireland. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2002.
2. Pedder, James. The farmer’s land-measurer: or, Pocket companion, showing at one view, the content of any piece of land from dimensions taken in yards; with a set of useful agricultural tables, 1853.
3. O’Shea, Tom. Illustrated Guide to Historical Malahide.
4. D’Alton, John. The History of the County of Dublin. Hodges and Smith, 1838.
5. General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland: based on the census of Ireland for the year 1851, Vol. 8.
6. Woulfe, Patrick. Irish Names and Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2010.
7. Ball, Francis Elrington. A history of the county Dublin: the people, parishes and antiquities from the earliest times to the close of the eighteenth century. Volume 6. Alex Thom, 1920.
8. Walsh, Robert, Warburton, John, Whitelaw, James. History of the City of Dublin, from the Earliest Accounts to the Present Time. T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1818.
9. Lucas, AT. Furze: A Survey and History of Its Uses in Ireland. An Cumann Le Béaloideas Éireann/The Folklore of Ireland Society, 1958.
10. Power, Patrick. The Place-Names of Decies. Cork, 1952.
11. Peirce, D (Ed.). Observer and Record of Agriculture, Science and Art, Volume 1.Merrihew and Thompson, 1801.
12. O’Curry, Eugene. Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History. J. Duffy, 1861.
13. Walsh , Robert. Fingal and its Churches: a Historical Sketch of the Foundation and Struggles of the Church of Ireland in that part of the County Dublin which lies to the North of the river Tolka, 1888.
14. Bates, P. 1798 Rebellion in Fingal: Preparation, Outbreak, and Aftermath. P. Bates, 1998
15. Bennett, D. 1994. Encyclopaedia of Dublin. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1994.
16. Sheehan, John, 2008. The Longphort in Viking Age Ireland, Acta Archaeologica79:282-295.
17. St John Joyce, Weston. The neighbourhood of Dublin: its topography, antiquities and historical associations. S.R. Publishers, 1939.
18. Archdall, Mervyn. Monasticon hibernicum: or, A history of the abbeys, priories, and other religious houses in Ireland; interspersed with memoirs of their several founders and benefactors, and of their abbots and other superiors, to the time of their final suppression. W. B. Kelly, 1876.
19. Morgan, Charles Thomas (sir.), Morgan, Sydney (lady.). The book without a name [essays], 1841.
20. Newenham Wright, George. Scenes in Ireland: with historical illustrations, legends, and biographical notices. Thomas Tegg and son, Cheapside, 1834.
21. Mernagh, Michael.  A Brief History of Languages in County Wexford. In ‘The Past,’ the Co. Wexford Historical Society Journal, No 29, 2008.
22. Bonwick, James. Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions. 1894, Reprinted by Dorset Press, 1986.
23. Swanson, Vern G. Dynasty of the Holy Grail: Mormonism’s Sacred Bloodline. Cedar Fort, 2006.
24. Carew, Mairead. Tara and the Ark of the Covenant: A Search for the Ark of the Covenant by British Israelites on the Hill of Tara, 1899-1902. Royal Irish Academy, 2003.
25. Petty, Doctor William. The History of the Survey of Ireland, Commonly Called The Down Survey. Dublin: Irish Archaeological Society, 1851.
26. Fraser, James. A hand book for travellers in Ireland:descriptive of its scenery, towns, seats, antiquities, etc. with various statistical tables also outline of its mineral structure, a brief view of its botany, and information for anglers. W. Curry, Jr., 1844.
27. Muir, Richard. Landscape Encyclopaedia. Windgather, 2004.
28. Morley, Vincent. Irish opinion and the American Revolution, 1760-1783, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
29. Gilbert, Sir John Thomas. A history of the city of Dublin, Volume 3. J. McGlashan, 1859.
30. Vane, WL. Durham Light Infantry: The United Red and White Rose. Andrews UK Limited, 2012.
31. Cullen, Louis M., Smout, Christopher T. Comparative aspects of Scottish and Irish economic and social history, 1600-1900 (1977).
32. Wilson, William. The post-chaise companion: or, travellers directory, through Ireland; To which is added, a dictionary, or alphabetical tables shewing the distance of all the principal cities, from each other. J. & J.H. Fleming, 1805.
33. Reynolds, Thomas. The Life Of Thomas Reynolds, Esq formerly of Kilkea Castle, in the county of Kildare, by his son Thomas Reynolds. Milliken and Son, Dublin, 1839.
34. Archer, Joseph. Statistical survey of the county Dublin:with observations on the means of improvement; drawn up for the consideration, and by order of the Dublin society. Graisberry and Campbell, 1801.
35. Survey of the Town and Lands of Malahide. Clarges Greene & Son, 1851.
36. Hopkins, Frank. Rare Old Dublin: Heroes, Hawkers & Hoors. Mercier Press Ltd, 2002.
37. Beckett, Samuel. More Pricks Than Kicks (1934). Pan Books, 1974.
38. Kettle, Thomas. To My Daughter Betty, The Gift of God, in: Cross, Tim The Lost voices of World War I: an international anthology of writers, poets & playwrights. University of Iowa Press, 1989.
39. Beegan, M. An Impartial History of the Irish Rebellion, in the Year 1798, Volume 2. M. Beegan, 1820.
40. Vane, WL. Durham Light Infantry: The United Red and White Rose. Andrews UK Limited, 2012.
41. Madden, Richard Robert. Literary remains of the United Irishmen of 1798: and selections from other popular lyrics of their times, with an essay on the authorship of “The exile of Erin.” J. Duffy, 1887.
42. Moore, Tony. Death or liberty: rebels and radicals transported to Australia 1788-1868. Pier 9, 2010.
43. Holt, Joseph. Memoirs of Joseph Holt, General of the Irish Rebels, in 1798: in Two Volumes, Volume 1. Colburn, 1838.
44. Keenan, Desmond. Ireland Within the Union 1800-1921. Xlibris Corporation, 2008.
45. Curry, John. An historical and critical review of the civil wars in Ireland, from the reign of queen Elizabeth to the settlement under king William – With the state of the Irish Catholics from that settlement to 1778. R. Conolly, 1810.
46. O’Donnell, Ruán. The Rebellion in Wicklow, 1798. Irish Academic Press, 1998.
47. Cullen, Luke. Insurgent Wicklow, 1798: The Story as Written, Part 3. Kestrel Books, 1998.
48. O’Casey, Sean. Drums under the Windows, Macmillan, 1950.
49. Aalen, F. H. Man and the Landscape in Ireland , Academic Press, 1978.

 Websites and Online Databases

1. Ordnance Survey Of Ireland, Public Map Viewer [online].
2. Placenames Database of Ireland [online].
3. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage [online].
4. Europeana – the European digital library, museum and archive [online].
5. Palmerstown – Walking Tour, South Dublin County History [online].
6. Archaeological Survey Database of the National Monuments Service [online].
7. Schools’ Collection of the National Folklore Collection of Ireland. [online] at Dúchas.ie.
8. Irish National Heritage Park [online].
9. Archaeological Survey Database of the National Monuments Service [online].
10. National Archives of Ireland, Census of Ireland 1901/1911 [online].
11. National Archives of Ireland, Ordnance Survey Field Name Book: Malahide, County Dublin, 1836.
12. National Library of Ireland [online].
13. Fingal Fieldnames Project. [online].

Reports

1. Oliveira, Tiago; Powell, Ronan; McGarry, Christopher; Lombard, Maria. Land Use, Urban Design and Transportation Framework for Navan. SIAS in association with McHugh Consultants, Grontmij and O’Connor Sutton Cronin, 2002.
2. Historic Road Bridges Project – Volume 2. John Cronin and Associates for Fingal County Council.
3. Fingal County Council, Cave’s Marsh Study 2007, Spatial distribution of wintering wader and wildfowl and the effects of human impact on the site. Fingal County Council Report.
4. Malahide estuary SPA: online.
5. Fingal Coastal Architectural Heritage Project. John Cronin and Associates for Fingal County Council, 2010.
6. Census of Ireland 1851: part I, area, population, and number of houses, by townlands and electoral divisions: County and City of Dublin.
7. Fingal Coastal Architectural Heritage Project. John Cronin and Associates for Fingal County Council, 2010.
8. Underwater Archaeological Assessment Metro North Project, Broadmeadow River, Lissenhall Bridge, Balheary Demesne/Lissenhall Great, 
   Swords, Co. Dublin 08D093, 08R311 & Ward River, Balheary Bridge, Balheary Demesne, Swords, Co. Dublin 08D092, 08R312. The Archaeological Diving Company Ltd. for the Railway Procurement Agency, 2009.
9. Poor Inquiry (Ireland): Report on the state of the Irish poor in Great Britain. House of Commons papers, Volume 31, Appendix D. H.M. Stationery Office, 1835.

 Journals

1. McAsey, Carmel. Chapelizod, Co. Dublin. Dublin Historical Record, Volume 17, Nr. 2. Old Dublin Society, March, 1962.
2. Malahide Historical Society Newsletter, December 1994.
3. Byrne, Joseph. The Motte, Wheatfield, Portmarnock. Fingal Studies, No. 2, Winter 2011. Fingal County Libraries.
4. O’Neill, Patrick. An Macalla, No. 10, April 08, 1962
5. Little, George A. About Malahide. Dublin Historical Record, March-May 1948.
6. The Metropolitan, a Monthly Journal of Literature, Science, and the Fine Arts. Volume 3, 1832. James Cochrane and Company.
7. The Civil Engineers and Architect’s Journal, Vol. 28. William Laxton, 1865.
8. Reeves, William. A Lecture on the Antiquities of Swords. Swords Parish Magazine, February 1861.
9. Harnessing the Tides. EHS Coast, Issue 02, 2007. Environment and Heritage Service (UK).
10. Talbot Family Papers: Articles of partnership in the cotton mill at Malahide, 1791. Available on CD from Fingal Local Studies Library.
11. Stokes, DD. Excursion to North Dublin, Wednesday, 1st July, 1891. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Fifth Series, Vol. 1, No. 7, 3rd Quarter, 1891.
12. Burke, Tom. In Memory of Lieutenant Tom Kettle, ‘B’ Company, 9th Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Dublin Historical Record, Vol. 57, No. 2 (Autumn, 2004). Old Dublin Society.
13. Stacpoole, GC. The Larnians of County Dublin. Dublin Historical Record, Vol. XVIII, No. 2, pp. 34-44, March, 1963.

Newspapers

1. Saunders Newsletter
2. Irish Independent
3. Irish Press
4. Freeman’s Journal
5. Meath Chronicle
6. Sunday Independent
7. Connacht Tribune
8. Chester Chronicle

Photographic and Video Archives

1. Photographic Collection of the National Folklore Collection of Ireland. [online] at Dúchas.ie. Contains images of Malahide village from 1980.
2. Photographic Collection of the National Library of Ireland. Contains images of Malahide from the 19th and 20th centuries.
3. RTE Archives. Video from 1966 showing various areas of Malahide village.