The History of Rathmines

The Royalist Forces were defending Dublin. The Royalist Forces camped around Cowper Road and Palmerston Road.  The Parliament Forces decided to attack during the night with heavy weapons.  They went through the bloody fields, so called because in the 13th to 14th century The Battle of Cullins Wood took place between the Irish men from the hills and the people from Dublin.  The people from Dublin won in the end. Getting back to the Battle of Rathmines.   The parliament  forces however knew about this and moved in from Donnybrook and Milltown and ambushed from the rear and successfully drove the Royalist forces out of Dublin.     

Long long ago in the 1590s there was no barrier around the canal and most roads were one lane.  Porto Bello or Pueto Bello is said to be named after a village in Panama where Francis Drake died aboard his ship in1596.  After he died many of places in Britain  were named Porto Bello.  The Dublin name might have some thing to do with the capture of the same Porto Bello by Admiral Vernon.  That was very weird because Panama was full of   open countryside  and the only water was the Swan River.  We now have a Swan River running though Rathmines.  One day a coffin ship was driving around the canal and it fell in and bits of it were found floating in the canal and the lovely river was filled in  because it was not safe.  It was re opened by Charles Lennex.  The original bridge was built in 1791.

Mainly  in  Dublin  travelling  was  still  by  horse  drawn  carriages  in   1830.  In  1849  there  were  around  25  carriage  factories in  Dublin  and  in  Cullenswood  village.  Michael  Mc  Grath's  coach  factory  was  in  business  in  the  1830's  and  still  in  the  late  1880's.  By  the  1840's  a  coach  and  omnibus  route  ran  throught  Ranelagh,  Cullenswood  and  Rathmines.  In  1864  Trams  were  laid  down.  There  was  a tram  station  at  Cowper  Gardens  on  a  big  field  and  it  travelled  past  Albany  Road  and  over  Dunville  Road.  There was a  big  bridge  and  it  is  knocked  now  but  you  can  see  some  bits  of  the  bridge.  There  is  a  new  tram  station  and  tram  line  being  put  in  around  2016.  There  was  also  a  tram  station  on  Upper Rathmines  Road.  The  line  ran  through  Rathmines  Road.

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