Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
Ailesbury Road, Dublin, is one of the most expensive roads in Dublin (indeed in all of Ireland).
Safe house in the War of Independence:
It was used as a safe house in the War of Independence 1920-21, sheltered many IRA fugitives. Cathal Brugha, Minister for Defence in the underground government, used it as his HQ, and slept in secret room [P102/543]. The house was used for Cabinet meetings of the underground Republican Government 1920-21, meetings of Republican Courts, and meetings of IRA HQ staff. [French Embassy history] says it was also used for meetings of the Dail itself (or those members who could attend). Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera were frequent visitors. Despite many British raids the secret room was never discovered. Brian Hogan tells a joke: "What did they find when they raided the Humphreys' house?" "They found Maud Gonne .."
Raid of Ailesbury Rd by the British, Easter 1921:
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Ironically, given that the house was already by then
a revolutionary headquarters,
[Deed, June 1921]
says the house is not to be
"used for the purpose of any trade, manufacture or business of any description,
nor of any public body or society or religious or charitable institution
...
nor to be party to any act or thing which might be
or grow to be to the annoyance, damage or inconvenience of the neighbourhood".
Presumably
having the house repeatedly raided by the security forces, one raid ending in a fatal shootout,
would count as breaking these conditions!
Safe house in the Civil War:
The family took the Republican side in the Civil War 1922-23. Secret room still used to shelter fugitives. In Sept 1922, Nell allowed Ernie O'Malley, the IRA Assistant Chief of Staff, age 25, to use the house as a safe house from which to co-ordinate the Republican war. The house was in effect the headquarters of the IRA. Maire Comerford recalls acting as a courier to the house [Mac Eoin, 1980, p.48]. Ernie O'Malley nearly shot her when she called to the house late one night [O'Malley, 1978, p.175]. The house was raided by the Free State in Oct 1922 and nothing found. They did not seem to know about the secret room and did not look for it. Sighle said: "this raid gave us a false sense of security" [P106/978(1)].
Raid by the Free State, 4 Nov 1922:
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After the Civil War, the die-hard republican Sighle
remained an opponent of the Free State.
Ailesbury Rd was raided many times in 1927-31.
Ailesbury Rd raided,
Sighle arrested, 1928,
on charges of influencing juries.
Ailesbury Rd raided,
Sighle arrested, 1931,
for membership of (the now illegal) Cumann na mBan.
Nell died there 1939.
Nell left Ailesbury Rd to Anno while she lived,
then after that to Dick (50 percent), Sighle (25 percent)
and Emmet (25 percent).
Anno O'Rahilly
died there 1958.
Emmet Humphreys
then lived there (he bought out Dick and Sighle's shares),
Emmet living there as at c.1963,
listed there in
[Thom's, 1965]
to
[Thom's, 1969].
Emmet sold it 1968 to French Embassy.
French Embassy, 1968 on:
France had acquired the spectacular 53 Ailesbury Road as their Dublin embassy in 1930. They bought 36 Ailesbury Road in 1968 to use as the working embassy. Sighle in [P102/543] says: "The house also contained several under floor secret drawers which were never discovered by either British or Free State forces." When in 1968 the French Embassy lifted the floors to install central heating, one of these hiding places was found under the floor, and it contained a bayonet of French make. See 26 Sept 1968 letter about this in [P106/152].
[Thom's, 1971]
shows new French Embassy offices at 36 Ailesbury Road.
In Jan 2008,
France put up for sale both of its properties
- 36 Ailesbury Rd
(offered at €20 m) |
Map of the plot.
Attached to
[Deed, 1921].
The deed says that water is to remain freely running
through "the drain or watercourse" between points A and B.
See full size.
36 Ailesbury Rd being built, 1920.
This is
[P106/513(31)].
See
full size.
See
photo of rear
being built, in
[P106/513(30)].
Date 29 Oct 1920.
See
other photo
of rear
being built, in
[P106/513(28)].
Original incorrectly reversed.
Date 9 Nov 1920.
36 Ailesbury Rd after the raid in 1922.
The S front.
Note no LHS extension.
From 1922 newspaper.
36 Ailesbury Rd, must be 1920s.
Note no LHS extension.
See larger
and full size.
See undated shot
at front door
in
[P106/674(13)].
36 Ailesbury Rd, must be c.1930.
Note LHS extension.
Note wall.
See larger
and full size.
36 Ailesbury Rd.
This is
[P106/513(36)].
See
larger
and
full size.
36 Ailesbury Rd.
The S front.
From French Embassy.
36 Ailesbury Rd.
Shot from SW.
From The Struggle, 2003.
36 Ailesbury Rd.
Shot from SE.
From The Struggle, 2003.
The site. S to top. N to bottom.
The site. Ailesbury Rd and S front of house to LHS.
Ground floor. Ailesbury Rd and S front of house to bottom.
First floor. Ailesbury Rd and S front of house to bottom.
Photo from SE.
See larger
and full size.
The SW side.
The rear (N side)
The garden.
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