Page 106 - Greystones Archaeological Historical Society

LOST BUILDINGS OF GREYSTONES

1910 it was the home of John McGonigal, BL, also of Mount
Street Crescent. John McGonigal was born in County Down and
was married to Margaret Mary. He was called to the bar in 1892
and became Professor of Law at Kings Inns. In 1939 he became
County Court Judge for County Down.

In 1935 Bride O'Mara died at Verdella. She was the mother
in law of Dr William J Cussen, who was living at Verdella. Bride
was the widow of Joseph O’Mara, who was a noted opera singer
from Limerick. Joseph was chief tenor at Drury Lane and at
Covent Garden. He was the lead tenor of the Moody Manners
Opera Company before he founded the O’Mara Travelling Opera
Company. By 1939 Verdella was occupied by Dr Finnegan,
though by 1946 it had become the home of William Johnson
Bowesman, an accountant, and his wife Edith. In 1958 John P
Elliott was living there. Finally Verdella was demolished in 1970
and became a supermarket, later owned by Frank Love. Today
the site is occupied by Extravision on Church Road.

Killincarrig House

th
A large two storey, three bay fronted mid-19 century
detached country house, built for the Hawkins-Whitshed family.
This house was located near Charlesland Golf Club. It appears
that the 2 Bart Sir Vincent Keene Hawkins-Whitshed built
nd
Killincarrig House, replacing an earlier house. Sir Vincent was
the son of Admiral Sir James Hawkins-Whitshed. He was
married to the daughter of Lord Erskine and divided his time
between London, Killincarrig House and Johnstown, County
Dublin. Killincarrig House was inherited by Elizabeth Hawkins-
Whitshed, later Burnaby. She was a noted alpine climber and
writer. In 1917 Killincarrig House was lived in by the Right Hon.
Richard Robert Cherry who was a liberal MP for Liverpool and
became the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was married to
Mary Wilhelmina, the daughter of Robert Cooper of Collinstown
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