Page 76 - Greystones Archaeological Historical Society

A WALK AROUND GREYSTONES

The second house on your
left on Church Road after the
crossing, Menlo, is one of
several houses in the area
rented by the widowed Mrs
John Hatch Synge, mother of
playwright John Millington
Synge (1871-1909) for family
summer holidays. Samuel,
John’s brother, recalled an
incident here when the
adjoining house, Merville, was
being built:

‘I remember, one Saturday
morning early (the men in
those days began work
about six o’clock) hearing
one of the workmen … at
Merville, call out to his
companions, “We’ll all be
blind drunk tonight.” …
Poor man, that was his highest enjoyment. Could a man like
that ever do anything much in this world, or could he ever be
happy in Heaven if he got there? He was, very likely, not a
man belonging to Greystones. I don’t think very many of the
Greystones men were like that.’

Cross Bellevue Road, and continue down Church Road. The
second house on your left after the junction is Glen Lodge. Also
rented by the Synges as a holiday home, from 1903 this served
as the Royal Irish Constabulary Barracks until the disbandment
of the force in 1922. A few houses further on is Orahova, former
residence of Samuel French (d.1978), historian of Greystones,

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