Page 79 - Greystones Archaeological Historical Society

GREYSTONES ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL VOLUME 8

the water were known for miles around. How proud I was to
be swimming with them, or pushing the Amphitrite down the
slipway into the still water of the harbour, helped by old
Archer or others of the fishermen … As we rowed in the warm
sun with the smell of the sea on the soft air, it was wonderful
to be alive …’

St Patrick’s Church stands
on rising ground on the other
side of Church Road. Built in
1857 on land donated by
William Robert La Touche, it
was designed to meet the
needs of growing numbers of
residents, attracted to the
town by its proximity to the
railway. However, lack of an
endowment to support a
rector delayed the
consecration of the church
until 1864. The building, which
was enlarged three times
during the nineteenth century
and more recently in 2005,
contains a number of
memorials. They include a
stained-glass window in
memory of Peter La Touche,
and tablets listing members of the parish who died in World Wars
1 and 2.

A little further on is Elsmere. Averil Deverell (1893-1979),
whose family home this was, and who lived here throughout her
life, was the first woman in Ireland to practice as a barrister.

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