William Caldbeck (1733-1803) & the Moyle Park Gunpowder Mills

William Caldbeck (1733-1803) & the Moyle Park Gunpowder Mills

An account of the amateur architect and barrister who built a gunpowder mills for the Irish Volunteers in Clondalkin, County Dublin, in 1782, only for the mills to explode dramatically five years later. Complete access to all articles on this website for €12 / year...

The Wakefields & Christys of County Down

THE WAKEFIELDS & CHRISTYS OF COUNTY DOWN This family history is a spin-off from the story of the Fennells of Burtown House, County Kildare, Ireland, which was originally compiled in 2004. This is a work in motion and I am hugely indebted to many people for their...
Arthur Guinness (1759-1803) – The Brewing Maestro

Arthur Guinness (1759-1803) – The Brewing Maestro

The story of the man who founded the famous brewery at St James's Gate in Dublin, including his ancestral link to the MacCartans of County Down, the controversy of his birth in Celbridge , his bequest from Archbishop Price and his marriage to the heiress Olivia...

The Kinnears from Balmerino to Ballybay

THE KINNEARS FROM BALMERINO TO BALLYBAY Arms: Sable, on a bend or, three martlets (or canary birds) vert. Crest: Two anchors, saltier ways, proper. Motto: I live in hope. WHAT’S IN A NAME? There have always been numerous variations to the spelling of the name with de...
Nicholas Grueber & Corkagh’s Gunpowder Mill

Nicholas Grueber & Corkagh’s Gunpowder Mill

In the 18th century, a French Huguenot called Nicholas Grueber built the gunpowder mills at Corkagh, Clondalkin, County Dublin. This story reveals how his family also ran William III’s mills at Faversham in Kent, and examines the construction of the Corkagh mills....