Killester Garden Village Committee

20/06/2026

Our committee members were out today in the lovely sun tending to the flowerpots at the Legion Hall at Abbeyfield Green ☀️🌷

We are delighted to see the Legion Hall back in use too after so many years of dereliction, it's been an important hub for the social life of many residents of the Killester Garden Village, WW1 and WW2 ex-servicemen and their families.

We are also looking forward tending to the Killester Heritage Garden at Middle Third Green once completed this Summer.

If you have any lovely photographs of your garden in bloom around Abbeyfield, Middle Third, the Demesne or the Orchard send them in to us if you'd like them shared 📸

Dublin City Council - Clontarf Irish Fit Coach
Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann ONE Veterans Charity

04/06/2026

Ahead of the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, we are remembering those from the Killester Garden Village who served or paid the ultimate sacrifice during this time. ☘️🌹

01/06/2026

Many residents in the Killester Garden Village would be familiar with these medals and documents from WW1 👇

14/05/2026

We are delighted to see life back in the Legion Hall in the Killester Garden Village after 20 years of dereliction, we are currently working with the Irish Fit Coach crew to look at installing a history board inside the hall and possibly restoring the cupola on the halls roof. 👏

If anyone can assist in creating the history board, wants to submit historic photographs of the Legion Hall or can assist with finding someone to recreate and install the cupola for the roof please email us at:

[email protected]

10/05/2026

This VE Day 2026 weekend, we remember with gratitude and respect all those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War.

We pay special tribute to the tens of thousands of Irish men and women, from both north and south, who answered the call in humanity’s darkest hour. They served with courage in the armed forces, in factories, hospitals, at sea and on the home front, many never returning to the families and communities they left behind.

Their contribution helped secure the freedoms and peace that generations since have too often taken for granted. Today we honour their bravery, their sacrifice and their enduring legacy.

May we never forget them.

08/05/2026

Irish National War Memorial Gardens, a hidden landscape of remembrance in Dublin 8 !

The National Historic Properties Division of is delighted to offer guided tours of the Irish National War Memorial Gardens coinciding with the Festival this May.

Tours take place Friday 8th - Sat 9th May with the meeting point at the Temple, a short walk from Trinity College Boat Club.

The Tours feature the Sir Edwin Lutyens designed gardens comprised of a central lawn, flanked by pairs of granite pavilions, with the War Stone at its centre. The pavilions, which could be described as the smallest museums in Ireland, contain the Harry Clarke designed Books of Remembrance, the Ginchy Cross, and a selection of Great War related artefacts. (Entry by guided tour only)
Sunken gardens located at the rear of the pavilions are planted with a Rose for each of the fallen.

Tour Booking via Eventbrite - search for 'OPW Walking Tour of the Irish National War Memorial Gardens'

Date: Fri, May 8 • 14:00 & 15:00

Location: Island Bridge, Kilmainham

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/opw-walking-tour-of-the-irish-national-war-memorial-gardens-tickets-1986801150725?aff=ebdsshother&utm_share_source=listing_android

Parking available

Public Transport : Con Colbert Rd, Memorial Gardens bus stop (Entry via pedestrian gate)

Weekly guided tours take place each Wednesday @ 2pm (April - October)

Enquiries Tel 01 6770095

Photo & text credit : T Brogan

07/05/2026

A lovely act and gesture.

By John Harrington To really appreciate what you have it’s often a worthwhile exercise remembering what those who have gone before you have given. It was very much in that spirit that EC Brussels GAA club held the inaugural Field of Flanders event in Ypres last weekend for the first

07/05/2026

"Known locally as The Beacher, it is being sold by brothers Donough and Daire Duignan, sons of Jack who founded the business in 1963.

Just a short walk from the Clontarf sea front, Killester was developed originally as a garden village for World War I veterans."

The Beacher has been frequented by many veterans of World War I and 2 and their families over the years.

The Beachcomber, a well-respected landmark bar which is popular with locals for its food offering, has come to the market on the Howth Road in Killester, Dublin.

06/02/2026

The Contemptible Bus Company in Fairview which served the community of Killester and named by the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen who drove the buses. 📸

"The Old Contemptibles" refers to the professional soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) who served in France and Flanders from August 5 to November 22, 1914, earning the name from Kaiser Wilhelm II's dismissive "contemptible little army" comment, which they proudly adopted as a badge of honor for their bravery and skill in early, intense fighting like the Retreat from Mons. They were a highly trained, regular army, distinct from the later mass conscription forces, and formed the Old Contemptibles Association.

FAIRVIEW

In the early 1920s, Philipsburgh Avenue saw the emergence of private bus services, notably the Contemptible Omnibus Company, which started a route from Eden Quay to Fairview around 1924, using early vehicles like a 25-seater Karrier bus.

This period was chaotic with intense competition, paving the way for larger operators like the Great Northern Railway (GNR) to enter the scene later in the decade, further developing services in North Dublin suburbs like Fairview.

Early buses were basic, petrol-engine, solid-tyred models with limited seating (around 14-25 passengers) and few comforts. The 1920s was a free-for-all, but legislation in 1932 would later consolidate these smaller services under larger companies.

The Albany House shop sign behind the bus has faded, but can still be made out on close inspection.