Bray - a brief history

John Mason

1200’s
A Church was built at Raheen na Cluige on the slopes of Bray Head.

1800’s

1846: The Putland Road was laid out as a Famine Relief Scheme. It was known as "The Road of Ten Houses" called after the houses were built at Putland Villas. A few years later the road took on the name of the Putland family, the local landlords who lived in Bray Head House.

1900’s
1920: The Presentation Brothers purchased Bray Head House and established a school the following year.
1936: When the census was taken the resident population of Bray stood at 10,111. Many housing developments were taking place in Bray including the building of Wolfe Tone Square, and the Meath Road area. With visitors from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland the summer population would increase the resident population to almost 15,000.
1940: Fr Peter Maguire was appointed as a curate to Holy Redeemer Parish. He was to have a vital role in developing the new church on the Put land Road.
1940’s: On a number of occasions prior to 1945 plans were drawn up for a new church at the southern end of the town. But due to economic conditions brought on by World War II, the project shelved.
1944: At Christmas the go ahead was given to build a new church at the junction of the Putland and Vevay Roads on a two acre site donated by the Presentation Brothers.
1945: On Sunday 7th January Canon Andrew Moriarty P.P. called a public meeting to establish a fund raising committee to build the new church. The meeting was chaired jointly by Canon Moriarty and George Byrne, Chairman of Bray Urban District Council. A subscription list was opened at the meeting, with generous support offered from the people and businesses in the town. The fund raising committee set to the task of raising £20,000. During the summer of 1945 and 1946 the committee set up stalls in front of Jerry Dawson’s Amusements selling all kinds of bric-a-brac to visitors from Dublin and elsewhere. In the winter months of 1945 and the spring of 1946 a number of fund raising events took place. People to the forefront of the committee included William O’ Regan, Victor Megannety, John Whittle and Jerry Dawson. The Stations of the Cross, Monstrance and Sanctuary Lamp were donated by the Railway Staff and handed over the Railway Station to Canon Moriarty, by Mr Donovan, Station Master.
1946: The church was built by T & J Macken of St Patrick’s Street Dun Laoghaire, with many local people employed on the construction. The Electrical work was completed by Breen & Co of Dublin and Bray. The marble flooring and mosaic behind the Main and Side Altars were supplied by G Martin of Dublin. The stained glass features were the work of John Horgan of Dublin. The statue of St Jude was presented by Mr J Whittle, his house in Newcourt Road being called St Jude. Parishioners presented the church with precious items. The Monstrance was designed and crafted by Smyth’s who also provided the metal shrines and tabernacle. In the presence of nearly 2,000 people, the Most Reverend John Charles McQuaid, Archbishop of Dublin blessed and officially opened the new church on Sunday 15th December. The next day the national newspapers carried extensive coverage. They reported that it cost £18,000 and could hold 1,000.
Jim Mc Tigue became Clerk of the new church.
The 1946 Census showed the population of Bray was 11,085.
Fr. Peadar Maguire was the curate in charge of the new church which remained part of the parish of the Most Holy Redeemer.
1950: For Holy Year 1950 it was decided to erect a cross on Bray Head. Children of all three parishes fund raised.
1952: In May Monsignor John Fitzpatrick became Parish Priest to Holy Redeemer. Almost 4,000 participated in the Annual May Procession from Queen of Peace to Holy Redeemer.
1954: Fr Maguire was transferred to Monkstown where he became Parish Priest. He was a big loss to Queen of Peace as he had looked after the day to day affairs since the church was built in 1946. Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish was then constituted and Fr John Mulcahy appointed its first Parish Priest.
1958: In October a marble statue of Our Lady was erected over the porch to commemorate the Lourdes Centenary. Fr Mulcahy had the mosaic removed from behind the main and side altars.
1960: Fr Mulcahy took up his new post as Parish Priest of Dolphin’s Barn. Fr William Murphy, who had been a curate in Bray twenty-five years earlier, returned as the second Parish Priest.
1964: An t-Athair Donal O’ Flionn became the third Parish Priest, coming to Bray from Maynooth College.
1968: He decided that the church should be painted. The painting behind the main altar was in a dangerous condition and was removed and stored in Presentation College. Fr O’ Floinn died in that same year and Éamonn de Valéra, President of Ireland attended his funeral. Fr William Kenny became our fourth Parish Priest. He was featured many times by the National Press directing traffic on the Putland Road after Mass on Sunday’s and Holy Days.
1976: Many housing developments took place in the Boghall area of the town so it became necessary to build a new church, and to constitute a new Parish.
1988: It was decided to paint the church and it was discovered that a large painting once hung behind the main altar. The painting was found in Presentation College and was fully restored by Roland Hume Beaman. The painting of the Crucifixion with Our Lady and St John was one of a set of paintings that Napoleon III gave to Canon Miley, President of the Irish College, Paris, 1849-1859. He returned to Ireland and became Parish Priest of Bray. Canon Miley presented a painting to St Peters, to St Mary’s Enniskerry and to Holy Redeemer. The painting that now hangs behind the main altar, originally hung in the home of Canon Moriarty, at St Cronan’s Main Street Bray. On 14th September Bishop Donal Murray re-dedicated and blessed the painting.

1983: Villa Pacis is the most recent and exciting development to Our Lady Queen of Peace and it serves as a focal point. Putland Road is called after the Putland Family who were part of the Bray scene for over three hundred years. Today Loreto Convent, Presentation College and the Queen of Peace Church occupy prominent places in what was formerly their estate.
The original home was the present Loreto Convent but they later moved to what is now Presentation College then known as Bray Head House. The late Christy O' Brien who made a deep study of the family history dates them back to 1648. That was the year of Tom Putland's birth. He died at the early age of 37 and was replaced by his son, John in 1709. George was next in line and he reigned from 1745 to 1811. He was followed by his son John, who married a girl named Nancy Evans of Portrane.
Nancy's father risked life and property for his country in 1798. Indeed the Putland’s had a patriotic touch and are mentioned in Miles Burnoose memoirs for their kindness to the United Irishmen who were exiled in Paris after 1798.
George and Nancy entertained lavishly and lived between Bray, Cork, Dublin and Paris. One local historian talked at length about the change when the Loreto nuns took over from George Putland. However, they were a very generous family and were always prepared to help a good cause.

John Mason

http://www.myhometown.ie/Wicklow/Bray/479/?gclid=CNC1s6Xsn5kCFQsEZgod3yNmog

Some great old photos