Welcome to part three of
our look at some of the Pubs of Ringsend. In 2022 a Walking Tour will commence
bringing you the colourful history of the many pubs and tales of Ringsend or
Raytown as the locals know it. One of the now departed public houses in
Ringsend but one of the most popular was known as Fitzharris’s for over a
century. A popular place for the local dockers. Number 4 Bridge Street, now
home to Domino Pizza’s, was also one of the earliest pubs in the village.
One publican who bettered
himself after his time trading at 4 Bridge Street was Richard Hill. In October
1781 he announced through adverts in the newspapers he was opening a new tavern
at No.2 Crow Street off Dame Street. He had been running a tavern in Ringsend
known as Clements for a number of years. By June 1782 he was off loading his
premises in Ringsend and it was put up for lease. It was described as having
‘stables, a good kitchen, garden and a large assembly room, all in good order.’
Hill had taken over from James Clements who had traded there since 1777. Both
men were ship builders along the River Dodder and the River Liffey, which was
common that they also owned a local tavern where their workers not only
received their wages but then encouraged to spend them. Clements went bankrupt
and Hill took over the running of the tavern with little or no experience as an
innkeeper.
It was known as
Harrison’s Tavern in 1782. The Dublin Chronicle newspaper reported on September
23rd 1788 that being exhibited at the tavern was ‘a radish of surprising
magnitude, it measures in length one yard and a quarter and in circumference
eleven inches and a quarter.’
By the early 1800’s the
Ringsend Tavern, as it was now known, was a popular eatery. Originally run by
John Howard in 1805 the running of the pub was in the hands of Mr. and Mrs.
Madden. The pub was located approximately where Clarke’s public house is today.
An advertisement in the Saunders Newsletter stated,
‘Howard’s
is fitted in an elegant manner where clubs, parties etc can be accommodated in
the shortest notice with best dinners in season and with Wines, Malt Liquors
and spirits of superior quality.’
It also importantly added
for the time,
‘Excellent
accommodation for horses and carriages’
Howard had been a partner
of Thomas Bray in the prosperous Ringsend Salt Works until a legal dispute
erupted between Howard and Bray’s brother Michael[1].
In 1830, the pub was
being run by John Eustace and his pub found its name in the newspaper for all
the wrong reasons. John Higgins and George Eastwood were local fishermen who entered
Eustace’s pub to have a drink. Eustace was also a fellow fisherman. The Dublin Observer
then reported what happened next.
‘The
deceased and Eastwood, the prisoner in custody for the murder, were fishermen
living Ringsend, and had an altercation in the early part Saturday last,
relative to some expressions which the latter (Eastwood) made use of towards a
female member of the deceased’s family, which, however, were not much minded
the latter, who offered shortly afterwards to shake hands with the prisoner,
and have nothing more about the matter; but this was refused by Eastwood, who
said on more occasions than one, ' I’ll have your life's blood, and make you
drink before the day ends.” In the evening both parties met together in a
public house belonging to a man named Eustace, of Ringsend, when, after sitting
there a short time, and some conversation having arisen, during which reference
was made to the original dispute, and the deceased again proffered the hand of
friendship. Eastwood suddenly rose from his seat, and pulling out sharp pointed
instrument, something like a dagger, plunged it into the body of his
unfortunate companion between the fifth and sixth rib, and penetrated into the
cavity of heart. The deceased bad only time to say (putting his hand upon the
wound), He has done for me,” when he fell forward and immediately expired. His
friends then brought the body to Jervis Street hospital.’
The Freeman Journal
reported the testimony of the publican John Eustace,
'The
prisoner (Eastwood) came in and commenced using irritating language to the
deceased. Higgins desired him to go away, that he wished to have nothing to do
with him. The prisoner still (continued to annoy him, when deceased gave him a
shove. The prisoner then said, "1 will have satisfaction of you for that
before I sleep.", This was about five o'clock. In a subsequent part of the
evening, about an hour afterwards, deceased invited the prisoner to make it up,
and asked him to take a drink of porter. His reply was, ‘No, I won't but I'll
give you some of your own blood to drink before you go to bed.’ About seven
o'clock witness joined the deceased (Higgins) in Eustace's public-house.
Eastwood (the prisoner) was in the same room, but in a distant seat. He came
over to where deceased and witness were sitting, and said to deceased, "
You bloody villain, I'll have your life." Some words ensued, and deceased
took the prisoner up by the collar and the leg and carried him over to the
fire-place, where he laid him down, deceased observed, when he did so, "
you see it is not worth my while to strike a boy like you;" deceased had his
back turned to prisoner, coming back to his seat, when the later struck him in
the chest deceased then observed, "Johnny, damn me but he has done for me,
he has whipped it through me ;" deceased then fell without uttering
another word; in the conversation that took place previous to deceased's
lifting the prisoner over to the fire, the latter made some insulting allusions
to the sisters of the former; the prisoner was tipsy at the time, he was more
tipsy at the latter end of the dispute, when he struck the blow, than he was at
the commencement, deceased was also a little " hearty;" he appeared
to be some- what irritated when he lifted the prisoner off the ground.
Eustace’s son Joseph
Junior then bought a pub on Thorncastle Street before his father sold the pub
on Bridge Street.
In 1862 the pub was sold
once again by the now owner Captain Sloan who announced that he was leaving to
concentrate on other business interests. The pub was purchased by William
Heapes who then left the pub to his son Joseph. His daughter Elizabeth married local
shipwright James Barry. Upon the death of his father in law, Barry took over
the running of the pub. The pub was now being run by Barry and now the
Fitzharris name enters the story. Laurence Fitzharris, originally from County Carlow,
was employed as a barman in the pub next door at Number Eight, rising to the
role of manager. When the pub at Number Four was sold by the family of the late
William Heapes in June 1895, Fitzharris purchased the pub and put his name
above the door.
In 1914, the police were
attacked on Bridge Street in the aftermath of ill feelings after the 1913 Lock
Out. The police reported that they were showered with glasses and bottles
thrown from the upper floors of Fitzharris’s by customers without the knowledge
of the owner. Laurence Fitzharris passed away in December 1920 leaving the
family to run the pub. He missed out seeing his daughter Eleanor (also known as
Lillie) marry Sir John Esmonde in 1922. Esmonde served both as an MP in the
British Parliament and as a TD for Fine Gael in the Dail.
The Fitzharris Family as published by Martin Gueret
1948 was a traumatic year
for the Fitzharris family. Mary (nee Moran from Wicklow), Laurence’s widow,
passed away on January 7th 1948 and on May 22nd her youngest son Maurice also
died. A relative, Maurice Gueret writing in Sunday Independent recalled his
Uncle Maurice,
‘He
was known in the locality as ‘The Hump' Fitzharris, for he was born
with a hunched back, or acquired it when dropped as a baby. (There are two
medical opinions on his story). Maurice was the baby of the family
and, all his life, was very attached to his mother. In fact, he died just
months after she did. ‘The Hump' was a cruel sobriquet, you might think, but
Dockland could be an unforgiving place, and not a place for the sensitive soul.’
Following his passing,
his sister Kathleen Butterly applied for the transfer of the licence. In 1966
the licence was transferred to another sister Margaret who had married Phillip
Meers on August 3rd 1926. Laurence and Mary’s sons Laurence Junior died in New
York in December 1954 and John died in April 1967. According to Maurice Gueret was
sold by Ethel Fitzharris who had married Jack Fitzharris
In the new century
Fitzharris’s closed as public house and for a number of years operated as an
off licence before becoming a branch of Domino’s Pizza.
In the next episode of this series we will look at the wonderful and colourful history of another departed pub of Ringsend once known as The London Tavern but for over a century known more popularly as The Old England Tavern.
