Between the Mountains and the Sea by Peter Pearson

We reproduce below an extract from the Killiney chapter of Peter Pearson’s book of 1998 (revised 2007) which provides an excellent overview of the history and a detailed description of the natural and built physical fabric of the district. In this article we have not included Peter’s descriptions of the significant houses in the area but have kept to the more general historical commentary. As time allows we will be adding to the articles on individual houses and as further information becomes available the list of houses will be updated by this website. See here for current list of houses. Supporting images are provided by KillineyHistory.ie.
PETER PEARSON  Peter Pearson is a painter by profession, but has had a lifelong interest in the protection and enhancement of historic buildings. A graduate in art history from Trinity College Dublin, he is author of a variety of architectural publications, including Dun Laoghaire/Kingstown (1981), The Heart of Dublin (2000) and Decorative Dublin (2002), An Taisce publications such as Restoring Your Old Building (1984) and Temple Bar, Saving the Area (1985). He is co-author of The Royal St George Yacht Club (1987) and The Forty Foot (1995), and contributor to Dublin’s Victorian Houses, The Book of Dun Laoghaire, The Book of Bray (1987), Gaskin’s Irish Varieties, Dun Laoghaire Guide (1978), Department of the Environment Conservation Guidelines (1996), History of Dublin Hotels and RDS and History of Bewley’s.   
He was the founder of the Drimnagh Castle Restoration Project and a founder member of the Dublin Civic Trust, was a former member of the board of directors of the Irish Architectural Archive and a member of The Heritage Council and an honorary life member of the Dun Laoghaire Historical Society. Peter now lives in Shankill where he is restoring a period house.
== Chapter 4: Killiney ==
Killiney is noted for its hills which command excellent views of Dublin Bay, the Irish Sea and the surrounding mountains. The obelisk on the summit of Killiney Hill is a conspicuous landmark of the area, and has been part of the scenery since the middle of the eighteenth century. It was this special scenic quality which in the nineteenth century first attracted developers to build houses in this area, giving it the distinctive residential character which it still retains. As we shall see, these hills and their slopes were almost devoid of any buildings during the eighteenth century, apart from the famous obelisk and the ancient ruined church. By 1839, when Samuel Lewis was compiling his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, there were already many ‘favourite places of residence, and several pretty villas and rustic cottages’ in the area.
Killiney extends over a large area stretching from the bay across by Ballybrack and west as far as Glenageary, while to the north it encompasses Killiney Hill itself and is bounded by Dalkey. By the middle of the nineteenth century Killiney was firmly established as one of Dublin’s most favoured residential quarters and today this reputation remains unchanged as house prices become ever higher and ever more unreal.
It is a particularly attractive area, with its many trees, beautiful gardens and south-facing slopes which have the benefit of a sea view. There is also easy access to the beach. It is what estate agents like to call a ‘mature’ area, well furnished with large gardens, shrubs and trees, properties bounded by stone walls and with a wide variety of architectural styles. From Killiney village, the narrow Killiney Hill Road winds downhill towards Shanganagh, while to the east the DART station provides convenient access to trains bound for the city.
It is the western portion of Killiney which has changed most, where beyond Killiney golf course many new houses were built at Avondale, Ballinclea, Watson’s and Ballybrack.
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