The talk will take place at 8pm on Tuesday 7th April 2026 in the upstairs lounge of the Druid’s Chair Pub in Killiney and admission is €5. All are welcome!
The shape of the modern town of Dún Laoghaire/Kingstown was determined in the offices of the “Lords of the soil”, Longford and de Vesci about 1815. It became a town of great wealth, but the Griffith valuation of 1848 shows the development of many ghettos. Halliday’s report of 1867 showed the problem deepening, but a devastating government report of 1902 led to the commencement of major reform.
Tom Conlon
Tom Conlon, statistician/economist had a long career in banking. His main interests these days are in history, maps and technology. His lectures on local history are normally heavily illustrated with pictures from his extensive collection of historical images and documents. Tom is a local historian and genealogist specialising in the history of Dún Laoghaire (formerly Kingstown). He is the author of Victorian Dún Laoghaire: A Town Divided, a richly illustrated study that reveals both the town’s prosperous façade and the harsh living conditions experienced by many ordinary residents in the nineteenth century. Tom is actively involved in preserving and interpreting local archives, including collections relating to institutions such as the Kingstown Men’s Christian Institute, and he regularly contributes to public history projects and talks on the area’s social and family history.
GROWING UP WITH KINGSTOWN
A Tale of Old Dún Laoghaire
Tom has just published a book which will be available to purchase on the night. The topic is closely related to the talk tonight and will be of great interest to anyone with an interest in local history presented in fictional guise.
Step into the bustling harbour town of Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) in the 1820s and 1830s, a place alive with ambition, hardship, spectacle, and change.
In this richly detailed work of historical fiction, young Willie Casey comes of age alongside the birth of a new urban community on Ireland’s eastern shore. From regattas and race days to the arrival of the first steam train, Willie embraces the excitement of modern progress, even as a devastating cholera epidemic and grinding poverty in the town’s “courts” cast long shadows over daily life.
Along the way, he encounters figures such as Daniel O’Connell, dives headlong into youthful misadventure (including an unforgettable turtle encounter), and develops a taste for fine clothes well beyond his means. Fiercely urban in outlook and suspicious of all things rural, Willie must navigate education, apprenticeship, politics, and social change in a town still struggling to define itself.
As Kingstown grows, building its harbour, schools, churches, and identity, Willie must choose his path.
Will ambition bring fulfilment?
Will he find love?
Will he find his place in a divided and rapidly changing Ireland?
A beautifully told historical novel for readers of all ages who cherish Irish history, maritime heritage, and stories of youth, resilience, and belonging.
Self published. Available from Harbour Books, Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey news, Dalkey. Available from Amazon online worldwide.