Enfield History

After the Norman Invasions(1169-1172), and the repulsion of Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair from the Kingdom of Leinster, and following the Death of Diarmaid Mac Murchadha himself in 1171, Strongbow claimed Mac Murchadha's Kingdom of Leinster on behalf of his wife.

King Henry II however only permitted him to retain County Kildare. The construction of nearby Trim Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, was begun by Hugh de Lacy around 1173, and is a major construction of the Norman period and was part of King Henry II's plan to curb the expansionist policies of Strongbow. Strongbow granted the manor of Maynooth to Maurice Fitzgerald (around 1176) who built Maynooth Castle. Over the centuries, the Fitzgeralds consolidated their power and riches and in 1316, King Edward II made John Fitzgerald the first Earl of Kildare. The 19th Earl, Robert Fitzgerald, began a new seat at Carton House in 1739, the Georgian Mansion was remodelled and in 1744 he was succeeded by his son James who became Duke of Leinster in 1766. The ancient name of Maynooth "Magh Nuadhat" means the plain of Nuadhat. Nuadhat is referred to as the maternal grandfather of the legendary Fionn Mac Cumhaill in the "Annals of the Four Masters".

As the Fitzgeralds stengthened their stronghold of the area, a road was built during these times from Maynooth Castle to Courtown House in Kilcock (once the residence of Film Director John Houston), to the Windmill on Cappagh Hill, to Cloncurry over to Johnstown House (now the Johnstown House Hotel and Spa), and from there on to Newcastle and Balyna House (now part of the Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort).

When the Stage Coach was used as a form of transport in Ireland, this road took a slightly different route to include the area that is now known as Enfield. The road from Dublin running through Enfield to Mullingar was built around 1735. During these times the area was known as New Inn or Innfield, referring to the original Royal Oak Inn in the area. In those times, due to the conditions of the road, coaches could only travel 30 or 40 miles in a day and travellers needed somewhere to eat and rest. Later, the Inn had associations with Bianconi's horse-drawn carriage network which operated from around 1815 into the 1850s providing public transportation in Ireland at a time preceding railways.

A livery stable and courtyard existed opposite the old postoffice building (now a Chinese Restaurant) at the East end of the town, to service people travelling on this road. Fresh teams of horses were available for hire at the livery stable when the coaches stopped at the postoffice. The building also provided some stopover accomodation. Some of the remains of the original livery courtyard can be seen today adjacent to the Centra supermarket and car park. These sites were protected once by the Office of Public Works but unfortunately have made way for redevelopment. The first postal deliveries by stage coach, in the area, occurred around 1740, during the time of Robert Fitzgerald, 19th Earl of Kildare.

The original Inn is believed to have been on the site of The Bridge House bar and restaurant. This building had a thatched roof until the 1940s. The stage coaches were responsible for the Irish name of the area, known as 'An Bothar Buí' which means the yellow road. This name was derived from the yellow mud that formed on the road through a combination of rain and the churning effect of the wheels on the soil. Another theory is that the name arose from the yellow colour of the ragworth vegetation at the sides of the road.

The name Innfield became Enfield towards the end of the 19th Century when a new postmaster came from the Enfield district in London and decided to use the same name for the area. Innfield still appears on many maps as the official name of the area.

The canal was sold for £300,000 to the Midland Great Railway Company. The Railway bought it as a strategic move to subsume the transportation business of the canal and planned to drain it and lay tracks over its route. Thankfully, this didn't occur, partly because the line of the canal had too many unsuitable bends.

Unlike the Grand Canal, the Royal Canal was never profitable and was replaced by Rail Travel in 1847, only 57 years after the project to build it began.

The Mullingar line was opened for public traffic as far as Enfield on July 2nd 1847. The first and second class carriages were divided into passenger compartments, some with beds, and designed to a high degree of quality and style. Some carriages were for the exclusive use of women.

Even though rail travel was much quicker, the canal continued to carry traffic until the 1950s. Both the canal and the railway had stop over points in Enfield, and this contributed to the development of the area.

It is only in recent years, that the potential of the Canal for tourism and as a natural amenity is being realised. The Office of Public Works took charge of it in 1986 and subsequent investment and significant restoration means it has great prospects of becoming popular again as a means of leisurely transport. The harbour area at Enfield has been completely restored and transformed into a beautiful leisure park.

Barringtons Hotel, on the site which is now Flatterys Pub and Restaurant since 1959, grew up as a result of the railway. A number of other public houses and hostelries emerged in the area because of the influx of population.

The Midland bar has been on its present site since the late 1800s. The site where the Slíghe Mór pub stands used to have a hardware shop, bicycle shop and grocery at the turn of the 20th Century. In the 1940s, the Maugherbawn restaurant (Macaire Bán means White Plain, possibly referring to the white hawthorn of the surrounding flat area) opened there and the building progressively changed and developed into a hotel. Part of the building has now been converted to a betting office.

The first Motor Cars were used in the area around the turn of the 20th century. During the 1940s, the Harris family had the dealership for Morris cars and Claas combine harvesters and operated a garage to the rear of Ryans's Newsagents, where WS Motors continues to operate today.