Famous Char acters

Dr Richard Best

Director of the National Library from 1934 until 1940, he was renowned for his scholarship on Irish publishing. Among his achievements was the compilation of a catalogue of printed Irish literature to be found in the main libraries of the world. For many years, he lived at 57 Upper Leeson Street.

Bible family

Just to show that Lower Leeson Street in the old days wasn't entirely hi falutin', the entry for the Bible family of 77 Lower Leeson Street in the 1911 census is very descriptive. Stephen Bible (57), the head of the household, had his occupation listed as carpenter. His daughter Violet (20) had an unusual occupation for those days; she was a model. Both she and her father were members of the Church of Ireland, while Martha O' Rielly, (56), who lived with them and described herself as aunt, was Roman Catholic. She worked as a boot closer.

Christy Bird

The owner of the famous antiques shop in South Richmond Street- still there- lived at 16, Upper Leeson Street for many years. His shop was renowned for, and still is, for lots of second hand furniture, everything from old sofas to candelabras. Christy, who came from Trim, Co Meath, had been a pawnshop manager for many years before opening his famous shop on South Richmond Street in 1945. He had lived in the Charlemont and Portobello areas before settling on Upper Leeson Street, where he raised his family. Christy died in 1975, aged 78, but his family has kept the shop going ever since.

Bryson family

The Brysons lived at 15, Upper Leeson Street, for over a century, four generations of the family.

The first member of the Bryson family to live there was Alfred Bryson; he had lost one of his forearms in a work related accident, so he decided to set up his own business, Bryson Aluminium, which made pots and pans, in a shed in the back garden. The company traded until 2000. The firm had an entrance from Warner' s Lane, at the back of the house.

At the house, an interesting historical episode occurred during 1921, at the end of the War of Independence. Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins had commandeered an upstairs room in the house, close to Leeson Street bridge. The Black and Tans got wind of who was in the house and raided it, but Griffith and Collins hid behind the open door of the room and weren' t spotted. A third person of note sat at the dining room table, minding young Sylvia Bryson, then a tiny baby. The Black and Tans failed to recognise de Valera. Much later in her life, Sylvia wrote her memoirs, recalling that raid on the house.

In early 2018, the house was put on the market, with an asking price of &8364;1. 35 million. By that stage, the house had long been converted into four flats and was in a very run- down condition, requiring a lot of refurbishment.

Edward Bunting

Bunting, who lived from 1773 until 1843, was a musical genius, the first systematic collector of Irish music. He was born in Armagh and trained as an organist, but failed to find an appointment in Belfast because so many religious fanatics objected to music being played in places of worship. He turned instead to the harp festivals then being organised by the United Irishmen. Between 1792 and 1840, he published three massive volumes of Ireland' s ancient music, preserving it for eternity.

After he got married in 1819, he and his wife moved to Dublin, where he was appointed organist at St George' s church in what is now the north inner city. He was also an excellent pianist and his Dublin concerts were always very popular, especially as they were followed by a good supper and plentiful servings of wine and punch. He and his wife lived at Number 18 Lower Leeson Street, which much later in the 19th century, in the 1870s, became one of the Guinness family houses in Dublin. Today, Number 18, rebuilt, houses the Ombudsman's offices.

Sir James d' Ombrain

Born in Kent, he lived from 1794 until 1871, spending most of his life in Ireland, where he became Inspector- General of the Coastguard. During the great famine, he was a relief commissioner and broke the rules by ordering that relief should be brought by sea to people starving in the West of Ireland, mentioned by Seamus Heaney in his poem, For the Commander of the Eliza.

Sir James d' Ombrain, sometimes spelled Dombrain, came to live in Lower Leeson Street in 1833, then commissioned the building of numbers 36 to 47. Number 36 shows his aptitude for architectural design, with its elaborate windows, a large Greek revival balcony at the front of the first floor, the pediments over the doors, and inside, complex floor tiling. The Jesuits leased Number 36 in 1911 and bought it in 1915; they are still there, while their archives are next door at Number 37. In September, 2016, a commemorative plaque to Sir James d' Ombrain was unveiled by the Dublin City Council commemorative naming committee, the only such plaque in Lower Leeson Street.

Anne Doyle

One of the best- known current residents of Lower Leeson Street is former RTÉ television newsreader, Anne Doyle. From Co Wexford, she had worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade before being recruited by RTÉ. She presented her last bulletin on Christmas Day, 2011, 33 years to the day since she had presented her first news bulletin. Now aged 66, she is as glamorous as ever and can often be seen walking in the area, since she has never learned to drive. She lives in Lower Leeson Street with her partner of over a decade, former restaurant owner Dan McGrattan.

Jack Doyle and Movita

During the 1940s, Ireland' s top celebrity couple were Jack Doyle, known as the 'Gorgeous Gael', renowned for his boxing exploits, and his wife Movita, from Mexico, a film star and singer. They were at every big social event in town and crowds thronged to see them. She was his second wife and after they married, she and Jack Doyle, who was also an actor and tenor, appeared in their own stage show, which was a huge hit in Dublin, Belfast and London. They were also famous for their incessant rows, often caused by his incessant drinking, and they eventually split up and divorced. Movita went on to marry Marlon Brando. In later life, Jack Doyle lived in very poor circumstances in London and died there in poverty in 1978. He was brought home to Ireland to be buried in his native Cobh, Co Cork. Movita died recently, in 2015. For a time, at the height of their fame in the 1940s, they had lived in Upper Leeson Street.

Sir Thomas Drew

Drew was a noted Dublin architect in the latter 19th century; he lived from 1838 until 1910. His main claim to fame is that for Queen Victoria' s visit to Dublin in 1900, he designed the triumphal arch that was built on Leeson Street Bridge, which was then part of the city boundary. He based the design of the arch, made from papier maché, on that of the old city gate. A similar arch was designed for the visit in July, 1903, of King Edward VII and his wife, Queen Alexandra.

Arthur Edward Guinness

Arthur Edward Guinness, who was made the first Baron Ardilaun in 1880, had two claims to...