Greystones harbour came into being because of its geological shape. The tilted slate and argillite provided a natural buttress for fishermen keep their boats in relative safety. By the turn of the 19th century 400 people were supported by a local fishery and the Dublin markt. by the beginning of 20th century the place roared as a Victorian seaside resort.
The railroad from Dublin to Wicklow brought a breath of life to a community that depended on fishing and farming. House building began on a large scale. In the space of 25 years Greystones was colonised by a rich, elite group of professionals that belonged to the ruling Protestant class that existed when the railway from Dublin was extended between Bray, Greystones and Wicklow in 1857.
Then were several 'gentrified' houses in the area but the main destitute population grouped in hovels at Killincarrig and Delgany which was the census centre. Police and medical services were located at Delgany for the Lower Rathdown area of Wicklow which included the fishing hamlet of Greystones. Only a dozen stood in Greystones according to the Griffiths Survey of 1838.
A Brief History of Greystones by Noel Kennedy is a fascinating paper delivered to the Literary Society of the Presbyterian congregation in 1987. It was illustrated by Petr McNiff for the internet grant-aided by Ireland's Heritage Council in 2003.
