Last week I stood in Lucan Garda Station looking at an old map of Lucan on the wall. I couldn’t help noticing how much the landscape has changed in Ballyowen from rural hinterland to a major residential district. The latter half of the 20th century saw a population flight from the four corners of the country to towns like Lucan. During the Celtic Tiger vast swathes of land was rezoned for housing between Lucan and Clondalkin. Suddenly, it dawned on me that the history of the Bewley Family living in Lucan has never been researched or published in any of the history books on Lucan. While the books mention the exploits of two Quaker families, the Shackletons and the Hills and their philanthropy, they completely overlooked the Bewley family.
Patricia Donohoe in her book Aspects of Lucan goes into great detail about protestant philanthropy and social interaction from the perspective of St. Andrew’s Church of Ireland in Lucan.
I have very fond memories of Alfred and Mary Bewley when they lived at Shingled House on Main Street, Leixlip. Alfred’s childhood home was Danum in Rathgar. He married Mary Sissons from York whose family were in the printing business. Other members of Mary’s family were directors of York Football Club. The Bewley named often cropped up in conversations in our household from time to time. My maternal grandparents from Buckley’s Lane in Leixlip often attended tea parties the Bewleys held at Shingled House. I was always fascinated as child by the antique bracket clock that was on the windowsill in their kitchen at Shingled House. At the end of their large garden was the ruin of an old three storey house at the Salmon Leap Bridge and in front of it was a wooden gazebo where you could sit and admire the plants in the garden while listening to the sounds of the Liffey flowing under the bridge. The ruin was demolished when council upgraded the Salmon Leap Bridge in 2002. Every time Alfred Bewley passed me in the street he would say : “young man, how are you ?” and smile. Alfred always wore a shirt and tie and a tweed sports jacket. Leixlipians like myself, Caitriona Ardiff-Joyce , Marian Clarke , Marguerite Devine, Pauline Beatty, David Bernard Toomey and John Colgan who are members of the Society of Old Lucan (SOL) would remember generosity of the Bewley Family in Leixlip.
Bewley’s tea and coffee is one of the most instantly recognisable brands in the Country. Their cafes have been on the go for over 180 years.The Bewleys along with other prominent merchant families were involved in setting up the Dublin Savings Bank on Abbey Street in Dublin.
The Bewley’s farm was 174 acres stretching from Ballyowen in Lucan to Balgaddy in Clondalkin. The Bewleys were the first to import Jersey Cattle into Ireland. Ernest Bewley was the First President of the Irish Jersey Cattle association.
Irish Independent 1925: “Under the hammer Ernest Bewley’s famous herd of pedigree Jersey Cattle at his farm in Ballyowen. It is regretted that having spent 17 years building up the herd Mr. Bewley found it impossible to find the necessary time which the management of such a herd requires owing to the growth of his business in the city. Nevertheless it is satisfactory that the Cattle have been retained in Ireland. Although they are shattered throughout the country buyers from the North of the free state predominanted. Some of the Cattle were descended from Noble of Oaklands which were sold in America for £3000.00 The sale realised an average of 35 guineas, the calves sold especially well, one four month calf realising 10 and half guineas. Tomorrow the pedigree herd of large white York pigs will be disposed of when the farm horses and all the farm implements will also be sold. “
Victor Bewley trailblazing activist:
Today we often hear so much about diversity and an all inclusive society. Long before the Equal Status Act came into force in October 2000 Alfred’s older brother Victor Bewley was a champion for Travellers rights. It was a chance encounter with Monsignor Fehily at a halting site in Cherry Orchard, Ballyfermot, that led to the establishment of the Dublin Committee for Travelling People. Victor Bewley toured the country giving lectures on the plight of the travelling people. His expertise on the subject was often called on by the government.
During the troubles in Northern Ireland pacifist Victory Bewley acted as an emissary between the IRA and the British Government to broker a peace deal to end the sectarian conflict. In 1972, Victor met with Daithi O’ Connell IRA Chief of Staff, Martin McGuinness (Later first Minister of Northern Ireland), and Joe Cahill, he delivered a hand-written letter outlining the IRA’s demands for a ceasefire to the authorities at Westminster.
The mid 1960s Alfred and Mary Bewley offered land from their Ballyowen Farm to the council for a halting site, which resulted in objections from locals.
In 1969 Ballyowen farm was acquired under a compulsory purchase order. Gradually, the authorities acquired the neighbouring farms of St. Marks, Neilstown, Rowlagh, demolishing the old period houses to build local authority housing estates. To the best of my knowledge Bewley’s old farmhouse at Ballyowen served as community centre that was eventually demolished in 2010.
In 1972 Victor and his two brothers Alfred and Joe transferred the ownership of their business to the workforce. The company changed its name from Bewley Oriental Cafes to Bewley Community Ltd. By the mid 1980s the company was in serious financial difficulty and was taken over by Campbell Catering.
Another relative Charles Bewley, Irish diplomat, wrote a biography of Herman Goering one of the leading figures in Nazi Germany.
In 1969, the Bewley Trust bought Shingled House [above] in Leixlip from Thomas Shackleton (related to the Milling family from Lucan). The Shingled House during Bewley’s time was like a quasi town hall. They hosted meetings for the Tidy Towns, Meals on Wheels, Leixlip Horticultural & Home Industrial Show, and the Leixlip Community Council. Mary Bewley served as treasurer of the Leixlip Life newsletter from 1973 until 1982. All the profits from the newsletter were donated to local sporting organisations and charitable causes in Leixlip.
Their son William (Bill) was the first Lord Mayor of Leixlip. In 1987 Alfred Bewley became vice-president of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS). In 1990 Alfred & Mary Bewley received a civic award for their contributions to Tidy Towns from Leixlip Town Commission. Alfred Bewley died on new years eve 1999 and his wife stayed on at Shingled House until 2005. In 2015 Mary Bewley died at the grand Old age of 102. If I have made any errors I do apologise as I’m operating from memory on certain parts.
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