The only indication that Henry Grattan’s house, ‘Grove House’,
once existed in Rathmines is the name Grove Road. As for the Grattan Spa that drew many people to the vicinity, there is none. The spa was on Grattan’s property in the
vicinity of today’s Grove Road. It attracted people with various
afflictions for many centuries before Grattan, but eventually, deemed unfit for human use, it was covered in.
It is in the nature of cities to sweep away the past away over
and over again. Isn't it amazing how often, when a business closes, you find yourself looking at the empty building with absolutely no
recollection of the what was there so recently.
How many people now remember the Princess Cinema in
Rathmines? It was just a few doors townside of today’s Swan Leisure Centre. Film actress Maureen O’Hara remembered going there
on Saturdays during her school days in Milltown. It cost three pence to sit on a wooden
bench watching the Saturday matinee. During
the war, large jam jars were accepted in lieu of 2 pence, part payment of the
4p charge into the matinee. Wallets were big in those days! The Prinner closed in 1960 though the building remained for many years after that.
It is a pity that some information is not placed at sites that have tales to tell.
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