The Story

of the manor house

Samuel Beckett, one of Ireland's most enigmatic and world famous writers, is part of the rich and varied heritage of Cooldrinagh House and Demesne. Beckett's mother May was born here on March 1st 1871. It is clear that she held its memory in deep affection.

"Cooldrinagh" means 'the quiet place of the black thorn'. This was the name given to her new home built by her husband William on the corner of Kerrymount Avenue, Foxrock in 1903.

Cooldrinagh House, was described by James Knowlson, Beckett's biographer, as "a very grand house, almost a mansion, dating from 1760, with imposing pillars at the front door, a flight of stone steps and a cast iron balustrade...".Beckett was born in Foxrock, Dublin on Good Friday 1906 and died in Paris on December 22, 1989.

"...Nothing to be seen but the wheat turning yellow and the blue sky vowing every now and then you loved each other..." - That Time (1975)Twenty years ago, Cooldrinagh House lay derelict. Today it has been fully restored in what can only be described as a highly unusual, contemporary and atmospheric way.