Hidden Streams: A New History of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown

In Hidden Streams, local historian Brian Mac Aongusa takes the reader on a voyage of discovery of the past in the area of south County Dublin that is now known as Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. The history of the area has been deeply influenced by many of its rivers and streams, of which there are about thirty in the county. A study of early maps of the county from 1685 onwards reveals a fascinating world of water-powered industries, side by side with the growth of the first township suburbs of Kingstown, Blackrock, Killiney and Ballybrack, and Dalkey. In the twentieth century the unrelenting growth of Dublin's southern suburbs has severely impacted on the landscape and character of the county, causing many of its small rivers and streams to be smothered by developments that have driven them underground, or out of sight or even out of memory. This book seeks to unlock a fascinating new history of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown viewed from the author's historical and geographical perspectives, as well as from his own deep interest in our ancient rivers and streams.

Brian Mac Aongusa has lived all his life in Blackrock, in south County Dublin, and has been keenly interested in local history and historical geography as well as railway policy and operations. Educated at Colaiste Mhuire and University College Dublin, he pursued a public service career for over forty years in the Department of Finance and RTE, becoming Controller of Programmes, RTE Radio 1 in 1983. He became the first Chief Executive of Gael-Linn in 1988, a position he held until his retirement in 1996. He is the author of The Harcourt Street Line, Luas: Harcourt Street Memories and Broken Rails, all published by Currach Press.