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Title:	South Dublin Village Walks - Rathcoole Step 13: Rathcoole Court of Petty Sessions and 1798 Memorial
Authors:	South Dublin Libraries - Local Studies Photography: Rocshot.com/Rob O'Connor.
Keywords:	South Dublin Village Walks Rathcoole Court of Petty Sessions 1798 Memorial
Issue Date:	27-Sep-2013
Description:	South Dublin Village Walks - Rathcoole Step 13: Rathcoole Court of Petty Sessions and 1798 Memorial. The Court of Petty Sessions was built in 1914. These Courts were forerunners of our modern day District Courts, allowing smaller cases to be heard at a grassroots level around the country. While the building was found unsuitable for court business, it was later re-used as a local library. Previously, the local Catholic priest’s house stood on this site, though it was destroyed in the 1798 rebellion. History has it that a local United Irishman named Felix Rourke met his end here. The son of a local farmer and tollhouse keeper at nearby Blackchurch, Rourke was involved in several skirmishes in the area during the fighting. After being made a colonel by Lord Edward Fitzgerald, and spending time in prison for his revolutionary activities, he became involved in Robert Emmet’s 1803 rebellion. This included a role in the fighting across Thomas Street and High Street in Dublin City. In September of that year, therefore, he was tried and convicted of High Treason, and hanged here on the roof beams of the burnt-out priest’s house at the age of 38. Some historians believe that his execution took place outside his parents’ house in the village. In any case, the execution was designed as a public, symbolic act. Rourke’s body was buried at Bully’s Acre in Kilmainham – by his side, for a short time, lay the body of Robert Emmet himself. The 1798 Rebellion – and the tragic stories of people swept up in the disturbances – is commemorated in the monument outside the court building. Designed and carved by Tallaght stonemason Eamon Brennan, it marks the experience of Father Harold, Clinch, Fyans and Rourke. It was unveiled by then-Tánaiste Mary Harney in 1998.
URI:	https://hdl.handle.net/10599/10706
Copyright:	South Dublin Libraries - Local Studies
Location:	Click here to view the location in Google Maps
Appears in Collections:	Published Items South Dublin Heritage Walks Collection

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