Rush, Dublin

A large promontory fort is located on the headland of Drumanagh, near Rush.[18] It is surrounded on three sides by cliffs and a large rampart encloses the fourth side.

An article in The Sunday Times in January 1996 claimed that Roman coins, brooches and copper ingots were found at the site and that there was "clear evidence...of a Roman coastal fort of up to 40 acres...a significant Roman beachhead, built to support military campaigns in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D.". This claim is disputed by many archaeologists who see this simply as evidence of trade between Ireland and the Romans. The artefacts were illegally excavated after being discovered with metal detectors, so they were not available for further study.[19]

The land was acquired by Fingal County Council in 2016 and is of significant interest following the recovery of Romano-British artefacts, rarely found in Ireland. It has been characterised as the place where Roman traders may have landed.[20]

A range of finds was made in the course of a "community archaeology" dig along two trenches by the Martello Tower at the Iron Age site. Fingal Community Archaeologist and excavation director, Christine Baker, said: “Growing up down the road and having been a scholar under the late Iron Age scholar, Prof Barry Raftery, I always dreamed of digging Drumanagh. Artefacts such as a belt brace of the Royal Downshire militia and Royal Artillery brass buttons were found alongside fragments of wine glasses, clay pipes and a range of pottery and food particles, adding to the story of the Martello.”[21]

Evidence of earlier activity was also recovered during the dig including shards of pottery which have their origins in the Roman era, and two decorated Iron Age combs. Also found were two fragments of human bone which have been identified as part of a female skull dating back to BC170-AD52, as identified by osteologist Dr Linda Lynch and radiocarbon dated by Queen's University Belfast.

A conservation plan for the Drumanagh fort has been developed by Fingal County Council. Following a process of public consultation, the Drumanagh Conservation Study & Heritage Plan 2018-2023 contains accessible historical, archaeological, folkloric, and cartographic evidence.

It also sets out policies and objectives for the future protection and management of the site.

Ruins of the original St. Maur's chapel

The ruins of the original St. Maur's chapel lie in Whitestown cemetery, about a mile west of the centre of Rush. These date back to Anglo-Norman times and are named after Saint Maurus, a follower of St. Benedict.[22] There is a legend connected with these ruins that some French navigators, who may have been crusaders, got caught in a storm. They made a vow to St. Maur that if they survived they would build a chapel in his honour on the first point of land they reached. They subsequently landed at Rogerstown and built a chapel there in his honour. The area became known as Knightstown and later Whitestown.

In 1776, a church was built closer to the centre of Rush to replace the old chapel. It was also dedicated to St. Maur and is one of the earliest examples of a penal Catholic church in the Fingal area. It now houses Rush library.

The current Catholic church of Saint Maur is beside the 1776 building. It was dedicated in 1989 and is in the new, post-Vatican II style.

Kenure House

Two miles north from the centre of Rush village lies a magnificent portico which is all that remains of Kenure House, a large mansion which had many acres of an estate around it. The name is an anglicised version of "Ceann Iubhair", meaning headland of the yew trees. There is a nearby ruined church which was dedicated to St. Damnan and also nearby are the ruins of a small Norman keep.

Kenure formed part of the ancient manor of Rush, which was vested in the Earls and Dukes of Ormonde in 1666. They held on to their lands in Rush until 1714 when the Echlins took over. They remained there until 1780. Elizabeth Echlin married Francis Palmer of Castlelacken Co Mayo. Colonel R H Fenwick-Palmer, the last of the line, sold the estate to the Irish Land Commission in 1964. The portico of Kenure House was added to the house in and about 1840, by George Papworth, an English architect who practised in Ireland during the 19th century. Many films were made on location at the great house. These include The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), Ten Little Indians (1965 film which features the great house extensively as the main setting for the story, with some fleeting glimpses of the outside portico) and Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (aka Rocket to the Moon) (1967). The house fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1978, when the housing estate Saint Catherines was built on part of the former estate.[23] A number of Rush people did protest at the time, and managed to prevent at least the portico from being destroyed.[24]

Rush was notorious for smuggling in the 18th century after the British imposed excise duties on a large number of goods. It was home to the famed smuggler, Jack Connor (aka Jack the Batchelor and also Jack Field)[25] and was the birthplace of the pirate Luke Ryan on 14 February 1750.[26][27] Ryan is said to have been a privateer for the French government during the American Revolutionary War. He was reportedly arrested and tried as a pirate at the Old Bailey. He was arrested on 25 February 1789 and supposedly died in prison on 18 June 1789 aged 39 due to septicaemia during his imprisonment for failing to pay a debt of £200.[28][27]

Jack Connor was a popular Robin hood type figure who is mentioned in an old ballad:[29]

Jack operated out of the "Smugglers Cave" between Loughshinny and Skerries. He died in 1772 and was buried in Kenure cemetery, on the outskirts of Rush.[30][31] His namesake is used for Jack the Bachelors, a steakhouse and bar on Main Street.[14]

Luke Ryan was born in Rush in 1750. He emigrated to France when he was young and became a Lieutenant in Dillon's Irish Regiment. He later became a smuggler after returning to Rush. He was commissioned by Benjamin Franklin to run a privateer, The Black prince, to plunder English ships. He accumulated great wealth from his smuggling, but it was taken from him by the French. He eventually died in a debtors' prison in 1789 owing a debt of 200 pounds.

Rush is home to 2 of the 29 Martello Towers in the Greater Dublin Area; they are on the headland near the North Beach and at Drumanagh, and were built in 1804 as a defence against Napoleon.[32][33]

Rush has three primary schools, Gaelscoil Ros Eo, Rush National School, and St. Catherines National School.

There is also a secondary school, St.Joseph's Secondary School.