Our common ancestors - Fitzgerald - Contents

James Fitzgerald, 1st Duke of Leinster

1st Duke of Leinster.
From here.

James Fitzgerald, 1st Duke of Leinster (see here), born 1722.
He succ as 20th Earl of Kildare 1744.

Builds Kildare House (later Leinster House):
The old Kildare town house in Dublin was in Suffolk St.
He built a new town house, Kildare House, 1745.
He chose the less fashionable SE side of Dublin (the Merrion Square front faced what was then countryside) and his decision changed the face of Dublin forever. It started a trend for the SE side of the city, which exploded with the developments of the Fitzwilliams in 1750s on.
Kildare said "Wherever I go, fashion will follow me." And no one could have been proved more right. The N side, formerly the fashionable area, sank into a decay from which it has never fully recovered. Over 270 years later and the S side is still the premium side of Dublin.

He mar 1747 to Emily Lennox [born 1731, great-granddaughter of Charles II].
He bought a seaside house, Frescati House, Blackrock, Co.Dublin, 1766 (named after Frascati near Rome, but always spelt Frescati).
He was cr Duke 1766.
Kildare House was then renamed Leinster House.
He died 1773, bur Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
1st Duke and Emily had issue:

1. Lady Emily Fitzgerald, born 1751.
   She mar 1774 to Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont [born 1738] and had issue.

   
   

2. Lord Edward Fitzgerald,
   the 1798 rebel,
   born 15 Oct 1763, Carton House.
   He was a supporter of the French Revolution.
   He was a leading figure in the 1798 Rising.
   He was wounded resisting arrest after the Rising.
   He died of these wounds in prison, 4 June 1798, age 34 yrs.
   He was bur St. Werburgh's church, Dublin.

Leinster House (front).
Photo 1911. From Wikimedia Commons. Originally from here.

Leinster House (front).
Photo 2002. From Wikimedia Commons.

Leinster House (rear).
Photo 2008. See full size.
From here. See terms of use.

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• Leinster House
  • 360 degree view
  • Leinster House is now the seat of the Irish government.
  • The White House, Washington DC, home of the President of the USA, was partly modelled on the design of Leinster House.

• Frescati House
  • Frescati House was demolished in 1983 by Roches Stores. See [Irish Country Houses], [Pearson, 1998].
  • The site is now occupied by their "Frascati Shopping Centre".

• Placenames in Dublin after this family:
  • Kildare St, Leinster St.
  • The Earl of Kildare Hotel, The Kildare Street club.
  • The continuation of Dame St towards Christ Church is Lord Edward St (after Lord Edward Fitzgerald).
  • "The Lord Edward" pub.

• The Duke of Leinster is the premier peer of Ireland.