Prehistory

There are a number of extant or proposed prehistoric sites in Douglas and the surrounding area, including a shell midden, ringforts, souterrains, and a fulacht fiadh. Further evidence of prehistoric settlement in the area includes the finding of a Bronze Age decorated beaten gold disc in the townland of Castletreasure; although reputed to be related to the ruined castle of the same name, it has actually been dated to 2500-2000 BC.

Origins (13th-17th century)

The first known mention of Douglas is in an inquisition on the lands of Gerald de Prendergast in 1251, and in a 1291 taxation document which records the lands as being an appurtenance of the Church of Bauvier. It is alternately listed as “Duffelglasse” and “Duglasse” in 1302 and 1306, respectively, as part of the parish of Carrigaline. In the year 1603, it became one of the liberties of Cork City. In 1615, parochial records mention the chapel of Douglas being laid waste, reportedly due to theft of the foundation stones, and in a 1700 entry of the same records it is mentioned that the ruined chapel in question had been the church of Carrigaline parish for a century prior to the construction of a new church in Carrigaline itself. By the mid-seventeenth century, it had a population of 308 people (of whom 33 were English) and consisted of a number of large farms.

Urbanisation and the linen industry

The area began to develop as an urban settlement in the early eighteenth century with the opening of the “Douglas factory” in 1726, reported in August 1755 to be the property of “Messrs. Perry, Carleton and Co.”, with 100 looms initially operational. The mills produced sail-cloth and supplied sails to the Royal Navy, amongst other clients. The industry was established by Huguenot weavers and textile workers, such as the Besnards, who acquired the Mills by 1783 and in 1801 installed the first powered spindles in Ireland, along with skilled workers from Ulster and Scotland. In addition to the mill workers, employees included over 1,000 spinners working from their houses, and hacklers, bleachers and labourers tasked with preparing raw material in Douglas village.

Terrace built for mill workers, Grange Road

Further textile mills opened in the nineteenth century, including an additional Besnard-owned scutching mill (Ravensdale, 1806), Lane’s Corn and Hemp Mills (now Douglas Community Park, 1845), O’Brien’s Brothers (St Patrick’s Woollen Mills, 1882), Donnybrook Mills (Wallis & Pollock Flax Mills, 1866; re-opened as Morroghs’ Woolen Mills, 1889/1890) and Conroy’s Rope and Twine Mills (now Galway’s Lane, 1892). Most of the mills ceased to operate in the early twentieth century, although St Patrick’s Woollen Mills and Donnybrook Mills continued to operate until the 1970s. Some of the houses built for the mill workers are still in existence, including a terrace of houses near the junction of the Grange Road and Donnybrook Hill.

Other large businesses of the time included an Osiery beside Conroy’s Mills, two large brick manufacturers which straddled the nearby estuary, the Ravensdale Flour Mill, and the Woodville Flour Mill which was situated south of the Rochestown train station and produced sea biscuits and ship bread.

Suburban development

Douglas developed as a suburban area throughout the later eighteenth century and the nineteenth century, and was noted for the high concentration of ‘big houses’. The popularity of the area among the nobility was such that elevated prices were commanded for the surrounding lands, and as a result, the acreage of the estates was lower than average. The oldest house was believed to have been Ronayne’s Court, built in 1627 by Morris Ronayne; although the house was demolished in 1969, the original inscribed fireplace was moved to Blackrock Castle. The nearby Montfieldstown House was reputed to be the inspiration for Havisham House of Dickens’ Great Expectations, having been abandoned following a ruined wedding. Bloomfield House was connected to a notorious libel case between the prominent Cork Pike and Beamish families, in which the judge, who ruled in favour of Pike in Pike v Beamish, was given the house upon announcement of the verdict by the mother of the plaintiff. Windsor House was occupied by Lord Bandon, Sir Abraham Sutton and the Kiltegan Fathers, before being redeveloped as the Rochestown Park Hotel. Ballybrack House was occupied by the Lane family, also of Vernon Mount, and is the birthplace of art dealer Sir Hugh Lane. It received frequent visits from Lady Gregory, a close relation of the family. High Court, built in 1720 and later known as Westgrove, was the birthplace of playwright and Abbey director Lennox Robinson. Grange House was home of the Conron family, descended from Sir Christopher Hatton, for over 300 years. Douglas Hall, one of the few remaining examples of a slate-fronted house in Ireland, was home to Rev. Dr. Francis Moylan, Bishop of Cork, who was made a freeman for his rhetorical opposition to the French invasion at Bantry Bay during the 1798 Rebellion. Vernon Mount, which was built for a wealthy merchant family in the late 18th century, was occupied by Sir Henry Browne Hayes, who was sentenced to penal servitude in Botany Bay after attempting to abduct an heiress for forced marriage. Other prominent Big Houses included Ravenscourt House, Old Court, Norwood Court, Ballybrack House, Donnybrook House, Montpelier House, Grange Erin, Castletreasure House, Bellvue House, Tramore House (home of the philanthropic Reeves family), and Maryborough House (now the Maryborough House Hotel, with an earlier late-17th century lodge).

Douglas was made a separate Roman Catholic parish sometime before 1768. St Columba’s (Roman Catholic) church was built in 1814 by the Rev. Thomas Barry, according to local legend using the stones of the ruined castle of Castletreasure. A Douglas “Chapel of Ease” to the Church of Ireland parish of Carrigaline was established on 17 September 1786, with the establishment of a full separate parish in February 1875. In 1855, the Protestant population of the parish was reported as having been 310, with 150 children attending the parish school. The 1785 church was rebuilt and reconsecrated on 27 August 1875 as St Luke’s church, however, following the death of the resident Canon in 1886, as well as the principal architect, the church remained without a spire until 1889, with the church bell and tower clock donated by Mary Reeves of Tramore House, with the stipulation that the clock face towards her front door. Notable parishioners interred at St Luke’s include the poet Richard Alfred Milliken and librarian Richard Caulfield; in addition, a plaque was erected in the memory of art collector Sir Hugh Lane, deceased in the sinking of the Lusitania. The nearby parish of St Finbar’s opened a chapel of ease in Frankfield in 1838, later known as the Holy Trinity, on ground donated by Samuel Lane. An additional graveyard, located on Carr’s Hill, was opened in 1848 on land donated by the Master of the Workhouse, George Carr, to deal with the increase in deaths from the Great Famine.

In 1898, the Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company built a route from Cork city centre to Douglas. This operated until 1932 when it was replaced by a bus service.

Later developments (20th-21st century)

In the second half of the twentieth century, Douglas underwent major changes as it became a full-fledged suburb of Cork. New housing was built and the area between Douglas and Cork City became built-up. Schools, shopping centres and other amenities developed to serve this new population. Douglas Community School was built in 1968, and the original Douglas Shopping Centre was completed in 1972. This shopping centre underwent a significant redevelopment at the turn of the 21st century (although, as of 2020, was closed following a fire). A second shopping centre, Douglas Court Shopping Centre, was built in the late 1980s and a 5-screen cinema (since demolished) was also built. Several hotels, including the Rochestown Park Hotel and Maryborough House Hotel, were also developed.

Following the release of the MacKinnon Report in 2017, covering a possible extension of Cork city’s boundary, it was proposed that the Douglas area (including Douglas, Frankfield, Grange and Donnybrook) would be moved to the administrative area of Cork City Council. This, if implemented, would move all of Douglas to the city, ending the divide of the town between the city and county. The boundary change (incorporating parts of Ballincollig, Douglas, Glanmire, and Rochestown within the city boundary) occurred in late May 2019.