IRELAND : CO CORK
Cork city
Montpellier Terrace. Reference in death notice in Cork newspaper, 1844, and other references of 1855 and 1911. Now subsumed in another street-name? There is a Montpelier Road in Temple Hill, Cork (2004)
Douglas
Montpelier Road, Donnybrook. No further detail; seen in online house advertisement, 2001.
IRELAND : CO DUBLIN
Montpelier Hill (also seen as Mount Pelier), Tallaght
A prominent rounded hill about 10 miles south of Dublin in Tallaght parish, since 1720 adorned with a building -- now ruined -- called the Hellfire Club (sketch above is by Pat Liddy). The building was the work of Speaker Conolly, shortly after he purchased this estate; the name Montpelier Hill, reckoned to have been his choice, dates from about this time too. The reason for naming of this and the other early example in Dublin (see next) is unrecorded, but it may well have been because, as hills, both spots were considered airy and healthful.
Montpelier Hill, Dublin
Today a street name in Dublin 7, and first seen on Brookings' 1728 map - see extract below.
From studying the 1728 map, and having seen the site, it seems clear that the original Montpelier Hill was a form of infill development, taking advantage of a sliver of land running behind the barracks but within the northern edge of the city wall – and near the entrance to Phoenix Park. At the edge of town, it would have fitted reasonably with the "favoured elevated position" explanation of other Montpelliers. The 1728 map shows all the building development as lying on the north side of the street, ie with a presumably uninterrupted view southwards over the Liffey.
'The Barracks founded in 1706, at the expense of the Crown, are supposed to be the largest and handsomest in Europe.... It consists of four open and spacious courts, whose elevated situation is at once healthy, and commands a fine prospect.' (Description of the City of Dublin, 1803)
With the barracks firmly dated to 1706, it looks possible that the street, which fits neatly along the shoulder of land behind the barracks, continuing the line of Arbour Hill, was projected soon after; the 1728 map suggests complete and uniform development along the north side by that date, though the greater detail on the 1756 map shows some gaps and a mixture of house sizes and types.
Nearby are the modern houses of Montpelier Drive and Montpelier Park.
Montpelier, Monkstown
In the south-eastern suburbs of Dublin city. Locality name noted in 1851 Census, now represented by streetnames Montpelier Parade, Montpelier Place, Montpelier Manor. The oldest of these is the terrace of Georgian houses in Montpelier Parade, of about 1790-1800. These houses, some of the first in the locality, were built by Mr Molesworth Green on an attractive site that originally had an uninterrupted view of the sea. The locality name Montpelier derived from a dwelling near Green's development: an auction of furniture was held there for Mr Thomas Byrne in 1748, as well as of the house itself, on which he had laid out £2,500. (This may suggest the house was but recently completed.) The house is at the end of the parade, and is now called Shandon. Sir William Betham, for many years Ulster King of Arms, died there in 1853.
Montpelier Place, Blackrock
No 2 Montpelier Place in Stradbrook Road bears a plaque commemorating the residence there (from 1879) of the poet Charles J Kickham (1828-1882). [is this identical with Montpelier Place in Monkstown?]
Montpelier House, near Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire)
Birthplace (11 August 1835) of Henry Grattan Guinness, divine and author (Dictionary of National Biography). Present status of this house unknown.
IRELAND : CO GALWAY
Athenry parish
Montpelier is a townland in this parish. A scattered settlement with no village structure. The 1850 valuation (earliest reference yet seen) shows it covered 305 acres, but contained no more than 4 houses. Clearly predates 1850, but not known by how much. On today's map it is marked as just one building, about 3 or 4 miles north-north-east of Athenry on the road to Monivea.
An extract from the 1850 Valuation schedule. Columns show occupiers, land area, valuation of lands, and valuation of buildings.
Galway city
Montpelier Terrace, in existence since at least 1920, when Fr Griffin, who died in the Republican cause, lived there. [is the same as Montpelier Terrace, The Crescent, Galway?]
IRELAND : CO LIMERICK
Montpelier
A village on the banks of the Shannon, north-east of Limerick. First reference 1768 (as Mount Pellier); used to have a "sulphureous spa of great virtue in ulcerous and cutaneous diseases", but this was in decline by 1837, because other waters had been allowed to mingle with it, and its "efficacy had been diminished". Subject of a poem by Joe Carroll, starting thus:
O Montpelier I long to see
Your smiling face once more.
Your hills and vales by Shannon's waves,
Home of story, song and lore.
One Frederick Bourke is listed as a farmer there in 1832, having houses and land at Montpelier, in the townland of the same name, in the parish of Stradbally, to the value of £20.