Knockrose, Co. Dublin: A Country Club for Wounded Soldiers
How a Co.Dublin farm became a country retreat for wounded soldiers.
Dublin and its hinterland became the temporary home for many wounded soldiers who arrived on hospital ships from the front. They were treated in military hospitals which were being set up around the area β but others, who were well enough, travelled to Stevensonβs Farm in the Dublin mountains for recuperative days out.
They were brought there by car, driven by members of the Irish Automobile Club who wanted to help. Some of the Clubβs members had got to know the Stevenson family during their excursions into the the area. IAC members also organised buffet facilities at the ports and train stations for returning soldiers.
At Stevensonβs farm, the soldiers could βtake the airβ or play football and other games. Tea and meals were provided, too. The Country Club continued to operate for just under a year. In late 1918, the IAC received the prefix βRoyalβ in recognition of its humanitarian services.
During 1916, the Red Cross set up a small hospital on the farm. It was a wooden building with a veranda and up to 80 patients reportedly slept under canvas in the fields. Patricia Farrell, who now runs the farm with her husband Tom, remembers finding some of the Red Cross crockery in the hospital. It included special cups for shell-shocked soldiers, who suffered from tremors.
Patricia and local historian Brian White tell the story of Stevensonβs farm β now called Knockrose β and the Country Club for Wounded Soldiers.
Location: Knockrose, Co. Dublin 53Β°13'20.8"N 6Β°10'46.0"W
Image: Soldiers arriving at Knockrose driven by a member of the Irish Automobile Club
Image courtesy of Royal Irish Automobile Club Archive
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