Here is an great story from Mr Dónal U. MacCraith, giving some details of what Santry was like between 1950 - 1972

From Mr Dónal U. MacCraith, Received on 16 October 2009

Dear Santry Info,

I grew up in Swords Road, Santry where I lived from 1950 to 1972 when I emigrated to London although I return regularly. The agricultural land behind our house was owned by the Redhouse family who lived on the Royal Oak Farm at the corner of Coolock Lane where they ran a dairy farm with dairy cattle that grazed in their fields. They also owned some cornfields and in the summer we used to help the farmer Mr Redhouse and family to save the hay that was then stored in their barns. In the late 1960s they sold some land for Santry Close to be built and in the early 1970s Mr William Redhouse, who had inherited Royal Oak Farm from his late father, sold the rest for housing and industrial development including the Royal Oak Estate at the Swords Road end of Coolock Lane. On selling their farm Mr William Redhouse (Farmer Bill), his wife Ann and their family moved to the 333-acre Newgrange Farm, Slane, Co. Meath

I have other memories of Santry (the Swiss Village) in the 1950s. There were several Swiss Cottages where the row of shops is now. One of them was a blacksmith's forge near where the SPAR shop is now. That shop was first run by Gerry' O'Brien, then Mr Fagan before current owners. There was a small shop King's run by King brothers where the chipshop is now. There was an old house The Pavilion where the new Community Centre is now. It would be great to find and share old photographs of Santry village.

Mr Dónal U. MacCraith