Daly's Club
Encyclopedia
Daly's Club, with premises known as Daly's Club House, was a gentlemen's club
in Dublin, Ireland
, a centre of social and political life between its origins in about 1750 and its end in 1823.
, Dublin, later described as "the only society, in the nature of club, then existing in the Irish metropolis". The establishment was much frequented by members of the Parliament of Ireland
. In the 1760s, a group of gentlemen who met there constituted themselves as a club, which was said to be named after Henry Grattan
's friend Denis Daly (1748–1791). In some ways this came to resemble White's
in St James's Street, London
, both in importance and exclusivity.
In 1787, the blackballing of William Burton Conyngham
from political motives led to an exodus of members from Daly's, who in the shape of the Kildare Street Club
formed a new club which soon rivalled Daly's as a fashionable haunt.
In 1790 a number of members of Daly's who were also members of the Irish Parliament paid for a new club house at number 3, College Green
, close to the Irish Houses of Parliament
. The new premises, designed by Francis Johnston
, stretched from Anglesey Street to Foster Place and were opened with a grand dinner on 16 February 1791. With marble chimneypieces, white and gold chairs and sofas covered with aurora silk, the new club house was superbly furnished.
Daly's Club reached the height of its notability after its arrival at College Green. It was one of the venues for meetings of the Irish Hell Fire Club
, which met variously at Montpelier Lodge on Montpelier Hill, at the Eagle Tavern on Cork Hill near Dublin Castle
, or at Daly's on College Green.
In 1794, The European Magazine and London Review declared:
However, after the Union with Great Britain
of 1800 put an end to the Irish Parliament by creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
, the Club fell into a decline and was eclipsed by the Kildare Street Club. Daly was followed as manager of the Club by Peter Depoe, who continued in office until 1823, when the Club was closed. By 1841, the Club was described in the Edinburgh magazine as "the once-celebrated, and still well-remembered, "Daly's Club" ".
After the Club's demise, the novel
s of Charles Lever
, such as Charles O'Malley: The Irish Dragoon and The Knight of Gwynne: a Tale of the Time of the Union, gave it a reputation for melodramatic romance.
In Charles O'Malley, Lever gives an impression of the impact of the Club's closure:
In 1866, Charles Dickens
alluded to the fate of the Club in his All the Year Round:
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, a centre of social and political life between its origins in about 1750 and its end in 1823.
History
Daly's had its origins in a Chocolate House, established in about 1750 at numbers 1-3 Dame StreetDame Street
Dame Street is a large thoroughfare in Dublin, Ireland. The street is the location of many banks such as AIB, Ulster Bank and the Central Bank of Ireland. It is close to Ireland's oldest university, Trinity College, Dublin, founded in 1592, the entrance to which is a popular meeting spot.During...
, Dublin, later described as "the only society, in the nature of club, then existing in the Irish metropolis". The establishment was much frequented by members of the Parliament of Ireland
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
. In the 1760s, a group of gentlemen who met there constituted themselves as a club, which was said to be named after Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
's friend Denis Daly (1748–1791). In some ways this came to resemble White's
White's
White's is a London gentlemen's club, established at 4 Chesterfield Street in 1693 by Italian immigrant Francesco Bianco . Originally it was established to sell hot chocolate, a rare and expensive commodity at the time...
in St James's Street, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, both in importance and exclusivity.
In 1787, the blackballing of William Burton Conyngham
William Conyngham
William Burton Conyngham , politician and improver, was born William Burton, the second son of Francis Burton and Mary Conyngham, sister of Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham. In 1781, his name was changed by Royal Licence to inherit the estates of his uncle.Conyngham was a longtime Member of...
from political motives led to an exodus of members from Daly's, who in the shape of the Kildare Street Club
Kildare Street Club
The Kildare Street Club was a gentlemen's club in Dublin, Ireland, at the heart of the Anglo-Irish Protestant Ascendancy.The Club remained in Kildare Street between 1782 and 1977, when it merged with the Dublin University Club...
formed a new club which soon rivalled Daly's as a fashionable haunt.
In 1790 a number of members of Daly's who were also members of the Irish Parliament paid for a new club house at number 3, College Green
College Green
College Green is a three-sided "square" in the centre of Dublin. On its northern side is a building known today as the Bank of Ireland which until 1800 was Ireland's Parliament House. To its east stands Trinity College Dublin, the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. To its south...
, close to the Irish Houses of Parliament
Irish Houses of Parliament
The Irish Houses of Parliament , also known as the Irish Parliament House, today called the Bank of Ireland, College Green due to its use as by the bank, was the world's first purpose-built two-chamber parliament house...
. The new premises, designed by Francis Johnston
Francis Johnston (architect)
See Francis Johnson for English architect of similar name.Francis Johnston was an Irish architect, best known for building the General Post Office on O’Connell Street, Dublin.-Life:...
, stretched from Anglesey Street to Foster Place and were opened with a grand dinner on 16 February 1791. With marble chimneypieces, white and gold chairs and sofas covered with aurora silk, the new club house was superbly furnished.
Daly's Club reached the height of its notability after its arrival at College Green. It was one of the venues for meetings of the Irish Hell Fire Club
Hellfire Club, Dublin
Montpelier Hill is a hill, high in County Dublin, Ireland. It is commonly referred to as the Hell Fire Club , the popular name given to the ruined building at the summit. This building – a hunting lodge built around 1725 by William Conolly – was originally called Mount Pelier and since its...
, which met variously at Montpelier Lodge on Montpelier Hill, at the Eagle Tavern on Cork Hill near Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
, or at Daly's on College Green.
In 1794, The European Magazine and London Review declared:
However, after the Union with Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
of 1800 put an end to the Irish Parliament by creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, the Club fell into a decline and was eclipsed by the Kildare Street Club. Daly was followed as manager of the Club by Peter Depoe, who continued in office until 1823, when the Club was closed. By 1841, the Club was described in the Edinburgh magazine as "the once-celebrated, and still well-remembered, "Daly's Club" ".
After the Club's demise, the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s of Charles Lever
Charles Lever
Charles James Lever was an Irish novelist.-Biography:Lever was born in Dublin, the second son of James Lever, an architect and builder, and was educated in private schools. His escapades at Trinity College, Dublin , where he took the degree in medicine in 1831, are drawn on for the plots of some...
, such as Charles O'Malley: The Irish Dragoon and The Knight of Gwynne: a Tale of the Time of the Union, gave it a reputation for melodramatic romance.
In Charles O'Malley, Lever gives an impression of the impact of the Club's closure:
In 1866, Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
alluded to the fate of the Club in his All the Year Round:
Notable members
- John Philpot CurranJohn Philpot CurranJohn Philpot Curran was an Irish orator, politician and wit, born in Newmarket, County Cork. He was the son of James and Sarah Curran.-Career:...
- Henry FloodHenry FloodHenry Flood , Irish statesman, son of Warden Flood, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he became proficient in the classics...
- Charles Kendal BusheCharles Kendal BusheCharles Kendal Bushe , was an Irish lawyer and judge. Known as "silver-tongued Bushe", he was Solicitor-General for Ireland from 1805 to 1822 and Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland from 1822 to 1841....
- William Conyngham Plunket, 1st Baron Plunket
- Henry GrattanHenry GrattanHenry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
- Sir Hercules Langrishe, 1st BaronetHercules LangrisheSir Hercules Langrishe, 1st Baronet was an Irish politician.He was first elected to represent Knocktopher in the Irish House of Commons in May 1761, and sat until March 1800...
- George PonsonbyGeorge PonsonbyGeorge Ponsonby PC , was a British lawyer and Whig politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background and education:...