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Etymology[edit]
The current name 'Blessington' was first recorded in 1667. It may be based on a false etymology that confused the surname Coimín with the Irish word comaoin, which means blessing.
Ancient and medieval history[edit]
Gold lunula (2400 BCE - 2000 BCE) found in Blessington and now in the British Museum
Evidence of Bronze Age activity in the area is demonstrated by the spectacular Blessington gold lunula, now in the British Museum. The nearby Rath Turtle Moat was occupied from the 12th century onward by Norse Gaels and Normans.
Blessington was previously called Munfine, and in the medieval period was part of the lordship of Threecastles; Threecastles Castle is a three-storey tower house situated 5 km from Blessington, which was most likely built by Gerald Fitzgerald, Lord Deputy of Ireland, or his son Sir James Fitzgerald.
The abandoned medieval village of Burgage More is just south of Blessington town. It was an ecclesiastical settlement and is the site of a ruined tower house and church. A granite high cross named St. Mark's Cross was erected there in the 12th century beside a holy well. The cross was moved from Burgage More to Burgage Cemetery in the 20th century due to the construction of the Poulaphouca Reservoir and rising water levels.
Early modern history[edit]
In 1667, Michael Boyle, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, bought the lordship, previously the property of the Cheevers, for £1,000. Archbishop Boyle received a royal charter to establish the town of Blessington, in the townland of Munfine, as a borough.
Construction of Blessington House was begun in 1673 and afterwards St Mary's Church on Main Street, which was completed in 1683. On Archbishop Boyle's death in December 1702, his son, Murrough Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington, inherited the Blessington estate. Lord Blessington's son, Charles, 2nd Viscount Blesington, died in June 1732 without an heir, and the estate was inherited by his sister Anne, then her son, William Stewart, 1st Earl of Blessington. The earl died in August 1769 without an heir and the estate passed to Charles Dunbar, a great-grandson of the 1st Viscount Blessington, who also died heirless in 1778, when the estate passed to Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough, whose seat was Hillsborough Castle in Hillsborough, County Down, a great-great-grandson of Archbishop Boyle. Lord Hillsborough was created as the 1st Marquess of Downshire in August 1789. The Hills held the estate until 1908.
The Downshire Hotel, a landmark on Main Street, is now closed
The main road of the town is an example of a planned improvement of towns and villages associated with estates in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Arthur Hill, the 3rd Marquess of Downshire commissioned a house to be built for his agent c. 1820. The building later operated as the Downshire Hotel, until its closure in 2005. The Marquess was also responsible for the construction of several prominent buildings in the town such as the Market House (c. 1820), Downshire Lodge (c. 1830), and the Parish schoolhouse (c. 1830).
Russborough House, situated approximately 5 km south of Blessington, was built by the Leeson family, Earls of Milltown, and became the home of philanthropist Sir Alfred Beit (1903–1994), before becoming a museum.
20th-century history[edit]
During the Irish Civil War, Blessington became a place of strategic importance for the Anti-Treaty forces who regrouped in the town after defeat in Dublin. It was envisioned that they could use the town as a base from which to link up with other Anti-Treaty fighters to launch a new attack on Dublin in July 1922. However, the plan was hampered by lack of coordination and provisions. The Anti-Treaty forces were quickly dispersed following a skirmish with Free State troops.
Above the nearby village of Lacken in the early hours of 18 April 1941, an RAF Handley Page Hampden aircraft (Registration AD730) got lost in bad weather and crashed on Black Hill (Kilbeg) killing its entire crew of four. The airmen were brought to Blessington and buried with full military honors on 22 April 1941 at St. Mary's Church by order of the Irish Government. The Irish Times the day after reported that “During the funeral all shops in Blessington were closed and blinds drawn on windows.” A memorial stone was unveiled at the crash site on 18 April 1991.
Modern development[edit]
View of Blessington town from a field north of the town.
Since the turn of the 21st century, Blessington's population has increased substantially, more than doubling from 2,509 at the 2002 census, to 5,010 by the time of the 2011 census. Population reached 5,611 in 2022. The majority of housing estates were constructed on the western side of the town, off the R410, which is the road to Naas. A new inner bypass has also been opened that alleviates traffic on Main Street to some degree.
Infrastructure improvements since 2005 include a playground, fire station, a central retail development, including a Dunnes Stores outlet and a public library (opened in 2006) above it, expansion of a SuperValu supermarket, and addition of an ALDI supermarket.
