The street is named after the AugustinianAbbey of St. Thomas, founded in 1175, near the later St. Catherine's church.[1][2] The founder was William FitzAldelm, deputy and kinsman of King Henry II. The monastery was dedicated to Thomas Beckett (St. Thomas the Martyr), the English Archbishop of Canterbury who had recently been murdered in his cathedral by followers of the king and declared a saint by the Church. The monastery became a rich and powerful one, which controlled the Liberty of Thomas Court and Donore. In 1539 it was dissolved with all the monasteries by King Henry VIII.[3] Over the following 150 years the churches in the neighbourhood passed over to the reformed church, while Roman Catholic priests led a precarious existence tending to the larger part of the population, which remained faithful to the old religion.[4]
From the mid-16th century, the Lord of this Liberty was the Earl of Meath, whose family acquired the lands of the abbey from Henry VIII when he dissolved the monasteries.[5]
In 1803 this street was the scene of the events surrounding the insurrection organised by Robert Emmet, where Lord Kilwarden was killed. Many of the participants in what turned out to be a riot were from this street and neighbouring streets.[6]
Location
The street runs from Cornmarket to the Saint James's Gate Brewery, where Guinness is brewed; there Thomas Street connects with James's Street.
Patrick Lynch (1916), living at number 29 of Thomas Street, he was a participant in the Easter Rising. Considered a veteran of Easter Week 1916.[8]
Dominic Corrigan (1802-1880), a prominent physician, was born in Thomas St., where his father had a shop selling farm tools. He was known for his original observations on heart disease.[9]
James Whitelaw (1749-1813), historian and statistician, was clergyman in St. Catherine's, Thomas St., when he died of a fever contracted while visiting afflicted parishioners.[10]
In 1907, it was planned to build a fire station on Thomas Street, to replace the makeshift station already at Winetavern Street, a proposal that had been on the table since 1898. In 1909, some city councillors moved to shelve the plans, proposing that the money be spent on paying off the Dublin Corporation's loans instead. However this motion failed to garner enough votes to pass, after a lengthy debate, and in November 1909 building of the station was finally given the go-ahead. The building was renovated in 2008 and became part of the National College of Art and Design.[11]
References
^Bardon, Carol and Jonathan (1988). If Ever You Go to Dublin Town. Belfast: The Blackstaff Press. p. 92. ISBN0-85640-397-0.
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