Hill 60 (Ireland)

[GRANVILLE]

My wife and I have recently visited relatives living in southern Ireland and in one of 12 house which were originally built by the British government/army shortly after the war for returning soldiers. We had a very interesting discussion on a number of levels and I wonder if anyone can add to the families understanding of the situation at the time?

For instance: While the properties are clearly built on a hill, it is known it was not referred to as Hill 60 from day 1 and in fact one of the original residents always refused to accept Hill 60 as the address, once it had come into common usage. This raises the question of how, why or when it was given this title, which remains to this day and has its own directional road bearing the name. There is also the question of which Hill 60 it might have been named after - Hill 60 nr Ypres or Hill 60 in the Dardanelles? 

Within the family (which still occupy the house) there is a belief that the houses were built as a group of 12 so as to afford a degree of 'security in numbers'. Is this a common understanding and if so, just how necessary was this at the time? I couldn't help but note that at the time, this particular group of houses would have been distinctly on the outskirts of the town concerned. 

Finally, how much interest did the British government/army have in the occupants once they had moved in?

 

David

Edited 1 July , 2018 by GRANVILLE

[corisande]

What is the exact address of this group of houses - makes it easier to research :-)

[depaor01]

Hill 16, a terrace for spectators in Croke Park, was originally named Hill 60 after the Gallipoli location. It was renamed after the 1916 Rising so it is possible the houses were named after Gallipoli.

Dave 

[GRANVILLE]

26 minutes ago, corisande said:

What is the exact address of this group of houses - makes it easier to research :-)

PM just sent.

[GRANVILLE]

Many thanks to corisande for the very helpful info supplied by PM.

 

David 

[Jervis]

i appreciate you don't want to provide specifics, but can you share some of the information please. I would be interested to know. Thanks

[Wexflyer]

The "secrecy" seems a bit superfluous when maps.google.com will tell you right away....

[GRANVILLE]

I was wary about making mention of a specific address, for no other reason than the property concerned is not mine - it belongs to relatives. The Hill 60 referred to is in Mountmellick. Corisande was quick to figure this out and has kindly put me onto a book written by a former priest and resident of Mountmellick - Tom Phelan. When Tom was younger, he saw and knew many of the former soldiers of Hill 60 and years later went on to write a book entitled The Canal Bridge which draws on much of what he recalls. My wife's grandfather was one of the first residents on Hill 60 and Tom (who I have since made direct contact with) recalls him personally, so putting up this OP has proved immensely worth while. Tom understands that Hill 60 took its name from the Hill 60 nr Ypres. What isn't quite so clear is how it attracted the name because it is known that the 12 houses that were built by the British for this purpose, were not called Hill 60 to start with.

 

David     

[Jervis]

Thanks for posting. I can't provide any info on where the Hill 60 name came from, but I do note Mountmellick is short distance from the 4th Leinsters (special reserve) home barracks in portlaoise. The 1st Leinsters (1915 - St Eloi) and 2nd Leinsters spent long periods in Ypres area.  Possibly there is a connection via the Leinsters if some of the original home owners were Leinster veterans. 

[GRANVILLE]

On 15/07/2018 at 22:48, Jervis said:

Thanks for posting. I can't provide any info on where the Hill 60 name came from, but I do note Mountmellick is short distance from the 4th Leinsters (special reserve) home barracks in portlaoise. The 1st Leinsters (1915 - St Eloi) and 2nd Leinsters spent long periods in Ypres area.  Possibly there is a connection via the Leinsters if some of the original home owners were Leinster veterans. 

I think this goes a long way to explaining and is much appreciated.

 

David