Glendalough

Glendalough means 'valley of the two lakes', and is appropriate because the suburb is located between Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake. The name honours a Catholic centre in Ireland in which a hermaitage (monastery) was established in the seventh century. A crown grant for Glendalough and a portion of Herdsman Lake was made in 1837 to Thomas Helms. After several changes of ownership, the land was transferred to Bishop Gibney in 1887, who leased much of it to market gardeners. The locality of Glendalough has a strong association with the Catholic Church. The northern portion passed through several orders of the Roman Catholic Churd until 1921, when it was used by the Little Sisters of the Poor as the site for a rest home. In 1949 the State Housing Commission purchased part of Glendalough for subdivision and began to develop the area.