Courtlands Residents Association History
Courtlands Residents Association has a proud tradition of representing the residents of Courtlands since its inception in 1972. Some of the founding members were Mattie Power – Chairman, Mary Barry – Secretary, Jim O’Connor – Treasurer and they started a long tradition of dedicated members caring for the estate which continues to this day.
All houses at the time were sold off the plans and the first house, No. 1 Walnut Lawn, was completed in 1971. Notable residents of the past include Dana, Veronica Mc Sweeney, Ian Dempsey and Henry Kelly. The association has cared for and developed the estate throughout the years making it one of the premier estates in Dublin winning many awards over the years.
Some of the many social events organised by the association over the years included community week, dinner dances and barbeques, children’s parties, sports events and visits by Santa Claus going door to door during the Christmas seasons. Subsidising of Christmas presents by the Association added to the Christmas spirit. The Association had a very active Drama Society and many productions were put on and details of these and copies of the programmes are detailed in the Drama Section of this site in the photos section. The estate enlisted the services of a mobile shop (Volkswagen minibus) which was used to raise funds for the events run by the Association.
The accounts, meticulously maintained by Jim O’Connor since 1972, show the initial subscription was £1.00 per year. This ensured that all activities were fully financed at the time. Insurance then was £15.00 with the present day premium being €700.00. Contributions with annual increases were consistently paid which have continued to be sufficient to maintain the estate up to today and are the life blood of the Association.
Many hardworking members of the committee too numerous to mention contributed greatly throughout the years. Maintaining the appearance of our entrances and common areas has always been a priority for our Association and has considerably enhanced the appearance of the estate. On the retirement of Michael Beirne who expertly maintained the Estate from 1985-2003, we were fortunate to engage the services of Tom Kellegher, a Courtlands resident. We are continually updating the appearance of the estate to a very high level and this makes the estate a very pleasant place to live. The Association depends heavily on the goodwill of the residents and this is the essence of maintaining and developing the estate.