There is evidence of
Neolithic settlement between the southern ridge of the
Phoenix Park and the
Liffey and several
burial mounds exist to the north of the village. Aerial photography has also revealed several prehistoric and
early medieval settlements in the vicinity of the modern village. Aside from these archaeological remains, the etymology of the village indicates an association with
Princess Iseult or Isolde from the Arthurian legend of
Tristan and Isolde; the village derives its name from a chapel consecrated in her honour. The historical record details the establishment of a manor by Hugh Tyrell after the Anglo-Norman invasion of
1169. In
1177, Tyrell, Baron of Castleknock, granted lands at
Kilmainham to the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem (
Knights Hospitallers). The grant included a portion of the land that now makes up Phoenix Park and Chapelizod. In 1200, the land in Chapelizod was leased by King John to Richard De La Field, and was leased by the family for 200 years. The area is referenced as 'capella Isolde' in 1228 in the Register Book of the Archbishops of Dublin. During the 1500s, crown yeoman and chief sergeant of County Dublin, Robert Savage, lived in Chapelizod. In the 1600s,
Sir John Davies,
Attorney-General for Ireland, and Sir Henry Power lived in the area. After the
dissolution of the monasteries, the lands reverted to the Crown and from that time onward were used as a Royal seat. This was made explicit by the
Duke of Ormonde after he successfully lobbied for the creation of an enclosed deer park outside Dublin in 1662. The King's House, a Royal Residence built by and used as an out-of-town residence by the Viceroy, formerly faced the millrace on the banks of the Liffey. It was used as the royal residence in Ireland until the mid-eighteenth century when the
Viceregal Lodge was completed in the Phoenix Park. In 1671, Colonel Richard Lawrence settled a number of
Huguenots in the village with the intention of establishing a linen industry (with some success). Later,
William III stayed during the
Williamite Wars in Ireland, holding court and redressing grievances. During much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Chapelizod was a prosperous village close to the centre of Dublin. == Transport ==