Firhouse was historically the site of a small rural settlement near the river bank, and another, Upper Firhouse, nearby. Firhouse lay within the townland of Knocklyon and was owned, over time, by Walter de Ridelford, and later families including the Burnells, the Bathes, the Nugents and the Talbots, eventually being sold by the Duke of Wharton to the famous
Speaker Conolly. In
The History and Antiquities of Tallaght, County Dublin (published in the mid 19th century), George Domville Handcock refers to Firhouse as "a small dirty village, principally inhabited by stonebreakers". and the Moscow Dance Hall was built there in the 1930s, operating for about three years.
Historical accounts A brief history of Firhouse (as "Fir-house") is included in "The History and Antiquities of Tallaght in the County of Dublin",
Kearney family Firhouse was the site, in 1816, of the disappearance of a gamekeeper, and the subsequent hanging of three of the Kearney family for the suspected murder involved. Following the disappearance of John Kinlen, a bloody axe was found near the Kearneys' pub in Firhouse and the Kearneys, a father and two sons, were convicted of the killing. A gallows was built at the suspected scene of the crime, outside their pub, for their hanging. When one son, William, fell through the gallows, it was discovered that he was too tall to be strangled by the rope around his neck, so a hole was dug under the gallows, and the hangman then pulled down on his legs and held onto him until he was dead. No visible reference to this incident can be found in modern Firhouse. ==Governance and politics==