George Roe, a former lord mayor of Dublin and the owner of one of the most significant distilleries in Europe during the 19th century, passed away on the 20th of July, 1863. He was born in 1796 in Booterstown, Co Dublin, to Peter and Margaret Roe, a family that played a pivotal role in the Liberties’ history. In 1819, George got wedded to Mary, the late Thomas and Elizabeth Franklin’s daughter.
In the early 1820s, George took control of a distillery on Thomas Street from his father, which he later merged with another family-owned distillery based in Pimlico. This amalgamation formed George Roe & Co., a distillery that stretched across 17 acres from Thomas Street to River Liffey. By 1887, the distillery had grown to become the region’s leading whiskey producer.
The nephew of George, Henry Roe jnr, is famed for funding the refurbishment of Christ Church Cathedral and Synod Hall construction, with £230,000 pounds, equivalent to approximately €35 million today. A significant, 1759-built smock windmill powered the distillery, which is still present within the grounds of the Guinness brewery, known as St Patrick’s Tower.
In honour of George Roe, Diageo has recently transformed the former Guinness Powerhouse on Thomas Street into a whiskey distillery, producing a new drink named Roe & Co. They’ve also revitalised Mae’s grave at Mount Jerome Cemetery.
After succeeding Daniel O’Connell as lord mayor of Dublin in 1842, George Roe became a Dublin Corporation member. Apart from a personal friendship with O’Connell, Roe was also a strong supporter of Catholic Emancipation and identified as politically Liberal. Amongst his roles in public service, he was a deputy lieutenant for Dublin City, justice of the peace and chief magistrate. His appointment to the Wide Streets Commission came in 1847, the same year that he served as high sheriff. He was also a committee member for several other corporation entities, notably the Vartry Water Committee, a project aimed at supplying Dublin with potable water to counteract the rising cholera outbreaks.
George Roe, appointed chairman for the Great Industrial Exhibition in 1853 hosted by the Royal Dublin Society at Leinster House, stood at the precipice of Irish literature’s golden era and the emergence of Gallic football. This was written about by Frank McNally, who also commented on the Great Industrial Exhibition and the imprisonment happening within Dublin’s Grand Canal.
The exhibition received substantial financial backing from William Dargan, a renowned railway tycoon. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert graced it with their presence in the month of August that year, accompanied by the Prince of Wales. Despite not being a scholar by trade, George Roe was inducted into the Royal Irish Academy in January 1852, garnering the endorsement of the Queen’s College Cork’s inaugural president Sir Robert Kane, and George Petrie – a respected antiquarian.
Roe resided in Nutley, located on Stillorgan Road, which is currently occupied by Elm Park Golf & Sports Club. The small Georgian house, widely referred to as Nutley House, is believed to be a creation of Irish architects Richard and William Vitruvius Morrison. Roe entrusted the design of his Nutley garden to Ninian Niven, who held the position of a director at the Botanic Gardens. The garden features a park, lake, and belvedere with remnants of these still visible to this day. It has been said that Roe’s estate at Nutley was one of the finest in Dublin county, with an “exquisite” landscape surrounding a grandly appointed mansion.
In the 1860s, due to deteriorating health, Alderman Roe stepped down from his positions at the distillery and his public offices. Following medical advice, George and Mary Roe relocated to Torquay in Devon, known for its gentler climate, where George passed away on 20th July 1863. His body was transported back to Dublin to be interred at Mount Jerome Cemetery. The funeral procession, commencing from his Nutley home, was one of the most sizeable the city had witnessed since Daniel O’Connell’s, who was a personal friend of Roe’s. As the funeral made its way through Donnybrook, businesses shut their doors, and the inhabitants paid homage to their benefactor. Mary, his widow, came into possession of his whole estate, including the family business. In one of numerous tributes to George Roe it was written, “He was venerated for his honesty and conduct as a gentleman and citizen, across all political parties and religious faiths, thus his passing will cause grief among a wide circle of friends and the public”. After George’s passing, Mary continued to reside at Nutley until her own demise in 1877.