Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

Architect and engineer, of Dublin and Adelaide, Australia. William O'Hara appears to have been a protégé of Matthew Barrington of Glenstal Castle, Co. Limerick. He proposed a design for Glenstal in 1833, which is still at the house,(1) and he also signed an undated panoramic watercolour elevation of Barrington's Hospital, Limerick (designed by FREDERICK DARLEY[2]  FREDERICK DARLEY[2] in 1829) with the adjacent Mont de Pieté, which was built at Matthew Barrington's expense in 1837.(2) Whether he designed the Mont de Pieté himself is not clear. He is presumably the person of the same name who was employed by the Shannon Commissioners from 1835 to 1839.(3)

William O'Hara, Esq., of Sandymount, Dublin, was one of the two supervisors of works to the Paving Board from 1839 or earlier until 1847 or later.(4)   He emigrated with his family to Adelaide, Australia, in 1849, and was appointed one of the commissioners of main roads in December of that year.  He resigned the position shortly afterwards in April 1850 but remained in South Australia until his death near Freeling at the age of eighty on 29 September 1872.   His son, also named William, who was about twenty-seven at the time the family emigrated to Australia, was also a surveyor of roads.(5)

Two plans by O'Hara, for a proposed new road between Tritonville and Serpentine Avenue, Sandymount, are among the Pembroke Estate papers in the National Archives.(6) A Mr O'Hara was entrant in the Kingsbridge station competition of 1845.(7)

Address: 2 Percy Place, Dublin, 1836; Newgrove House, Sandymount, 1844.(8)

See WORKS;  see also WILLIAM O'HARA [1] WILLIAM O'HARA [1] , who may be the same person.



References



(1) M. Tierney & J. Cornforth, 'Glenstal Castle, Co. Limerick', Country Life 156 (3 Oct 1974), 934-936(illus.); The Old Limerick Journal 24 (Winter 1988, 'Barrington's Edition'), 60(illus.).
(2) Signed undated drawing, whereabouts unknown; repr. The Old Limerick Journal 24 (Winter 1988, 'Barrington's Edition'), 53; photograph in IAA.
(3) Sarah Bendell, ed., Dictionary of Land Surveyors and Local Map-Makers of Great Britain and Ireland 1530-1850 (2nd edition, 1997), II, 385.
(4) Post Office Directory (1839); Post Office Directory(1844); in Pettigrew & Oulton's Directory (1847), 282, he is described as 'William O'Hara, Esq., Sandymount' although no person of this name appears in the Sandymount section of the street directory. The 1844 directory lists a William O'Hara at New Grove House, Sandymount.
(5) Information about William O'Hara's emigration and life in Australia was kindly provided by Heather Merran, Gawler. South Australia, Feb 2013.
(6) NA Acc. 2011/2/3/4 & 5.
(7) J. Sheehy, Kingsbridge Station (Gatherum I, 1973), 7-8.
(8) See note 4, above. He is described as William O'Hara, CE and architect, of Newgrove House, Sandymount, in a sub-lease dated 16 Aug 1844 of a piece of land on Strand Road, Sandymount, on which Nos. 57-63 Strand Road were subsequently built (among title deeds belonging to owner of 63 Strand Road); according to this document O'Hara was building Nos. 51-55 at the time.


4 work entries listed in chronological order for O'HARA, WILLIAM [2]


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Building: CO. LIMERICK, GLENSTAL CASTLE
Date: 1833
Nature: Proposed design.
Refs: M. Tierney & J. Cornforth, 'Glenstal Castle, Co. Limerick', Country Life 156 (3 Oct 1974), 934-936(illus.); The Old Limerick Journal 24 (Winter 1988, 'Barrington's Edition'), 60(illus.).

Building: CO. LIMERICK, LIMERICK, BARRINGTON'S QUAY, MONT DE PIETÉ
Date: 1837a
Nature: Domed, classical building possibly designed by W.O'H. Built at expense of Matthew Barrington. Opened March 1837. (Converted into policae barrack, 1847, and demolished, 1892)
Refs: Panoramic elevation of Barrington's Hospital and Mont de Pieté, signed 'W.O'Hara, Archt', whereabouts unknown; repr. The Old Limerick Journal 24 (Winter 1988, 'Barrington's Edition'), 53 (photograph in IAA); M. Lenihan, Limerick; its history and antiquities (1866), 480; Henry John Porter, 'On the Mont de Pieté system of pawnbroking in Ireland', Journal of the Statistical Society of London Vol. 3, No. 3 (Oct., 1840), 293-303; North Munster Antiquarian Journal (1950), ?

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, STRAND ROAD (SANDYMOUNT), NO. 051-55
Date: 1844
Nature: W.O'H in progress of building same in Aug 1844.
Refs: Sub-lease dated 16 Aug 1844 of a piece of land on Strand Road, Sandymount, on which Nos. 57-63 Strand Road were subsequently built (among title deeds belonging to owner of 63 Strand Road); according to this document O'Hara was building Nos. 51-55 at the time.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, KINGSBRIDGE, RAILWAY STATION (GREAT SOUTHERN & WESTERN RAILWAY TERMINUS)
Date: 1845
Nature: 'Mr O'Hara' (not necessarily William O'Hara) a competition entrant.
Refs: J. Sheehy, Kingsbridge Station (Gatherum I, 1973), 7-8.