Plan of 29 fields, numbered consecutively 53-81, with reference table listing occupier and acreage of each field. Pencilled annotation gives different acreage and occupier in some cases.

Elevation of the west front and plan of Mountjoy Square laid out on the rising ground, near George’s Church - the estate of the Right Hon. Luke Gardiner, and now (1787), to be let for building - Lord Mountjoy’s plan. General information: This engraving features the original plan for the development which was later to become known as Mountjoy Square. The area was surveyed and laid out in 1787 by Thomas Sherrard for the second Luke Gardiner, who later became Viscount Mountjoy. It was intended that the square should contain a central park, measuring 600 feet on each side. St. George’s Church in nearby Temple St, built by Sir John Eccles in 1714, was considered to be in need of a replacement. As this plan shows, it was intended to build the new St. Georges Church in the centre of the park. A note to this effect in the lower left hand corner (later cancelled) also states that the church yard would be retained at Temple St. In the event, the new St. George’s Church was built at its present location in Hardwicke Place. The central park was subsequently developed with an ash tree as its main feature instead of the church. The west front of the projected square is shown in elevation. This, if executed, would have been a major development, a four-storey building with frontage of almost 600 feet, surmounted by a central dome. The frontispiece was to include large pilasters and a triangular pediment, and was to have been ornamented with statues and urns. The architect is unknown, and is unlikely to have been Thomas Sherrard, who is credited merely with the survey and not with the elevation. The cost of erecting such a grandiose edifice must have been prohibitive and it was never built. In the end, the architecture of Mountjoy Square was similar to that employed elsewhere in Dublin, consisting of regular terraces with little ornamentation. The reason for the presence of this engraving among the archives of the Wide Street Commission is not clear, since that project was to be a private development by Luke Gardiner and was not submitted to the Commission for discussion or approval. The dual role of Thomas Sherrard as Secretary to the Commission as well as, in this instance, surveyor to Gardiner, may be a sufficient explanation. An engraving identical to this one, but without cancellation of the note in the lower left-hand corner, is in the National Library of Ireland. Surveyor: Thomas Sherrard, 60 Capel St. Scale: Not stated Size: 21" x 17¾" - 54 cms x 45 cms Paper (1 sheet, watermark ‘J. Kool’ with fleur-de-lis set in an oval frame under a coronet); engraving; mss. annotations.

Thomas McGarry was a fireman on board the H. M. S. Laurentic when it struck two mines off Lough Swilly, Donegal, on 25 Janaury 1917. McGarry along with 353 onboard were killed. Thomas McGarry's Memorial Plaque (also known as a Dead Man's Penny) was uncovered near a house on Clancy's Strand, Limerick, by a family member of this contributor. This story seeks to shed some light on Thomas McGarry through archival records related to this WW1 Memorial Plaque. The attached Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Graves Roll record indicates McGarry had a wife named Delia, residing at 8, King's Island, Limerick City, near to where the memorial plaque was discovered. Searches for Thomas or Delia McGarry on the Irish National Archives 1901 and 1911 census have proved inconclusive. The SS Laurentic had a notable past before its sinking in WW1. It was built by Harland and Wolff in 1907, originally commisioned as the Alberta. Launched in 1908, the Laurentic served between Liverpool and Quebec, and was widely noted for it's fast speed, especially in the capture of the murderer Hawley Harvey Crippen. After the outbreak of WW1, the Laurentic was commisioned as a troop transport for the Canadian Expeditionary Force. On the 23 January 1917, the Laurentic departed Liverpool for Halifax, Nova Scotia, carrying 35 tons of gold ingots for the payment of munitions. The ship struck two mines on the night of 25 January 1917, and sunk in approx. 45 minutes. The freezing and stormy conditions resulted in many men succumbing to the elements in their lifeboats before being rescued. Much of the gold was salvaged after the sinking but some gold ingots remain under the sea bed today. It is hoped the story of Thomas McGarry and the H.M.S Laurnetic can be expanded on by this contribution to Europeana 1914-1918. Sources: Robert Guthrie, 'H.M.S Laurentic', North Irish Roots, Vol. 13, No. 1 (2002), pp. 22-25 || Thomas McGarry Memorial Plaque, Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate, Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Graves Roll Record, British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918 Record.