Rathcoole derives its name from a rath, or fort, reputedly built in the area by the father of Fionn Mac Cumhail, the Ossianic hero. In 1337 King Edward allocated Rathcoole to Metropolitan See of Dublin. It subsequently became one of the smaller manors belonging to the Archbishop of Dublin. Elrington Ball in his History of Dublin states that, with the exception of a water mill, no buildings of any significance existed in the area at that time.
Rathcoole House stands the village’s Anglican Church. The attached graveyard is the final resting-place of generations of the great and the good of Rathcoole; the graveyard, like the church’s interior, invites the casual observer and historian alike to get an feel for Rathcoole’s history by learning about the village’s past residents. The best time to visit is at 10.00 on Sundays; at other times the church and grounds are locked.
In the graveyard, there’s a structure near the front boundary wall with iron doors and a family crest over the entrance. This is the Kennedy family crypt which was constructed in 1828, and its high visibility is testament to the high esteem in which the Kennedy family was held in these parts over the years since the first interment in this vault took place. This took place in 1828, the deceased being Maria Beaumon, wife of John Kennedy, who later became the first Baronet Kennedy.
Later Kennedys married into the Gentry and had among their number a noted Justice of the Peace, three British army officers, a philanthropist and a Magistrate. The Kennedy family home, the Johnstown-Kennedy estate, still exists and gained fame as the house used for exterior shots in the 1980s UTV/RTE series “The Irish R.M.”
Also prominent enough to be visible from the street is a distinctive burial marker in the form of a broken column. This is the Verschoyle family plot. The broken column memorial is a common theme in late 19th to early 20th century burials, and symbolises a life cut short. Arthur Griffith’s headstone in Glasnevin Cemetery takes the same form.