The Hellfire Club is situated at the summit of Montpelier Hill in Rathfarnham, Dublin. It is the ruins of a Hunting Lodge which was commissioned by William Connolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons and was built about 1725.
Much of the stone used for its construction came from a Neolithic passage tomb The building was sold after Conolly’s death and is said to have become a meeting place for the Irish Hellfire Club. There are many lurid and probably exaggerated stories of their excesses. Thomas Conolly, grandson of William, is said to have met the devil there during a card game, which ended with the devil flying up in a burst of flame and out through the high window in the gable.
Montpelier Hill is an important archaeological site with a fascinating history, folklore, mythology and it is as a popular destination in the Dublin Mountains. Montpelier Hill truly is a mountain of stories. It deserves to be cherished, respected and preserved. I hope the peace and tranquility that is enjoyed by so many isn’t disrupted by development in the future.
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In order to know what the Hellfire Club looked like in the 18th century, all you have to do is look at Mount Gordon, Castlebar, Co. Mayo which is a house still occupied of identical design. It is located on the Westport side of Castlebar.
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