Richard Griffith, Director of the Grand Canal Company

Richard Griffith was born in Dublin 10th June 1752 to Richard and Elizabeth Griffith. At the age of 18 years he travelled to India to write and became an accountant where he accumulated his wealth in the opium trade. He returned to Ireland in 1780 and purchased Millicent House in Clane, Co Kildare. By 1883 he had been elected MP for Askeaton, Co Limerick and also produced a pamphlet on “Thoughts of protecting duties” focusing on protecting Irish trade. As an innovative agriculturist, he joined the Royal Dublin Society in 1784, became High Sheriff of Kildare in 1788 and was elected to the Whig Club in 1789 until his resignation in 1796.

In 1784 Griffith became a director of the Grand Canal Company and held the role of Chairman on several occasions between 1784 – 1805. One of his major achievements was overseeing the completion of the canal network from Dublin to Shannon. Due to the company’s financial losses he was removed as a Director in 1810. In 1792, the Grand Canal Company opted to build a tributary canal route from the First Locke eastwards towards the South Docks. The first bridge, Griffith Bridge, was built in 1792 and named after Richard Griffith.

As a neighbour of Peter Tone of Bodenstown, he financially supported his son Theobald in his studies abroad. However, he found himself on opposing sides of Wolfetone’s Rebellion of United Irish Men on 24th May, 1798 when, as Captain of the Clane Yeomanry Calvary. 

In 1808 Griffith sold Millicent House due to financial difficulties. He moved to Holyhead in Wales where he operated as an agent of the British Post Office transporting posts between Holyhead and Dublin. During his lifetime, he married twice, having three daughters and one son, Sir Richard Griffith, with his first wife and a further five sons and three daughters with his second wife. 

In 1791 the Grand Canal was extended south eastwards from the First Lock to Dublin Bay. The first bridge built over the waterway was named Griffith Bridge.

His son Sir Richard Griffith, a geologist and engineer is better known for building 243 roads in the south west of Ireland and the five arch bridge over the river Feale. He was responsible for the Boundary Survey mapping out 68,000 townlands across Ireland and in 1846 he was responsible for evaluating property holdings for taxation purposes, otherwise known as Griffith’s Valuation. 

Sources:

1. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
2. Dictionary of Irish Biography; Woods CJ and Jackson Patrick N Wyse
3. HistoryIreland.com / An Eye on the Survey
4. Ask About Ireland.com / Griffith’s Valuation and Sir Richard Griffith
5. Townlands.ie
6. Royal Dublin Society Libraries