The Hellfire Club is one of Dublin's most beloved spots.

  The Hellfire Club is one of Dublin's best walking routes, much loved by locals and tourists alike. It was a part of our Lovin Dublin Walking Series this year, starring our very own Fiona Frawley, given its popularity. It's a short-enough walk through the forest that takes you up to the ruins of the Hell Fire Clubhouse itself with great views of the city from the top of Montpelier Hill. Erected by R.H. Connolly, Speaker of the Irish House of Parliament around 1725, used as a meeting place by a group of “wild young gentlemen”, who lent the lodge its name the “Hellfire Club”. According to lore, the devil masquerading as a stranger joined the group for a card game late one night. After a card was dropped to the floor a cloven hoof was spotted where the stranger's leg should be, noticing this the devil escaped through the chimney leaving a great big crack on the stack. Unfortunately, the Hellfire Club as we know it is facing demolition. The South Dublin County Council [SDCC] are proposing a Flagship Development for a new tourist attraction on the site that would cost €22 million to complete. As a result, there is a petition to Save the Hellfire Club and Massy's Woods, on the grounds that the proposed development would:

1. "The area has a unique environmental, historic and amenity value within the Dublin region and has protection under existing Planning and National Monument Law which should not be limited or diluted in any way.
2. There has been no real engagement with any other County Council or other relevant statutory Authority to assess the best place to provide a significant tourist development in the entire Dublin Mountains region, particularly when there are options close to Motorways and existing sewerage and other infrastructure, such as the Victory Centre, Firhouse Road, Dublin 24, the Orlagh Retreat Centre and the Total Fitness Site within a five minute drive from Three Rock in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Administrative Area.
3. There has been no thought whatsoever by South Dublin County Council  in respect of the management of the proposed development and the inevitable significant increase in traffic (SDCC themselves estimate that this will increase by 300% in terms of number of people)."

Petition organisers are encouraging the SDCC to locate what they term a more "appropriate" spot for the proposed development. You can find out more information and see the petition HERE. Header image via Shutterstock READ ON: Late night DART services begin this weekend for Christmas