Pippa McIntosh moved to Killiney in August 2020 at the commencement of her husband’s term as the Australian Ambassador to Ireland. Abbey Lea, a property that has been owned by the Australian Government since 1965, is a beautiful Arts and Crafts home rebuilt following a fire in 1909. The residence fascinated Pippa so much, she wrote a book about its history and discovered the home’s previous owners were politically, professionally and culturally engaged in the future of Ireland at a critical time in Ireland’s history. These stories about the property and its previous owners connect the people and homes of Killiney, Dalkey, Ballybrack and Dublin. From Harry Clarke procuring contacts and commissions at the house, discovering Oliver St John Gogarty’s poetry about raucous dinner parties, to the murder of the gardener on Strathmore Road by the IRA in May 1920, Pippa’s book provides researched context and insight into Killiney life from more than 100 years ago. Abbey Lea, A Killiney History is Pippa’s first book.