I always thought the No EEC graffiti near my house, dating back to the early 1970s, was old. That’s before I found out about the following. Have a look. Do you know of any other 18th, 19th or early 20th century graffiti or ‘unauthorized’ inscriptions? If so, leave a comment or drop me an email.
Brazen Head landing window, 1726:
“John Langan halted here, 7th August, 1726.”
Impossible to see. It’s inscribed in one of the glass swirls. (c) Lynn Redmile
City Hall, 1795:
“Thomas Frazer (?) | 1795
Step. Carlon
Dam the Cargo
Amen
???”
Dublin City Hall. Graffiti from 1795. © Hugh MacConville (Dublin City Archives)
Trinity Chapel Window, 1882 & 1889:
“Pat Killium
Painter and Glazier
from Galway town
1822O you Co[u]ntry Spalpeen
Bad Luck to you
Ruth G [?]
Oct 3rd 1889″
Trinity Chapel Window. Graffiti 1882 & 1889. (Picture – GrahamH)
Trinity Chapel Window. Graffiti 1882 & 1889. Picture – GrahamH
off Cork Street, 1924:
“PB KO’H RC 1924”
(c) Freda
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
I saw the Brazen Head inscription with my own drunken eyes…
Theres a ‘No Popery’ scratched onto one of the pews of the same chapel in the Trinity church as well, from around the same period.
Great stuff have some from kilkenny in the 20’s
Although by no means the oldest, this graffiti from a back lane in Crumlin name-check’s ‘Aswad’, ‘Steel Pulse’ and Welsh band ‘Man’ so, by my reckoning, dates back to the late 1970’s.
There was, until about six or seven years ago, ‘S H O W A D D Y W A D D Y’ painted vertically down a lamppost in Stoneybatter. This has to be from the early to mid-seventies, remarkable it survived the attention of Dublin City Council’s maintenance department that long. For those young enough to be oblivious to the hits of the somewhat out-of-step Showaddywaddy, google them – They where shite.
Its been a while since I was there, but I remember seeing plenty of 19th century graffiti in the passage at Newgrange. Don’t know if anyone’s ever done a survey of it?
Theres some great graffiti in Wicklow Gaol including “James Doyle six months hard labour April 1878 out October 12 ”
see it here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollybean/3451690618/in/set-72157616871195619/
Theres a whole book on Kilmainham Gaol graffitti aswell