‘Four Sisters’ steeped in local folklore
Right at the heart of Slane village stand four almost identical Georgian houses at the main crossroads or ‘Square’.
These four houses, dating back to the 1700s, have always been known locally 'The Four Sisters' and there are many great stories told about them.
While the tale that they were built for four sisters who weren't speaking terms has captured the imagination of many, it was also said that they were built for the representatives of religion, medicine, law and order and while this isn't the case, by the latter part of the nineteenth century, they were indeed occupied by the priest, the doctor, the magistrate and the constabulary.
The idea behind the layout came from William Bourton Conyngham of Slane Castle who was visiting Versailles in France, where he saw a square with four Georgian houses, one on each corner and he decided to sketch them.
The first of the houses to be built, on the north west corner, was an inn. Building started in 1762. It was one of the first stops on the road from Dublin to Derry by horse drawn coaches.
The site on the north east corner was given to Henry Fisher on 13th August 1767 by Viscount Conyngham, stipulating that a house was to be built within five years to the same plan as the new inn lately built opposite this site ‘in the circle laid out in the Towne of Slane’. This house was occupied by the Protestant Minister for many years and was then taken over by the Catholic Church in 1923.
All four houses were built in due course on a similar plan. It took five years to build each house, this would have been a typical time period to build a large three story house. The stone alone had to be hauled from two quarries on the Drogheda road by horse and cart.
Building began on the south east and south west corner houses in 1772 and in time the south east building was the doctors house, while the south west house was the RIC (The Royal Irish Constabulary) Building.
Today, the south east house has been purchased by Meath Co Council, the north west house has been developed into apartments, while retaining the impressive exterior, the south western house was recently sold and the north western house, or parochial house is owned by a local businessman and is currently undergoing renovations.