Michael Collins proposed to Kitty Kiernan in the Grand Hotel, Greystones (later known as the La Touche)

David La Touche

A number of places in Greystones
 
are called after the La Touche Family:
 
La Touche Park
 
La Touche Wines
 
The La Touche Hotel (now demolished and turned into apartments)
 
 
The  first of the La Touche Family arrived in Ireland in 1689.
 
His name was David La Touche.
 
He was French and a Huguenot.
 
Huguenots belonged to the  Protestant religion.
 
They were forced to leave France
 
after King Louis the Fourteenth began to persecute non-Catholics.
 
 
To avoid being arrested David ran away
 
and joined the army of William of Orange  the King of Holland.
 
David was only fourteen years old.
 
 
William of Orange ended up in Ireland fighting
 
James the Second of England
 
in the famous Battle of the Boyne.
 
 
David La Touche fought at that battle and his side,
 
the side of William of Orange won.
 
David stayed in Ireland and became a silk and poplin merchant.
 
(Poplin, like silk is a material).
 
 
Lots of his army friends needed someone to look after their money
 
so David La Touche set up a bank
 
and this became the first bank in Ireland.
 
 
You can read more about the history of the La Touche family
 
HERE on the La Touche Legacy website.