It seems pertinent enough to ask how Fairview ever received its name, judging by present appearances, but according to old maps of Dublin the road from Annesley Bridge to Fairview corner was at one time an elevated causeway, with the sea on both sides of it, and the residents along the main road must have enjoyed a "fair view" of the bay and mountains, now cut off by the railway embankment. Another example occurs in the neighbourhood of a view being cut off, though this time it was done " of malice aforethought." Where the Howth and Malahide roads diverge stands that row of quaint Georgian houses known as "The Crescent," built in 1792. The builder is said to have harboured a grudge against Lord Charlemont, whose estate ran behind, and to have built these houses in order to intercept the view from Marino.
The Irish Times, April 15th, 1929.