Islanmore or Islandmore, Croom, Co Limerick 

Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.

p. 159. “(Kelly/IFR; Morley/LGI1958) A square two storey C19 house with fibe bay front and side and an eaved roof. One bay breakfront; pedimented doorway; simple entablatures over ground foor windows. Staircase with wrought iron balustrade; doorcases in staircase hall wiht entablatures and pilaster. Italo-Romanesque arcade at head of stairs, with coupled columns. Dining room with screen of Corinthian columns. sold ca 1957 by Mr Derrick Morely.” 

Section 482 in 2000, contact Mary Tarry 061 397218 
 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21903018/islandmore-stud-tooreen-croom-co-limerick

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Islandmore Stud, TOOREEN, Croom, County Limerick 

Detached five-bay two-storey over basement square-plan country house, built c. 1820, with central single-bay breakfront to front elevation. Pair of curved staircases leading up to pedimented entrance doorway. Six-bay two-storey over basement side elevations with projecting porch. Attached three-stage square tower to rear. Square-headed window openings with entablatures over ground floor windows. Rendered walls. Hipped roof with projecting eaves. Rendered chimneystacks.

Outbuildings and stables set around a courtyard to rear with further attached outbuildings. 

Appraisal 

Islandmore is an important house architecturally within County Limerick. The square-plan house is set substantial and retains much of its original massing. The retention of the stables and the attendant outbuildings form a group of demesne related structures which adds context to the site. 

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=I 

Tooreen, located just south of the town of Croom, was the residence of James D. Lyons in 1814 and 1837. By the early 1850s this house, then known as Islandmore, was occupied by Robert Maxwell, valued at £60 and held from Miss Catherine Giles. It later became the home of the Kelly family and Slater refers to it as the seat of John Roche-Kelly in 1894. Colonel Basil Roche Kelly was resident at the time of the Irish Tourist Association survey of 1943. The surveyor wrote that the house was originally Georgian but had suffered many alterations.   

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/jp-mcmanuss-daughter-shells-out-millions-on-lavish-new-home-26575519.html

JP McManus’s daughter shells out millions on lavish new home 

Islanmore House in Limerick, a lavish estate and stud farm on 400 acres purchased by Sue Ann McManus, the daughter of JP McManus 

Barry Duggan and Catriona Murphy 

October 22 2009 03:43 AM 

THE daughter of billionaire financier JP McManus has purchased one of the most lavish estates and stud farms in the country as part of a multi-million euro deal. 

In their search for a new home, Sue Ann McManus and her husband, Cian Foley, have bought the exclusive Islanmore Stud in Croom, Co Limerick, which is situated on 400 acres. 

While the global recession signalled a critical downturn on the Irish property market, it has not prevented the McManus family from splashing out on the sprawling property and estate. 

Staff at Islanmore House, with its gardens and stud, were informed that Sue Ann and Cian, who wed in 2007, will be taking over the management of the estate in the New Year. No sale figure has been disclosed as part of the private deal, but it is understood to have cost several million euro. 

The daughter of the world-renowned racing enthusiast has purchased the stud farm from the Tarry family. 

Sue Ann and Cian viewed the property and grounds several times this year. 

It is understood the estate was chosen as a future home for the young couple due to the security and seclusion it offers. 

Security 

Because of JP’s accumulated wealth from international financing, money dealing and high-level gambling, the extended McManus family are extremely security conscious and the Limerick estate is regarded as an ideal location to seek privacy from prying eyes. 

Islanmore House was built in Georgian style in 1794 for a younger son of the Earl of Dunraven as a fishing and hunting lodge. 

Vet, Tony Tarry, and his wife Mary gained control of it in 1963 and turned the grounds into a stud farm which specialises in breeding, foaling, weaning and sales preparation of thoroughbred young stock. 

The river Maigue runs through the estate which is located in the heart of the Golden Vale region and boasts numerous mature trees and extensive shrubbery. Islanmore House is surrounded by landscaped gardens which are open to the public from May to October. 

In recent years, the gardens have won national prizes. Also located near the historic house is a fully equipped potting shed which leads into a spectacularly restored Victorian glass house. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables are grown here. 

Up to 40 mares are in permanent residence on the estate and there is three acres of mown lawn around the Georgian home. 

The McManus family are well accustomed to large estates, with JP regarded as one of the biggest landlords in the country. 

Never one to let the grass grow under his feet, the racing enthusiast has a keen eye for property and farms in the Mid-West region. 

In 2007, JP paid out €4.5m for a 145-acre estate in Grange, Co Limerick as a wedding present for his daughter. 

In 2006, he bought a 250-acre farm in Emly, Co Tipperary, for €3.7m at a public auction. Some of his retired horses are stabled here. 

However, the jewel in the crown of the McManus empire is the Palladian home at Martinstown in south Limerick. JP paid over €100m for the 40,000 sq ft property, which resembles stately homes built in the 17th and 18th century. 

JP McManus, who recently beat prostate cancer, is a renowned philanthropist.