Athavallie, Castlebar, County Mayo 

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. 14. “Lynch-Blosse, Bt/PB) A long, low plain two storey house; its main block being of five bays, with an entrance door set in a broad stone arch; the front being extended by a four bay range of the same height, but set back. Now a convent.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/31309014/athavallie-house-originally-attavally-moat-clan-by-balla-co-mayo

Detached four-bay two-storey country house, built 1808; extant 1811, on a U-shaped plan with pair of single-bay (two-bay deep) two-storey lower returns (south). Occupied, 1901. Vacant, 1911. In alternative use, 1914-8. Sold, 1919. Adapted to alternative use, 1920. Adapted to alternative use, 1987. Renovated, 2007. Replacement hipped artificial slate roof on a U-shaped plan retaining sections of slate finish, tuck pointed drag edged tooled limestone ashlar central chimney stacks having stringcourses below chamfered capping supporting crested terracotta tapered or yellow terracotta octagonal pots, and uPVC rainwater goods on cut-limestone eaves retaining cast-iron downpipes. Roughcast walls on cut-limestone or rendered chamfered plinth. Square-headed window openings with drag edged dragged cut-limestone sills, and concealed dressings framing six-over-six timber sash windows including some six-over-six timber sash windows without horns. Set in landscaped grounds. 

Appraisal 

A country house erected for Sir Robert Lynch Blosse (1784-1818) representing an integral component of the domestic built heritage of Balla with the architectural value of the composition, one potentially repurposing the shell of an eighteenth-century house annotated as “Moat [of] Blosse Baronet” by Taylor and Skinner (1778 pl. 220), suggested by such attributes as the symmetrical footprint originally centred on a curvilinear glasshouse-like porch; and the slight diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression. Although recently (2007) the subject of a comprehensive renovation programme, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior, including some crown or cylinder glazing panels in hornless sash frames, thus upholding much of the character or integrity of the composition. Furthermore, an adjoining walled garden (see 31309015); and a farmyard complex (see 31309016), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of an estate having historic connections with the Lynch Blosse family including Reverend Sir Francis Lynch Blosse (1801-40), ninth Baronet; Sir Robert Lynch Blosse (1825-93), ‘[tenth] Baronet formerly of Folkestone County Kent and late of Athavallie County Mayo’ (Calendars of Wills and Administrations 1894, 492); and Sir Henry Lynch Blosse JP DL (1857-1918), eleventh Baronet and one-time High Sheriff of County Mayo (fl. 1897). 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/31309017/athavallie-house-originally-attavally-moat-clan-by-balla-co-mayo

Gateway, extant 1894, on a symmetrical plan comprising pair of drag edged rock faced limestone ashlar piers on chamfered plinths having ivy-covered capping supporting replacement spear head-detailed mild steel double gates. Set back from street at entrance to grounds of Athavallie House. 

Appraisal 

A gateway not only making a pleasing visual statement at the entrance on to the grounds of the Athavallie House estate, but also illustrating the continued development or “improvement” of the estate in the later nineteenth century. 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/31309016/athavallie-house-originally-attavally-moat-clan-by-balla-co-mayo

Farmyard complex, under construction 1838, on a quadrangular plan about a courtyard including (west): Detached five-bay single-storey coach house with half-attic. Disused, 2010. For sale, 2013. Part overgrown hipped slate roof on collared timber construction with clay ridge tiles, and remains of cast-iron rainwater goods on cut-limestone eaves retaining cast-iron downpipes. Part creeper- or ivy-covered coursed rubble limestone walls with tooled cut-limestone flush quoins to corners. Series of five elliptical-headed arches with tooled limestone ashlar voussoirs. Square-headed window openings (half-attic) with cut-limestone sills, and hammered limestone lintels framing louvered timber fittings. Set in unkempt grounds shared with Athavallie House with snecked rock faced limestone cylindrical piers to perimeter having conical capping supporting flat iron double gates. 

Appraisal 

A farmyard complex contributing positively to the group and setting values of the Athavallie House estate. 

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

The house at Moat was the main residence of the Lynch Blosses in the 18th and the early 19th century. In 1786 Wilson refers to Moat, the seat of Sir Henry L. Blosse. A fire destroyed the original house in 1808. It was rebuilt and is marked on the first Ordnance Survey map as Attavally. The Lynch Blosse family were absentee landlords for most of the 19th century. In 1894 the house was recorded as the seat of Sir Henry Lynch-Blosse. Later the house became a community school run by the St Louis nuns. It is now known as Balla Secondary Schoool.  

http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2015/04/athavallie-house.html

THE LYNCH-BLOSSE BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MAYO, WITH 22,658 ACRES

The family of LYNCH was of great antiquity in the province of Connaught, being amongst the very early settlers, denominated the Tribes of Galway. In an old manuscript in Ulster King-of-Arms’ office, William le Petit is stated to be the common progenitor of all the Lynches of Ireland.
The founder of the honours of the family, however, was

HENRY LYNCH, Mayor of, and MP for Galway (eldest of twelve sons of Nicholas Lynch, also Mayor of Galway).

Mr Lynch was created a baronet in 1622, designated of Galway.

This gentleman was the son of Nicholas Lynch fitz Stephen (Mayor 1584–1585) and great-grandson of Mayor Arthur Lynch (died 1539); land agent for Richard, 4th Earl of Clanricarde; mentor to Patrick D’Arcy and Richard Martyn, later senior political figures of Confederate Ireland.

He was stepfather to D’Arcy and married to an aunt of Martyn. He was among the first of his family to become a lawyer, and several of his younger sons followed him into this profession, as did, under his influence, D’Arcy, Martyn, Geoffrey Browne and subsequent generations of The Tribes of Galway.

Sir Henry married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Martin, and widow of James D’Arcy, by whom he had three sons and three daughters.

He died in 1635, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ROBUCK LYNCH, 2nd Baronet, MP for Galway Borough, 1639-42, and was resident counsel for Connaught during the rebellion.

He wedded Ellis, daughter of Sir Peter French, Knight, by whom he had two sons, and was succeeded on his decease, 1667, by the elder,

SIR HENRY LYNCH, 3rd Baronet, a lawyer of eminence, and one of the barons of the exchequer, in 1689, wedded firstly, Margaret, daughter of Sir Theobald Bourke, 3rd Viscount Mayo, but by that lady had no issue; and secondly, and had (with a younger son) his successor,

SIR ROBERT LYNCH (-c1720), 4th Baronet, who espoused Catherine, daughter of Henry Blake, of County Mayo, by whom he had, with two daughters, a son and heir,

SIR HENRY LYNCH (-1762), 5th Baronet, of Carracastle, who married Mary, daughter of John Moore, of Brees [sic], County Galway, and had one daughter and an only son, his successor,

SIR ROBERT LYNCH-BLOSSE, 6th Baronet, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Francis Barker, heir of Tobias Blosse, of Little Belstead, Suffolk.

He assumed the surname of BLOSSE, in addition to, and after, that of LYNCH.

It was a condition of the marriage that Robert would assume the additional surname of BLOSSE and conform to Protestantism.

The issue of this marriage were, HENRY, who succeeded to the title; and Francis, who wedded Hatton, daughter of John Smith, and had issue, Robert, who, succeeding his uncle, became the 8th Baronet.

Sir Robert died in 1775, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR HENRY LYNCH-BLOSSE, 7th Baronet (1749-88), MP for Tuam, 1776-83, upon whose demise, without issue, the title reverted to his nephew, 

SIR ROBERT LYNCH-BLOSSE, 8th Baronet (1774-1818), who wedded firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of William Gorman, of Carlow, by whom he had FRANCIS, the next baronet, with several other children.

He married secondly, Charlotte, daughter of John Richards, of Cardiff.

Sir Robert  was succeeded by his son,

THE REV SIR FRANCIS LYNCH-BLOSSE, 9th Baronet (1801-40), who wedded, in 1824, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Lord Plunket, and had issue,

ROBERT, 10th Baronet;
William Conyngham, b 1826.

*****
Sir Richard Hely Lynch-Blosse (b 1953), 17th and present Baronet, lives in Oxfordshire.

ATHAVALLIE HOUSE, near Castlebar, County Mayo, is a long, low, plain, two-storey residence, its main block of five bays, with an entrance door set in a broad stone arch.

The front is extended by a four-bay range of the same height, though set back.

In 1894, Athavallie House was recorded as the seat of Sir Henry Lynch-Blosse, 11th Baronet (1857-1918), and most likely the last of the family to reside there.

In 1920, the Sisters of St Louis founded a school which catered for girls only.

It was a boarding school-cum-day school until the St Louis Sisters left in 1978 and the school became co-educational under the control of the local community.

Balla Secondary School is based here now. 

Athavallie House still stands but is no longer used for educational purposes.

It was used as a military hospital during the 1st World War.

Other former seat ~ Castle Carra, County Mayo.

First published in April, 2013.