Open in 2026: Jan 1-Dec 23, 27-31, 11.30 am-11pm

Fee: Free entry

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*St. Mary’s Church of Ireland, June 2022.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The former St. Mary’s Church of Ireland was built from 1700-1704. It is now in use as bar and restaurant, with modern glazed stair tower built to northeast, linked with an elevated glazed walkway to the restaurant at the upper level within the church. The National Inventory tells us that it was designed by William Robinson and completed by his successor, Thomas Burgh.

The church has a special place in my husband’s heart because his ancestor John Winder visited Dublin to preach a sermon here in around 1720, when he was rector at Kilroot in County Antrim, a position he obtained after Jonathan Swift. St. Mary’s parish was founded in 1697, the second parish on the north side of the River Liffey (the first must have been St. Michans). It took its name from the medieval monastery of St. Mary’s Abbey that had occupied most of the north side of the river from 1139 until its dissolution in 1539.

It was closed as a church in 1986 due to the fall of parishioners, as residents moved from the city centre. The building was used for various purposes until purchased by publican John Keating in 1997. Until it was changed for use as a bar it contained the oldest unaltered church interior in Dublin, and much of this has been preserved.

*St. Mary’s Abbey, Dublin.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

William Robinson was made surveyor general of buildings in Ireland in 1671. He was also engineer general and master of ordinance, so was responsible for fortifications. He built Charles Fort in Kinsale, and in 1677–8 he was adviser and contractor on the construction of Essex Bridge in Dublin. In 1679 was involved in the rebuilding of Lismore cathedral, Co. Waterford, and designed the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham (1680–84). [1] In 1682 he oversaw the construction of Ormond Bridge in Dublin.

*William Robinson, information board at Royal Hospital Kilmainham, 15th October 2023.*

The Dictionary of Irish Biography tells us that William Robinson’s patent as surveyor general was renewed in 1684, though he now shared the post with William Molyneux (1656–98), who later oversaw the partial construction of Robinson’s design for the courtyard of Dublin castle when he and Robinson were deprived of the surveryorship by the lord deputy, the earl of Tyrconnell. Robinson went to England during Tyrconnell’s deputyship and Molyneux remained in Ireland and carried out extensive building work at Dublin castle, presumably to Robinson’s designs.

In 1689 Robinson was appointed comptroller general of provisions and commissary general of pay and provisions in the Williamite army, the latter position being shared with Bartholomew van Homrigh (the father of Jonathan Swift’s friend, whom he called “Vanessa”).

Robinson returned to Ireland, and was Elected MP for Knocktopher, Co. Kilkenny (1692–3) and Wicklow town (1695–9) and in 1702 was appointed to the Privy Council in Ireland. In 1695 he rebuilt Dublin’s Four Courts, and in 1703–4 he designed Marsh’s Library in Dublin, his last major work.

Robinson served as MP for Dublin University 1703–12, and he purchased forfeited lands in Carlow and Louth in April and June 1703. His career ended in disgrace however as he was accused of shady financial dealings and misrepresenting public accounts for which he was responsible. (see [1])

*Thomas Burgh, information board at Royal Hospital Kilmainham, 15th October 2023.*

Thomas Burgh (1670–1730) succeeded Molyneux and Robinson in 1700 as surveyor-general, and was also made lieutenant of the ordnance in Ireland. The rebuilding of Dublin castle, started by Robinson, advanced considerably under Burgh, but his undisputed masterpiece was to be TCD library. His work designing and building the lower part of the library began in 1712 and continued into the next decade. It was finally opened in 1732. He may have been responsible for designing Kildrought house in Celbridge, Kildare (see my entry). He too had engineering interests including navigation and coalmining. He lived in Oldtown, County Kildare, and became high sheriff of the county in 1712 and was MP for Naas 1713–30. [2]

It is difficult to photograph the church, as it is in the middle of city streets, and Christine Casey writes in her The Buildings of Ireland: Dublin (2005) that it exhibits “a curious amalgam of awkwardness and aplomb”! [3]

St. Mary’s church has four-bay double-height side elevations, with convex quadrant single-bay links to a shallow chancel which contains a lovely chancel window. It has a three-stage tower at the opposite end flanked by lower two-storey vestibules. It does not have a spire.

The west front has the main entrance door (no longer in use as the main door, which is on the north facade). Unfortunately I was unable to take a good photograph due to the position of outdoor tables and sheltering umbrellas. The doorcase is of Portland stone with Ionic columns and an entablature. Casey tells us that the lugged surrounds of the outer vestibule door are of brown sandstone.

*The three-stage tower flanked by lower two-storey vestibules.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Former St. Mary’s church.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Inside the east end door.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The south side single bay convex quadrant between the four bays and the shallow chancel on the east end.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The convex quadrant and the chancel at the east end, and to the north side, the modern stair tower encased in glass.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The window frame on the east end chancel is of Portland stone, which Casey tells us “has a vigour and plasticity rare in a city by-passed by the Baroque.” She describes the window:

“Above a raised granite plinth, two broad panelled pilasters support an emphatic curved scroll-topped hood-moulding with urns to centre and ends, while successive inner lugged framed have scrolled base terminals.”

Casey suggests that the gable on this end may be a later addition.

William Robinson prepared a model for this window, and may have designed the unusual plan for the church. It was completed by Thomas Burgh in 1704 and in 1863, S. Symes may have inserted new windows as well as replacing the perimeter wall with railings. The original chancel window of St. Mary’s was smashed by vandals on the result of polling at the election in 1852. The current window was set in 1910, commissioned in 1909 by John North, the proprietor of the “Hammam,” a Turkish Bath on O’Connell (then called Sackville) Street. The new window reads: “To the glory of God and in affectionate memory of his daughters Maria North (Molly) and Rosanna (Rose) wife of Joseph Armstrong also his grandchild John Hubert Armstrong (Jack) erected by John North 1909.”

*Memorial in St. Mary’s church for John North, who commissioned the new window installed in 1910 in the chancel.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Inside, it is of double height with a gallery surrounding three sides. On the fourth side is the east window. The west end has a large organ on the upper floor. The centre of the floor is taken up with an oval shaped bar which is made attractive by its arrangement of bottles and glasses. The gallery is carried on octagonal timber-clad limestone shafts. Above, the gallery reaches up to the ceiling with fluted square Ionic columns. The ceiling is barrel-vaulted. Memorial monuments still line the walls. Outside, the gravestones have been moved to one end of the public square.

The east Chancel window has a lugged and scrolled surround.

Casey tells us that the building was remodelled in 2002-5 as a bar and restaurant by Duffy Mitchell Donoghue, who filled in the crypt and altered the floor level of the nave. The glazed tower holds a cylindrical elevator.

In 1761 Arthur Guinness (1725-1803), founder of the Brewery, married Olivia Whitmore in the church. His son, also named Arthur, married here also.

The National Inventory tells us: “It was the first classical parish church in the city and was the site of Arthur Guinness’s marriage in 1761. Wolfe Tone was baptized here and the church also witnessed John Wesley’s first Irish sermon... The galleried interior is one of the earliest in Dublin, and is a triumph of Classical timber design. Grand proportions combine with the set-pieces of the original organ case, east window and surviving Corinthian reredos, connected by an ornate mix of joinery and innovative modern alterations, to create a sumptuous and exuberant space. Mary Street was laid out by Humphrey Jervis from the mid-1690s and in 1697 the parish of Saint Michan’s was divided into three which precipitated the construction of Saint Mary’s. Jervis Street was named for the developer himself and was once home to seventeenth and eighteenth-century buildings. The streets are much altered now and consist largely of Victorian buildings, leaving Saint Mary’s to ground the district in its earlier historic milieu. As such, it makes a highly significant contribution to the streetscape and to Dublin’s overall architectural fabric.”

A rather simple baptismal font in the church is the font in which Theobald Wolfe Tone was baptised, and also Sean O’Casey the playwright.

The organ was designed by Renatus Harris. George Frederick Handel, who wrote the famous “Messiah,” lived nearby on Abbey Street and was a regular visitor to Mary’s to play on this organ.

The organ case, Casey tells us, includes the bases of three pipe-clusters with cherubim and scrolls.

*Thirty one memorial tablets in the church are dedicated to people formerly buried in St. Mary’s crypt and graveyard.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The vestibules have early eighteenth century staircases.

Below ground, is the Cellar Bar. These function rooms are located in an area that was excavated out from underneath the church, and are not part of the original building. There are six crypts in the basement of the church, and 32 skeletons were removed and reinterred elsewhere when the church was converted to its current use. Access to the crypt was by an external stairwell in the church.

*The crypt level.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The wooden floorboards leading from the external glass tower to the upper gallery of the church were removed from the Adelphi Theatre in 1995 prior to its demolition. Some of the famous acts to perform on the stage are listed on the floor. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Outside there is a public square, Wolfe Tone Park, and grave slabs are stacked up at one end of this park.

*Wolfe Tone Square*. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The burial place of Francis Hutcheson.*

[1] Dictionary of Irish Biography for Sir William Robinson, https://www.dib.ie/biography/robinson-sir-william-a7736

[2] https://www.dib.ie/biography/burgh-thomas-a1135

[3] p. 89-91. Casey, Christine. Buildings of Ireland: Dublin, The City within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road with the Phoenix Park. Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2005.

Text © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Office of Public Works properties in Munster: Counties Kerry and Waterford.

by jenjunebugNovember 7, 2022February 9, 2026

I had so much to write about for the OPW properties in Cork that I am separating that from Counties Kerry and Waterford in Munster.

Kerry:

1. Ardfert Cathedral, County Kerry

2. The Blasket Centre, County Kerry

3. Derrynane House, County Kerry

4. Listowel Castle, County Kerry

5. Ross’s Castle, Killarney, County Kerry

6. Skellig Michael, County Kerry

Waterford:

7. Dungarvan Castle, County Waterford

8. Reginald’s Tower, County Waterford

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Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

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Kerry:

1. Ardfert Cathedral, Tralee, County Kerry

*Ardfert Cathedral, 1965, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archives.* [1]

General Information: 066 713 4711, ardfertcathedral@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/ardfert-cathedral/:

“No less a figure than St Brendan the Navigator was born in the Ardfert area in the sixth century. He founded a monastery there not long before embarking on his legendary voyage for the Island of Paradise. It was Brendan’s cult that inspired the three medieval churches that stand on the same site today.

The earliest building is the cathedral, which was begun in the twelfth century. It boasts a magnificent thirteenth-century window and a spectacular row of nine lancets in the south wall.

One of the two smaller churches is an excellent example of late Romanesque architecture. The other, Temple na Griffin, is named for a fascinating carving inside it – which depicts a griffin and a dragon conjoined.“

*Ardfert Cathedral, 1965, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archives* [see 1]

2. The Great Blasket Island Visitor Centre, County Kerry:

*Blasket Island Centre, Dingle, Co. Kerry. Photograph from Ireland’s Content Pool, photograph by Chris Hill, 2014, for Failte Ireland.* [2]

Dun Chaoin, Dingle, County Kerry

General enquiries: 066 915 6444, blascaod@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/the-blasket-centre-ionad-an-bhlascaoid/:

In Dún Chaoin, at the very tip of the Dingle Peninsula, is an utterly unique heritage centre and museum. A stunning piece of architecture in itself, the Blasket Centre tells the story of the Blasket Islands and the tiny but tenacious Irish speaking community who lived there until the mid-20th century.

Life on the Blaskets was tough. People survived by fishing and farming and every day involved a struggle against the elements. Emigration and decline led to the final evacuation of this extraordinary island in 1953.

The island population has left a massive cultural footprint. They documented the life of their community in a series of books which are invaluable social records and classics of Irish literature. They are both a window into the past and a fascinating resource for today.

Visit Ionad an Bhlascaoid – the Blasket Centre – to experience the extraordinary legacy of the Blasket Islanders and delve into the heart of Irish culture, language and history.” [3]

The website has lots more information for you to learn about life on the Islands. The Great Blasket was inhabited continuously for at least 300 years. It has Ireland’s largest colony of grey seals also. During the famine, there was not a single death recorded from hunger, as fishing sustained the islanders. At its peak the population reached 160, but declined due to emigration. Two of the houses have been restored by the OPW. The visitor centre is on the mainland but one can take a privately operated passenger boat to the Island, weather permitting.

*ruined village on the Blasket Islands, 1987, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archive.* [see 1]

3. Derrynane House, Caherdaniel, County Kerry:

*Derrynane House, County Kerry, photograph from Ireland’s Content Pool, photo by George Munday, 2014.* [see 2]

General enquiries: 066 947 5113, derrynanehouse@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/derrynane-house/:

“At the southern tip of the Iveragh Peninsula is Derrynane House, the ancestral home of one of the greatest figures of Irish history. Daniel O’Connell, known as ‘The Liberator’, was a lawyer, politician and statesman. The demesne landscape is now included in Derrynane National Historic Park – over 120 hectares of lands rich in natural and cultural heritage with a plethora of archaeological, horticultural, botanical and ecological treasures.

Derrynane was the home of the O’Connell family for generations. The young Daniel was raised there and returned almost every summer for the rest of his life.

The house now displays many unique relics of O’Connell’s life, including a triumphal chariot presented to him by the citizens of Dublin in 1844 and the very bed in which he passed away three years later.”

Derrynane comes from the Irish meaning “the oak wood of St Fionan,” Doire Fhionan. [4] Throughout Daniel O’Connell’s career, Derrynane was his country residence and the place where he and his family spent most of their summers. He inherited the house in 1825. He wrote in 1829:

“This is the wildest and most stupendous scenery of nature – and I enjoy residence here with the most exquisite relish…I am in truth fascinated by this spot: and did not my duty call me elsewhere, I should bury myself alive here.” [see 4]

Mark Bence-Jones writes about the house:

“The house, which is believed to have been first late-roofed house in this remote and mountainous part of the country, originally consisted of two unpretentious ranges at right angles to each other, probably built at various times between ca 1700 and 1745 and somewhat altered in later years; one range being of two storeys and the other mainly of two storeys and a dormered attic, which in second half of C18, became a third storey. Between 1745 and 1825 a wing was built at what was then the back of the house, this side towards Derrynane Bay; and in 1825 the great Daniel O’Connell extended this wing in the same unpretentious style with rather narrow sash windows; so that what had previously been the back of the house became the front, with reception rooms facing the sea. O’Connell also built a square two storey block with Irish battlements at right angles to his main addition, forming at attractive three sided entrance court, the other two sides being 1745-1825 wing and one of the original ranges. The battlemented block is weather-slated, as indeed all O’Connell’s additions were originally; he also weather slated some of the older parts of the house. Finally, in 1844, O’Connell built a new chapel in thanksgiving for his release from prison. It flanks the entrance court on the side furthest from the sea and is Gothic; based on the chapel in the ruined medieval monastery on Abbey Island nearby; it was designed by O’Connell’s third son, John O’Connell, MP. The interior of the house is simple, and the ceilings are fairly low. The two principal reception rooms are the drawing-room and dining-room which are one above the other in 1825 wing; they have plain cornices; the dining room has a Victorian oak chimneypiece, the drawing room an early C19 Doric chimneypiece of white marble. The benches and communion rail of the chapel are of charmingly rustic Gothic openwork. The house is now owned by the Commissioners of Public Works, who demolished one of the original ranges 1965 [due to poor structural condition]. The rest of the structure has been restored and is open to the public, the principal rooms containing O’Connell family portraits and objects related to Daniel O’Connell’s life and career.” [5]

*Derrynane, photograph 1990, Dublin City Library and Archive.* [see 1]

*Daniel O’Connell’s table, photograph 1941, Derrynane House, Dublin City Library and Archive.* [see 1]

*Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), portrait from Mansion House, Dublin, 2015.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847) by Stephen Catterson Smith courtesy Christies*

The O’Connell family gave the house to the Derrynane Trust in 1946. Despite earlier warnings that it would not be responsible for O’Connell’s ancestral home, in late 1964 the government agreed to acquire Derrynane House from the Derrynane Trust. David Hicks writes a good summary about Daniel O’Connell:

“In the 18^th and 19^th centuries there was a series of restrictions placed on Catholics in Ireland – the Penal Laws – which curtailed them in many avenues of life. These restrictions extended to property ownership and education, and Catholics were also barred from holding political office. As a man of the law, O’Connell became an advocate for the abolition of the last vestiges of the Penal Laws and in 1823 brought the Catholic Church into Irish politics. He used his network of acquaintances to mobilise the people to campaign for Catholic emancipation from discrimination and to gain political rights for Catholics. Collections were taken and no matter how small the donation it was for a great cause. This led to the unification of Catholics in Ireland. In 1828, O’Connell stood for the British Parliament, the first Catholic to do so in over 100 years, and won his seat easily. While he had his supporters in the British cabinet, others such as the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel opposed Catholic emancipation. They were aware, however, that not allowing O’Connell to take his parliamentary seat would result in possible rebellion in Ireland. Another probelm arose: in order for O’Connell to take his seat in Parliament, he would have to take an Oath of Supremacy which recognised the British monarch as head of the Church and state. As the Pope in Rome is head of the Catholic church, O’Connell could not and would not swear allegiance to a British monarch as head of the Church of England. Wellington and Peel convinced the King to allow the emancipation of Catholics to prevent a possible uprising of the large Catholic population in Ireland. As a result Catholics gained political rights under the Emancipation Act of 1829 and could enter Parliament without taking the oath. O’Connell had to be re-elected before he could take his seat as the Act could not be implemented retrospectively. He was finally elected in 1829 to the British Parliament and became known as the Liberator, a moniker which is still associated with his legend.

By 1837 O’Connell had grown frustrated at how little he could achieve in Ireland in a British Parliament. He now launched a new campaign: to repeal the Act of Union between Ireland and Britain. While he did not want Ireland to leave the Empire, he did want her to have her own parliament where Catholics could exercise their own political power and ambitions. Initially, this campaign garnered a lot of support. In the 1840s, O’Connell held large meetings to campaign for the repeal of the Act of Union. These meetings were usually held in a large field, racecourse or fairground and opened with a huge procession of bands in uniform, floats, carriages and carts, with thousands of local residents on foot or horseback. Crowds gathered around a makeshift platform, on which O’Connell stood to address them. One of his largest political rallies was held at the provocative spot of the Hill of Tara, site of the residence of the former high kings of Ireland, intended to inspire the attending crowd of half a million people.

The size of this rally was relayed to the British Parliament and within three months O’Connell was charged with conspiracy, creating discontent and disaffection, for which he was arrested and jailed. When he was released from prison he made his way through the crowded streets of Dublin on a specially made chariot which still survives at Derrynane.” [6]

*Daniel O’Connell’s chariot, built to welcome him and parade him through streets when he is released from prison. Photograph taken October 2012.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

4. Listowel Castle, County Kerry:

General information: 086 385 7201, padraig.oruairc@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/listowel-castle/:

“Listowel Castle stands on an elevation overlooking the River Feale, above the location of a strategic ford. Although only half of the building survives, it is still one of Kerry’s best examples of Anglo-Norman architecture.

Only two of the original four square towers, standing over 15 metres high, remain. The towers are united by a curtain wall of the same height and linked together – unusually – by an arch on one side.

Listowel was the last bastion [of the Fitzgeralds] against the forces of Queen Elizabeth in the First Desmond Rebellion in 1569. The castle’s garrison held out for 28 days of siege before finally being overpowered by Sir Charles Wilmot. In the days following the castle’s fall, Wilmot executed all of the soldiers left inside.“

5. Ross Castle, Killarney, County Kerry:

*Ross Castle, Killarney, August 2007.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

General Enquiries: 064 6635851, rosscastle@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/ross-castle/:

“Ross Castle perches in an inlet of Lough Leane. It is likely that the Irish chieftain O’Donoghue Mór built it in the fifteenth century.

Legend has it that O’Donoghue still slumbers under the waters of the lake. Every seven years, on the first morning of May, he rises on his magnificent white horse. If you manage to catch a glimpse of him you will enjoy good fortune for the rest of your life.

Ross Castle was the last place in Munster to hold out against Cromwell. Its defenders, then led by Lord Muskerry, took confidence from a prophecy holding that the castle could only be taken by a ship. Knowing of the prophecy, the Cromwellian commander, General Ludlow, launched a large boat on the lake. When the defenders saw it, this hastened the surrender – and the prophecy was fulfilled [in 1652].“

*Ross Castle, County Kerry, photograph from the National Library of Ireland.*

The Castle came into the hands of the Brownes who became the Earls of Kenmare and owned an extensive portion of the lands that are now part of Killarney National Park. It was leased to Valentine Browne (d. 1589), ancestor of the Earls of Kenmare, who was involved with the Plantation of Munster, surveying the land. He served as MP for County Sligo in the Irish Parliament in 1585/6. The Brownes obtained ownership of the castle and lands when it could be proven that they did not play a part in the Confederate Rebellions between 1641-1653. However, Valentine Browne (1639-1694) 1st Viscount of Kenmare (and 3rd Baronet Browne of Mohaliffe, County Kerry) was loyal to James II had to forfeit his estate. The title Earl of Kenmare comes originally from Kenmare Castle in County Limerick. His grandson, 3^rd Viscount, recovered the estates, but could not get possession of Ross Castle, which had been taken over as a military barracks, so around 1726 he built a new house a little way to the north of the castle, closer to the town of Killarney, Kenmare House, which has been demolished when a later house was built.

6. Skellig Michael, County Kerry:

*Skellig islands, photograph from Ireland’s Content pool, created for Failte Ireland, 2014.* [see 2]

General Information: opwskellig@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/skellig-michael/:

“The magnificent Skellig Michael is one of only two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Republic of Ireland.

On the summit of this awe-inspiring rock off the Kerry coast is St Fionan’s monastery, one of the earliest foundations in the country. The monks who lived there prayed and slept in beehive-shaped huts made of stone, many of which remain to this day.

The monks left the island in the thirteenth century. It became a place of pilgrimage and, during the time of the Penal Laws, a haven for Catholics.

Following in the monks’ footsteps involves climbing 618 steep, uneven steps. Getting to the top is quite a challenge, but well worth the effort.

As well as the wealth of history, there is a fantastic profusion of bird life on and around the island. Little Skellig is the second-largest gannet colony in the world.“

*Skellig Michael, 1967, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archives.* [see 1]

*Skellig Michael monastery, 1958, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archives.* [see 1]

Waterford:

7. Dungarvan Castle, County Waterford:

General Information: 058 48144.

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/dungarvan-castle/:

“This castle dates from the early days of the Anglo-Norman settlement in Ireland. It was built c.1209 to safeguard the entrance to Dungarvan Harbour. The polygonal shell keep – a rare building type in Ireland – is the earliest structure on the site.

The castle has an enclosing curtain wall, a corner tower and a gate tower. Within the wall is a two-storey military barracks, which dates from the first half of the eighteenth century. It was used by the British Army and the Royal Irish Constabulary until 1922. During the Irish Civil War Dungarvan Castle was destroyed by the Anti-Treaty IRA. It was subsequently refurbished and served as the Headquarters of the local Garda Síochana.

Today the Barracks and Castle grounds are open to visitors. Inside you will find a revealing exhibition on the Castle’s long and intriguing history.“

8. Reginald’s Tower, The Quay, Waterford, County Waterford:

*Reginald’s Tower, photograph from Ireland’s Content pool, by Mark Wesley 2016 for Failte Ireland.* [see 2]

General information: 051 304220, reginaldstower@opw.ie

https://www.waterfordtreasures.com/reginalds-tower

Reginald’s Tower is named after the Viking who founded Waterford in 1914 and is home now to Viking treasures.

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/reginalds-tower/:

“Once described as ‘a massive hinge of stone connecting the two outstretched wings of the city’ this tower has never fallen into ruin and has been in continuous use for over 800 years.

Originally the site of a wooden Viking fort, the stone tower we see today actually owes its existence to the Anglo-Normans who made it the strongest point of the medieval defensive walls. Later it was utilised as a mint under King John, before serving various functions under many English monarchs. Weapons, gunpowder and cannons have all been stored here reflecting various periods of Waterford’s turbulent history.

Take the spiral stairs up and en route see the remains of a 19th century prison cell, artefacts from Waterford’s Viking history, and the sword of the Chief Constable whose family were the last residents of the tower.

On two floors are housed one branch of the Waterford Museum of Treasures, concentrating on the town’s thrilling Viking heritage.“

[1] https://repository.dri.ie/

[2] https://www.irelandscontentpool.com/en

[3] see the website https://blasket.ie/

[4] p. 120. Living Legacies: Ireland’s National Historic Properties in the care of the OPW, Government Publications, Dublin, 2018.

[5] p. 102. 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.

[6] p. 107-119, Hicks, David. Irish Country Houses, Portraits and Painters. The Collins Press, Cork, 2014.

Barntick House, Clarecastle, County Clare V95 FH00 – section 482

by jenjunebugNovember 6, 2022February 19, 2026

Contact: Ciarán Murphy

Tel: 086-1701060

Open dates in 2026: May 1-31, June 1-30, 4.30pm-8.30pm, Aug 15-23, 4pm-8pm
Fee: Free

*Barntick, May 2023.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€15.00

We visited Barntick in May 2023. Owner Ciarán welcomed us and showed us around. I was excited to see a house so old – it dates from 1665. [1] A date plaque has been moved to a barn and used as a lintel, upsidedown! Barntick is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited house in County Clare, and is certainly one of the oldest houses in County Clare.

*The date stone, 1665, which was probably originally a chimneypiece.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The initials “T.H.” are carved into the date plaque with an interesting circular figure beside – the initials probably stand for Thomas Hickman who built the house.

The house is an important part of the history of the area, and Ciarán is working hard to maintain the house. He is doing tremendous work. There is great interest in the house: this year (2023) during Heritage Week Ciarán gave tours of the house, and he had 110 visitors!

Thomas Hickman, Ciarán told us, owned much land in Munster. The Landed Estates database tell us that Gregory Hickman was an English merchant in the south of England in the first half of the 17th century. He married twice, the Hickmans of “Barntic,” barony of Islands, County Clare were descended from his first marriage and the Hickmans of Ballyket, Brickhill, Kilmore and Fenloe, County Clare, from his second marriage. [2] Barntick was leased to the Hickmans from circa 1620s. [2]

In the Notes of Sheriffs of County Clare 1570-1700 By Thomas Johnson Westropp we find:

“1671. Thomas Hickman of Ballyhenan, eldest son of Gregory, son of Walter Hickman of Kew (Gregory settled in Clare before 1612, and his farm of Barntick was plundered by the O’Briens, 1642). Thomas Hickman’s will dates September 12th, 1677. Proved by his son Thomas in Dublin, 28th November, same year. He was buried in the chancel of Ennis Abbey with his wife, a daughter of John Colpoys, and was ancestor of the extinct Hickmans of Barntick. Arms (as on his seal, and his son-in-law Hugh Perceval’s funeral entry at Dublin). He prays, in his will, “for the happiness of the house of Thomond, wherein I have long served, and to which I have natural respect and love.”

A Thomas Hickman of “Barntic” married Elizabeth Stratford (b. 1672), daughter of Robert, MP for County Wicklow. [2] Another record from tNotes of Sheriffs of County Clare 1570-1700 By Thomas Johnson Westropp tells us:

“1678. Thomas Hickman of Barntick, son of Thomas Hickman, 1671. His settlement with his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Stratford of Belan, Kildare, dates 15th May, 1693. His will dates 1st June, 1715, and contains a voluminous settlement of estates, extending over every branch of the family. Proved by his son, Robert, 31st January, 1719, at Dublin.”

We can see that the two sources have Elizabeth Stratford as daughter of either Robert or of Edward. On The Peerage website created by Robert Lundy, Elizabeth (b. 27 Sep 1672) is daughter of Robert (d. 1698/99), and Edward Stratford (d. 23 Feb 1740) is a son of Robert. Edward also has a daughter named Elizabeth but she marries Charles Patrick Plunkett of Dillonstown, County Louth.

Robert O’Byrne tells us that Thomas Hickman was succeeded by his son, another Thomas, who died in 1719, and then the property passed to Colonel Robert Hickman, who represented Clare in the Irish House of Commons from 1745 until his death. [3]

*The carved limestone “shouldered” door frame with entablature above is very impressive.* There is a stringcourse between the ground and first floor. A stringcourse is a thin projecting course of brickwork or stone that runs horizontally around a building, typically to emphasize the junction between floors. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The door is up several limestone steps.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The outbuilding ruin to the right whose stone gable we see was originally thatched.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Landed Estates database tells us that by the mid 18th century the Hickmans owned almost 3,000 acres in the parishes of Clareabbey and Killone, barony of Islands and controlled the village of Clare. They also held land in many other parishes but by the end of the 1750s their estates were heavily mortgaged. Colonel Robert Hickman of Barntick died without heirs in 1757 and his estates were sold in 1763.

Barntick was purchased by George Peacocke who, Robert O’Byrne tells us, already owned another substantial property, Grange, County Limerick. George (d. 1773) married Mary Levett, daughter of Joseph, Alderman of Cork. Their son Joseph (d. 1812), who was Justice of the Peace and High Sheriff of County Clare, was created 1st Baronet Peacocke, of Barntic, County Clare in 1802, O’Byrne tells us that this was because he supported the Act of Union. [3]

Joseph married Elizabeth Cuffe, daughter of Thomas Cuffe and Grace Tilson, who married Reverend Charles Coote (1713-1796) when her husband died, and went on to have another family, so that Elizabeth’s half-brother was Charles Henry Coote (1754-1823) 2nd Baron Castle Coote. When Joseph died the estate was divided between his two sons, Nathaniel Levett Peacocke (1769-1847) 2nd Baronet and Reverend William Peacocke. [see 3]

*An impressive double-height window with red brick surround in the back lights the staircase inside.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Nathaniel married Henrietta Morris, daughter of John 1st Baronet Morris, of Clasemont, Co. Glamorgan, Wales. They had a son, Joseph Francis Peacocke (1805-1876) 3rd Baronet of Barntic. A second son, George Montagu Warren, changed his surname to Sandford in 1866, and lived in England.

By the 1820s the estate was put up for sale by the Court of Chancery.

Barntick next belonged to David Roche (1791-1865), O’Byrne tells us, who was M.P. for Limerick 1832-1844, and was created Baronet of Carass, County Limerick, in 1838. He married Frances Vandeleur, daughter of John Ormsby Vandeleur. They had several children but she died in 1841 and he married Cecilia Caroline O’Grady, daughter of Henry Deane O’Grady (1765-1847). We came across the O’Grady family before, as he sister Frances married Arthur Thomas Blennerhassett of Ballyseede Castle in County Kerry (see my entry on Ballyseede Castle, another Section 482 property).

In 1855 the house, along with 238 acres, was recorded as being leased to John Lyons and later his family bought the property. [3]

Ciarán’s grandmother Margaret was a Lyons and married into the Murphy family. She was very resourceful and Ciarán showed us many of her repairs. The estate would have been self-sufficient.

Ciarán is doing many of the repairs and maintenance of the house himself. Stephen was very impressed by the fact that he purchased a “cherrypicker” and can thus weed the roof!

*The side of the house facing the outbuildings.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*In the centre of the roof is a lead valley that led to a cistern for water on the top floor.*

Ciarán pointed out the place on the side of the house where the stonework is exposed. This part of the wall collapsed at one point and Ciarán had to fix it.

There used to be an orchard in front of the house. The view is beautiful, as the house is situated on an elevated site. In the nineteenth century, Ciarán told us, land was reclaimed from the Fergus River.

Robert O’Byrne describes the house:

“The building is a deep square, the east-facing rendered facade of three storeys and three bays, its carved limestone entrance doorcase approached by a shallow flight of six stone steps. Inside, the front half of the house is divided into three almost equal spaces, comprising a hall with drawing room and dining room on either side. To the rear, a handsome staircase, lit by a single tall window on the return, leads to the bedroom floor. Here the space is divided by a thick central wall running north to south and with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, indicating the house’s early date of construction. The stairs then climb to the top of the building where the entire front is given over to a single room...”

*The front hall, where the front door is reflected by a double door opposite with an arched fanlight.* *A picture rail runs sides of the hall.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Ciarán pointed out in the front hall that one can see the dried rushes used for construction through a hole in the ceiling.

*The dining room.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Below the shutters there is a carved diamond that is a characteristic design of the seventeenth century. The ceiling dates from the 1950s as the ceiling collapsed in the dining room when Ciarán’s father was a child in the house.

Ciarán’s grandmother Margaret fixed the wall in the room. The wall was always wet due to the roof leaking. She attached sheets of plywood to the walls, attached vertically from the skirting boards. The boards remain in situ today.

*The casement windows have shutters* *and an impressive pelmet.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Upstairs has a wide landing with broach archway. I think the house could be described as “double pile”: “single pile” is a house with a single row of rooms and double pile has two rows of rooms, and as with this case, a corridor between the two halves. This broad corridor is on each storey in Barntick.

We didn’t go up to the second floor as it is too unstable at the moment. It had a ballroom to the front, and servants’ quarters in back, Ciarán told us. The ballroom could have been like that of the Ormond castle in Carrick-on-Suir, a long room on an upper storey that was used for exercise in inclement weather.

In that attic, the timbers of the oak pegged roof are numbered with Roman numerals. Ciarán told us that they denote the import tax owed on the timber at time of import!

*Roman numerals on the roof beam timbers were written on the beams at the time of import and denote import taxes.* *Photograph courtesy of Ciarán Murphy.*

We saw the similar feature in 9 Aungier Street in Dublin, another building from the 1600s, and were told that the numbers there could have helped in their placement during construction. The beams are hand-hewn, and are fixed in place by oak pegs rather than with nails.

*Oak peg used to secure timbers, photograph courtesy of Ciarán Murphy.*

After the roof was fixed it took about five years for the house to dry out. Seeing a house in the daunting process of repair and upkeep, one appreciates how much work it takes to maintain such a house. Although most of the bedrooms are habitable, Ciarán showed us the front bedroom which is not, due to water damage caused by water ingress from the roof.

The basement has lovely flagstone floors.

*The basement with its flagstone floors, photograph courtesy of Ciarán Murphy.*

The rear entrance to the house also has flagstone floors.

*Rear entrance to Barntick, photograph courtesy of Ciarán Murphy.*

*The building with the rounded tin roof is the coach house. The outbuildings are on old maps so are probably the same age as the house.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The rounded roof of the carriage house.* © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

[1] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20404103/barntick-house-barntick-co-clare

[2] https://landedestates.ie/estate/1896

[3] https://theirishaesthete.com/2023/08/21/barntick/

Places to visit per county

by jenjunebugNovember 4, 2022October 16, 2025

Below is a list of places to visit per county.

Places to visit in County Antrim

1. Antrim Castle and Clotworthy House, County Antrim

2. Belfast Castle estate , County Antrim

3. Carrickfergus Castle, County Antrim

4. Dunluce Castle (ruin), County Antrim

5. Galgorm Castle, County Antrim – now part of a golf club.

6. Glenarm Castle, County Antrim – private, can book a tour

7. Lissanoure Castle, County Antrim – private, wedding venue

8. Malone House, Belfast, County Antrim – wedding and conference venue

9. Wilmont House (park only), Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Rose Gardens.

Places to visit in County Armagh:

1. Ardress House, County Armagh

2. The Argory, County Armagh

3. Brownlow House, County Armagh

4. Derrymore House, Bessbrook, County Armagh – National Trust

5. Milford House, Armagh

Places to visit in County Carlow

1. Altamont, Kilbride, Co Carlow – gardens open to public, see OPW entry

2. Borris House, Borris, County Carlow – section 482

3. Carlow Castle, Carlow, Co Carlow – a ruin

4. Duckett’s Grove, Carlow – a ruin

6. Hardymount House, Castlemore, Co Carlow – can visit gardens

7. Huntington Castle, Clonegal, Co Carlow – on section 482

8. Old Rectory Killedmond, Borris, Co Carlow – section 482

Places to visit in County Cavan

1. Cabra Castle, Kingscourt, Co. Cavan (Hotel) – section 482

2. Castle Saunderson, Co. Cavan – a ruin

3. Clough Oughter, County Cavan

4. Corravahan House & Gardens, Drung, Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan – section 482

Places to visit in County Clare:

1. Barntick House, Clarecastle County Clare – section 482

2. Bunratty Castle, County Clare

3. Craggaunowen Castle, Kilmurray, Sixmilebridge, County Clare

4. Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara, County Clare

5. Kilrush House, County Clare – ‘lost,’ Vandeleur Gardens open

6. Knappogue or Knoppogue Castle, County Clare

7. Mount Ievers Court, Sixmilebridge, County Clare 

8. Newtown Castle, Newtown, Ballyvaughan, County Clare – section 482

9. O’Dea’s, or Dysert Castle, County Clare

Places to visit in County Cork:

1. Annes Grove Gardens, County Cork – OPW

2. Ashton Grove, Ballingohig, Knockraha, Co. Cork – section 482

3. Ballymaloe House, Cloyne, County Cork

4. Ballynatray, Youghal, County Cork (also Waterford) – section 482

5. Bantry House & Garden, Bantry, Co. Cork – section 482

6. Barryscourt Castle, County Cork – OPW

7. Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork

8. Blarney Castle & Rock Close, Blarney, Co. Cork – section 482

9. Blarney House & Gardens, Blarney, Co. Cork – section 482

10. Brideweir House, Conna, Co. Cork – section 482

11. Burton Park, Churchtown, Mallow, Co. Cork – section 482

12. Creagh House, Main Street, Doneraile, Co. Cork – section 482

13. Desmond Castle, Kinsale, County Cork – OPW

14. Doneraile Court, County Cork – OPW

15. Drishane Castle & Gardens, Drishanemore, Millstreet Town, Co. Cork – section 482

16. Drishane House, Castletownshend, Co. Cork – section 482

17. Dún Na Séad Castle, Baltimore, Co. Cork – section 482

18. Fota House, Arboretum and Gardens – OPW

19. Garrettstown House, Garrettstown, Kinsale, Co. Cork – section 482

20. Fenns Quay, 4 & 5 Sheares Street, Cork – section 482

21. Ilnacullin, Garanish Island, County Cork – OPW

22. Inis Beg gardens, Baltimore, County Cork

23. Kilcascan Castle, Ballineen, Co. Cork – section 482

24. Kilshannig House, Rathcormac, Co. Cork – section 482

25. Liss Ard Sky Garden, County Cork

26. Riverstown House, Riverstown, Glanmire, Co. Cork – section 482

27. Woodford Bourne Warehouse, Sheares Street, Cork – section 482

Places to visit in County Derry:

1. Bellaghy Bawn, County Derry

2. Hezlett House, 107 Sea Road, Castlerock, County Derry, BT51 4TW on Downhill Demesne.

3. Mussenden Temple, Downhill Demesne

4. Springhill House, County Derry

Places to visit in County Donegal:

1. Cavanacor House, Ballindrait, Lifford, Co. Donegal – section 482

2. Doe Castle, County Donegal – OPW

3. Donegal Castle, County Donegal – OPW

4. Glebe Art Museum, County Donegal – OPW

5. Glenveagh Castle, County Donegal

6. Oakfield Park Garden, Oakfield Demesne, Raphoe, Co. Donegal – section 482, garden only

7. Salthill Garden, Salthill House, Mountcharles, Co. Donegal – section 482, garden only

Places to visit in County Down:

1. Audley’s Castle, County Down

2. Bangor Castle Park, County Down

3. Castle Ward, County Down

4. Dundrum Castle, County Down

5. Hillsborough Castle, County Down

6. Montalto Estate, County Down

7. Mount Stewart, County Down

8. Newry and Mourne Museum, Bagenal’s Castle, County Down

9. Portaferry Castle, County Down

Places to visit in County Dublin

1. Airfield, Dundrum, Dublin

2. Aras an Uachtarain, Phoenix Park, Dublin – OPW

3. Ardan, Windgate Road, Howth – gardens by appt

4. Ardgillan Castle, Dublin

5. Ashtown Castle, Phoenix Park, Dublin – OPW

6. Bewley’s, 78-79 Grafton Street/234 Johnson’s Court, Dublin 2 – section 482

7. Cabinteely House [formerly Clare Hill, or Marlfield], Cabinteely, Dublin

8. The Casino at Marino, Dublin – OPW

9. Charlemount House, Parnell Square, Dublin – Hugh Lane gallery

10. Clonskeagh Castle, 80 Whitebean Road, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14 – section 482

11. Colganstown House, Hazelhatch Road, Newcastle, Co. Dublin – section 482

12. Corke Lodge Garden, Shankill, Co. Dublin – section 482

13. Dalkey Castle, Dublin – heritage centre

14. Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2 – section 482

15. Drimnagh Castle, Dublin

16. Dublin Castle, Dublin – OPW

17. Fahanmura, 2 Knocksina, Foxrock, Dublin 18 – section 482

18. Farm Complex, Toberburr Road, Killeek, St Margaret’s, Co. Dublin – section 482

19. Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin – OPW

20. Fern Hill, Stepaside, Dublin – gardens open to public

21. Georgian House Museum, 29 Lower Fitzwilliam Street, Merrion Square, Dublin 2 – virtual visit only

22. “Geragh”, Sandycove Point, Sandycove, Co. Dublin – section 482

23. 14 Henrietta Street, Dublin

24. Hibernian/National Irish Bank, 23-27 College Green, Dublin 2 – section 482

25. Howth Castle gardens, Dublin

26. Howth Martello Tower Hurdy Gurdy Radio Museum

27. Knocknagin House, Delvin Bridge, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin – section 482

28. Knockrose Garden, The Scalp, Kiltiernan – garden open

29. Lambay Castle, Lambay Island, Malahide, Co. Dublin – section 482

30. Lissen Hall, County Dublin – ihh member, check dates, May and June.

31. Malahide Castle, County Dublin

32. Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, County Dublin

33. Martello Tower, Portrane, Co. Dublin – section 482

34. Meander, Westminister Road, Foxrock, Dublin 18 – section 482

35. Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square, Dublin

36. MOLI, Museum of Literature Ireland, Newman House, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin

37. Mornington Garden, Dalkey – gardens open

38. Newbridge House, Donabate, County Dublin

39. 11 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1 – section 482

40. 81 North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7 – section 482

41. The Odeon (formerly the Old Harcourt Street Railway Station), 57 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2 – section 482

42. The Old Glebe, Upper Main Street, Newcastle, Co. Dublin – section 482

43. Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 South William Street, Dublin 2 – section 482

44. Primrose Hill, Very Top of Primrose Lane, Lucan, Co. Dublin – section 482

45. Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin – OPW

46. Royal Hospital Kilmainham (Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA) – OPW

47. 10 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2 – Section 482

48. St. Enda’s Park and Pearse Museum, Dublin – OPW

49. St. George’s, St. George’s Avenue, Killiney, Co. Dublin – section 482

50. Swords Castle, Swords, County Dublin.

51. The Church, Junction of Mary’s Street/Jervis Street, Dublin 1 – section 482

52. Tibradden House, Mutton Lane, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16 – section 482

53. Tickknock Gardens, Ticknock Lodge, Ticknock Road, Sandyford, Dublin, Dublin 18

54. Tyrrelstown House Garden, Powerstown Road, Tyrrelstown, Dublin, D15 T6DD – gardens open

Places to visit in County Fermanagh:

1. Castle Archdale Countryside Centre & War Museum – demolished in 1970 but the stables remain intact.

2. Castle Balfour (ruin), County Fermanagh

3. Castle Coole, County Fermanagh

4. Crom Estate, County Fermanagh

5. Enniskillen Castle, County Fermanagh

6. Florence Court, County Fermanagh

Places to visit in County Galway

1. Ardamullivan Castle, Galway – national monument, to be open to public in future – check status

2. Ardcarrig Garden, Oranswell, Bushypark, County Galway

3. Athenry Castle, County Galway – open to public

4. Aughnanure Castle, County Galway (OPW)

5. Castle Ellen House, Athenry, Co. Galway – section 482

6. Claregalway Castle, Claregalway, Co. Galway – section 482

7. Coole Park, County Galway – house gone but stables visitor site open

8. Gleane Aoibheann, Clifden, Galway – gardens

9. Kylemore Abbey, County Galway

10. The Grammer School, College Road, Galway – section 482

11. Oranmore Castle, Oranmore, Co. Galway – section 482

12. Portumna Castle, County Galway (OPW)

13. Ross, Moycullen, Co Galway – gardens open

14. Signal Tower & Lighthouse, Eochaill, Inis Mór, Aran Islands, Co. Galway – section 482

15. Thoor Ballylee, County Galway

16. Woodville House Dovecote & Walls of Walled Garden, Craughwell, Co. Galway – section 482, garden only

Places to visit in County Kerry:

1. Ballyseede Castle, Tralee, Co. Kerry – section 482, also a hotel for accommodation €€

2. Derrynane House, Caherdaniel, County Kerry – OPW

3. Derreen Gardens, Lauragh, Tuosist, Kenmare, Co. Kerry – section 482

4. Dhu Varren garden, Knockreigh, Milltown, Kerry, V93 VX27

5. Kells Bay House & Garden, Kells, Caherciveen, County Kerry

6. Killarney House, County Kerry

7. Knockreer House and Gardens, County Kerry

8. Listowel Castle, County Kerry – OPW

9. Muckross House,  Killarney, County Kerry – open to visitors

10. Ross’s Castle, Killarney, County Kerry

11. Staigue Fort, County Kerry

12. Tarbert House, Tarbert, Co. Kerry – section 482

Places to visit in County Kildare:

1. Blackhall Castle, Calverstown, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare – section 482

2. Burtown House and Garden, Athy, Co. Kildare – section 482

3. Castletown House, County Kildare – OPW

4. Coolcarrigan House & Gardens, Coolcarrigan, Coill Dubh, Naas, Co. Kildare – section 482

5. Donadea Forest Park and ruins of Donadea Castle, County Kildare

6. Farmersvale House, Badgerhill, Kill, Co. Kildare – section 482

7. Griesemount House, Ballitore, Co Kildare – section 482

8. Harristown House, Brannockstown, Co. Kildare – section 482

9. Kildrought House, Celbridge Village, Co. Kildare – section 482

10. Larchill, Kilcock, Co. Kildare – section 482

11. Leixlip Castle, Leixlip, Co. Kildare – section 482

12. Maynooth Castle, County Kildare – OPW

13. Millbrook House, County Kildare: House and limited garden access for groups only

14. Moone Abbey House & Tower, Moone Abbey, Moone, Co. Kildare – section 482

15. Moyglare Glebe, Moyglare, Maynooth, Co. Kildare – section 482

16. Steam Museum Lodge Park Heritage Centre, Lodge Park, Straffan, Co. Kildare – section 482

Places to visit in County Kilkenny:

1. Aylwardstown, Glenmore, Co Kilkenny – section 482

2. Ballysallagh House, Johnswell, Co Kilkenny – section 482

3. Creamery House, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny – 482

4. Kilfane Glen & Waterfall Garden, Thomastown, County Kilkenny – 482 – garden only

5. Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny – OPW

6. Kilkenny Design Centre, Castle Yard, Kilkenny – Design Centre on 482

7. Kilrush House, County Kilkenny, ihh member, by appt.

8. Rothe House, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny 

9. Shankill Castle, Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny – section 482

10. Tybroughney Castle, Piltown, Co Kilkenny – 482

11. Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum, Woodstock, Inistioge, Kilkenny

Places to visit in County Laois:

1. Ballaghmore Castle, Borris in Ossory, Co. Laois – section 482

2. Ballintubbert House and Gardens, Stradbally, Co Laois – gardens sometimes open to public

3. Gardens at Castle Durrow, County Laois

4. Emo Court, County Laois – OPW

5. Heywood Gardens, County Laois – OPW

6. Stradbally Hall, Stradbally, Co. Laois – section 482

Places to visit in County Leitrim:

1. Lough Rynn Castle gardens, Mohill, Co Leitrim

2. Manorhamilton Castle (Ruin), Castle St, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim – section 482

3. Parke’s Castle, County Leitrim (OPW)

Places to visit in County Limerick:

1. Ash Hill, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick – section 482

2. Askeaton Castle, County Limerick – OPW

3. Desmond Castle, Adare, County Limerick – OPW

4. Desmond Castle, Newcastlewest, County Limerick – OPW

5. Glebe House, Holycross, Bruff, Co. Limerick – section 482

6. Glenville House, Glenville, Ardagh, Co. Limerick – section 482

7. Glenquin Castle, Newcastle West, Co Limerick – open to visitors

8. Glenstal Abbey, County Limerick

9. Kilpeacon House, Crecora, Co. Limerick – section 482

10. King John’s Castle, Limerick

11. Odellville House, Ballingarry, Co. Limerick – section 482

12. Mount Trenchard House and Garden, Foynes, Co. Limerick – section 482

13. The Turret, Ryanes, Ballyingarry, Co. Limerick – section 482

14. The Old Rectory, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick – section 482

Places to visit in County Longford:

1. Castlecor House, County Longford, open by previous arrangement.

2. Maria Edgeworth Visitor Centre, Longford, County Longford.

3. Moorhill House, Castlenugent, Lisryan, Co. Longford – section 482

Places to visit in County Louth

1. Barmeath Castle, Dunleer, Drogheda, Co. Louth – section 482

2. Carlingford Castle, County Louth – OPW

3. Castle Bellingham, Co. Louth

4. Collon House, County Louth

5. Killineer House & Garden, Drogheda, Co. Louth – section 482

6. Old Mellifont Abbey, County Louth – OPW

7. Rokeby Hall, Grangebellew, Co. Louth – section 482

Places to visit in County Mayo:

1. Belleek Castle and Ballina House, originally Belleek Castle, Ballina, Mayo – hotel and gives tours

2. Brookhill House, Brookhill, Claremorris, Co. Mayo – section 482

3. Enniscoe House & Gardens, Castlehill, Ballina, Co. Mayo – section 482

4. Old Coastguard Station, Rosmoney, Westport, Co. Mayo – section 482

5. Partry House, Mayo

6. Prizon House, Prizon North, Balla, Co. Mayo – section 482

7. Turlough Park, Museum of Country Life, Mayo

8. Westport House, County Mayo

Places to visit in County Meath

1. Balrath, Kells, Co Meath – accommodation and sometimes open for visits

2. Beau Parc House, Beau Parc, Navan, Co. Meath – section 482

3. Dardistown Castle, Dardistown, Julianstown, Co. Meath – section 482

4. Dunsany Castle, Dunsany, Co. Meath – section 482

5. Gravelmount House, Castletown, Kilpatrick, Navan, Co. Meath – section 482

6. Hamwood House, Dunboyne, Co. Meath – section 482

7. Loughcrew House, Loughcrew, Old Castle, Co. Meath – section 482

8. Moyglare House, Moyglare, Co. Meath – section 482

9. Oldbridge House, County Meath – Battle of the Boyne Museum – OPW

10. Slane Castle, Slane, Co. Meath – section 482

11. St. Mary’s Abbey, High Street, Trim, Co. Meath – section 482

12. The Former Parochial House, Slane, Co. Meath – section 482

13. Swainstown House, Kilmessan, Co. Meath – section 482

14. Tankardstown House, Rathkenny, Slane, Co. Meath – section 482

15. Trim Castle, County Meath – OPW

Places to visit in County Monaghan:

1. Castle Leslie, Glaslough, Co. Monaghan – section 482

2. Hilton Park House, Clones, Co. Monaghan – section 482

3. Mullan Village and Mill, Mullan, Emyvale, Co. Monaghan – section 482

Places to visit in County Offaly:

1. Ballindoolin House, Edenderry, Co. Offaly

2. Ballybrittan Castle, Ballybrittan, Edenderry, Co. Offaly

3. Birr Castle, Birr, Co. Offaly

[at some time, to re-open to the public, the gardens at Bellefield – see Robert O’Byrne’s blog: https://theirishaesthete.com/2022/05/02/bellefield/

4. Boland’s Lock, Cappincur, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

5. Charleville Forest Castle, Tullamore, County Offaly

6. Clonony Castle, County Offaly

7. Corolanty House, Shinrone, Birr, Co. Offaly

8. Crotty Church, Castle Street, Birr, Co. Offaly

9. Gloster House, Brosna, Birr, Co. Offaly

10. High Street House, High Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

11. Leap Castle, County Offaly

12. Loughton, Moneygall, Birr, Co. Offaly

13. Springfield House, Mount Lucas, Daingean, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

Places to visit in County Roscommon:

1. Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon – OPW

2. Castlecoote House, Castlecoote, Co. Roscommon – section 482

3. Clonalis House, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon – section 482

4. King House, Main Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon – section 482

5. Rathcroghan, County Roscommon – OPW

6. Shannonbridge Fortifications, Shannonbridge, Athlone, Co. Roscommon – section 482

7. Strokestown Park House, Strokestown Park House, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon – section 482

Places to visit in County Sligo:

1. Ballymote Castle, County Sligo (OPW)

2. Ballynafad Castle (or Ballinafad), Co Sligo – a ruin, OPW

3. Coopershill House, Riverstown, Co. Sligo – section 482

4. Lissadell House & Gardens, Lissadell, Ballinfull, Co. Sligo – section 482

5. Markree Castle, Collooney, Co Sligo – section 482

6. Newpark House and Demesne, Newpark, Ballymote, Co. Sligo – section 482

7. Rathcarrick House, Rathcarrick, Strandhill Road, Co. Sligo – section 482

Places to visit in County Tipperary:

1. Beechwood House, Ballbrunoge, Cullen, Co. Tipperary – section 482

2. Cahir Castle, County Tipperary – OPW

3. Carey’s Castle, Clonmel, County Tipperary

4. Clashleigh House, Clogheen, Co. Tipperary – section 482

5. Cloughjordan House, Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary – section 482

6. Fancroft Mill, Fancroft, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary – section 482

7. Farney Castle, Holycross, County Tipperary

8. Grenane House, Tipperary, Co. Tipperary – section 482

9. Killenure Castle, Dundrum, Co Tipperary – section 482

10. Nenagh Castle, County Tipperary

11. Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary – OPW

12. Redwood Castle, Redwood, Lorrha, Nenagh, North Tipperary – section 482

13. Roscrea Castle and Damer House, County Tipperary

14. Silversprings House, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary – section 482

15. Swiss Cottage, County Tipperary – OPW

Places to visit in County Tyrone:

1. Ashfield Park, County Tyrone – gardens open to visitors

2. Blessingbourne, Fivemiletown, County Tyrone – open for tours, self catering accommodation on the grounds

3. Hill of The O’Neill and Ranfurly House Arts & Visitor Centre, County Tyrone

4. Killymoon Castle, County Tyrone

5. Lissan House, Drumgrass Road, Cookstown, County Tyrone, BT80 9SW.

6. Prehen, County Tyrone

Places to visit in County Waterford:

1. Ballynatray Estate, Co. Waterford – section 482

2. Ballysaggartmore Towers, County Waterford

3. Bishop’s Palace Museum, Waterford

4. Cappagh House (Old and New), Cappagh, Dungarvan, Co Waterford – section 482

5. Cappoquin House & Gardens, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford – section 482

6. Curraghmore House, Portlaw, Co. Waterford – section 482

7. Dromana House, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford – section 482

8. Dungarvan Castle, Waterford – OPW

9. Fairbrook House, Garden and Museum, County Waterford

10. Lismore Castle Gardens

11. Mount Congreve Gardens, County Waterford

12. The Presentation Convent, Waterford Healthpark, Slievekeel Road, Waterford – section 482

13. Reginald’s Tower, County Waterford – OPW

14. Tourin House & Gardens, Tourin, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford – section 482

Places to visit in County Westmeath:

1. Athlone Castle, County Westmeath

2. Belvedere House, Gardens and Park, County Westmeath

3. Lough Park House, Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath

4. St. John’s Church, Loughstown, Drumcree, Collinstown, Co. Westmeath

5. Tullynally Castle & Gardens, Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath

6. Turbotstown, Coole, Co. Westmeath

7. Tyrrelspass Castle, County Westmeath – restaurant and gift shop

Places to visit in County Wexford:

1. Ballyhack Castle, Co. Wexford – open to public OPW

2. Ballymore, Camolin, Co Wexford – museum

3. Berkeley Forest House, County Wexford

4. Clougheast Cottage, Carne, Co. Wexford – section 482

5. Enniscorthy Castle, County Wexford

6. Ferns Castle, Wexford – open to public, OPW

7. Johnstown Castle, County Wexford maintained by the Irish Heritage Trust

8. Kilcarbry Mill Engine House, Sweetfarm, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford – section 482

9. Kilmokea Country Manor & Gardens, Great Island, Campile, New Ross, Co. Wexford – section 482

10. Loftus Hall, County Wexford

11. Newtownbarry House, Wexford

12. Tintern Abbey, Ballycullane, County Wexford – concessionary entrance to IGS members, OPW

13. Wells House, County Wexford

14. Woodville House, New Ross, Co. Wexford – section 482

Places to visit in County Wicklow:

1. Altidore Castle, Kilpeddar, Greystones, Co. Wicklow – section 482

2. Avondale House, County Wicklow

3. Ballymurrin House, Kilbride, Wicklow, Co. Wicklow – section 482

4. Castle Howard, Avoca, Co. Wicklow – section 482

5. Charleville, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow – section 482

6. Corke Lodge, Co Wicklow – gardens open to visitors

7. Dower House, Rossanagh, Ashford, Co Wicklow – gardens open by appointment

8. Greenan More, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow – section 482

9. Huntingbrook, County Wicklow – gardens open to public

10. Killruddery House & Gardens, Southern Cross Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow – section 482

11. Kiltimon House, Newcastle, Co. Wicklow – section 482

12. Kingston House, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow – section 482

13. Knockanree Garden, Avoca, Co Wicklow – section 482, garden only

14. 1 Martello Terrace, Strand Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow – section 482

15. Mount Usher Gardens, Ashford, Co. Wicklow – section 482, garden only

16. Powerscourt House & Gardens, Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow – section 482

17. Russborough, The Albert Beit Foundation, Blessington, Co. Wicklow – section 482

18. Tinode, Blessington, Co Wicklow – June Blake’s Garden, open from Springtime 2022

Ashton Grove, Ballingohig, Knockraha, Co. Cork – Section 482

by jenjunebugNovember 4, 2022February 19, 2026

Open dates in 2026: Jan 6, 9-11, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30-31, Feb 1-3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, May 5, 8-10, 12, 15-17, 19, 22-24, 26, June 2, 5, 8-12, 15, 19-22, 26, Aug 15-23, Sept 8,11,15,18-20, 8am-12 noon

Fee: adult €6, child €3, student/OAP free

I can’t find much information on Ashton Grove and we haven’t had a chance to visit yet. The property has a facebook page and a contact email on it:

ashtongrovegarden@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ashtongrovegardens/

The Landed Estates database has an entry for Ashton Grove:

*Ashton Grove, photograph courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.*

“This house is marked Ashton Grove on the first Ordnance Surve map. John Cotter was the proprietor of Ashton, Cork, in 1814 and T. Cleary of Ballingohig in 1837. Thomas J. Cleary held the property from Henry Braddell at the time of Griffith’s Valuation when the buildings were valued at £22. Cleary held a cornmill from Braddell in the townland of Kilrussane. James Fitzgerald held 122 acres of untenanted land and buildings valued at £26+ in 1906.” [1]

Under the Braddell family, the landed estates database tells us:

“This family appear to be descended from the Reverend Henry Braddell of Raheengraney, County Wicklow. Henry Braddell held land in the parish of Mallow, County Cork, from at least the early 19th century. Henry Braddell may have been agent to the Earl of Listowel. His nephew John Waller Braddell certainly fulfilled this role in the 1850s and early 1860s until he was murdered in 1863. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation Matthew Braddle held land in the parish of Mourneabbey, barony of Barretts, and Henry Braddle held land in the parishes of Mallow, barony of Fermoy, Castlelyons and Knockmourne, barony of Condons and Clangibbon, Killaspugmullane, barony of Barrymore, county Cork. In the 1870s Henry Braddell of Modelligo, Fermoy, owned 1,872 acres in county Cork.“

and about the Cleary family:

“Thomas J. Cleary held land in the parish of Killaspugmullane, barony of Barrymore, county Cork, at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. In January 1866 the estate of John Thomas Clery at Ashton Grove, Ballingohig, barony of Barrymore, was advertised for sale. His brother Henry Clery was selling his share of Ashton Grove in June 1866. Under tenure in this sale rental a detailed history of the Clerys’ land holding is given. By a fee farm grant dated December 1850 Henry Braddell granted the lands of Kilrossane and Ballingohig to Thomas John Clery, who by his will dated 6 February 1851 left his property divided between his six sons, John Thomas, Henry, Charles, William, George and Richard. In the 1870s William Henry Cleary of Cork owned 2,534 acres in the county.“

An article published on June 2nd 2013 in the Irish Examiner by Peter Dowdall gives a wonderful description of the garden. He writes:

“From tiny little details, such as a glimpse of a marble seat in the distance through an accidental gap in a hedge, to a perfectly-positioned specimen tree, this garden needs senses on high alert.

If I am to be honest, I was expecting a garden recreated by the book and with a certain degree of interest from the owner. What I discovered was a garden being recreated by a man who is now thinking of the future generations and recreating this garden with a passionate attention to detail. Every plant that goes in is carefully considered; every stone and brick that went into creating an orangery from a derelict pig shed and a belfry from a cowshed were reused from the estate. Fallen slates, which weren’t good enough to use on buildings, create an edge around the rose beds.

What I love about the place is that the rule book is not evident, trial and error is the order of the day, which to me is real gardening. Except when it comes to the meticulous planning of the box hedges in the potager and the Horological Maze, which at this stage is on its third planting because the original Taxus (yew) failed due to a blight which struck again a few years later. The maze was replanted using Lonicera and is thriving, though it will be a few years before it is truly at its best…I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend a Sunday than roaming through the ‘garden rooms’ here.

Looking down on this garden, which is next to the maze, from an elevated platform you could imagine yourself in the south of France, except for the single-figure temperatures. Other features to admire include the fantastic Anglo-Chinese Regency-style bridge, constructed by the owner’s brother, and the pergola, which has been planted with several climbers including Jasminum, Laburnum, David Austin roses, Wisteria and Passiflora.

However, no account of a visit to this garden is complete without mentioning the Horological Maze.

What, I hear you ask is a Horological Maze? Well it’s a design centred on a French mantle clock, which is surrounded by interlocking cog-wheels, pinions and coil springs, all inspired by the workings of a typical mechanism. It also reflects the owner’s interest in horology and provides a balance in its garden sculpture to the turret clock presiding over the courtyard.

The owner took his inspiration for this creation from visits to Blenheim Palace and Weston Park in England, Shanagarry and Faithlegg in Ireland, and the Summer Palace in Vienna.” [2]

[1] https://landedestates.ie/property/3505

[2] https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/gardening/getting-to-the-soul-of-a-magical-place-232846.html

Oakfield Park, Oakfield Demesne, Raphoe, Co. Donegal – Section 482 garden only

by jenjunebugNovember 3, 2022February 20, 2026

www.oakfieldpark.com

Open dates in 2026: Mar 27-29, 12 noon-6pm, Apr 1-3, 6-10, 13-17, 20-24, 27-30, 12 noon-6pm, May 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-31, 12 noon-6pm, June 1-30, July 1-31, Aug 1-31, 11am-6pm, Sept 2-4, 7-11, 14-18, 21-27, 12 noon-6pm

Fee: adult €12, OAP/student €10.80, child €8, Concession – RHSI members free

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€15.00

*Folly, Oakfield Park, July 2022.* In the lower gardens a boggy field was transformed by the current owners into a large lake, planted with reeds and wild flowers. This is now home to swans and abundant wildlife. A Castle Folly built on the opposite shore provides stunning views. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

We visited Oakfield Park in July, on a trip to County Donegal. Unfortunately the house is not open to the public, but there is plenty to see in the grounds, and it has been created as a family-friendly destination complete with steam train! There’s also a shop and café.

*The Earl of Oakfield blue diesel engine*, Oakfield Park. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Oakfield Park, County Donegal, July 2022.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Buffers Tea Rooms and shop.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage tells us that the house at Oakfield Park is a five-bay two-storey over basement former Church of Ireland deanery with dormer attic, built c. 1739, having courtyard of outbuildings to the north with curved screen walls to the north-west and north-east of the house. [1]

*Oakfield Park, courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage* [1]

The Inventory continues:

“This impressive, well-maintained and well-proportioned mid-eighteenth century country house retains its early form. It has recently been extensively conserved and retains its original character. It was originally built as the deanery for the Church of Ireland Diocese of Raphoe in 1739 at a cost of £1,680. Its form with dormer attic level and Tuscan pedimented porch was slightly old fashioned for its construction date and it has the appearance of the house dating to the second half of the seventeenth century or to the start of eighteenth century. This is something it shares with the contemporary Bogay House, which is located a few kilometres to the north-east of Oakfield.“

Bogay is indeed very similar, built in around 1730 as a hunting lodge the Abercorns of Baronscourt, County Tyrone [2]. Bogay seems to be for sale at present [ https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-bogay-house-bogay-newtown-cunningham-co-donegal/4022904 ] with 18 acres, furnished, for just €650,000! It also served as a clerical residence.

*Cantilevered staircase*, *Bogay House, courtesy of daft.ie*

The reason that the Inventory calls the style “old fashioned for its construction date” is because, according to Alistair Rowan in his Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster, the elevation has a seventeenth century character, or at latest, Queen Anne. It is “not essentially different from Inigo Jones’s design for Lord Maltravers at Lothbury in the City of London of 1638.”

It was William Cotterell, Dean of Raphoe, who commissioned the building of Oakfield Park. Robert O’Byrne tells us:

“Oakfield is of interest for many reasons, not least its links to one of the loveliest estates in England: Rousham, Oxfordshire. The main house at Oakfield, built in 1739 at a cost of £1,680, was commissioned by William Cotterell, then-Dean of Raphoe. Cotterell was a younger son of Sir Charles Lodowick Cotterell who, like his father before him (and several generations of the same family thereafter) held the court position of Master of Ceremonies. In 1741 Dean Cotterell’s brother, Sir Clement Cotterell who performed the same role in the royal household, inherited the Rousham estate from a cousin. William Kent had already been working on the gardens at Rousham but now also undertook improvements to the house. Clearly the Cotterell brothers were men of taste and this can also be seen at Oakfield even if Kent did not work there. In fact the house’s elevations are stylistically somewhat anachronistic and seem to harp back to the late 17^th century. Nevertheless, it is a handsome building in an admirably chosen setting: on a bluff offering views across to Croaghan Hill some five miles away.” [3]

The Inventory continues with more particulars about Oakfield Park:

“The detail of Oakfield is kept to a minimum with plain sandstone eaves course while the impressive pedimented Tuscan porch provides an effective central focus. The ranges of outbuildings are hidden behind quadrant screen walls to the north-west of the house in a vaguely Palladian fashion, a style that was en vogue at the time of construction. The house is composed of graceful classical proportions with a rigid simplicity and order to all the three main elevations with the architectural composition defined by the diminishing size of openings on the upper levels, the raised ground floor, overhanging eaves and the central entrance doorway.

“Oakfield remained in use as a deanery until 1869 when it was purchased by Captain Thomas Butler Stoney of the Donegal Militia. Captain Stoney further built up the estate by acquiring additional land in Raphoe including the ruins of the Bishops Palace.“

*Ruins of Bishop’s Palace, Raphoe, County Donegal.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Robert O’Byrne tells us that Thomas Butler Stoney was a younger son of James Stoney of Rossyvera, County Mayo and that as well as being a Captain in the Donegal Artillery Militia, Stoney also occupied all the other positions expected of someone in his position: County High Sheriff, Deputy Lieutenant of the county, Justice of the Peace. Following his death in 1912 Oakfield was inherited by his only son, Cecil Robert Vesey Stoney, a keen ornithologist who eventually moved to England in the early 1930s.

*Rossyvera House, County Mayo, former home of Thomas Butler Stoney. Photograph courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.*

The National Inventory continues: “It was later the home of Captain George B. Stoney in 1881 and a Captain Thomas Butler Stoney in 1894 (Slater’s Directory). When Captain Stoney died in 1912 the house was inherited by his son Cecil who retained it and some land, letting it out during the 1920s and 30s.“

Robert O’Byrne tells us that the house and surrounding lands thereafter passed through several hands. The Oakfield Park website tells us it belonged to several local families, including the Morrows, Mc Elhinneys and Pattersons. Twenty-six years ago it was purchased by businessman Gerry Robinson who together with his wife Heather has since undertaken an extensive restoration of the property. The website tells us of their renovations:

“Alterations made during Victorian times and earlier were reversed and where possible the house returned to its original design. Wherever possible, the existing floorboards, stairs and panelling internally were retained and restored. The gardens have matured quickly and to-date more than 40,000 trees have been planted. An international collection of Oaks (Quercus) has been established in recent years. A Victorian Ram Pump which was installed at Oakfield Park in 1864 is still in operation. It was used to pump water from a nearby stream up to the main house. For any Donegal sightseeing visitors, this pump has been restored and is still in use today, supplying fresh water to the formal ponds in the walled garden.“

The Inventory continues: “Occupying attractive mature grounds with extensive recent alterations and additions, Oakfield Park is an important element of the built heritage of the Raphoe area and is an integral element of the social history as a former Church of Ireland deanery. It forms the centrepiece of a ground of related structures along with the walled garden (see 40906218) to the north-east, the complex of outbuildings (see 40906214) to the north-west, and the icehouse (see 40906219) to the south-east.“

Unfortunately we arrived too late in the day to see the upper gardens, which are only accessible via a guided tour. They include a clipped box parterre, planned by Tony and Elizabeth Wright, based on a design by Sebastiano Serlio, and a semi-circular pergola.

Robert O’Byrne tells us:

“Over the past two decades, not only have the Robinsons restored the residence at the centre of Oakfield, but they have created a 100-acre parkland around it. Some of this is based in the old walled gardens immediately adjacent to the house but the rest is spread over two areas bisected by a road. This division applies also to the spirit of the two sections, the upper garden having a more classical aspect thanks to elements such as a Nymphaeum on one side of the lake. The lower garden’s principal architectural feature is a newly-created castellated tower house overlooking another stretch of water. Between this pair of substantial structures are other, smaller buildings to engage a visitor’s interest. Oakfield is an admirable demonstration of what imaginative vision allied with sound taste can achieve. Walking around the grounds, it is hard to believe this is County Donegal. But that is what sets Oakfield apart: like Rousham on the other side of the Irish Sea, once inside the gates one is temporarily transported to Arcadia.“

The website tells us that there are many kilometres of designated walking paths through the gardens, which pass under native woodland, alongside sculpture, over natural wetland and via many beautiful viewpoints and features.

*Oakfield Park, July 2022.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Boardwalk, Oakfield Park.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The website tells us about the trains:

“Over 4.5km of narrow-gauge railway track weaves its way through the trees, around the lakes and along the meadows, revealing many pleasing vistas throughout the park – both sculpture and nature. Tickets and departure times are available at the gate on arrival, in Buffers restaurant or in the ice cream truck. No booking is required except for group visits. The trip will take about 15 minutes.

One of three locomotives in Oakfield Park, The Duchess of Difflin steam engine, with her carriages in the traditional red and cream livery of the Wee Donegal is a nostalgic delight that runs on the last Sunday of each month in the season – Steam Sunday. This is a family attraction in Donegal like no other.

At least one of the two diesels run every other day, at least on the hour. The Earl of Oakfield blue diesel engine, delights children, Thomas the Tank Engine fans and train enthusiasts alike and the green locomotive, Bishop Twysden is the first full locomotive ever built in Donegal.”

In the Lower Gardens, there are many sculptures. “The Longsleeper” by Lockie Morris is the largest, constructed from oak and steel. Other sculptures include “The Keepers of the Knowledge” and “Serene” by Owen Crawford, the “Love Seat” and a number of expertly crafted chainsaw sculptures by local carver, Gintas Poderys. Other garden sculpture in Oakfield park includes “Reading Chaucer” by sculptor Philip Jackson, known for his bronze sculptures depicting life-sized elongated figures. Then there is “Deer” by Rupert Till, two life-size mesh statues by one of the leading contemporary wire sculptors in the UK.

*“The Longsleeper” by Lockie Morris, constructed from oak and steel.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*“The Orb” by Anne Hamilton*, *set inside a circle of oak trees with Aspens surrounding, which cause susserations.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*I was particularly impressed by this “vase” made of slate slabs.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The slate of the sculpture reflects the slate that leads up to the folly by the lake.

*The slate is even part of the brickwork near the folly.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The Castle Folly.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Sadly, Gerry Robinson passed away in 2021.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The website tells us about a maze, which unfortunately we did not get to try:

““A Maze” is a really popular addition to the park and offers hours of endless fun. The maze was designed by Jennifer Fisher and set out and planted by our team of gardeners at Oakfield Park.

The maze a must do family activity in Donegal suitable for both children and adults alike, working you way into the centre toward the imposing 10-metre-tall brick tower – then spend the afternoon trying to work your way out again! If you get stuck just look up the free Oakfield Park app where you can use the map to guide you out.“

*We often think it’s a terrible pity that the railway no longer goes to Donegal. There used to be a terrific rail service, but it ended even before Stephen’s family moved to County Donegal in 1969.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

[1] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40906201/oakfield-house-oakfield-demesne-co-donegal

[2] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40904709/bogay-house-bogay-glebe-co-donegal

[3] https://theirishaesthete.com/tag/oakfield-park/

Text © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Office of Public Works properties in Connaught, Counties Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo

by jenjunebugOctober 31, 2022February 25, 2026

My entry for all of the OPW sites in Connaught was too long, so since it is mainly about Portumna Castle in Galway, I have separated my Galway OPW entry from the other counties in Connaught.

Leitrim:

1. Parke’s Castle, County Leitrim

2. Sean MacDiarmada Cottage, County Leitrim

Mayo:

3. Ceide Fields, County Mayo

Roscommon:

4. Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon

5. Rathcroghan, County Roscommon

Sligo:

6. Ballymote Castle, County Sligo

7. Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, County Sligo

8. Sligo Abbey, County Sligo

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€15.00

Leitrim:

1. Parkes Castle, Fivemilebourne, County Leitrim:

General information: 071 916 4149, parkescastle@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/parkes-castle/:

“Parke’s Castle occupies a striking setting on the northern shores of Lough Gill in County Leitrim.

A restored castle of the early seventeenth century, it was once the home of English planter Robert Parke. There is evidence of an earlier structure on the site, a tower house once owned by Sir Brian O’Rourke, lord of West Breifne [The Kingdom of Breifne, or Breffny, was what is now Leitrim and parts of Cavan and other neighbouring counties]. O’Rourke, whom one English governor described as ‘the proudest man this day living on the earth’, resisted crown rule and fled Ireland, but ended up in the hands of Queen Elizabeth’s forces. He was thrown into the Tower of London, tried and finally hanged at Tyburn.“

By the 11th century Breifne was ruled by the O’Rourke or Ua Rairc dynasty. Brian O’Rourke assumed the leadership of Breifne after assassinating his older brothers, apparently! His daughter Mary married The O’Conor Don, Hugh O’Conor (1540-1627) – for more on the O’Conor Don, see my entry about Clonalis, County Roscommon. Sir Brian O’Rourke was indicted in 1591 for sheltering Francisco de Cueller, an officer of the shipwrecked Armada in 1588, who later wrote about his time in Ireland.

The land was then given to Robert or Roger Parke. It passed to his son Robert (1585-1671).

The OPW website continues: “Tragedy struck in 1677, when two of Parke’s children drowned on the lake. The castle then fell into disrepair. Only in the late twentieth century was it restored, using traditional Irish oak and craftsmanship.”

Robert Parke’s daughter Anne married Francis Gore of Ardtarmon, County Sligo, a brother of Arthur Gore, ancestor to the Earls of Arran.

*Parkes Castle, which was also called Newtown Castle, County Leitrim, August 2021.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Portrait of a gentleman, purported to be Sir Arthur Gore of Newton Gore courtesy of British & Continental Pictures by Bonhams April 28, 2009, painting by Circle of James Latham.*

The OPW did a terrific job of renovation, as you can see from former photographs – look at 1926!

*Parkes Castle, County Leitrim, August 2021.*

Unfortunately although we visited during Heritage Week in 2021, the castle was closed due to Covid restrictions. We were able to enter the courtyard and courtyard buildings, and to wander around the castle, but did not get to go inside, which is normally open to the public.

The last member of the Parke family left the castle in 1691.

*The Forge*, *Parkes Castle, County Leitrim, August 2021.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*I loved this chart of shoes, for horses and also donkeys.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Stephen entering the Sweathouse, which may date back to the 12th century!* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Stephen in the Sweathouse, which may date back to the 12th century!* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*This tunnel leads down to the water, for a quick escape.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

2. Sean MacDiarmada Cottage, County Leitrim:

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/sean-mac-diarmada-cottage/:

“The homestead of the 1916 leader Seán Mac Diarmada in Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim is the jewel in the county’s historic crown.

The cottage is the only original existing homeplace of any of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. It offers an unparalleled insight into the origins of a key figure in one of the most explosive episodes of Irish history. It is also an authentic traditional Irish cottage and as such gives us a glimpse of what life was like for ordinary people a hundred years ago.

The cottage has been maintained in its original condition for decades. Regular tours allow visitors to experience the authentic atmosphere of this incredible historical resource.“

Mayo:

3. Ceide Fields, Glenurla, Ballycastle, County Mayo:

*Ceide Fields, photograph by Alison Crummy, 2015, for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool.* [1]

General Information: 096 43325, ceidefields@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/ceide-fields/:

“Beneath the wild boglands of north Mayo lies a system of fields, dwelling areas and megalithic tombs which together make up the most extensive Stone Age monument in the world.

The stone-walled fields, extending over hundreds of hectares, are the oldest known globally, dating back almost 6,000 years. They are covered by a natural blanket bog with its own unique vegetation and wildlife.

The award-winning visitor centre is set against some of the most dramatic rock formations in Ireland. A viewing platform on the edge of the 110-metre-high cliff will help you make the most of the breathtaking scenery. Come prepared with protective clothing and sturdy footwear, though. The terrain – and the weather – can be challenging.“

*Day break over the Visitors centre overlooking the Ceide Fields and the Atlantic Coast County Mayo Ireland, photo from Ireland’s Content Pool by Failte Ireland.* [see 1]

Roscommon:

4. Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon:

General information: 071 966 2604, boyleabbey@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/boyle-abbey/:

“This Cistercian monastery was founded in the twelfth century by monks from Mellifont Abbey under the patronage of the local ruling family, the MacDermotts. It was one of the most powerful of the early Cistercian foundations in Ireland and among the foremost in Connacht.

Cromwellian forces wreaked devastation when they occupied the abbey in 1659. It was further mutilated during the following centuries, when it was used to accommodate a military garrison. Despite all the violence it has suffered over the centuries, Boyle Abbey is well preserved and retains its ability to impress.

A sixteenth/seventeenth-century gatehouse has been restored and turned into an interpretive centre, where you can learn more about the abbey’s gripping history.“

5. Rathcroghan, Cruachan Ai, Tulsk, Castlerea, County Roscommon:

General information: 071 963 9268, info@rathcroghan.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/rathcroghan/:

“Tightly packed into a few square kilometres of the Roscommon landscape at Rathcroghan lie over 240 archaeological sites. These include Stone Age tombs and royal burial mounds, great ringforts and places of ceremonial inauguration.
The legendary Oweynagat (Cave of the Cats), for example, is regarded as the origin-place of the festival of Samhain. Fearful Christian scribes described Oweynagat as Ireland’s Gate to Hell.

A two-metre standing stone, meanwhile, is said to mark the grave of King Dathi, the last pagan king of Ireland, who died when he was struck by lightning in the Alps.

Perhaps most impressively, the great warrior Queen Medb ruled all of Connacht from her home at Rathcroghan.
Experience Rathcroghan’s rich archaeology, mythology and history through our interpretive rooms and expertly guided tours. The Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, the home of our museum, is located in the medieval village of Tulsk, Co. Roscommon.
(This is a Communities Involvement Initiative Project, supported by the OPW.)“

We went to the Visitor Centre when in County Roscommon during Heritage week 2022, but did not go to the actual site.

I found the timeline in the Visitor’s Centre very helpful for seeing the age of various archaeological sites. Rathcroghan is mainly a bronze age site, and so is from around 1000BCE. Newgrange is Neothilic and therefore over 2000 years before the Bronze Age, created around 3200BCE.

*It’s really interesting to see other events on the timeline in relation to archaeological sites in Ireland. Newgrange is older than the pyramids of Egypt which were built in the Chalcolithic age*, *and both pre-date the Bronze Age and Iron Age.*

*Before the Iron Age was the Bronze Age, which is where we can chronologically place much of Rathcroghan.*

The Visitor Centre in Rathcroghan has some Bronze Age artefacts on loan from the National Museum of Ireland. We can even see a tiny arrow head older than the Bronze Age items, which is from the Neolithic period.

*I find it incredible that this Bronze Age bowl, which could be as old as 4500 years, is still intact.*

After the Bronze age came the Iron Age, which was around the year zero. The visitor centre has a model dressed in Iron age clothing:

*He wears a yellow linen shirt, or* leine *dyed with saffron. Over this he wears a red tunic or* ionar. *The cape or* brat *is trimmed with fur.* These Irish items of dress were worn for centuries. This man would have been a warrior of high rank. The sword would have been made of bronze in Ireland but imitates the steel sword of a type made in Grundlingen in Germany. The shield would be made of wood covered in leather with a metal handgrip.

The rath gives the place its name, while the area is called in Irish Cruachan Ai.

Sligo:

6. Ballymote Castle, County Sligo:

The OPW information board at the site tells us that Ballymote, taken from an Irish word meaning “town of the mound,” was built by the Norman Richard de Burgo, the “Red Earl” of Ulster in around 1300. It was probably the strongest castle in Connacht, but was captured by the O’Connor family in 1317 and from then on it changed hands many times. In 1598 it was sold for £400 and 300 cows to Red Hugh O’Donnell (1572-1602) and it was from here that he assembled his army for the Battle of Kinsale (1601). He was beaten in this battle by Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy (who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under James I), and he left for Spain to seek support from King Philip III, but died abroad in 1602.

*Charles Blount (1563-1606), 8th Baron Mountjoy, photograph courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.*

Nearly 100 years later it was surrendered to Lord Granard after an artillery attack, and fell into ruin. The information board also tells us that the Book of Ballymote was partly compiled at the caste in around 1400. It is a manuscript including sections on the invasions of Ireland, the creation of the world and a study of the old Irish Ogham style of writing.

Runic writing on a deer antler from the 11th century! It was found in Fishamble Street, Dublin, and is kept in the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street in Dublin. See the key for the ogham alphabet below the antler.

6. Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, County Sligo:

General information: 071 916 1534, carrowmoretomb@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/carrowmore-megalithic-cemetery/:

“Carrowmore – the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland. It lies just south-west of Sligo town, right at the heart of the Cúil Írra Peninsula, an area alive with prehistoric significance.

Packed together at Carrowmore are more than 30 stone tombs, many of which are still visible. Most are passage tombs and boulder circles. There are various forts and standing stones in the area too. The origins of these monuments reach far into prehistory – the most ancient among them is close to 6,000 years old.

A restored cottage houses an exciting new exhibition that will satisfy the curiosity of even the most demanding visitors. Come prepared for a hike across rugged terrain.“

*Tomb 4 and Listoghil, or number 51, in background.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Listoghil, or number 51,* *mirrors Ben Bulben mountain in the background. Stephen likes the way that if one stands and turns around 360 degrees, the mountains around Carrowmore seem to hold and enfold one.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Carrowmore, County Sligo.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Carrowmore, County Sligo.Carrowmore, County Sligo.*

*The whole area around Carrowmore is called Cuil Irran, which includes Knocknarea, the huge pile of stones on top of a nearby mountain said to be Queen Maebh’s tomb, Carrowmore and Carns Hill.*

*Tomb 1, where the outer and inner circles remain intact.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Carrowmore megalithic cemetery, Co. Sligo, Photographer/Creator/ Rory O’Donnell for Fáilte Ireland, 2021.*

*Looking in to Listoghil.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Inside Listoghil.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Tomb 4, Stephen’s favourite.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Tomb 7, still on private land.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

7. Sligo Abbey, Abbey Street, County Sligo:

Sligo Abbey, Sligo Town, photograph Courtesy Eddie Lee/Ed Lee Photography 2022 for Fáilte Ireland.

General information: 071 914 6406, sligoabbey@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/sligo-abbey/:

“This Dominican friary has dominated Sligo town centre since the mid-thirteenth century, when it was created by Maurice FitzGerald, the founder of the town itself. Some of the building from that period has survived the next nine centuries of turmoil.

The abbey was partially destroyed by burning in 1414, when it fell foul of an unattended candle, and suffered further mutilation following the Rebellion of 1641. According to legend, worshippers salvaged the abbey’s silver bell at that time and threw it into Lough Gill. You can hear it peal even now – provided, that is, that you are wholly free from sin.

Despite the ravages of history, the abbey contains a great wealth of carvings, including Gothic and Renaissance tomb sculpture, a well-preserved cloister and a sculptured fifteenth-century high altar – the only such altar to survive in an Irish monastic church.“

[1] https://www.irelandscontentpool.com

Places to visit and stay in County Kilkenny

by jenjunebugOctober 28, 2022February 20, 2026

On the map above:

blue: places to visit that are not section 482

purple: section 482 properties

red: accommodation

yellow: less expensive accommodation for two

orange: “whole house rental” i.e. those properties that are only for large group accommodations or weddings, e.g. 10 or more people.

green: gardens to visit

grey: ruins

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€15.00

Places to visit in County Kilkenny:

1. Aylwardstown, Glenmore, Co Kilkenny – section 482

2. Kilfane Glen & Waterfall Garden, Thomastown, County Kilkenny – 482 – garden only

3. Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny – OPW

4. Kilrush House, County Kilkenny, ihh member, by appt.

5. Rothe House, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny – open to the public 

6. Shankill Castle, Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny – section 482

7. Tybroughney Castle, Piltown, Co Kilkenny – section 482

8. Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum, Woodstock, Inistioge, Kilkenny

Places to stay, County Kilkenny

1. Ballyduff, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny – wedding venue, B&B

2. Blanchville Coachyard, Dunbell, County Kilkenny – courtyard accommodation

3. Butler House, Kilkenny, co Kilkenny – accommodation

4. Clomantagh Castle, Co Kilkenny – tower house accommodation

5. Cullintra House, The Rower, Inistioge, County Kilkenny

6. Lyrath House, near Kilkenny, County Kilkenny – hotel

7.  Mount Juliet, Thomastown, County Kilkenny – hotel

8. Tubbrid Castle, County Kilkenny – tower house accommodation

9. Waterside Guest House, Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny

Whole House Rental County Kilkenny:

1. Annamult House, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny – whole house accommodation

2. Ballybur Castle, County Kilkenny – castle accommodation

3. Castle Blunden, County Kilkenny – whole house accommodation

Places to visit in County Kilkenny:

1. Aylwardstown, Glenmore, Co Kilkenny – section 482

Open dates in 2026: Aug 1-31, Sept 1-30, 10am-5pm

Fee: adult €5, OAP/student €3, child free

2. Kilfane Glen & Waterfall Garden, Thomastown, County Kilkenny R95 RXO5 – 482 – garden only

*Kilfane, County Kilkenny, August 2021.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2021/12/16/kilfane-glen-waterfall-kilfane-thomastown-co-kilkenny/

www.kilfane.com

Open dates in 2026: July 1-31, Aug 1-31, 11am-6pm
Fee: adult €9, OAP/student €7, child €6

3. Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny – OPW

*Kilkenny Castle, May 2018.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny City by Sonder Visuals for Failte Ireland 2014.*

see my entry https://irishhistorichou ses .com/2024/04/08/kilkenny-castle-county-kilkenny-an-office-of-public-works-property/

4. Kilrush House, County Kilkenny, ihh member, by appt.

*Kilrush House, photograph courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage*

The Historic Houses of Ireland website tells us:

“William Robertson (1777 – 1850) was a native of Kilkenny where the patronage of Lord Ormonde stood him in good stead, since most of his work can be found in Kilkenny and the neighbouring counties of Laois, Tipperary and Waterford. When Richard St. George wished to move from his medieval castle at Kilrush near Freshford in 1820, Robertson was the obvious choice. His work is less exuberant than that of his namesake Daniel but he was a talented architect and produced an interesting early nineteenth century reinterpretation of the typical late-Georgian country house.

“The St Georges are a Norman family who ‘came over to England with the Conqueror’ and arrived in Ireland in the sixteenth century. They quickly became established here, with several branches in County Kilkenny and others in Galway, Leitrim and Roscommon.

“The St Georges of Kilrush were active in political and cultural circles in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Richard St George was an M.P. in the Irish Parliament, with a town house at No. 8 Henrietta Street, while his cousin St George Ashe was the Provost of Trinity College and a close friend of Dean Swift. St. George was also a founding member of the Dublin Philosophical Society, which encouraged his numerous publications of scientific and national interest.

“Richard considered moving out of his tower-house at Kilrush in the middle of the eighteenth century but this decision was left to his heirs, who built the existing house in the early nineteenth century. Kilrush has a three bay façade, a five bay garden front, a hipped roof with widely overhanging eaves, a single very large, central chimney-stack into which all the flues are diverted, and an interesting ground plan.

“The cut-stone door case is a handsome arrangement of Doric half-columns and pilasters, supporting a deep entablature with swags beneath a semi-circular leaded fanlight. The ground floor windows to either side are set in shallow recesses with elliptical heads; otherwise the elevations are quite plain.

“The most interesting internal space is the landing, a perfect Doric rotunda supporting a delicately glazed dome. This partly lights the inner hall below through a circular well in the floor. The dining and drawing rooms are both finely proportioned apartments, with many original fittings and furnishings, and their original wallpaper.

“Kilrush looks out over mature parkland to a large mill, almost half a mile off. The gardens contain a stupendous collection of snowdrops, there is a tower house, the former residence of the family in the attached yard, while an interesting early garden layout with connected canals has recently been identified and is currently in the course of restoration.” [1]

5. Rothe House, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny 

*Rothe House, Kilkenny, photograph by Brian Morrison 2015 for Tourism Ireland* [2]

Rothe House is a treasure, older than any house in Dublin! It was built around 1594-1610, by John Rothe FitzPiers (1560-1620) for his wife Rose Archer, and is the last merchant’s townhouse in Kilkenny surviving from the early post-medieval period. [3] The house, purchased by Kilkenny Archaeological Society in 1962, is open to the public as a museum displaying a selection of the historic artefacts collected by the Society since its founding in 1947.  The artefacts relate to Kilkenny heritage throughout the ages and some date from prehistoric times.  The adjoining garden has since 2008 been open to the public and is a faithful reconstruction of an early seventeenth-century urban garden.

*Garden at Rothe House*, *May 2018.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Rothe House, May 2018.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The National Inventory describes it:

“Terraced five-bay two-storey over basement house with dormer attic on a U-shaped plan about a stone cobbled (east) courtyard with two-bay two-storey gabled central bay having jettied box oriel window to first floor, series of five round-headed openings to ground floor forming arcade, single-bay three-storey linking range to north-west, and three-bay three-storey parallel range to west (completing U-shaped plan about a courtyard) originally three-bay two-storey having round-headed carriageway to right ground floor. In use as school, c.1750. Restored, 1898, to accommodate use as Gaelic League house. Converted to use as museum, 1963-5. Restored, 1983. Restored, 1999, to accommodate use as offices.”

The Archiseek website tells us:

“In 1594 a wealthy merchant called John Rothe built this magnificent Tudor mansion. Second and third generation houses were built around the cobelled courtyards and a well dating to 1604. The façade houses shops, one of them was John Rothe’s own. During the Confederation of Kilkenny, many dignitaries were entertained here by John Rothe and his cousin, the Bishop of Ossory. The building has been restored magnificently and is now home to Kilkenny Archaeological Society.” [4]

Plague Doctor! In 1348 there was Plague in Kilkenny. Friar John Clyn in the Franciscan Abbey across the road  recorded the effect of the plague on the town and the friary. He himself fell victim to the epidemic. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Artefacts from the Confederation of Kilkenny.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Viking Sword.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*“Pattens” – wooden shoes worn by women over their regular shoes to protect from mud.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

6. Shankill Castle, Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny R95 T8X7 – section 482

www.shankillcastle.com

Open dates in 2026: Feb 7-8, 14-15, 21-22, 28, Mar 1, Apr 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26, May 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-31, June 5-7, 12-14, 19-21, 26-28, July 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26, 29, 31, Aug 1-2, 7-9, 14-23, 28-30, Sept 4-6, 11-13, 18-20, 25-27, Oct 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, 30-31, 11am-5pm

Fee: adult €14 house & garden, €6 garden, OAP/student €10 house & garden, €4 garden, child house & garden €6, €3 garden

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2023/11/30/shankill-castle-paulstown-county-kilkenny-r95-t8x7/

*Shankill Castle County Kilkenny 3rd June 2023*. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

7. Tybroughney Castle, Piltown, Co Kilkenny E32 NV 32 – section 482 and castle accommodation

*Tybroughney, photograph courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.*

https://www.tybroughneycastle.com/

Open dates in 2026: Mar 1-20, May 1-31, Aug 15-23,11am-3pm

Fee: adult €5, student €3, child/OAP free

8. Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum, Woodstock, Inistioge, Kilkenny, maintained by Kilkenny County Council

*Woodstock, County Kilkenny.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Woodstock Gardens, photograph from Lawrence Photograph Collections, National Library of Ireland, photograph from “In Harmony with Nature” exhibition at the Irish Georgian Society curated by Robert O’Byrne.

Mark Bence-Jones writes about Woodstock (1988):

p. 286. “(Fownes, Bt/EDB; Tighe/IFR) A house by Francis Bindon [for William Fownes, 2nd Baronet], probably dating from 1740s, which is unusual in being built round a small inner court, or light-shaft. Three storeys; handsomely rusticated entrance front of six bays with a central niche and statue above the entrance doorway…In 1770s Sarah Ponsonby lived here with her cousins, Sir William and Betty Fownes [born Elizabeth Ponsonby]; her friend, Eleanor Butler, having escaped from Borris, co Carlow, where she was being kept in disgrace, was let into Woodstock through a window, hiding herself in Sarah’s room for 24 hours before being discovered; shortly afterwards, the two friends left for Wales, where they subsequently became famous as the “Ladies of Llangollen.” Woodstock passed to the Tighes with the marriage of the daughter and heiress of Sir William Fownes to William Tighe, whose daughter-in-law was Mary Tighe, the poet, author of Psyche; she died at Woodstock 1810 aged 37, and Flaxman’s monument to her is in a small neo-Classical mausoleum behind the Protestant church in the village of Inistioge, at the gates of the demesne. There was also a statue of her in one of the rooms in the house. Woodstock was burnt ca 1920, and is now a ruin, but the demesne, with its magnificent beechwoods, still belongs to the Tighes.” [6]

*The information board tells us that in 1804 flanking wings were added to designs by William Robertson (1770-1850). The house was burned in 1922 after being occupied by the Black and Tans.*

*The gardens at Woodstock, County Kilkenny, August 2021.* The gardens at Woodstock, gloriously situated above the River Nore, were conceived on a grand scale by Colonel William Tighe (1794-1878) and Lady Louisa Lennox (1803-1900) as the centrepiece of a great estate. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Ladies of Llangollen, Sarah Ponsonby and Charlotte Eleanor Butler, by Richard James Lane, printed by Jérémie Graf, after Lady Mary Leighton (née Parker) courtesy of National Portrait Gallery NPG D32504.

*Mary Tighe née Blachford (1747-1791), courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.*

The formal parterres were created in the 1860s by a Scotsman, Charles McDonald, for Colonel William Tighe (1794-1878) and his wife Lady Louisa née Lennox (1803-1900, daughter of Charles, 4th Duke of Richmond – she is not to be confused with Louisa Lennox (1743-1817) daughter of Charles 2nd Duke of Richmond, who married Thomas Conolly of Castletown, County Kildare). The parterre incorporates a shamrock motif. Robert O’Byrne tells us in his exhibition “In Harmony with Nature” at the Irish Georgian Society July 2022 that creating the parterres involved removing 200,000 cubic yards of earth and retention by a wall of cut granite quarried on the estate and ornamented by local craftsmen with stone finials, balls and vases.

Woodstock Gardens, photograph from Lawrence Photograph Collections, National Library of Ireland, photograph from “In Harmony with Nature” exhibition at the Irish Georgian Society July 2022 curated by Robert O’Byrne.

The estate passed to the daughter, Sarah, of William Fownes and Elizabeth Ponsonby, and Sarah married William Tighe (1738-1872) of Rossana, County Wicklow.

*William Tighe of Rosanna! Portrait by by Charles Jervas (c.1675-1739), courtesy of Adams auction 19 Oct 2021.*

*This information board tells us about the Arboretum at Woodstock, where a number of exotic trees were planted in the nineteenth century.*

*Entrance to walled garden at Woodstock.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Gardens at Woodstock, with reproduction Turner glasshouse.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*“Turner bench” which matches the glasshouse at Woodstock.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*The longest and oldest Monkey Puzzle Walk in Europe, at Woodstock.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Places to stay, County Kilkenny

1. Ballyduff, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny – wedding venue, B&B

http://ballyduffhouse.ie/booking-enquiries/

*Ballyduff House, courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.*

The website tells us:

“Ballyduff House is a classic Georgian country house with a 14th century castle, steeped in Irish history and full of the warmest of welcomes.

“The River Nore sparkles as it runs along Ballyduff’s riverbank while sheep and cattle graze the pasture either side.

“Open fires, the book lined library and the comfortable bedrooms furnished with Irish antiques capture an early 18th century experience tempered by discreet 21st century comfort.

“This is real Ireland – calm, green and beautiful, set alongside the picturesque village of Inistioge with Dublin only an hour away.“

The National Inventory tells us:

“A country house representing an important component of the mid eighteenth-century domestic built heritage of County Kilkenny with the architectural value of the composition, one abutting a “roofed down” tower house, confirmed by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on panoramic vistas overlooking broad parkland and the wooded River Nore; the compact rectilinear plan form centred on a restrained doorcase showing a simple radial fanlight; the diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression with the principal “apartments” or reception rooms defined by Wyatt-style tripartite glazing patterns; and the slightly oversailing roofline. Having been well maintained, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with substantial quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior, including crown or cylinder glazing panels in hornless sash frames: meanwhile, contemporary joinery; restrained chimneypieces; and sleek plasterwork refinements, all highlight the artistic potential of the composition. Furthermore, an adjacent farmyard complex ; and a walled garden (extant 1839), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of a self-contained estate having historic connections with the Coghill family including Sir Josiah Coghill (1773-1850), third Baronet (Lewis 1837 II, 18); the Connellans of nearby Coolmore House (see 12403210); and Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick William John Shore (1844-1916), fourth Baron Teignmouth (NA 1901; NA 1911). NOTE: Given as the birthplace of Sir John Joscelyn Coghill (1826-1905) of Glen Barrahane in Castletownshend, County Cork (Dod’s Peerage Baronetage and Knightage 1865, 186); and George Leopold Bryan (1828-80) of Jenkinstown (Dod’s Parliamentary Companion 1875, 174).“

2. Blanchville Coachyard, Dunbell, County Kilkenny – coachyard accommodation

https://blanchville.ie/

“The Coach Houses & Gardener’s Cottage are, as the name suggests, part of the beautiful old stone building that was originally the Coach House at Blanchville. The building has been sensitively and extensively refurbished and now offers guests comfortable and inviting Self-Catering Accommodation in three self-contained Holiday Homes.

“These Heritage Holiday Lets feature a cosy woodburning stove or open fire, fully fitted modern kitchen and relaxing bedrooms – the perfect requisite for an enjoyable weekend break or holiday in Kilkenny.“

3. Butler House, Kilkenny, co Kilkenny – accommodation

https://www.butler.ie

*View to Butler House and Garden, Kilkenny Leo Byrne Photography 2015*. (see [2])

The National Inventory tells us about Butler house: “Semi-detached three-bay three-storey over basement house, built 1786, with pair of three-bay full-height bowed bays to rear (east) elevation. Extended, 1832, comprising two-bay three-storey perpendicular block to right. Renovated, 1972. Now in use as hotel. One of a pair…An elegantly-composed Classically-proportioned substantial house built either by Walter Butler (1713-83), sixteenth Earl of Ormonde or John Butler (1740-95), seventeenth Earl of Ormonde as one of a pair of dower houses…Distinctive attributes including the elegant bowed bays to the Garden (east) Front contribute positively to the architectural design value of the composition while carved limestone dressings with particular emphasis on the well-executed doorcase displaying high quality stone masonry further enliven the external expression of the house in the streetscape.”

The house was home to Lady Eleanor Butler who lived here after the death of her husband Walter in 1783. Lady Eleanor Butler was the mother of John, the 17th Earl of Ormonde and her daughter, also Eleanor, was one of the famous “Ladies of Langollen”.

James, Earl of Ormonde (1777-1838, and 1st Marquess) resided in the house while the Castle was under reconstruction in 1831. A soup kitchen was run from here during the cholera epidemic of 1832.

The Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland held their meetings in Butler House in 1870. Kilkenny Design, the state design agency, restored Butler House in 1972. The decor and furnishings reflect a certain 1970s Art Deco style, which because of the muted colours and natural fabrics used, proved sympathetic to the original features of the house. In 1989, the Kilkenny Civic Trust acquired both Butler House and the Castle Stables.

4. Clomantagh Castle, Co Kilkenny – tower house accommodation

*Clomantagh Castle, courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.*

https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/29346656?federated_search_id=050f383f-6e5e-45b5-9989-b166bfe7e70d&source_impression_id=p3_1650104926_er%2FjFSqCgEWzQLW5

The National Inventory tells us it is a farmhouse erected by John Shortal (d. 1857) or Patrick Shortal (d. 1858) representing an integral component of the mid nineteenth-century domestic built heritage of County Kilkenny with the architectural value of the composition, one occupying the site of a hall adjoining the fifteenth-century Clomantagh Castle.

Clomantagh Castle - was home to the [8th] Earl of Ormond, Pierce Ruadh (1467-1539). When he died in 1539 the castle along with other properties was passed to his son Richard Butler, first Viscount Mountgarret (1500-1571). The castle and its estate stayed in the Butler family until it was forfeited during the war with Cromwell to Lieutenant Arthur St. George [ancestor of the Kilrush family]. After the war the castle changed hands twice more and a farmhouse was added by the Shortall family, the owners in the 1800’s, before its last owner  Willie White a local vet. The property is now owned by a non profit making charity called the Landmark Trust who preserve historic buildings.

The Landmark site tells us:

“The name Clomantagh comes from the Irish “cloch mantaigh”, meaning missing tooth or gappy smile. Locals gave this name to the castle as the irregular castellation reminded them of someone smiling with missing teeth.

“It has been established that the tower and bawn were built in the 15th century (c.1430). The tower house has been modified and extended over the centuries, and in the early 19th century a farmhouse was added providing accommodation with comfort, rather than defence, in mind. In recent times, the bawn walls have sheltered the buildings of a 20th century working farm. It also has a rare clochán (small dome-roomed structure) knit into the bawn walls. Five other tower houses can be seen from the roof of Clomantagh Castle, and they were all strategically aligned for defence purposes.

“Clomantagh followed mainstream castle design, emerging as an almost square building, six storeys high, with massive walls built from local limestone, and a corner staircase. Inserted high on the south wall is a Sheela-na-Gig. This pagan symbol was adopted by medieval builders and incorporated as the building was erected. High up the remains of the stepped battlement walls, the merlons can be seen – a specifically Irish feature whose inspiration is considered to be Venetian. Inside the battlements a wide walkway gave access to all sides of the building. In the north east corner, a high watchtower has been built. This is knows as Moll Gearailt’s Chair, after the particularly ferocious original mistress of the house, Maighréad nhee Gearóid, who used to sit watching over her fields to ensure that her labourers were not slacking at their work. The walkway, or Alure, was sloped outward to allow run off water through drainage holes and stone spouts. Generally, battlement walls have not survived well, their thinner construction and unstable sloping bases have contributed to their disappearance from tower houses.” [6]

5. Cullintra House, The Rower, Inistioge, County Kilkenny – accommodation

You can stay in the main house or in smaller private accommodation https ://cu llintrahouse.com

The website tells us: “A countryside retreat in the heart of Co Kilkenny, Ireland – surrounded by acres of woodland, farmland and secret places to explore, Cullintra House offers guests a unique accommodation experience.

“The house is furnished with your host Patricia Cantlon’s artistic style to the fore – each room has unique pieces of furniture or bespoke decorative touches that make Cullintra House a special find in Co Kilkenny.“

6. Lyrath House, near Kilkenny, County Kilkenny – hotel

*Lyrath Estate by Colin Whittaker 2009, flickr creative commons*.

https://www.lyrath.com

Mark Bence-Jones writes:

p. 184. “(Wheeler-Cuffe, Bt/PB1934; Tupper/LGI1958) Originally a Tobin castle, acquired by the Wheeler family C17. By 1826, the house here consisted of a simple two storey five bay pedimented front facing west, with two wings running back from it to enclose a small three sided office court; the entrance door being on the south side; under a Regency veranda. In 1861, Sir Charles Wheeler-Cuffe, 2^nd Bt, married Pauline Villiers-Stuart, daughter of Lord Stuart de Decies [of Dromana House, County Waterford – see my entry], whose parents did not regard this house as grand enough for her; so in that same year he rebuilt the main western block on a larger scale and in a rich Italianate style, while leaving the two storey wings more of less as they were.; his architect being John McCurdy. The entrance was moved from the south side to the new west front, which is pedimented and of five bays like its predecessor, but not entirely symmetrical; having a pair of windows on the ground floor to the left of centre, but a single window on the right. Entrance door framed by Ionic columns carrying a balustrade, above which is a Venetian window framed by an aedicule with a segmental pediment. All the ground floor windows have semi-circular heads, while the heads of the windows of the upper storey – apart from the central Venetian windows – are cambered. The garden front to the north has two single-storey balustraded curved bows, the windows of which are treated as arcades supported by Romanesque columns of sandstone. There is another Romanesque column separated the pair of windows in the centre of the front. The windows in the bow are glazed with curved glass. The roof is carried on a deep bracket cornice and there are prominent string courses, which give the elevations a High Victorian character. Hall with imposing imperial staircase, the centre ramp of which rises between two fluted Corinthian columns. There is a similarity between the staircase here and that at Dromana, Co Waterford, Pauline Lady Wheeler-Cuffe’s old home; except that the Dromana staircase was of stone, whereas that at Leyrath is of wood, with ornate cast-iron balustrades. On the centre ramp of the staircase there is still a chair with its back legs cut down to fit the steps; this was put there in 1880s for Pauline when she became infirm. Hall has a ceiling cornice of typical C19 plasterwork in a design of foliage, and door with entablatures which still have their original walnut graining. To the left of the hall, in the garden front, are the drawing room, ante-room and dining room, opening into each other with large double doors’ they have ceiling cornices similar to that in the hall, and good C19 white chimneypieces, enriched with carving; the drawing room and ante-room keep their original white and gold wallpaper. In the south wing there are smaller and lower rooms surviving from before the rebuilding; while first floor rooms in this wing have barrel ceilings throughout and contain some C18 chimneypieces of black marble.”

The website tells us more about the history:

“The name Lyrath is thought to date back to Norman times when “Strongbow” settled in Ireland during the Norman invasion. The area was originally called Le Rar or Le Rath by the French speaking De Ponte family who during the 12th century lived in the Monastery which was once located within the grounds. There is also a mention of a castle which was once said to have been situated within the grounds.

“Prior to 1653 the lands were owned by the Shortall family, who then rented the ‘old castle in repair’ and land to Thomas Tobin, Constable of the Barony of Gowran. In 1664, a gentleman named Thomas Mances, paid a sum of 4s ‘hearth money’ for the old castle.

“Later in the Seventeenth Century the property was acquired by Richard Wheeler through his kinship to Jonah Wheeler the Bishop of Ossary. By then the original ‘Tobin’ castle had been demolished.

“Richard Wheeler’s son, Jonah Wheeler, married Elisabeth Denny-Cuffe, a descendant of the Desart-Cuffe family who had extensive landed property in the Counties of Carlow and Kilkenny, on his marriage Jonah decided to adopt the name Cuffe.

“In 1814 the grandson of Jonah, also named Jonah, was living in the house with his with Elisabeth Browne, from Brownes Hill in neighbouring Carlow. Sir Jonah died in 1853 and his elder son, Sir Charles Denny Wheeler-Cuffe succeeded him.

“To redesign the house Sir Charles engaged the services of John McCurdy, a Dublin born Architect, whose other commissions with his partner, William Mitchell, include Kilkenny’s Knocktopher Abbey, Dublin’s famous ‘Shelbourne Hotel’ and the South City Markets.

“The current house is one of the most important surviving country houses built by John McCurdy.

“Sir Charles and Pauline had no children, so on the death of Sir Charles, his nephew Sir Ottway Fortesque Luke Wheeler-Cuffe inherited the baronetcy and demesne of Lyrath and became the primary resident. Sir Ottaway married Charlotte Isabel Williams in 1897. Lady Charlotte was the earliest known botanical explorer to reach the remote areas Burma and it was during these trips that she discovered several plants including two new species of Rhododendrons, Burmanicum, and Cuffianum (named after her). Cuffianum, the white rhododendron is extremely rare and has not been collected by any botanist since Lady Wheeler-Cuffe found in 1911.

“Sir Ottway and Lady Charlotte stayed in Burma until Sir Ottway’s retirement in August 1921 when they finally returned to live at Lyrath. On her return to Lyrath, Lady Charlotte redesigned the gardens. The Conservatory adjacent to Tupper’s Bar in the new Hotel overlooks the Victorian garden designer by her which has been carefully restored to her original design (based on family records and drawings), they are also home to the ancient yew trees which are now protected by a preservation order.

“Lady Charlotte lived in the house until her death in 1966 in her 100th year.

“Following the death of Lady Charlotte, in 1967 the property was inherited by Lieutenant-Colonel G.W. Tupper whose grandfather had married Sir Charles’ sister in 1846. Reginald’s great nephew, Captain Anthony Tupper and his wife moved into the house and ran it as a traditional estate farm with a herd of Jersey cows, hens, and geese in the yard, calves in the haggard field and a big old-fashioned kitchen with dogs and cats which rambled in and out at will.

“The Tuppers remained in the house until 1997.

“When the Tuppers left, there was an auction at the house of all the furniture and the bits and pieces accumulated over several lifetimes laid out and labelled for sale. Fortunately, Xavier McAuliffe managed to obtain many of the items on auction that day, these items are now on display in the house and include to original large portraits hanging in the hallway and other paintings on display.

“Xavier purchased the Estate in 2003 and developed the house into Lyrath Estate Hotel and Convention Centre, which opened its doors to the public in 2006.“

7. Mount Juliet, Thomastown, County Kilkenny – hotel

*Mount Juliet Gardens, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, photograph by Finn Richards 2015 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool.* (see [2])

*Drawing room of Mount Juliet, County Kilkenny, Date 2 November 1920 courtesy of National Library of Ireland NLI Ref. P_WP_2886.*

https://www.mountjuliet.ie/

Mark Bence-Jones writes of Mount Juliet:

p. 214. “(Butler, Carrick, E/PB; McCalmont/IFR) A mid to late C18 house built by the 1^st Earl of Carrick [Somerset Hamilton Butler, 8th Viscount Ikerrin and 1st Earl of Carrick (1719-1774)] across the River Nore from the former family seat, Ballylinch Castle on an estate which he had bought ca 1750 from Rev Thomas Bushe [1727-1795], of Kilmurry; traditionally named by him after his wife [Juliana Boyle, daugher of the 1st Earl of Shannon]. Of three storeys over basement, front of seven bays between two shallow curved bows, each having three windows. One bay central breakfront, with Venetian windows in the two upper storeys above tripartite pedimented and fanlighted doorway. Centre window in two lower storeys of bows roundheaded. Perron and double steps in front of entrance door, with iron railings. High pitched roof and massive stacks. Sold 1914 by 6^th Earl of Carrick to the McCalmonts who had leased the house for some years. Major Dermot McCalmont made a new entrance in what had formerly been the back of the house, where the main block is flanked by two storey wings, extending at right angles from it to form a shallow three sided court, and joined to it by curved sweeps. The interior of the house was richly decorated by 2^nd Earl of Carrick 1780s with plasterwork in the manner of Michael Stapleton. The hall, which is long and narrow, is divided by an arcade carried on fluted Ionic columns, beyond which rises a bifurcating staircase with a balustrade of plain slender uprights; the present entrance being by way of a porch built out at the back of the staircase. The rooms on either side of the hall in what was formerly the entrance front and is now the garden front have plasterwork ceilings; one with a centre medallion of a hunting scene, another with a medallion of a man shooting. One of these rooms, the dining room, also has plasterwork on the walls, incorporating medallions with Classical reliefs. One of the wings flanking the present entrance front contains a ballroom made by Major Dermot McCalmont 1920s, with a frieze of late C18 style plasterwork; it is reached by way of a curving corridor. The demesne of Mount Juliet is one of the finest in Ireland, with magnificent hardwoods above the River Nore ; it includes the Ballylinch demesne across the river. There is a series of large walled gardens near the house Mount Juliet is famous for its stud, founded by Major Dermot McCalmont 1915. Sold 1987.”

*Reverend Thomas McCalmont, 2nd Son of Hugh McCalmont, of Abbey Lands, Belfast. Born 1809, Died 1872, courtesy Sheppard’s Nov 7 2023.*

8. Tybroughney Castle, Piltown, Co Kilkenny E32 NV 32 – section 482 and castle accommodation

https://www.tybroughneycastle.com/

Open dates in 2026: Mar 1-20, May 1-31, Aug 15-23,11am-3pm

Fee: adult €5, student €3, child/OAP free

9. Tubbrid Castle, County Kilkenny – castle rental accommodation

https://www.tubbridcastle.com/

and https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/29598290?adults=2&category_tag=Tag%3A8047&children=0&infants=0&search_mode=flex_destinations_search&check_in=2022-06-05&check_out=2022-06-10&federated_search_id=6eebbe51-3470-4008-be61-4228d4019473&source_impression_id=p3_1652359358_O%2F1m3ENyNNeiOZ%2Bf

The entry tells us:

“Tubbrid Castle is a unique 15th-century tower house, uninhabited for the last century and now restored to its former glory. We’ve highlighted original features to let you step back in time and added luxury touches so you can indulge your inner prince or princess.

Heritage

“Tubbrid Castle stands at an important point on the borders of the ancient kingdoms of Laighean and Mumhan. Built as a defensive structure to protect the territory of the Butlers of Ormond, the tower house was home to generations of families allied to the Butlers of Kilkenny Castle. The architectural significance of Tubbrid Castle is denoted by its designation as a National Monument and a Protected Structure.

“In 942 AD, Muircheartach, King of modern-day Ulster, marched his army of 1000 Leather Cloaks south to avenge his allies, who had been attacked by Callaghan, King of Cashel. Muircheartach’s bard, Colmanach, recorded the journey in an epic poem, Circuit of Ireland, in which he praised the beauty of Osraí (now Kilkenny), and the hospitality of its people. At the edge of enemy territory and on the cusp of battle, Muircheartach’s army set up camp in Tubbrid, on a plain that a millennium later is still called Bán an Champa (the Field of the Encampment). The King himself is thought to have slept at the fort where Tubbrid Castle now stands. A thousand years later, the people of Kilkenny still pride ourselves on our warm hospitality and from the top floor bedroom of Tubbrid Castle you can survey Bán an Champa and enjoy lodgings befitting a king.“

The website tells us that Margeret Fitzgerald, 8th Countess of Ormond, is supposed to have had the castle built. When the Countess visited Tubbrid, she is said to have slept at the castle’s highest point, to keep her safe from enemy attackers. She is buried with her husband Piers Butler (8th Earl of Ormond) under elaborate effigies at St Canice’s Cathedral, in Kilkenny City.

“A detailed written description of the castle comes from James Mease in 1851, writing for the Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society. Mease claims that, according to locals at the time, there were three ditches surrounding the castle, which had been dug away for manure. Supposedly a cannon ball was found during these works. No trace of these outer fortifications survives today. Mease believed that the castle may have been built on an ancient mound or rath, and perhaps at an old habitation site that might have been the location where the King of Aileach, mentioned in the poem of 971 camped. The ground and second floor were wicker-vaulted and at the time this paper was written, some of the wicker was still in place. We know from the Griffith Valuation that this castle was owned at the time by Arthur St. George, Esq. and leased to Catherine Campion.

“Around the turn of the 19th century, the roof was removed from Tubbrid Castle, leaving it open to the elements and accelerating structural decay. By the turn of the millenium, the corners were crumbling and floors were sagging.

“John Campion Snr began working on the tower house, aiming at first simply to prevent its collapse. Over several years he repointed the facade and applied a traditional lime mortar, known as harling. The tower house was re-roofed in green oak, in the same style as the original, with no nails or screws.

“In 2016, John Campion Jnr took over the restoration of Tubbrid Castle. Following archaeological impact reports, and with input from the National Monuments Office, John completed the restoration and fit-out of the tower house, turning it into a three-bedroom home.”

9. Waterside Guest House, Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny

https://www.watersideguesthouse.com

Phone: (059) 9724246

Email: info@watersideguesthouse.com

*Waterside Guesthouse Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny, photograph courtesy of website.*

This is set in a beautiful old 19th century granite corn store on the River Barrow in Graiguenamanagh.

Whole House rental, County Kilkenny:

1. Annamult House, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny – whole house rental

*Annamult House, courtesy of Annamult website.*

https://annamultcountryhouseestate.com

The website tells us:

“Annamult County House Estate is a lovely Grade I listed ancient Manor House in the heart of the countryside in Kilkenny with parts dating back to the 16th century. But unlike other grand old homes, Annamult Country House Estate is warm, friendly and welcoming with unlimited hot water, central heating and log fires throughout with beautiful antiques. A uniquely beautiful Country Estate. It’s light, bright and airy. And the moment you step through the door it feels like home.“

The website describes the accommodation as 7 Bedrooms, 1 on the lower ground floor, 1 wheelchair accessible bedroom on the ground floor and 4 very large formal bedrooms upstairs and our Japanese Bedroom at the heart of the house . 4 Bedrooms are ensuite with the Bed 1 and 2 sharing a Bathroom nestled between them

The National Inventory describes Annamult: “Detached four-bay two-storey double gable-fronted Tudor-style country house, c.1825, incorporating fabric of earlier house, pre-1771, with three-bay single-storey flat-roofed projecting open porch to centre ground floor, three-bay two-storey side elevations, and five-bay three-storey lower wing to left having single-bay (two-bay deep) two-storey connecting return to east...Forming a picturesque landmark rising above a mature wooded setting on a bank at the confluence of the Kings River and the River Nore a large-scale country house exhibiting a robust Tudor theme represents an important element of the architectural heritage of County Kilkenny. Having origins in an eighteenth-century range the architectural design value of the composition is identified by elegant attributes including the porch displaying high quality stone masonry reminiscent of a similar treatment at the contemporary (c.1825) Shankill Castle (12306002/KK-16-06-02), the Classically-inspired Wyatt-style tripartite openings, the enriched parapet, and so on: the wing incorporating minimal surface detailing is comparatively demure in quality. Having been carefully maintained to present an early aspect the house makes a significant contribution to the character of the locality. The house remains of additional importance for the associations with the Prim, the Nevill (Neville), and the Bayley families.“

“You can dine inside or outside in luxury
you can picnic on the island , the riverside or in the woods .
You can relax or play on the lawns .
Climb trees
Boules on the lawns
Croquet on the lawns
You can swim in the river
You can fish in the river
You can walk in the woods
You can relax in the silence
You can star gaze at the firepit
You can play loud music
Great exploration for kids
you can birdwatch and spot some fab wildlife like our buzzards and hawks .
You may come across the deer in the woods
Watch out for badgers … Its ok they are nocturnal only .
Various local suppliers will run group activities on the grounds from yoga to tag archery.”

2. Castle Blunden, County Kilkenny – whole house rental

hhiref@castleblunden.com https://www.castleblunden.com/

*Castle Blunden courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.*

The Historic Houses of Ireland website tells us:

“A few miles from the cathedral city of Kilkenny, Castle Blunden stands on an elevated site in the midst of mature parkland. Dating from the 1750s, and still owned by the Blunden family, this pretty seven-bay building is typical of County Kilkenny houses from the mid-Georgian period. The house is rendered, with a profusion of cut limestone decoration and details, and a handsome sprocketed roof, while the later Doric porch compliments the symmetry of the facade. The basement is concealed by a ramped gravel approach, which makes the house appear both lower and wider than is actually the case, while the small lakes to either side add to the overall air of enchantment.” [7]

The National Inventory tells us:

“Representing an important element of the mid eighteenth-century architectural legacy of County Kilkenny a Classically-composed substantial country house built to designs attributed to Francis Bindon (c.1698-1765) in a manner reminiscent of the contemporary (1737) Bonnettstown Hall (12401909/KK-19-09) nearby has been very well maintained to present an early aspect with the original composition attributes surviving in place together with most of the historic fabric both to the exterior and to the interior. Sparsely-detailed the external expression of the house is enlivened by limestone dressings including a somewhat squat portico displaying high quality stone masonry. Forming the centrepiece of a large-scale estate the resulting ensemble having long-standing connections with the Blunden family makes a pleasant contribution to the visual appeal of the local landscape.”

[1] https://www.ihh.ie/index.cfm/houses/house/name/Kilrush%20House

[2] https://www.irelandscontentpool.com/en

[3] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12000025/rothe-house-15-16-parliament-street-gardens-st-johns-par-kilkenny-co-kilkenny

[4] https://archiseek.com/2010/1594-rothe-house-kilkenny-co-kilkenny/

[5] Bence-Jones, Mark. 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.

[6] https://www.irishlandmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Clomantagh_castle.pdf

and http://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.ie

[7] https://www.ihh.ie/index.cfm/houses/house/name/Castle%20Blunden

Places to visit and stay in County Louth, Leinster

by jenjunebugOctober 28, 2022February 22, 2026

On the map above:

blue: places to visit that are not section 482

purple: section 482 properties

red: accommodation

yellow: less expensive accommodation for two

orange: “whole house rental” i.e. those properties that are only for large group accommodations or weddings, e.g. 10 or more people.

green: gardens to visit

grey: ruins

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€15.00

Places to visit in County Louth

1. Barmeath Castle, Dunleer, Drogheda, Co. Louth – section 482

2. Carlingford Castle, County Louth – OPW

3. Castle Bellingham, Co. Louth – sometimes open for a visit

4. Collon House, County Louth – can book a tour

5. Killineer House & Garden, Drogheda, Co. Louth – section 482

6. Old Mellifont Abbey, County Louth – OPW

7. Rokeby Hall, Grangebellew, Co. Louth – section 482

Places to stay, County Louth:

1. Ballymascanlon House, Louth  – hotel

2. Collon House, Ardee Street, Collon, Louth (also Oriel Temple) – B&B, plus guided tours

3. Ghan House, Co Louth – accommodation

Whole House Rental, County Louth:

1. Barmeath Castle, Dunleer, Drogheda, Co. Louth – section 482 and guest house rental

2. Bellurgan Park, County Louth – weddings and events

3. Castle Bellingham, Co. Louth – weddings

4. Darver Castle, County Louth – wedding and event venue

Places to visit in County Louth

1. Barmeath Castle, Dunleer, Drogheda, Co. Louth A92 P973 – section 482

*Barmeath, County Louth*, *October 2019.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/10/23/barmeath-castle-dunleer-drogheda-county-louth/

Open dates in 2026: May 1-31, June 1-10, Aug 15-23, Oct 1-20, 9am-1pm

Fee: house, adult/OAP/student €5, garden, adult/OAP/student €5, child free

2. Carlingford Castle, County Louth – OPW

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/02/07/office-of-public-works-properties-leinster-laois-longford-louth-meath-offaly-westmeath-wexford-wicklow/

*King John’s Castle, Carlingford, Co Louth, photograph by Nomos Production for Failte Ireland 2022.*

*Carlingford Castle, Carlingford Lough, County Louth, photograph courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.*

3. Castle Bellingham, Co. Louth – for weddings, and open to public for visits:

Open to the public viewing, see website.

https://www.bellinghamcastle.ie

*Castle Bellingham, County Louth, November 2022.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

We visited Castle Bellingham in November 2022, and Mr. Corscadden gave us a tour. It’s a beautiful castle venue, for weddings or events, and is sometimes available for accommodation.

It was a rainy November day and the castle is long so I didn’t capture the whole front facade in one shot, so I include to older photograph from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.

*Castle Bellingham in November 2022*. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Castle is owned by the Corscadden family, who also own Cabra Castle in County Cavan, Markree in County Sligo, and the other we have yet to visit, Ballyseede in County Kerry.

The website tells us:

“At Bellingham Castle, the welcome is warm, the facilities luxurious and the memories, eternal. Nestled in the medieval village of Castlebellingham in County Louth along Ireland’s Ancient East, Bellingham Castle is an elegant and spacious 17th Century authentic Irish Castle available for exclusive hire, to allow you become King or Queen of your very own castle for a truly memorable experience. The Castle opens for overnight stays on select dates throughout the year, but is predominantly a venue for spectacular Weddings, conferences or events.“

“Set at the gateway to the Cooley mountains and on the banks of the glistening River Glyde, Bellingham Castle is the centrepiece of a 17-acre estate that includes a weir and man-made river island where you can create memories that last a lifetime. The opulent 17th Century Irish castle is bursting with rich history, splendour and old-world luxury.

“Fully refurbished, yet retaining all of its character and charm, Bellingham Castle prides itself on elegance and sophistication, intimacy and cosiness, luxury and exclusivity – all just 50 minutes from both Dublin and Belfast.“

“We wanted to create something different at Bellingham Castle, an exquisite combination of a welcoming atmosphere and luxury castle experience. From dreamy and palatial bedrooms, to magnificent reception rooms and meticulously manicured gardens, we ensure each guest enjoys high-quality, bespoke service in an idyllic and inspirational location.“

*Castle Bellingham, County Louth, photograph from National Inventory of Architectural Heritage* [1]

Mark Bence-Jones writes of Castle Bellingham (1988):

p. 62. “The original castle here, called Gernonstown, which was acquired by Henry Bellingham [1622-1676] mid C17, was burnt by King James’s soldiers before the Battle of the Boyne, when its then owner, Colonel Thomas Bellingham [1645-1721], was fighting for King William. Col Bellingham built a new house 1690/1700 [the National Inventory says 1712] and named it Castle Bellingham; it had a high-pitched roof and is said to have resembled Beaulieu, in the same county. Mrs Delany described it (1745) as “one of the prettiest places I have seen in Ireland.”

“The house was remodelled in later C18, when a third storey was added, and again in early C19, when it was given a battlemented parapet, some turrets and a few other mildly medieval touches. The final result was not so much a castle as a castellated house, with plain Georgian sash windows. The nine bay entrance front, which appears to be only of two storeys owing to the higher ground on this side; the entrance, through a Gothic porch not centrally placed, is, in fact, on the first floor, where the principal rooms are situated. The opposite front, which also just misses being symmetrical – with three bays on one side of a shallow, curving bow and two bays and a turret on the other – also has a curved bow. Simple, pleasant rooms; a small staircase in a narrow hall at right angles to the entrance. Garden with terraces overlooking the river Glyde, formerly adorned with statues brought from Dubber Castle, the seat of another branch of the Bellinghams; vista to shrine of the Virgin Mary, erected by Henry Bellingham, a convert to Catholicism during the later years of the Oxford Movement. Straight avenue aligned on the entrance front of the house, terminated at the opposite end by a castellated gatehouse facing the village green. Having been sold by the Bellinghams ca 1956, Castle Bellingham is now an hotel.” [2]

The website gives a further history of the castle:

“Bellingham Castle served as one of the ancestral homes for the Bellingham family from the 17th Century until the 1950s. The original castle was built around 1660 by Sir Henry Bellingham [1622-1676], who was a cornet in the Army during the Civil War.

“He purchased the lands of Gernonstowne, Co. Louth, from a fellow soldier who had been granted them in lieu of arrears of pay. The purchase was confirmed by King Charles II.

“There is some variation on the spelling of Gernonstowne. On various maps and other documents, it is spelled Gernonstowne, Gernonstown, Gernon’s-Town, Gormanstown, Germanstown, Garlandstown and Garland.

“Irish road signs show the English as Castlebellingham, while the Irish translation still refers to Baile an Ghearlanaigh – or Gernonstown. It was not called Castlebellingham for at least 40 years after the purchase. The name does not appear on any document before the year 1700. Around 1710, it began to appear in journals and other sources as Castlebellingham.

“The castle was occupied by troops and burned down in the autumn of 1689 by King James II, in revenge for Colonel Thomas Bellingham [1645-1721] being a guide for William III, prior to the Battle of the Boyne. It is said that King William’s armies camped the night before the Battle of the Boyne in the grounds of the castle.“

Thomas Bellingham had a son, Henry. The estate passed Henry’s son Henry, but he had no children so when he died in 1755 it passed to his brother Alan Bellingham (1709-1796).

Alan’s son O’Bryen Bellingham (d. 1798) set up a brewery on site around 1770. The website tells us:

The website continues: “Over time, Castlebellingham became an important gathering point in the county. Fairs were held there every year and a church was constructed next door to the castle, along with a graveyard that houses the Bellingham family vault. The Bellinghams became one of the most powerful and influential families in the county; for over 100 years, a Bellingham held the seat in Parliament for County Louth.

“Records also note Castlebellingham for having ‘the best malt liquor’ in Ireland. A brewery was built on site about 1770 and belonged to an O’Bryen Bellingham [d. 1798, a son of Alan Bellingham]. For a number of years, a brewery partnership ran their liquor business. The brewery is still there but now houses the ‘button factory’ or Smallwares Ltd. The brewery was the main supplier of drink to the Boer War troops.“

Alan’s son William married Hester Frances Cholmondeley, daughter of Reverend Robert Cholmondeley and was created 1st Baronet Bellingham, of Castle Bellingham, Co. Louth. He did not have any children and the title passed to his brother Alan’s son, another Alan (1740-1800), who became 2nd Baronet Bellingham of Castle Bellingham, County Louth.

The website continues: “A history of the parish, dated 1908, states that the impressive Calvary standing at the entrance to Bellingham Castle was erected by Sir [Alan] Henry Bellingham [4th Baronet]as a monument to the memory of his first wife, Lady Constance.

“A collection of inset religious panels can be seen on the upper facades of many of the village buildings. These are also a reflection of Sir Henry’s religious sentiments, and they are unique in Ireland. In addition to the many panels, there are biblical quotations cut into the stone window sills of some buildings. North of the castle is a carefully preserved group of ‘widows’ dwellings’, built from charitable motives by Sir Henry.

“In 1905, Bellingham Castle was the venue for the romantic wedding celebrations of Augusta Mary Monica Bellingham, daughter of Sir Alan Bellingham [1846-1921], 4th Baronet to the 4th Marquis of Bute, John Crichton-Stuart.

“The Marquis, who was one of the wealthiest men in the British Isles at the time, spared no expense and treated his bride and guests to a lavish celebration, including chartering the Princess Maud steamer to take their guests and the Isle of Bute pipe band across the Irish Sea to Bellingham Castle for the wedding. As the society event of the year, the wedding attracted worldwide media attention, from California to New Zealand.

“Footage from the wedding celebrations still exists. This remarkable film is believed to be the one of the earliest wedding films in the world. Bellingham Castle is clearly depicted in the footage, together with scenes at nearby Kilsaran Church and the village of Annagassan, from where the wedding party and their guests arrived and departed by steamer.

“Castlebellingham was the ancestral home of the Baronetcy until the late 1950s. The last Bellingham to live there was Brigadier General Sir Edward Bellingham [5th Baronet], born in 1879, who was the last Lord Lieutenant and Guardian of the Rolls (Custos Rotulorum).

“It was purchased by Dermot Meehan in 1958 from the Irish Land Commission for £3,065.00. Mr Meehan spent several years converting the house into a hotel. The Meehan family sold the hotel and 17 acres in 1967 for £30,636.61 to Mr John Keenan and under the Keenan family stewardship, the castle prospered over the following four decades.

“In December 2012, the castle – including the 17 acres – was acquired by the Corscadden family. The family also own Ballyseede Castle in Tralee, Co. Kerry; Cabra Castle, Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, and Markree Castle, Co. Sligo.

“The next chapter in the history of Bellingham Castle has begun, as an exclusive venue for private weddings, civil ceremonies, conferences, meetings and corporate events.

“Bellingham Castle is a building of intrinsic historical and architectural interest and is open to the public between the hours of 1pm and 3pm, Monday to Friday for viewing year-round. Please call in advance to ensure there is somebody at the castle to show you around! (Closed December 24, 25 and 26).“

4. Collon House, County Louth

*Collon House, County Louth, photograph from National Inventory of Architectural Heritage* [3]

https://www.collonhouse.com

The website tells us:

“Collon House, steeped in history, is full of character and charm; its gracious rooms are exquisitely furnished with period antiques and paintings, retaining the atmosphere of early Georgian living, making this a rare opportunity to experience less than one hour from Dublin City Centre, thirty minutes from Dublin Airport and just five miles from historic Slane.

“Collon House is a perfect location from which to enjoy the wonderful treasures of the Boyne Valley. Bru na Boinne (Newgrange) prehistoric megalithic sites, The Battle of the Boyne visitors centre at Oldbridge, Slane Castle, Old Mellifont Abbey and Monasterboice High Crosses are all less than twenty minutes drive from Collon House.“

The Historic Houses of Ireland (HHI) website tells us:

“Anthony Foster [1705-1778], Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, purchased the Collon estate in 1740 and chose to build in the centre of the County Louth village, now a market town on the road from Dublin to Derry. His early Georgian house was extended in the 1770s to form a substantial L-shaped dwelling, set back from the street at the central crossroads. The original dwelling is long and low but the later building is taller and more generous in scale with more elaborate interiors and a “handsome half-turn stair” that gives access to the upper floors.” [4]

Anthony Foster married Elizabeth Burgh of Bert House (now called de Burgh Manor, available as a whole house rental, see my entry www.irishhistorichouses.com/2022/04/27/places-to-visit-and-to-stay-leinster-kildare-kilkenny-laois/), County Kildare.

The HHI website continues:

“Anthony’s son John [1740-1828] was elected to the family borough of Dunleer and became the member for Louth in 1768 at the age of twenty-one. Considered ‘the best informed man in the house’ he was briefly Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer before his election as Speaker of the Irish Commons. He held office from 1785 until 1800, when Parliament was dissolved for ever under the Act of Union, a measure which Foster had strenuously opposed. As Speaker he pronounced the final words at the closing session, choosing to retain his official mace ‘for future contingencies’. Mr. Speaker Foster was returned to Westminster after the Union and was finally rewarded with a UK peerage in 1821 (his wife had previously been granted two Irish titles) after an illustrious political career that spanned more than sixty years.

“In ‘A Tour of Ireland‘ published in 1780, the agronomist Arthur Young mentions Foster whose improvements on the Collon estate “were of a magnitude that I have never heard of before.” These included Oriel Temple, an elaborate and chastely classical lakeside folly, which was subsequently enlarged to form the principal family seat. Foster’s son Thomas married an heiress, Harriet Skeffington, and the family moved to Antrim Castle when she succeeded as Viscountess Massereene.”

John Foster, (1740-1828), Last Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, later 1st Baron Oriel Date 1799 Engraver Patrick Maguire, Irish, fl.1783-1820 After Gilbert Stuart, American, 1755-1828. Photograph courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland.

For more about the Foster family see my Cabra Castle entry, www.irishhistorichouses.com/2021/03/28/cabra-castle-kingscourt-county-cavan/

The HHI website continues: “Collon House has been altered over the intervening years but the building retains many fine Georgian interiors, now greatly enhanced by sympathetic restoration, fine furniture, glass, porcelain, pictures and objects. Their rich decoration makes a striking contrast with the plain exterior.

“The gardens have also been restored with inspired and authentic planting. The entrance overlooks a sunken garden with an intricate box parterre, while the herbaceous border in the ornamental garden leads to a classical summer house in the Grecian style.” [4]

The National Inventory tells us it is a: “Corner-sited attached five-bay three-storey house, built c. 1770. Rectangular-plan, extended by two-bays into two-storey terrace to east, three-bay two-storey wing to north, extended former mews buildings surrounding courtyard to north, single-storey flat-roofed entrance porch to west elevation…This imposing house, the principal home of the Foster family, at the heart of Collon, has historical associations with John Foster, the last man to speak in the Irish House of Commons. It contains many details of interest, such as stone window dressings. Its prominence at the heart of the village is of intrinsic importance to the architectural heritage of Collon.” (see [3])

5. Killineer House & Garden, Drogheda, Co. Louth A92 P8K7 – section 482

*Killineer, Drogheda, County Louth*, *June 2021.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2021/08/10/killineer-house-county-louth/

www.killineerhouse.ie

Open dates in 2026: Feb 1-20, May 1-31, Aug 15-23, 9am-1pm

Fee: house and garden, adult/OAP/child/student, €12, house €5, garden €7

6. Old Mellifont Abbey, County Louth – OPW

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/02/07/office-of-public-works-properties-leinster-laois-longford-louth-meath-offaly-westmeath-wexford-wicklow/

7. Rokeby Hall, Grangebellew, Co. Louth – section 482

*Rokeby, County Louth*, *September 2019.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/08/17/rokeby-hall-grangebellew-county-louth/

www.rokeby.ie

Open dates in 2026: June 1-30, Aug 1-31, 10am-2pm

Fee: adult/OAP €10, child/student €5

Places to stay, County Louth:

1. Ballymascanlon House, Louth  – hotel

https://www.ballymascanlon.com

*Ballymascanlon House, County Louth, November 2022.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

We treated ourselves to a stay in Ballymascanlon House hotel in November 2022.

The website tells us: “The Ballymascanlon House is set on 130 acres of beautiful parkland, this impressive Victorian House forms the heart of this Hotel. It is one of the most remarkable historical estates in Ireland dating back to 833 A.D. Steeped in history, Ballymascanlon estate is located in Ireland’s North East on the Cooley Peninsula in close proximity to the Irish Sea and Mourne Mountains. Less than 1 hour from Dublin and Belfast, and 20 minutes from the medieval town of Carlingford. We are delighted to welcome you to our beautiful luxurious venue, ideal for both Business and Leisure.”

Ballymascanlon means the town of the son of Scanlan, and was part of the ancient Sept of Scanlan. I noticed that locals call it “Ballymac” and it would seem the “mac” would be correct if it’s “son of” though the name now skips that “c” – it’s not named “Ballymac scanlan” any longer. A document in the front hall tells us of its history. The area is full of ancient archaeological features including the Proleek Dolmen which dates to approximately 4000 BC. The information tells us that a chieftain, MacScanlan, expelled a Danish incursion into the area, before the Anglo-Normans came to Ireland.

The Proleek Dolmen, on the grounds of Ballymascanlon. Legend has it if you toss a stone and it stays on top, you can make a wish. Despite not wanting to desecrate a grave, Stephen and I took part in the tradition – I had no luck but Stephen managed! *It’s an unfortunate tradition though, I think, not the right way to treat a sacred site.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Ballymascanlon House, County Louth, November 2022.*

*A smaller dolmen grave near the Proleek Dolman.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

When the Anglo-Normans came, Hugh de Lacy gave this area to the Cistercian Mellifont Abbey. After the dissolution of the monastery by King Henry VIII the land was given to Edward Moore (1540-1601), ancestor of the Marquess of Drogheda.

The document also tells us that the Duke of Schomberg camped here before the Battle of the Boyne, and that a field hospital was set up. Later the Irish Volunteer branch, the Ballymascanlon Rangers, were led by Robert MacNeale of Ballymascanlon, father of James Wolf MacNeil, who built the building we see today.

Ballymascanlon House is a multiple-bay two-storey over basement with attic Tudor-Revival house, built in 1863 for James Wolfe MacNeil, incorporating fabric of earlier building which had been built for Frederick Foster, with gables, mullioned windows, hood-mouldings and a recessed doorway. [5] MacNeil owned the nearby corn mills. There may be been a house previously located on the site, David Hicks tells us in Irish County Houses, A Chronicle of Change. [6]

Hicks tells us that the house was sold and further improved by architect P.J. Byrne for Frederick Foster. The red brick gate lodge was added at this time. Frederick Foster (1799-1888) married Isabella Vere. He was the son of John William Foster (1745-1809). Frederick had no children. His sister Louisa Jane married Thomas Span Plunkett, 2nd Baron Plunket of Newton.

Further building works were carried out in 1904 and 1919 for Katherine Plunkett, daughter of Louisa Jane and Thomas Span Plunkett, who then owned the house. The house has high pitched gables and projecting bays. The Plunkett coat of arms over the front door depicts and horse and the Plunkett motto, Festina Lente, or Make Haste Slowly.

Hicks continues his description:

“Inside, a spine corridor leads past the various reception rooms that overlook the gardens through mullioned windows. This corridor provided ample space for family portraits and landscapes that once decorated the walls. One of the most interesting features of the interior is the glazed dome that provides light to the inner hall at the centre of the house where the hotel reception is. The various reception rooms of the house are tastefully decorated and have retained much of their old world charm.“

*One of the most interesting features of the interior is the glazed dome that provides light to the inner hall at the centre of the house where the hotel reception is located.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The house was offered for sale in 1943 and purchased by George Noble Plunkett, a Papal court who received his title from Pope Leo XIII for donating money to Catholic charities. He was the father of Joseph Mary Plunkett, one of the signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, who was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising.

George Noble Plunkett and his wife Josephine Cranny were children of Pat Plunkett and Pat Cranny, two successful property developers who built many of the red brick Victorian houses in Dublin. Count Plunkett began his professional life as the director of the National Museum. After his son was killed he entered politics. After his wife died, he sold the house to the Quinn family, who turned it into a hotel.

*Outbuildings at Ballymascanlon House, County Louth, November 2022* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Bridge on the grounds of Ballymascanlon.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

2. Collon House, Ardee Street, Collon, Louth – B&B accommodation

https://www.collonhouse.com

The website tells us:

4. Ghan House, Co Louth – accommodation

https://www.ghanhouse.com

The National Inventory tells us: “Built in 1727 by William Stannus, this building, with its unadorned façade and finely-balanced elegant classical proportions, is a handsome representative of architectural developments during the Georgian era. It retains a large amount of original and early fabric, including handsome boundary walls, corner tower and carriage arch.”

Whole House Rental, County Louth:

1. Barmeath Castle, Dunleer, Drogheda, Co. Louth – section 482, guest house rental

2. Bellingham Castle, Co. Louth – weddings

https://www.bellinghamcastle.ie

See above

3. Bellurgan Park, County Louth -weddings and whole house rental

https://www.bellurganpark.ie/

4. Darver Castle, County Louth – luxury weddings, events and accommodation

*Darver Castle by Barry McGee 2016 courtesy of Flickr constant commons.*

https://www.darvercastle.ie/home/

The website tells us:

“The Castle, dating from the 15th century is situated in a fine parkland setting and surrounded by mature trees. The courtyard, approached through a medieval arched gateway has lofted stone faced buildings while the outer yard has very impressive stone faced buildings with stabling for 20 horses. Also included is an outdoor manège, partly walled garden and orchard. The lands, all in old pasture, have excellent road frontage and are renowned for their fattening qualities. In the early 12th Century a man named Patrick Babe was given 500 acres of land in the parish of Derver by King James II. He built a castle for himself and his family to live in on the grounds formerly owned by the church. The castle was built on the north side of the hill north of the cave and on the edge of the deep slope that led to the banks of two rivers, which provided fish and eels for the family food.The rivers acted as security from the enemy advancing from the north. With a large yard wall to the east 12 feet high and 20 acres of woodland to the west helped keep the enemy out. But a problem arose on the southside of the hill as it sloped to a deep valley and joined the high hill of newtown Darver. As the top of this hill is just 4 feet higher than the level of the top of the castle. So the soldiers were unable to see the enemy approaching from the south. Patrick Babe had a round tower built on the very top of the hill and placed soldiers into this garrison which gave them a clear view for 40 miles away so no enemy ever got near Darver Castle Estate during all the wars.

“The church was never reached by Cromwell because of the protection from the hilltower. When the wars were over, Patrick Babe had wings put on the front of the tower and converted it into a windmill, and used it to ground corn for himself and his tenants. This continued for 150 years until large mills were built on the edge of the rivers, powered by the water, so that the use of the towermill ended and it was later demolished and the land around made arable. The hill is still known as windmill hill. 12thC Patrick Babe built the castle. Later he built 14 tenant houses. 1385 John Babe was given the advocasy of the church 1655 The Babes rented the castle to Abraham Ball. He died in 1742. 1740 James Babe sold the castle and 500 acres of land to Richard Fiscall Dublin for $4,000 1777 According to a survey done by Taylor and Skinner. The castle was idle. 1789 John Booth bought the castle. He died in 1840. 1840 Joseph Booth appears. He added the new wing and porch. 1857 John Filgate Booth died there. 1890 Frances Rutherford died there. 1894 Elizabeth Booth died there. 1906 Charles Rutherford died there. 1921 Zane Booth died there. 1980 John Booth died there. 1993 McCormack family took over and shortly afterwards Aidan and his wife Mary took ownership. Through a lot of hard-work and love for the castle, they have transformed it into the castle wedding venue it is today. The Carville family still continue to care for the castle, with improvements happening endlessly.“

[1] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/13826003/bellingham-castle-castlebellingham-castlebellingham-castlebellingham-louth

[2] Bence-Jones, Mark. 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.

[3] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/13828001/collon-house-drogheda-street-ardee-street-collon-collon-louth

[4] https://www.ihh.ie/index.cfm/houses/house/name/Collon%20House

[5] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/13900756/ballymascanlon-house-ballymascanlan-ballymascanlon-louth

[6] p. 147. Hicks, David. Irish County Houses: Chronicle of Change. Collins Press, Cork, 2012.

Places to visit and stay in County Meath, Leinster

by jenjunebugOctober 28, 2022March 26, 2026

On the map above:

blue: places to visit that are not section 482

purple: section 482 properties

red: accommodation

yellow: less expensive accommodation for two

orange: “whole house rental” i.e. those properties that are only for large group accommodations or weddings, e.g. 10 or more people.

green: gardens to visit

grey: ruins

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€15.00

Places to visit in County Meath

1. Beauparc House, Navan, Co. Meath, C15 D2K6 – section 482

2. Dunsany Castle, Dunsany, Co. Meath – section 482

3. Gravelmount House, Castletown, Kilpatrick, Navan, Co. Meath – section 482

4. Hamwood House, Dunboyne, Co. Meath – section 482

5. Loughcrew House, Loughcrew, Old Castle, Co. Meath – section 482

6. Moyglare House, Moyglare, Co. Meath – section 482

7. Oldbridge House, County Meath – Battle of the Boyne Museum – OPW

8. Slane Castle, Slane, Co. Meath – see website for tours

9. St. Mary’s Abbey, High Street, Trim, Co. Meath – section 482

10. Swainstown House, Kilmessan, Co. Meath, C15 Y60F – section 482

11. Tankardstown House, Rathkenny, Slane, Co. Meath, C15 D535 – section 482

12. Trim Castle, County Meath – OPW

Places to stay, County Meath:

1. Bellinter House near Bective, County Meath – hotel and restaurant

2. Boyne House Slane (formerly Cillghrian Glebe), Chapel Street, Slane, Co. Meath, C15 P657 – section 482 accommodation

3. Clonleason Gate Lodge, Fordstown, County Meath

4. Dunboyne Castle, County Meath

5. Highfield House, Trim, County Meath

6. Johnstown Estate, Enfield, Co Meath – hotel

7. Killeen Mill, Clavinstown, Drumree, Co. Meath – section 482 accommodation

8. Moyglare House, Moyglare, Co. Meath – section 482

9. Rockfield House Courtyard Apartment, Kells, County Meath

10. Rosnaree, Slane, Co Meath – accommodation

11. Ross Castle, Mountnugent, County Meath whole castle or self-catering accommodation

12. Slane Castle, County Meath C15 XP83

13. Tankardstown House, Rathkenny, Slane, Co. Meath, C15 D535 – section 482

Whole house booking/wedding venues, County Meath

1. Ballinlough Castle, County Meath – group castle accommodation, wedding venue

2. Boyne Hill estate, Navan, County Meath – whole house rental

3. Clonabreany House, County Meath wedding venue

4. Durhamstown Castle, Bohermeen, County Meath – whole house rental

5. Loughcrew House, Loughcrew, Old Castle, Co. Meath – section 482 whole house accommodation

6. Mill House, Slan, County Meathe – weddings

7. Rockfield House, Kells, County Meath

8. Ross Castle, Mountnugent, County Meath whole castle or self-catering accommodation

9. Slane Castle, County Meath C15 XP83

Places to visit:

1. Beauparc House, Navan, Co. Meath C15 D2K6 – section 482

*Beauparc House, County Meath*, Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Open dates in 2026: May 1-31, June 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, Aug 15-23, 11am -3pm,

Fee: adult €14, OAP/student €12.50, child €8.40

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/07/22/beauparc-house-beau-parc-navan-co-meath/

2. Dunsany Castle, Dunsany, Co. Meath C15 XR80 – section 482

www.dunsany.com

Open dates in 2026: June 20 -30, July 1-31, Aug 1-23, 10am-2pm

Fee: adult €25, OAP €20, student €15, child 13 years and over €15, child under 12 years free

*Dunsany Castle, County Meath*, *June 2019.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Dunsany Castle by Alexander Campbell ‘Monkey’ Morgan National Library of Ireland.*

3. Gravelmount House, Castletown, Kilpatrick, Navan, Co. Meath – section 482

Open dates in 2026: Jan 2-12, May 1-30, June 1, Aug 15-23, Nov 16-20, 30, Dec 1-4, 9am-1pm

Fee: adult €10, OAP/student/child €5

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2024/06/13/gravelmount-house-castletown-kilpatrick-navan-co-meath/

4. Hamwood House, Dunboyne, Co. Meath A86 C667 – section 482

www.hamwood.ie

Open dates in 2026: Feb 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-28, Mar 1, 11am-1pm & 3pm-5pm, May 6-10,15-17, June 4-7,11-14, July 2-5,11-12, 16-19, August 2-5,9-12,15-23, 2pm-6pm

Fee: adult/OAP/student €20, child under 10 years free

*Hamwood House, County Meath, photograph from* Country Life.

We visited in November 2022 – https://irishhistorichouses.com/2023/08/03/hamwood-house-dunboyne-co-meath/

5. Loughcrew House, Loughcrew, Old Castle, Co. Meath – section 482, garden only open to public

Tourist Accommodation Facility Open for accommodation: all year

www.loughcrew.com

Since Loughcrew is listed under Revenue Section 482 as Tourist Accommodation facility, it does not have to open to the public. However, the gardens are located nearby and are open to the public.

Garden open dates in 2026: all year

Fee: adult €8, OAP/student €6, child €4, carers free

*Ruins of Loughcrew House, 22nd May 2010*. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

*Photographs of Loughcrew in Mark Bence-Jones’s* A Guide to Irish Country Houses.

*Lough Crew 22nd May 2010*. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The website tells us:

“Loughcrew is an estate made up of 200 acres of picturesque rolling parkland complete with a stunning house and gardens. It provides the perfect family friendly day out as there is something to suit all ages and interests.

“The House and Gardens within at Loughcrew Estate date back to the 17th century – making it a landscape of historical and religious significance. Here, you’ll find a medieval motte and St. Oliver Plunkett’s family church among other old buildings. You’ll also find lime and yew avenues, extensive lawns and terraces, a water garden and a magnificent herbaceous border. There is a Fairy Trail for children and a coffee shop too!”

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2023/09/21/loughcrew-house-loughcrew-old-castle-co-meath/

6. Moyglare House, Moyglare, Co. Meath W23 RT91 – section 482

*Moyglare House, County Meath*, *June 2019.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2021/02/15/moyglare-house-county-meath/
Postal address Maynooth Co. Kildare

www.moyglarehouse.ie

Open dates in 2026: Feb 2-6, 9-13, 16-20, 23, 27, June 1-30, July 1, Aug 15-23, 9am-1pm

Fee: adult/OAP €12, child/student €6

7. Oldbridge House, County Meath – Battle of the Boyne Museum – OPW

see my OPW entry, https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/02/07/office-of-public-works-properties-leinster-laois-longford-louth-meath-offaly-westmeath-wexford-wicklow/

8. Slane Castle, Slane, Co. Meath C15 XP83

*Slane Castle, County Meath*, *April 2019.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2019/07/19/slane-castle-county-meath/

www.slanecastle.ie

(Tourist Accommodation Facility)

Open in 2026: every day throughout Feb, May, June, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Mar 1-11, Apr 10-30, July 1-12, 21-31, Dec 1-21

9. St. Mary’s Abbey, Abbey Lane, Trim, Co. Meath – section 482

*St. Mary’s Abbey house, County Meath*, Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Open dates in 2026: Apr 20-26, May 6-8, 16-17, June 22-28, July 20-26, Aug 15-23, 31, Sept 1-5, 21-26, Oct 16-21, Nov 23-29, 2pm-6pm

Fee: adult €5, OAP/student/child €2

See my entry: https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/09/17/st-marys-abbey-high-street-trim-co-meath/

10. Swainstown House, Kilmessan, Co. Meath C15 Y60F – section 482

*Swainstown House, County Meath, August 2019*. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/10/10/swainstown-house-kilmessan-county-meath/

Open dates in 2026: Mar 2-3, 5-6, April 6-7, 9-10, May 4-10, June 1-7, July 6-12, Aug 15-23, Sept 7-11, 14-18, Oct 5-6, 8-9, Nov 2-3, 5-6, Dec 7-8, 10-11, 11am-3pm

Fee: adult €8, OAP/student/child €5

11. Tankardstown House, Rathkenny, Slane, Co. Meath C15 D535 – section 482, hotel

*Tankardstown House, County Meath, August 2019.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/07/11/tankardstown-estate-demesne-rathkenny-slane-co-meath/

www.tankardstown.ie

Open in 2026: all year, National Heritage Week, Aug 15-23, 9am-1pm

Fee: Free to visit.

12. Trim Castle, County Meath – OPW

see my OPW entry: https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/02/07/office-of-public-works-properties-leinster-laois-longford-louth-meath-offaly-westmeath-wexford-wicklow/

Places to stay, County Meath:

1. Bellinter House near Bective, County Meath – hotel and restaurant

www.bellinterhouse.com

*Bellinter House from flickr constant commons 2007.*

*Bellinter House, photograph for Tourism Ireland*, *Ireland’s Content Pool.* [3]

The website tells us:

“A magnificent 18^th century Georgian house, located in the heart of the Boyne Valley, less than 5 minutes of the M3 and under 30 minutes from Dublin City centre and Dublin airport.

“A property designed originally by Richard Castles for John Preston [1700-1755], this house was once used as a country retreat for the Preston Family, to abscond from the city for the summer months.

“Following over 270 years of beautiful history the purpose of Bellinter House remains the same, a retreat from ones daily life.

“On arriving, you will find yourself succumb to the peacefulness and serenity that is Bellinter House.“

The National Inventory tells us about Bellinter House:

“Designed by the renowned architect Richard Castle in 1751. Bellinter is a classic mid eighteenth-century Palladian house with its two-storey central block, linked to two-storey wings by single-storey arcades, creating a forecourt in front of the house. This creates a building of pleasant symmetry and scale which is of immediate architectural importance. The building is graded in scale from ground to roofline. It gets progressively lighter from semi-basement utilising block and start windows on ground floor to lighter architraves on first floor to cornice. The house forms an interesting group with the surviving related outbuildings and entrance gates.” [4]

Art Kavanagh tells us in his The Landed Gentry and Aristocracy: Meath, Volume 1 (published by Irish Family Names, Dublin 4, 2005) that John Joseph Preston (1815-1892) had only a daughter, and he leased Bellinter House to his friend Gustavus Villiers Briscoe. When John Joseph Preston died he willed his estate to Gustavus.

Much of the land was dispersed with the Land Acts, but Bellinter passed to Gustavus’s son Cecil Henry Briscoe. His son George sold house and lands to the Holdsworth family, who later sold the land to the Land Commission. The house was acquired by the Sisters of Sion in 1966, who sold it in 2003.

[See Robert O’Byrne’s recent post, https://theirishaesthete.com/2022/05/21/crazy-wonderful/ for more pictures of Bellinter.]

2. Boyne House Slane (formerly Cillghrian Glebe), Chapel Street, Slane, Co. Meath C15 P657 – section 482 accommodation

www.boynehouseslane.ie
(Tourists Accommodation Facility)
Open dates in 2026: all year.

“Boyne House Slane boasts 6 tastefully appointed luxury ensuite Heritage Bedrooms in the Main House along with 4 additional Bedrooms in the Coach House, offering luxurious accommodation and private rental in the heart of Slane village.” *Photograph courtesy of website.*

The website tells us: “Boyne House Slane is a former rectory dating from 1807, magnificently renewed, whilst retaining much of its original features to offer luxury accommodation comprising 10 guest bedrooms offering exceptional levels of comfort and style, the perfect retreat for the visitor after exploring 5,000 years of history and culture in the area.

“Discreetly tucked away behind the centrally located Village Garden and recreation area, ‘Boyne House Slane’ is set in its own grounds, comprising a small patch of woodland with well-aged Copperbeech, Poplar and Chestnut trees.

“Originally named Cillghrian Glebe, the property was built in 1807 as a rectory or Glebe. The name Cillghrian, sometimes anglicised as Killrian, derives from the words ‘cill’ for church and ‘grian’ which translated as ‘land’ giving the house the simple name ‘church land’. The house retains many of its original features complete with excellent joinery, plasterwork and chimneypieces.”

*Boyne House Slane*, *Photograph courtesy of website.*

*Boyne House Slane, from website:* “Discreetly tucked away behind the centrally located Village Garden and recreation area in Slane, Boyne House Slane is set in its own grounds, comprising a small patch of woodland with well aged Copperbeech, Poplar and Chestnut trees.”

3. Clonleason Gate Lodge, Fordstown, County Meath: Hidden Ireland

www.clonleason.com

*Clonleason gate lodge, photograph courtesy of myhome.ie – Clonleason House was advertised for sale in September 2022 so gate lodge accommodation may no longer be available.*

“Our 18th century riverside cottage has been converted into an elegant one bedroom hideaway for a couple. Set in blissful surroundings of gardens and fields at the entrance to a small Georgian house, the cottage is surrounded by ancient oak trees, beech and roses. It offers peace and tranquillity just one hour from Dublin.

“A feature of the cottage is the comfy light filled sitting room with high ceiling, windows on three sides, an open fire, bundles of books and original art. The Trimblestown river, once famous for its excellent trout, runs along the bottom of its secret rose garden. Garden and nature lovers might enjoy wandering through our extensive and richly planted gardens where many unusual shrubs and trees are thriving and where cyclamen and snowdrops are massed under trees. The Girley Loop Bog walk is just a mile down the road.

“The bedroom is luxurious and the kitchen and bathroom are well appointed. There is excellent electric heating throughout.“

“We offer luxury self-catering accomodation in an idyllic setting. Our self-sufficient cottage, furnished and fitted to a high standard, sleeps 2 and boasts a kitchen, a wetroom w/c with a power shower plus ample relaxation space, all kept warm and cosy by a woodburning stove.

“Ideally suited to couples who are looking for a luxurious, romantic break in the peaceful and beautiful countryside of Ireland.“

4. Dunboyne Castle, County Meath

https://www.dunboyne castlehotel.co m/

Originally home to The Butlers of Dunboyne, the original Castle on the Dunboyne Estate was destroyed during the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland as a result of the family’s refusal to convert to Protestantism. The ceiling over the staircase depicts the four elements to life at this time; War, Music, Education & Love. The current house was built around 1764, incorporating fabric of earlier house, c.1720, and it was designed by George Darley. [see National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14341018/dunboyne-castle-maynooth-road-castlefarm-dunboyne-co-meath

5. Highfield House, Trim, County Meath

https://highfieldguesthouse.com

*Highfield House, photograph courtesy of website.*

The website tells us:

“Highfield House is an elegant, 18th century residence run by Edward and Geraldine Duignan and situated in the beautiful heritage town of Trim. Known as the birthplace of Ireland’s Ancient East, Trim is renowned as one of Ireland’s most beautiful towns. The award winning accommodation boasts magnificent views of Trim Castle, The Yellow Steeple, and the River Boyne.

“Guests can book Highfield House for their overnight stay while visiting the area, or book the entire property as a self catering option in Meath.

“The house was built in the early 1800’s and was opened as a stately maternity hospital in 1834 and remained so up to the year 1983, making it 175 years old. A host of original, antique interior features still remain. Spend the morning sipping coffee on our patio, relax with a book in our drawing room or wile away the afternoon people watching from our garden across the river.”

6. Johnstown Estate, Enfield, Co Meath – hotel

https://thejohnstownestate.com

*Johnstown Estate, photograph courtesy of website.*

The website tells us:

“The original manor – or The Johnstown House as it was known – is as storied as many other large country house in Ireland. Luckily, the house itself has stood the test of time and is the beating heart of the hotel and all its facilities which together form The Johnstown Estate.

“Built in 1761, The Johnstown House (as it was then known) was the country residence of Colonel Francis Forde [1717-1769], his wife Margaret [Bowerbank] and their five daughters. Colonel Forde was the 7th son of Matthew Forde, MP, of Coolgraney, Seaforde County Down, and the family seat is still in existence in the pretty village of Seaforde, hosting Seaforde Gardens.

“The Colonel had recently returned from a very successful military career in India and was retiring to become a country gentleman. Enfield – or Innfield as it was then known – satisfied his desire to return to County Meath where his Norman-Irish ascendants (the de la Forde family) had settled in Fordestown (now Fordstown), Meath, in the 13th century. Enfield was also close to Carton House in Maynooth, the home of the Duke of Leinster – at the time the most powerful landowner in Ireland.

“After 8 years completing the house and demesne and establishing income from his estates, Colonel Forde left for a further military appointment in India. His boat, The Aurora, touched the Cape of Good Hope off Southern Africa on December 27th, 1769 and neither he, nor the boat, were heard from again.

“Thereafter the house was owned by a variety of people including a Dublin merchant, several gentlemen farmers, a Knight, another military man, an MP and a Governor of the Bank of Ireland. In 1927 the Prendergast family bought the house and Rose Prendergast, after whom ‘The Rose’ private dining room is named, became mistress of Johnstown House for over fifty years.

“The house was restored to its previous glory in the early years of the new millennium and a new resort hotel developed around it to become The Johnstown House Hotel. In 2015, under new ownership, the hotel was extensively refurbished, expanded and rebranded to become The Johnstown Estate.“

7. Killeen Mill, Clavinstown, Drumree, Co. Meath – section 482 accommodation

*Killeen Mill, July 2022.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

(Tourists Accommodation Facility)

Open for accommodation in 2026: April 1- Sept 30, Mon-Sat

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2024/12/26/killeen-mill-clavinstown-drumree-co-meath-section-482-tourist-accommodation/

8. Moyglare House, Moyglare, Co. Meath – section 482, see above

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2021/02/15/moyglare-house-county-meath/
Postal address Maynooth Co. Kildare

www.moyglarehouse.ie

9. Rockfield House Courtyard Apartment, Kells, County Meath

https://rockfieldhouse.com/accommodation/

The Courtyard Apartment is a luxurious two bedroom apartment overlooking the stables.

The fully equipped kitchen has a dining area for five, while the separate lounge room with open fire and plush period furnishings is a lovely space to relax after a busy day.

Outside, you can ramble around the grounds, check for eggs as you go or visit the Fred and Ted our resident (and rather free-spirited) goats – or they might visit you!.

Rates at time of publication (check website):

1 person – 1 night €150 2 nights €300
2 people – 1 night €160 2 nigts €320
3 people – 1 night €225 2 nights €420
4 people – 1 night €280 2 nights €520
5 people – 1 night €320 2 nights €600

10. Rosnaree, Slane, Co Meath – accommodation

https://www.facebook.com/theRossnaree/

The website tells us: “This stylish historic country house in Slane, County Meath, offers boutique bed and breakfast with magnificent views across the Boyne Valley and the megalithic passage tomb of Newgrange.

“Rossnaree (or “headland of the Kings”) is a privately owned historic country estate in Slane, County Meath, located only 40 minutes from Dublin and less than an hour from Belfast.

“An impressive driveway sweeps to the front of Rossnaree house, standing on top of a hill with unrivalled views across the River Boyne to Ireland’s famous prehistoric monuments, Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange.

“Rossnaree has been transformed into a boutique bed and breakfast, offering four luxury rooms for guests and also an original venue for special events and artistic workshops.“

11. Ross Castle, Mountnugent, County Meath whole castle for 10 or self-catering accommodation

https://www.ross-castle.com

See my County Cavan entry, https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/07/03/county-cavan-historic-houses-to-see-and-stay/

12. Slane Castle, County Meath C15 XP83

(Tourist Accommodation Facility)

Open in 2026: every day throughout Feb, May, June, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Mar 1-11, Apr 10-30, July 1-12, 21-31, Dec 1-21

13. Tankardstown House, Rathkenny, Slane, Co. Meath – section 482, boutique hotel

*Tankardstown, County Meath, August 2019.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

www.tankardstown.ie

See my entry:

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/07/11/tankardstown-estate-demesne-rathkenny-slane-co-meath/

Whole house booking/wedding venues, County Meath

1. Ballinlough Castle, Clonmellon, Navan, County Meath – Whole house booking/wedding venues

https://www.ballinloughcastle.ie/

*Ballinlough Castle, photograph from National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.*

The website tells us Ballinlough Castle is available for exclusive hire of the castle and the grounds (minimum hire 3 nights) is available for private or corporate gatherings. Focussing on relaxed and traditional country house hospitality, assisted by a local staff.

The website tells us of its history:

“The Nugent family at Ballinlough were originally called O’Reilly, but assumed the surname of Nugent in 1812 to inherit a legacy. They are almost unique in being a Catholic Celtic-Irish family who still live in their family castle.

“The castle was built in the early seventeenth century and the O’Reilly coat of arms over the front door carries the date 1614 along with the O’Reilly motto Fortitudine et Prudentia.

“The newer wing overlooking the lake was added by Sir Hugh O’Reilly (1741-1821) in the late eighteenth century and is most likely the work of the amateur architect Thomas Wogan Browne, also responsible for work at Malahide Castle, the home of Sir Hugh O’Reilly’s sister Margaret.

“Sir Hugh was created a baronet on 1795 and changed the family name in 1812 in order to inherit from his maternal uncle, Governor Nugent of Tortola.

“As well as the construction of this wing, the first floor room above the front door was removed to create the two-storey hall that takes up the centre of the original house. The plasterwork here contains many clusters of fruit and flowers, all different. A new staircase was added, with a balcony akin to a minstrel’s gallery, and far grander than the original staircase that still remains to the side.

“Sir Hugh’s younger brothers James and Andrew entered Austrian military service, the latter becoming Governor-General of Vienna and Chamberlain to the Emperor. His portrait hangs in the castle’s dining-room.

“The family traces directly back to Felim O’Reilly who died in 1447. Felim’s son, John O’Reilly was driven from his home at Ross Castle near Lough Sheelin and settled in Kilskeer. His grandson Hugh married Elizabeth Plunket with whom he got the estate of Ballinlough, then believed to have been called Bally-Lough-Bomoyle. It was his great-grandson James who married Barbara Nugent and about whom an amusing anecdote is told in Duffy’s Hibernian Magazine of 1860:

During the operation of the penal laws in Ireland, when it was illegal for a Roman Catholic to possess a horse of greater value than five pounds, he was riding a spirited steed of great value but being met by a Protestant neighbour who was on foot, he was ordered by him to relinquish the steed for the sum of five pounds sterling. This he did without hesitation and the law favoured neighbour mounted his steed and rode off in haughty triumph. Shortly afterwards, however, James O’Reilly sued him for the value of the saddle and stirrups of which he was illegally deprived and recovered large damages.

“The investment in the castle by James’ son, Hugh was recorded in The Irish Tourist by Atkinson 1815, which contained the following account of a visit to Ballinlough:

The castle and demesne of Ballinlough had an appearance of antiquity highly gratifying to my feelings ….. I reined in my horse within a few perches of the grand gate of Ballinlough to take a view of the castle; it stands on a little eminence above a lake which beautifies the demesne; and not only the structure of the castle, but the appearance of the trees, and even the dusky colour of the gate and walls, as you enter, contribute to give the whole scenery an appearance of antiquity, while the prospect is calculated to infuse into the heart of the beholder, a mixed sentiment of veneration and delight.

Having visited the castle of Ballinlough, the interior of which appears a good deal modernised, Sir Hugh had the politeness to show me two or three of the principal apartments; these, together with the gallery on the hall, had as splendid an appearance as anything which I had, until that time, witnessed in private buildings. The rooms are furnished in a style- I cannot pretend to estimate the value, either of the furniture or ornamental works, but some idea thereof may be formed from the expenses of a fine marble chimney-piece purchased from Italy, and which, if any solid substance can in smoothness and transparency rival such work, it is this. I took the liberty of enquiring what might have been the expense of this article and Sir Hugh informed me only five hundred pounds sterling, a sum that would establish a country tradesman in business! The collection of paintings which this gentleman shewed me must have been purchased at an immense expense also- probably at a price that would set up two: what then must be the value of the entire furniture and ornamental works?

“Sir Hugh was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son James, who was succeeded by his brother Sir John, who emulated his uncle in Austria in becoming Chamberlain to the Emperor. His eldest son Sir Hugh was killed at an early age so the title then passed to his second son Charles, a racehorse trainer in England. Sir Charles was an unsuccessful gambler which resulted in most of the Ballinlough lands, several thousand acres in Westmeath and Tipperary being sold, along with most of the castle’s contents.

“Sir Charles’ only son was killed in a horseracing fall in Belgium in 1903, before the birth of his own son, Hugh a few months later. Sir Hugh inherited the title on the death of his grandfather in 1927 and, having created a number of successful businesses in England, retuned to Ballinlough and restored the castle in the late 1930s. His son Sir John (1933- 2010) continue the restoration works and the castle is now in the hands of yet another generation of the only family to occupy it.”

2. Boyne Hill estate, Navan, County Meath – whole house rental

https://www.boynehillhouse.ie

“Set in 38 acres of pretty gardens and parklands and just 35 minutes from Dublin, this stunning country house estate becomes your very own private residence for your special day.“

3. Durhamstown Castle, Bohermeen, County Meath – whole house rental

https://durhamstowncastle.com

“Durhamstown Castle is 600 years old inhabited continuously since 1420. Its surrounded by meadows, dotted with mature trees. We take enormous pleasure in offering you our home and hospitality.“

The website tells us that in 1590:

“The Bishop of Meath, Thomas Jones [1550-1619], who resided in next door Ardbraccan, at this time, owned Durhamstown Castle & we know from the records, that he left it to his son, Lord Ranelagh, Sir Roger Jones; who was Lord President of Connaught. Thomas Jones was witness & reporter to the Crown on negotiations between the Crown Forces & the O’Neills. He was known to be close to Robert Devereux, The Earl of Essex – Queen Elizabeth’s lover. (Later, executed for mounting a rebellion against Her.) Letters are written – copies of which are in the National Library – from Devereux to the Queen both from Ardbraccan & Durhamstown (“the Castle nearby”).

“Roger Jones, 1st Viscount Ranelagh (before 1589 – 1643) was a member of the Peerage of Ireland and lord president of Connaught. He was Chief Leader of the Army and Forces of Connaught during the early years of the Irish Confederate Wars. In addition to Viscount Ranelagh, he held the title Baron Jones of Navan.

“Jones was the only son of Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Thomas Jones, and his wife Margaret Purdon. He was knighted at Drogheda on 24 March 1607. In 1609, he married Frances Moore, the daughter of Sir Garret Moore, eventual 1st Viscount Moore of Drogheda. Jones was a member of the Parliament of Ireland for Trim, County Meath from 1613 to 1615. In 1620, he was named to the privy council of Ireland. He was the Chief Leader of the Army and Forces of Connaught and was Vice President of Connaught from 1626.

“In 1608 his father became involved in a bitter feud with Lord Howth, in which Roger also became embroiled. His reference to Howth as a brave man among cowards was enough to provoke his opponent, a notoriously quarrelsome man to violence. In the spring of 1609, Jones, Howth and their followers engaged in a violent fracas at a tennis court in Thomas Street, Dublin, and a Mr. Barnewall was killed. The Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Arthur Chichester, an enemy of Howth, had him arrested immediately, though he was never brought to trial.

“On 25 August 1628, Jones was created Baron Jones of Navan and 1st Viscount Ranelagh by King Charles I. He was made Lord President of Connaught on 11 September 1630 to serve alongside Charles Wilmot, 1st Viscount Wilmot.

“Jones was killed in battle against Confederate forces under the leadership of Owen Roe O’Neill in 1643.

“An Uncle, Colonel Michael Jones, was the military Governor of Dublin at the time and supported Cromwell’s landing at Ringsend, after the Battle of Rathmines. Troops assembled at Durhamstown to fight on Cromwell’s side. When they marched on Drogheda they laid the place waste & murdered all before them. They brought the severed heads of the Royalist Commanders to Dublin. The Jones’ generally seem to have been a bloodthirsty lot; & were known to be unrelenting in their enforcement of the new Credo. Michael Jones even had his own nephew executed. Roger Jones’ son, Arthur was also embroiled in huge controversy when, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he was supposed to have diverted all the taxes to pay for the King’s Mistresses!

“[From 1750] From this time onwards we think the Thompsons lived here. One of the Thompsons was said to have died from septicaemia as a result of an apoplectic rage caused by his Irish labourers refusing to knock down the Church of Durhamstown. He is alleged to have grabbed the shovel & attempted the work himself ; only for the shovel to bounce back & bury itself in his leg, or in some recordings it hacked off his leg; which subsequently became septic & “he died miserably from his wounds” But the stones & spire were taken to build Ardbraccan Church.“

In 1840 “One of the Thompsons married a Roberts from Oatlands just at the back of Durhamstown, & they lived here up until 1910. A couple of years ago Janice Roberts, from America, called to the House but we were out!! Luckily Ella, a neighbour realised the importance of it & arranged for her & her husband to call back. We had a fascinating afternoon going through old photographs & records & tramping quietly round the nearby graveyards with them, filling in the blanks. She promised us a photograph of an oil painting of the Castle intact. Her grandfather lived in Durhamstown & later he sold it, taking some of the furniture & artefacts to his house in Dalkey, called Hendre.“

In 1996 Sue (Sweetman) & Dave Prickett buy Durhamstown Castle. “And we have been working on it ever since! We have re-roofed the entire Castle & the majority of the Buildings in the Yard. It was in a ruinous state when we bought it.“

4. Loughcrew House, Loughcrew, Old Castle, Co. Meath – section 482, whole house booking

www.loughcrew.com

See above, under places to visit.

5. Mill House, Slane – weddings

https://www.themillhouse.ie

*The Mill House, Slane, March 2022.* Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The website tells us:

“Built in 1766, The Millhouse and The Old Mill Slane, the weir and the millrace were once considered the largest and finest complex of its kind in Ireland. Originally a corn mill powered by two large water wheels, the harvest was hoisted into the upper floor granaries before being dried, sifted and ground.

”Over time, the Old Mill became a specialised manufacturer of textiles turning raw cotton into luxury bed linen. Times have changed but this past remains part of our history, acknowledged and conserved.

”In 2006, The Millhouse was creatively rejuvenated, transformed into a hotel and wedding venue of unique character – a nod to the early 1900’s when it briefly served as a hotel-stop for passengers on pleasure steamer boats.”

7. Rockfield House, Kells, County Meath

https://rockfieldhouse.com/

“The Murtagh Family welcomes you to Rockfield House. Located just outside the heritage town of Kells in Co. Meath, in the heart of the Boyne Valley and Irelands Ancient East, originally built in the 18th century, the house has recently been restored to its former glory but with 21st century comforts.

“Sitting on 68 Acres of lush green fields, with 10 bedrooms sleeping up to 30 people and a separate Courtyard 2 bedroom apartment with its own entrance which can accommodate a further 5 people, there is an abundance of space to entertain and and be entertained.“

“Rockfield House was built by Thomas Rothwell at the end of the eighteenth century. His son Richard carried out improvements around 1840/41. At the time it was built, the Rothwell family owned well over 3,000 acres in County Meath. Thomas Rothwell married Louisa Pratt, daughter of Mervin Pratt and his wife Madeline Jackson of Cabra Castle and Enniscoe House, respectively. Over the generations, the Rothwells married local land-owning families, including Nicholson (Balrath Bury) and Fitzherbert (Blackcastle).

“During the 20th century it was owned by the Pigeon and Cameron families and at the turn of the 21st Century it was purchased by Trevor and Bernie Fitzherbert (originally from Blackcastle Estate). They carried out a substantial programme of refurbishment and redecoration and returned the house and surrounding courtyards and walled garden to its former glory.

“In 2022 the house was purchased by the Murtagh family, from nearby Causey Farm, with the intention of using it as a place to support foster families with their Nurturing in Nature programme. The current owners also intend to continue the tradition of parties and events that Rockfield has been renowned for over the centuries.“

8. Ross Castle, Mountnugent, County Meath A82HF89 – whole castle for up to 10 people or self-catering accommodation

https://www.ross-castle.com

*Ross Castle, County Meath, photograph courtesy of castle website.*

Whole castle rental, or nearby Castle Cottage, Quarry House or Tea Rose Cottage.

The website tells us:

“Ross Castle is situated on the shores of Lough Sheelin in the rolling countryside of County Meath. The Norman Tower House was strategically built in 1520 commanding views of Cavan, Westmeath, Longford, Meath and Lough Sheelin for the Nugent Family. 500 years later Ross Castle has retained its medieval charm while also providing the comforts of today’s world. The Castle is an ideal venue for conferences, small weddings, family get togethers, tour groups and private parties.
With the new addition of the Great Room and the Bishop’s Suite bedroom at the Castle, combined with our two cottages and Farm House, you now have the option of booking the combined properties for up to 31 guests. Individual property rentals for smaller groups are also possible. While Ross Castle was a Bed & Breakfast in the past, it can now only be booked for groups and events.”

*Photograph by Rowan McLaughlin, flickr constant commons.*

[1] https://meathhistoryhub.ie/houses-a-d/

[2] https://www.ihh.ie/index.cfm/houses/house/name/Hamwood

[3] https://www.irelandscontentpool.com/en

[4] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14403107/bellinter-house-ballinter-meath

[5] https://www.ihh.ie/index.cfm/houses/house/name/Killyon%20Manor%20

Irish Historic Houses

Properties open to the public, on Irish Revenue Section 482

Author: jenjunebug

The Church, Junction of Mary’s Street/Jervis Street, Dublin – section 482

Office of Public Works properties in Munster: Counties Kerry and Waterford.

Barntick House, Clarecastle, County Clare V95 FH00 – section 482

Places to visit per county

Ashton Grove, Ballingohig, Knockraha, Co. Cork – Section 482

Oakfield Park, Oakfield Demesne, Raphoe, Co. Donegal – Section 482 garden only

Office of Public Works properties in Connaught, Counties Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo

Places to visit and stay in County Kilkenny

Places to visit and stay in County Louth, Leinster

Places to visit and stay in County Meath, Leinster

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