County Galway

Clonbrock, Ahascragh, Co Galway – ‘lost’

by jenjunebug

Clonbrock, Ahascragh, Co Galway  – ‘lost’

Clonbrock, County Galway, photograph courtesy of National Library of Ireland.

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

p. 86. “(Dillon, Clonbrock, B/PB1926; Dillon-Mahon, sub Mahon, Bt/PB) A house of three storeys over basement built between 1780 and 1788 by Robert Dillon, afterwards 1st Lord Clonbrock, to the design of William Leeson, replacing the old castle of this branch of the Dillons which remained intact until 1807 when it was burnt owing to a bonfire lit to celebrate the birth of 2nd Baron’s son and heir. Seven bay entrance front with three bay pedimented breakfront; doorway with blocked engaged Tuscan columns and entablature. A single storey Doric portico by John Hampton was added ca 1824, while in 1855 3rd Baron added a single-storey two bay bow-ended wing to the right of the entrance front, which is balanced by a single-storey wing on the left hand side, though the two do not match. Good interior plasterwork of the 1780s, in the manner of Michael Stapleton. Classical medallions and husk ornament on the walls of the hall, at the inner end of which stood a splendid organ in a mahogany case surmounted by a baron’s coronet. Medallions and husk ornaments also on the walls of the staircase hall, which has an oval ceiling of particularly graceful plasterwork on fan pendentives; coloured salmon pink, brown, pale grey and white. Stone staircase wiht balustrade of brass uprights. Large drawing room with coved ceiling and modillion cornice in 1855 wing opening with double doors into a smaller drawing room in the main block, to form what is in effect one long room which, a few years ago, still had a delightful early Victorian character; with a grey watered silk wallpaper and curtains of cream and faded pink as background to the glitter of two crystal chandeliers and of the many gilt frames of the pictures and of the mirror over the fine statuary marble chimneypiece. When the room was being fitted up, 3rd Baron’s son, who at the time was a young diplomat in Vienna, wrote home to give instructions as to how the floor was to be laid, so that it might be suitable for dancing the latest waltzes. After the death of 5th and last Baron 1926, Clonbrock passed to his sister, Hon Ethel Dillon; it was subsequently made over to her nephew, Mr Luke Dillon-Mahon, who sold it 1976.” 

Clonbrock, County Galway, Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
Clonbrock main staircase plasterwork, County Galway, photograph: William Garner c. 1975. Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30406012/clonbrock-house-clonbrock-demesne-co-galway

Clonbrock, County Galway, courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.

Detached eight-bay three-storey over basement country house, built c.1790, now ruined, having square plan with three-bay pedimented breakfront, Doric entrance porch added c.1824, three-storey over basement single-bay extension with parapet roof and brick cornice to north-west, single-storey bow-ended wing to south-east added c.1855, and two-storey wing to north-west. Ruled and lined lime rendered façade. Porch, accessed by four stone steps, has carved stone entablature with triglyph and metope detail and moulded cornice with dentils above, supported on four fluted Doric columns. Remains of two pairs of rendered chimneystacks to centre of plan, brick chimneystack to north-west wing, moulded cornice at eaves, cast-iron rainwater goods. Square-headed window openings with tooled limestone sills and moulded shouldered limestone surrounds, remains of six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to rear. Double-leaf timber entrance door with lancet-patterned fanlight above, fluted entablature and column and block limestone surround with patera motif. Set in own extensive grounds with two-storey rendered outbuildings forming a courtyard to rear, one of which in use as private dwelling. 

Appraisal 

Clonbrock House was designed by William Leeson for Robert Dillon, the 3rd Baron Clonbrock, and constructed from 1780-1788 to replace the old castle which stood on the site. Unusually, it remained in the possession of the Dillon family for almost 200 years. Sold in 1976 when the last member of the Clonbrock family, Miss Ethel Dillon, moved out, the contents of the house were auctioned off. The National Library of Ireland acquired the estate papers in the auction, a valuable insight into the management of a large Irish country house. A fire blazed through the house in 1984, destroying the intricately detailed interior. Though now ruined, this imposing country house retains its sense of grandeur and the high level of design and craftsmanship is evident in the remaining fabric, such as the ornate entrance porch and the finely tooled stone window surrounds. It is an important part of the social and architectural heritage of the area. 

Clonbrock, County Galway, courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Clonbrock, County Galway, courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

p. 69. …Destroyed by fire in 1984. Now a ruin.

http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2016/02/clonbrock-house.html

THE BARONS CLONBROCK WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY GALWAY, WITH 28,246 ACRES OF LAND 

This family deduces its descent from a common progenitor with the Dillons, Earls of Roscommon, and the Dillons, Viscounts Dillon. 

Sir James Dillon, brother of Sir Maurice, who was ancestor of the Viscount Dillon, was father of Sir Robert, who had two sons, Sir Richard, of Riverston, ancestor of the Earls of Roscommon; and Gerald, ancestor of the Barons Clonbrock. 

This Gerald married Elizabeth, daughter of John, Baron Barry, and was ancestor of Thomas Dillon, of Clonbrock, County Galway, Chief Justice of Connaught, 1603; from whom was descended 
 
ROBERT DILLON (c1704-46), MP for Dungarvan, 1728-46, who wedded Margaret, daughter of Morgan Magan, of Togherston House, County Westmeath, and was father of 
 
LUKE DILLON, of Clonbrock, who wedded Bridget, daughter of John Kelly, of Castle Kelly, County Galway, and the Lady Honoria Burke, daughter of John, 9th Earl of Clanricarde, and had issue, 

ROBERT, his heir; 
Luke; 
John; 
Honoria; Susanna. 

The eldest son, 
 
ROBERT DILLON (1754-95), MP for Lanesborough, 1776-90, was elevated to the peerage, in 1793, in the dignity of BARON CLONBROCK, of Clonbrock, County Galway. 

His lordship married, in 1776, Letitia, only daughter and heir of John Greene, of Old Abbey, County Limerick, and niece, maternally, of John, Earl of Norbury, and had issue, 

LUKE, his successor; 
Catherine Bridget; Letitia Susannah. 

His lordship was succeeded by his son, 

LUKE, 2nd Baron (1780-1826), who wedded, in 1803, Anastasia, only daughter and heir of Joseph Henry, 1st Baron Wallscourt, by the Lady Louisa Catherine Bermingham, his wife, third daughter and co-heir of Thomas, Earl of Louth, and had issue, 

ROBERT, his successor; 
Louisa Harriet; Letitia. 

The only son, 

ROBERT, 3rd Baron (1807-93), espoused, in 1830, Caroline Elizabeth, daughter of Francis, 1st Baron Churchill, and had issue, 

Luke Almeric, died in infancy; 
LUKE GERALD, his successor; 
Fanny Letitia; Caroline Anastasia. 

His lordship was succeeded by his surviving son, 

LUKE GERALD, 4th Baron (1834-1917), KP PC, who married, in 1866, Augusta Caroline, daughter of Edward, 2nd Baron Crofton, and had issue, 

ROBERT EDWARD, his successor; 
Georgiana Caroline; Edith Augusta; Ethel Louisa. 

His lordship was succeeded by his only son, 

ROBERT EDWARD, 5th Baron (1869-1926), who died unmarried, when the title expired. CLONBROCK HOUSE, Ahascragh, County Galway, was built between 1780-88 by Robert Dillon, later 1st Baron Clonbrock. It comprised three storeys over a basement, and replaced a an older castle which was burnt in 1807 owing to a bonfire lit to celebrate the birth of his lordship’s son and heir, the 2nd Baron. Clonbrock had a seven-bay entrance front with a three-bay, pedimented breakfront. 
 
A single-storey Doric portico was added about 1824. In 1855, the 3rd Baron added a single-storey, two-bay bow-ended wing to the right of the entrance front. 
 
Following the death of the bachelor 5th Baron in 1926, Clonbrock passed to his sister, the Hon Ethel Louisa Dillon. 
 
It was subsequently bequeathed to her nephew, Mr Luke Dillon-Mahon, who sold it in 1976. Clonbrock suffered a catastrophic fire in 1984 and is now ruinous. 
 
First published in March, 2014.  Clonbrock arms courtesy of European Heraldry. 

http://davidhicksbook.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-07-13T01:28:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=39&by-date=false

One of my favorite houses featured in my first book is Clonbrock in Galway. While the house exists today in ruins, every so often a piece of furniture comes up for sale that evokes the grandeur of this house.  The location of these items today is surprising, sometimes London and in this instance New York. In March 2014, a set of ten George III, Painted Dining Chairs came on the market having been supplied by Gillows of Lancaster in June, 1801 to Luke, 2nd Baron Clonbrock for his home, Clonbrock. These chairs together with the remaining contents of the house were sold in 1976. Clonbrock stood empty for a number of years until it burnt down in the 1980’s. 

In 1976, the decision was taken to sell the contents of the house by Luke Dillon Mahon. Agents from Christies and Linseys were dispatched to evaluate every last item in the house and an extensive catalogue was produced which described the 1500 lots in great detail. The fateful day eventually came when two blue and white striped tents were erected on the lawn in front of the house and the drive and adjoining fields were alive with the hum of cars and lorries. Over 500 people attended the auction and packed the auctioneers tent, just to view the proceedings of the end of an era or to bid on some memento of the big house. All the lots were displayed throughout the house, the dining room table heaved with china and porcelain and the lengthily sideboard displayed large dinner plates and chargers. Some of the locals seen the sale as necessary and others a tragedy. Most people at the time seen no future for a house of this nature unless some foolish person was looking for a home with a lot of cold rooms and acres of leaky roof. The beginning of the auction was marked by a storm which was a metaphor for perilous state that a house like this had been reduced to in the 1970s. Luke Dillon Mahon said his abiding memories of Clonbrock would be the family members that lived there and the view from the drawing room window. The final decision to sell was determined by the harsh economic realities of the time together with the problem of the interior being too large for one person to manage and the exterior that would exhaust the abilities of numerous men. Luke Dillon in a 1976 interview described the house, as a problem and daily life living in it, as a struggle. 

Clonbrock For sale by Helen Cassidy, Premier Propertie Ireland

Clonbrock House ( in ruins) is offered for sale with approx 20 acres of grounds with two-storey rendered outbuildings forming a courtyard to rear,

one of which in use as private dwelling, and a series of working stables with fenced riding arena.

SOLD


Clonbrock House was designed by William Leeson for Robert Dillon, the 3rd Baron Clonbrock, and constructed from 1780-1788 to replace the old castle which stood on the site.

It remained in the possession of the Dillon family for almost 200 years until it was sold in 1976.

A fire blazed through the house in 1984, destroying the intricately detailed interior.

Though now ruined, this impressive historic Irish Mansion stands proud, overlooking extensive verdant countryside.

The high level of design and craftsmanship is evident in the remaining fabric, such as the ornate entrance porch and the finely tooled stone window surrounds.

It is an important part of the social and architectural heritage of the area.

Clonbrock House ( in ruins) presents as a detached eight-bay three-storey over basement country house, built c.1790, with a square plan with three-bay pedimented breakfront, Doric entrance porch which was added c.1824, and a three-storey over basement single-bay extension with parapet roof and brick cornice to north-west, a single-storey bow-ended wing to south-east added c.1855, and two-storey wing to north-west.

Ruled and lined lime rendered façade. The Porch, accessed by four stone steps, has carved stone entablature with triglyph and metope detail and moulded cornice with dentils above, supported on four fluted Doric columns.

There are the remains of two pairs of rendered chimney stacks to centre of plan, brick chimney stack to north-west wing, moulded cornice at eaves and cast-iron rainwater goods.

Square-headed window openings with tooled limestone sills and moulded shouldered limestone surrounds, remains of six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to rear.

Double-leaf timber entrance door with lancet-patterned fanlight above, fluted entablature and column and block limestone surround with patera motif.

The property is offered for sale with approx 25 acres of grounds with two-storey rendered outbuildings forming a courtyard to rear, one of which in use as private dwelling, and a series ofworking stables with fenced riding arena.

*******************

For Sale:

Clonbrock Castle, Gardener’s Villa, Cottages and Turret,

on approx 7 acres, at Ahascragh, County Galway.

Sold

The entire property available consists of; 

Clonbrock Castle,

The largely restored 15th century O Kelly castle ,

The 18th century Gardener’s Villa: 

(4 Bedrooms, Conservatory, Kitchen, Study, Drawing room, Utility/Boot room,  2 Bathrooms);

Two 1 bed Victorian cottages, West Cottage and East Cottage, and

And a unique Mediaeval Turret (all fully restored), 

kitchen garden, castle bawn,  2 walled gardens ( restored and replanted),

assorted outbuildings including new greenhouse, garden sheds, etc.

Plus  three  additional ruined turrets, one very restorable.  Assorted woodland walks. Frontage on the trout stream the river Bunowen.

Quiet, beautiful setting, by a river and gardens on the historic estate.

On about 7 acres of atmospheric private woodland, gardens and riverbank.

Lovely  woodland walks. Fallow deer, red squirrels, pine martens, foxes – even very occasionally otters, – as well as ravens, herons and many other birds – may be seen.

The property has continually been offered on airbnb for exclusive holiday rentals and continues to be in constant demand.

Clifden Castle, Clifden, Co Galway

by jenjunebug

Clifden Castle, Clifden, Co Galway – ‘lost’ 

Clifden Castle, County Galway, photograph by Robert French, (between ca. 1865-1914), Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland
Clifden Castle, County Galway, entrance front c. 1865, photograph: F.H.Mares, Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

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

p. 84. “(D’Arcy/LG1894 and IFR) A castle built by John D’Arcy who settled here 1815 and developed the town of Clifden from scratch. Two storey; porch tower with slender round turrets; round tower to one side and rectangular tower behind. Gothic windows and doorway. Visited by Thackeray, who described it somewhat inaccurately as “a fine chateau.” Fine pleasure grounds; lawns sloping down to Clifden Bay; grotto with stream running through it; shell house or ‘marine temple.’”

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

p. 69. “Picturesque Norman Revival castle built c. 1815 for John D’arcy. Now a ruin.”

Clifden Castle County Galway, 1948, photograph courtesy of Dublin City Library Archives.
Clifden Castle, County Galway, photograph courtesy Daniel Finnerty, instagram ‘greatirishhouses’.
Clifden Castle, County Galway, photograph courtesy Daniel Finnerty, instagram ‘greatirishhouses’.
Clifden Castle front 1948, photograph courtesy of Dublin City Library Archives.
Clifden Castle, County Galway, photograph courtesy Daniel Finnerty, instagram ‘greatirishhouses’.
Clifden Castle, County Galway, photograph courtesy Daniel Finnerty, instagram ‘greatirishhouses’.
Clifden Castle, County Galway, courtesy Tourism Ireland.
Entrance to Clifden Castle, County Galway 1948, photograph courtesy of Dublin City Library Archives.

Castle Taylor, Ardrahan, Co Galway  – ruin 

by jenjunebug

Castle Taylor, Ardrahan, Co Galway  – ruin 

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

p. 75. “A massive tower-house with C18 tracery windows, to which a three storey house was added in early c19. The early C19 house was plain except for a stepped battlement and a pair of ables with blind tracery at one side of its front’ it has a curved bow at one end. The home of John Shawe-Taylor, a prominent figure in the Irish Revival at the beginning of this century. Sold 1930s or 40s by his son, Michael Shawe-Taylor; subsequently demolished.” 

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

p. 69. “…built by the Taylors, incorporating a superb tower house. Now a ruin.”

Featured in Irish Country Houses, Portraits and Painters. David Hicks. The Collins Press, Cork, 2014. 

p. 135. Portrait of Captain John Shawe-Taylor… while this man was a member of the upper classes, he was also a catalyst of change in the early 20th century in Ireland. He was well-connected, being a cousin of the famous art-collector Hugh Lane, and a nephew of Lady Gregory of Coole Park. He has been described as an aristocratic nationalist who wanted to bridge the gap between landlords and their tenants. John Shawe-Taylor succeeded in bringing these two fractious sides together, helping to build the foundations of the eventual Land Act of 1903, which allowed tenants to purchase their land. In 1908, when John was painted by William Orpen, it woudl be only three years until his life was extinguished at the young age of 45. It as his early death that threw the affairs of the Castle Taylor estate into disarray. …Today Castle Taylor is a ruin and the unremarkable grave of John Shawe-Taylor in Ardrahan churchyard bears little testament to the character and foresight of this great man. 

The ancestral home of John Shawe-Taylor was Castle Taylor of Ardrahan in Galway, not far from Roxborough, the birthplace of Lady Gregory. Her sister Elizabeth Presse, John’s mother, married Walter Shaw-Taylor in Nov 1864. Walter was the son of Francis Manley Shawe who succeeded to Castle Taylor on the death of his uncle Lt Gen Sir John Taylor. Francis assumed by Royal License dated 1844 the additional name of Taylor. [rather, according to The Peerage, Lt Gen John Taylor was Francis Manley Shaw’s wife’s father]. 

p. 136. The ancestral home in Galway, Castle Taylor, was originally known as Ballymacrath and it was always expected that John [T-S], as the elder son, would inherit the estate. …his brother Francis, who was sometimes known as Frank, became aggrieved in later years that the wills made by his father and brother resulted in him being unable to inherit the Castle Taylor estate. 

The castle in Galway began life as a three-storey 16th century tower house. Over the years, with numerous improvements, the building was enlarged and eventually had a substantial country house attached to it. In 1818 the architect David Laing produced a design for General Sir John Taylor for a spacious mansion that incorporated the original tower house.  It is the robust construction of the tower house that has stood teh test of time and today the more modern extension is languishing in a fragile state. The attractive gate lodge, built around 1820, still guards the entrance to the estate in relatively good order. In the grounds of the castle there was a walled kitchen garden, constructed around 1860, which would help ensure that a house of this size was self-sufficient. Outbuildings were improved in the 1890s when Francis Fitzadelm Presse designed new stables that were erected for Walter Shawe-Taylor with fittings specially designed by Musgrave & Co, Belfast, with air-pump ventilators by Boyle & County. Francis Presse, an architect and brother-in-law of Walter, was the sixth son of Dudley Presse of Roxborough by his second wife, Frances, who came from Castle Corr near Inishshannon in County Cork, and the younger frother of Elizabeth and Augusta (Lady Gregory). In the 1901 census, the castle was listed as having 28 rooms. It is occupied by Walter Shawe-Taylor, who is now a widower, and his six servants. [p. 137]  

p. 137. John Shawe-Taylor came to be recognised nationally when in Sept 1902 he wrote a letter, which was published in the newspapers, calling for a conference to settle the Irish Land Question. He appealed for representatives of the landlords and tenants to meet in a civilised conference and discuss the issues at stake. He felt this would result in a united and national effort to settle the land issues that plagued landlords and tenants at the time. Shawe-Taylor hoped this stategy would bring to an end the agitation which was preventing the economic development of Ireland. At the time of his appeal, John was politically unknown but, as a result of his letter, teh following month, the Earl of Mayo brought the matter before teh Irish Landowners Convention and proposed a motion that such a conference was desirable. The motion was rejected and received opposition but this did not stop a Land Conference Committee beign formed, consisting of the Earls of Dunraven, Meath and Mayo, Viscount Powerscourt, Lord Castletown, Sir Algernon [p. 138] Coote adn others. The Committee sent out papers to 4,000 landlords of which 1,128 voted for and 578 against such a conference. From this ballot, representatives were chosen to represent the tenants and landlords. They met at Molesworth Street in Dublin in December 1902 and deliberated for two weeks with John Shawe-Taylor acting as Honorary Secretary. In Jaunarly 1903, the conference presented its report, and its recommendations were incorporated into the Wyndham Act of 1903. The report had advised that a massive scheme of land purchase with the assistance of Treasury loans be extended to tenants to buy their farm holdings from the landlords. Under this act, tenants were offered favourable terms to buy and there were inducements for landlords to sell. In January 1903 after the report was issued, Captain Shawe-Taylor undertook a five-week tour of America to promote the merits of his actions in Ireland and he met President Roosevelt. 

While John did not court media attention he woudl again be featured in the press in 1905 when he took action to defend the reputation of his cousin Hugh Lane. At this time a row had broke out over a painting by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot called “Peasants by a Lake.” Some said it was not actually an original work by Corot but was a painting of a lesser known Huguenot artist, Geza Meszoly, as it bore a striking resemblance to a much larger canvas by him. 

p. 139. The picture was one of four paintings presented by the Prince of Wales to support the establishment of a gallery of modern art in Ireland during a visit to Dublin in Feb 1905. The Prince of Wales’s gift included two works by Corot: an early example of his work and one of his later paintings. Hugh Lane was the dealer selling the panting, and some said he was trying to pass of f the work of another artist as an original Corot; no sooner had the Prince of Wales left Ireland than the rumours began to circulate… 

p. 140. In 1906, John hoped that, based on his earlier successes, a political career would materialise. He stood as a Devolutionist for the parliamentary representation of Galway city but was defeated. AFter this he set about encouraging native industries [p. 141] and organised exhibitions of the work, hoping that this woudl lead to economic betterment of his tenants.  

p. 141. Sir Hugh Lane was born Cork in 1875 but raised in England. He became a successful art dealer whose interest in Ireland was cultivated by his aunt, Lady Augusta Gregory. He had wanted to create a national portrait gallery in Ireland as, according to Lane, “so many celebrated men have not been painted or modelled while living.” This idea of painting the eminent figures of Ireland began in 1901 when he went to an exhibition organised by Sarah Puerser, which included the work of John Butler Yeats. He commissioned John, father of the poet William and painter Jack, to paint 25 portraits of a number of distinguished Irish people. Yeats worked slowly and had completed just five portraits in the series by 1907 when he moved to New York. Yeats was replaced by Orpen, who continued painting the series of portraits. Orpen was experiencing financial difficulties and agreed to a fee of £10 per canvas. He found that the commission did not exert his talents but the interactions with the subjects, such as Michael Davitt, interested him. [The portrait of John Taylor-Shawe by Orpen was a gift of Lane to the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, now the Hugh Lane Gallery, in 1908).  

p. 143. John… died in London in 1911 after a brief illness….he suffered an internal haemorrhage after medical treatment in Heidelberg and lapsed into a coma and died. 

p. 143. With John’s early death, the ramifications of Walter’s will [i.e. his father] became apparent. At this time Walter was 79 and was living in teh castle with his son Frank and his family. In September, Walter recorded in his diary that he woudl not remake his will until after the probate of John’s will had been processed. He todl Frank that he intended to remake his will and made adequate provision for him and his wife and their children. However, he did not, despite having adequate time after the grant of probate of John’s will before his own death the following year in 1912. It was said taht after the death of his wife Elizabeth, in 1896 he was committed to a mental asylum “for a short period, his hold on life temporarily damaged.” It appears that Eliza [Persse] had been the dominant force in the management of the estate during her lifetime and that after her death Walter was possibly overwhelmed without her guiding hand. Their son Frank now became involved in the day-to-day running of the estate. 

p. 144. [John’s will left all to his wife, Amy Eleanora, and their children.] Upon Walter’s death the residue of his assets and the Castle Taylor estate passed to Amy Shawe-Taylor, who was named as the universal legatee of her husband. It was the following paragraph that ensured that his living son, Frank, would not inherit his family’s estate: “I hereby devise all my real estate…unto my elder son, John Shawe-Taylor, his heirs…” She acted as trustee until her son Michael came of age. 

Frank had believed that the estate woudl pass to him following his brother’s death, his father having assured him he woudl rework his will in his favour.  

p. 145. Frank inherited lands at Ballymabilla in teh Barony of Kilconnell… In 1920, Frank told a group of locals who wanted him to sell his land that “You will never see a perch of my land.” On 3 March 1920 he was shot while on his way to the fair in Galway. The Castle Taylor estate now rested in the hands of trustees waiting for 13 year old Michael to come of age. 

p. 147. In 1917 Amy was the chief organiser of a local branch of the Red Cross in Ardrahan whose sole purpose was the knitting of socks and the making of shirts for British soldiers. At the second meeting of the Red Cross, a protest was held against Irish girls making socks and shirts for English soldiers, and the branch was disbanded. By 1919, Amy had let Castle Talbot and gone to England and in October 1923 Lady Gregory recorded in her journal that Amy was at Coole and was arranging an auction for Castle Taylor. 

In June 1929, Lady Gregory drove to Castle Taylor to have lunch with Michael, who had now come of age. She recorded that he had carried out a great deal of improvements to Castle Taylor… However, his mother still wished that he might enter the army or take up a job in the city. Despite teh work carried out, Michael’s aspirations of running a financially viable country estate suffered a considerable blow. In July 1929, a number of shots were fired over a 15 minute period at CAstle Taylor when Michael was present in the castle with his grandmother, Mrs. Norman. Michael was the last member of the family to live in the castle.  

[The castle was eventually inherited by (Walter) Michael Shawe-Taylor. He left Ireladn in 1950 when a number fo shots were fired over the Castle. He died afterwards in Trinidad (or Grenada) in 1957.] In June 1951 a sale of furniture was carried out by Joyce, Mackie adn Lougheed, Auctioneers and Valuers, at Castle Taylor under the instruction of W.M. Shawe-Taylor on 5 July 1951. ..The castle was eventually purchased by a local landowner who dismantled it and sold the materials. Today the ruins of Castle Taylor dominate the landscape; however, while the walls of this great building survive, very little of the interior does. The robust 16th century tower stands as it has done for generations while the later 19C house surrounding it is slowly crumbling. The steward’s house, which belonged to the complex of building situated to the rear of the castle, is still in use and has been beautifully maintained.” 

Castlegrove House, Tuam, Co Galway – burnt 1922

by jenjunebug

Castlegrove House, Tuam, Co Galway – burnt 1922

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.

supplement 

p. 293. “(Blake/IFR; Lewin/LGI1912) A house of late C18 appearance…Seat of a branch of the Blakes, which was subsequently established in Canada…bought ca 1860 in the Encumbered Estates by John William Cannon, from whom it was inherited by Frederick Thomas Lewin of Cloughans. Burnt 1922.” 

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

In Blake, Tarquin. Abandoned Mansions of Ireland. Collins Press, Cork, 2010. 

Castlegar, Ahascragh, Co Galway

by jenjunebug

Castlegar, Ahascragh, Co Galway

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

p. 68. “(Mahon, Bt/PB) The grandest of Sir Richard Morrison’s villas, built from 1803 onwards for Ross Mahon, afterwards 1st Bt; replacing an earlier house. Square, compact plan; front of two storeys, back of three; but with a two storey side elevation. Shallow curved bow at centre of front, with die and pedimented Ionic porch; one bay on either side, with pedimented triple windows in lower storey. Four bay side elevation, the duality being resolved by a central pediment on two broad superimposed pilasters or framing bands. Rich interior, characteristic of Morrison, wiht good spatial effects. Elliptical staircase hall or saloon leading into central toplit staircase hall leading into domed back hall with Doric columns and entablature. The elliptical hall or saloon has pairs of recessed fluted Tower of the Winds columns and a domed ceiling with swags of foliage. The staircase hall, though not particularly large, has an air of great height. The staircase, which has a simple metal balustrade, rises to a magnificent domed landing, with yellow Siena scagliola columns of the Composite order at either end. The dome is carried on fan pendentives; the tympana and soffits below the dome are decorated with swags and other plasterwork. The 5th Bt, who succeeded 1893, added a service wing and built a new porch at the back of the house; so that the Doric back hall became the entrance hall. In 1898 he commissioned Arrowsmith of London to transform the dining room into a classic interior of its period; with a fretted ceiling, a massive carved oak chimneypiece and a wallpaper of scarlet and pink stripes below a frieze of female figures and yellow and green foliage by Sibthorpe. In 1904 the drawing room was done up, also by Arrowsmith; the Morrison plasterwork in the ceiling was retained; but the room was given a frieze, chimneypiece, overmantel and doorcases in the Adam-Revival style, and a pink striped “Adam” wallpaper now faded to a beautiful colour.” 

http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2019/10/castlegar-house.html

THE MAHON BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY GALWAY, WITH 8,619 ACRES 

 
 
BRYAN MAHON, son of Bryan Mahon, land steward to the Earls of Clanricarde, Lieutenant in Lord Clanricarde’s Infantry Regiment, in JAMES II’s army, fought at the battle of the Boyne, 1690. 
 
He wedded, in 1693, Ellinor, daughter of Ross Gaynor, and had issue, 
 

James; 
Peter; 
ROSS, of whom hereafter; 
Mary; Elizabeth; Hester; Alice; Ellinor. 

Captain Mahon died in 1719. 
 
His youngest son, 
 
ROSS MAHON (c1696-1767), of Ahascragh and Castlegar, County Galway, married, in 1721, Jane, daughter of Christopher Ussher, and had issue, 
 

ROSS, his heir; 
John; 
Alice. 

Mr Mahon, who inherited most of his brothers’ fortune, was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 
ROSS MAHON (1725-88), of Castlegar, County Galway, who espoused, in 1762, the Lady Anne Browne, only daughter of John, 1st Earl of Altamont, and had issue, 
 

ROSS, his heir; 
John; 
Henry (Rev); 
James (Very Rev), Dean of Dromore; 
George; 
Anne; Harriette; Jane; Amelia. 

Mr Mahon was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 
ROSS MAHON (1763-1835), JP, MP for Granard, 1798-1800, Ennis, 1820, who wedded firstly, in 1786, the Lady Elizabeth Browne, second daughter of Peter, 2nd Earl of Altamont, and had issue, three daughters, 
 

Charlottle; Elizabeth Louisa; Anne Charlotte. 

He espoused secondly, in 1805, Diana, daughter of Edward Baber, of Park Street, Grosvenor Square, and had further issue, a daughter, 
 

Letitia Anne. 

Mr Mahon married thirdly, in 1809, Mary Geraldine, daughter of the Rt Hon James FitzGerald, of Inchicronan, County Clare, by Catherine, Baroness FitzGerald and Vesey his wife, and had further issue, 
 

ROSS, 2nd Baronet; 
JAMES FITZGERALD, 3rd Baronet; 
WILLIAM VESEY ROSS, 4th Baronet; 
John Ross, joint founder of Guinness Mahon, 1836; 
Henrietta Louisa; Georgina; Catherine Geraldine; Jane Alicia; Caroline. 

Mr Mahon was created a baronet, in 1819, designated of Castlegar, County Galway. 
 
Sir Ross was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 
SIR ROSS MAHON, 2nd Baronet (1811-42), ADC to the 2nd Earl de Grey, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother, 
 
SIR JAMES FITZGERALD ROSS MAHON, 3rd Baronet (1812-52), JP DL, Barrister, who died unmarried, when the title devolved upon his brother, 
 
THE REV SIR WILLIAM VESEY ROSS MAHON, 4th Baronet (1813-93), Rector of Rawmarsh, Yorkshire, 1844-93, who wedded Jane, daughter of the Rev Henry King, and had issue, 
 

Ross, died in infancy, 1854; 
Ross (1856-76); 
WILLIAM HENRY, his successor; 
John; 
James Vesey (Rev); 
Edward; 
Gilbert; 
Mary; Alice. 

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, 
 
SIR WILLIAM HENRY MAHON, 5th Baronet (1856-1926), DSO JP DL, High Sheriff of County Galway, 1898, Major, West Yorkshire Regiment, who espoused, in 1905, Edith Augusta, daughter of Luke, 4th Baron Clonbrock, and had issue, 
 

William Gerald Ross (1909-10); 
GEORGE EDWARD JOHN, his successor; 
Luke Bryan Arthur; 
Ursula Augusta Jane; Mary Edith Georgiana. 

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, 
 
SIR GEORGE EDWARD JOHN MAHON, 6th Baronet (1911-87), who married firstly, in 1938, Audrey Evelyn, daughter of Walter Jagger, and had issue, 
 

WILLIAM WALTER, his successor; 
Timothy Gilbert; 
Jane Evelyn. 

He wedded secondly, in 1958, Suzanne, daughter of Thomas Donnellan, and had further issue, 
 

Sarah Caroline. 

Sir George was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 
SIR WILLIAM WALTER MAHON, 7th Baronet (1940-), LVO, Colonel, Irish Guards, Member of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, who married, in 1968, Rosemary Jane, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Ernest Melvill, and has issue, 
 

JAMES WILLIAM (b 1976); 
Annabel Jane; Lucy Caroline. 

CASTLEGAR HOUSE, Ahascragh, County Galway, dates from ca 1803. 
 
It replaced two other houses in the property. 
 
The present mansion, built for Ross Mahon, afterwards the 1st Baronet, is a square block comprising two storeys, with three at the rear, and a two-storey side elevation.

There is a curved bow in the centre of the front, with a pedimented Ionic porch.

The opulent interior is characteristic of its designer, Sir Richard Morrison. 
 
The 5th Baronet added a service wing and back porch following his succession in 1893; thus the Doric rear hall became the new entrance hall. 
 
The Irish Times wrote the following article about Castlegar in 1999:- 
 
IT HAS STOOD there since 1803, exalting testimony to the taste and distinction of late Georgian architecture. 
 
Castlegar is hidden away among 50 acres of gardens, parkland, woods and pasture outside the village of Ahascragh, in east Galway. 
 
It is for sale by private treaty through Charles Smith, of Gunne’s country homes division, who is quoting a guideline price of £1.5 million. 
 
Originally, the estate was the home of the Mahons, gentry stock whose descendants linked with the Guinness family to form a land agency that eventually evolved into the Guinness Mahon merchant bank. 
 
Sir Ross Mahon commissioned architect Richard Morrison to plan alterations to a rambling old house that existed there previously. 

Rather than remodelling it, Morrison designed an entirely new building which took several years to complete. 
 
Since 1992, Castlegar has been owned by a Frenchman with a passion for restoring old houses to their original splendour and who has spent hundreds of thousands on refurbishing it. 

He is now selling it as he is unable to spend enough time there because of commitments in Paris, the US and Canada. 
 
He is leaving one of the finest Georgian country homes in Ireland, restored with consummate care to the pristine state of its early days. 

The marvel of the restoration work lies in the fact that while it has uncovered the innate beauty of the house as it was first conceived, it also has added all the appurtenances of modern living. 
 
 
Castlegar has been described as the grandest of Morrison’s “villas”, the word villa being used in its original meaning of a country residence. 
 
The house combines resplendent reception rooms with exceptionally comfortable family accommodation in an ambience of relaxed old-fashioned elegance. 
 
In addition to the staff accommodation, there are six bedrooms, each with a fireplace and its own bathroom, and all providing views across the rolling plains of east Galway. 
 
Oddly, the house has two entrances, one on the north side, the other on the south. 

The south entrance, no longer used as such, opens into an oval hall with a magnificent ceiling adorned with classic floral friezes, a white marble mantelpiece, and columns flanking recessed doors that lead to the drawing-room on one side and a morning-room on the other. 
 
Two other doors open on to the top-lit central stair hall, an elegant space where the Portland stone staircase has a simple, wrought iron balustrade and ascends to an imposing domed landing. 
 
The oval hall, the huge drawing-room and the dining-room were radically decorated at the turn of the century with commendable taste and the present owner has attentively preserved and enhanced the adornments. 

The drawing-room, which has a polished, pitch pine floor, is graced by a striking period mantelpiece with an Adam-style grate. 
 
Classic Victorian-style predominates in the dining-room where there’s a high fretted ceiling, a carved oak mantelpiece and heavy oak shutters. 

A spacious billiards-room-cum-library, with a large, hand-crafted oak mantelpiece, and a beautifully appointed study are other impressive features of Castlegar. 
 
In addition to the six bedrooms on the first floor, there is another spacious drawing-room looking across a fountain and lawns to the south. 

The staff quarters are located on the second floor. 

There are a further two bedrooms here as well as a kitchen, sitting-room and bathroom. 

Walled gardens, a stable complex and a hard surface tennis court are spread out over several acres close to the house. 
 
The outbuildings include a beautiful lofted cut-stone coach-house, along with four garages and three stables, plus a stable-yard that has seven loose boxes, a tack room and a further spread of farm buildings. 
 
Beneath the house is a vaulted basement, dry and airy, with six rooms, a boiler space and a wine cellar. 

I’m seeking current images of Castlegar House. 

https://theirishaesthete.com/2020/10/14/come-rain-or-come-shine/

Castle Ffrench, Ahascragh, Co Galway 

by jenjunebug

Castle Ffrench, Ahascragh, Co Galway 

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

p. 67. “(Ffrench, B/PB) An elegant ashlar-faced house of three storeys over a basement, built in 1779 for Sir Charles ffrench, Mayor of Galway; replacing a late C17 house on a different site which itself replaced a castle built by the ffrench family soon after they bought the estate in late C16. 
 
Five-bay entrance front with three-bay breakfront, the outer bays being very wide. Fanlighted and pilastered doorcase; solid roof parapet with urns. Three bay side, with a four-bay rear elevation with twin round-headed windows in the centre, lighting the main and secondary staircases. Interior plasterwork of a style characteristic to County Galway, with delicate naturalistic foliage and flower swags. Foliage and trophies on ceiling of hall; Irish harps and other emblems in drawing room frieze; flowers, foliage and birds in sideboard alcove of dining room. Doors and shutters of handsome joinery, with ocagonal and lozenge-shaped panels. Slightly curving staircase behind hall with balustrade of plain slender wooden uprights. Early in C19, 2nd Lord  ffrench lost a considerable amount of money as a result of the negligence of the manager of the family bank; and the family fortune suffered a further blow with the Famine, when the 3rd Baron refused to collect any rents from his tenants; so that in 1848 Castle ffrench had to be sold. 
 
It was, however, re-purchased by the parents of the 6th Baron [as Lord Belmont writes, or as Bence-Jones writes, 7th Lord French] in 1919.” 

http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2019/10/castle-ffrench.html

Castle Daly (previously Corbally), Loughrea, Co Galway – ‘lost’ 

by jenjunebug

Castle Daly, Loughrea, Co Galway – ‘lost’ 

Castle Daly, County Galway entrance front, photograph collection: Miss Olive Daly, Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

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

p. 66. “((Daly/IFR) a three storey C18 house with a pedimented centre….Castle Daly is now demolished, and only the front wall remains standing, like a folly or a piece of stage scenery.” 

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

p. 69. “An important three storey seven bay early to mid 18C house with a pedimented breakfront incorporating a tower house. Rere facade has battlements added in the early to mid 19C. Built by the Dalys. Now a ruin. Only the rere elevation remains.”

Castle Daly, County Galway, photograph courtesy Daniel Finnerty instagram @greatirishhouses ‘.
Castle Daly garden front c. 1880. Photograph: Collection Bertie Donohoe. Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
Castle Daly, County Galway, photograph courtesy Daniel Finnerty instagram @greatirishhouses ‘.

In Blake, Tarquin. Abandoned Mansions of Ireland. Collins Press, Cork, 2010. 

https://theirishaesthete.com/2024/03/25/castle-daly/

Around 1783 Peter Daly, then a young man of 20, left home to seek his fortune. Daly was a younger son whose father, Darby Daly, had died some years earlier leaving the family property, Dalysgrove to his eldest-born, Francis. The Dalys could trace their ancestry in this part of the country back to Dermot O’Daly of Killimor, whose five sons were the forebears of many prominent East Galway landowners thereafter, not least the Dalys of Dunsandle (see Dun and Dusted « The Irish Aesthete). Unlike their cousins, however, the Dalys of Dalysgrove remained Roman Catholic while managing to hold onto their estate. In adulthood, Peter Daly might have followed the example of other young adventurers and moved to France, or Austria or Italy, or even North America, then just achieving independence. Instead, he travelled to Jamaica where he became the owner of several coffee plantations, the crops of which were exported to England. In 1806, he married Bridget Louisa MacEvoy, daughter of Christopher MacEvoy, another substantial plantation owner in the West Indies; the couple would have three sons. Interestingly, Peter Daly named his Jamaican estate Daly’s Grove, after the family property back in Ireland. Eventually, in the late 1820s, he had made sufficient money in the Caribbean that he was able to buy the original Dalysgrove in County Galway from his elder brother Francis. By this time, he had also acquired another property in the same part of the world, Corbally, which had previously been owned by a branch of the Blake family.

The Blakes were one of the Tribes of Galway, the 14 families who dominated trade in that city during the MIddle Ages. Like many of the other Tribes, they began to buy land in the surrounding counties and according to an account of the family records published in 1905, Peter Blake, third son of Sir Richard Blake of Ardfry, County Galway (for more on this house, see All Washed Up « The Irish Aesthete), was in December 1679 granted the castle and lands of Corbally by patent. His descendants remained living there until 1829 when the property was sold to Peter Daly. (Incidentally, Sir Henry Blake, the 19th century British colonial administrator who was successively Governor of the Bahamas, Newfoundland, Jamaica, Hong Kong and Ceylon – now Sri Lanka – was the grandson of Peter Blake who sold the estate to Daly). Occupying a prominent site on high ground, Corbally began as a late-mediaeval tower house but c.1780 the Blakes built a large classical house in front of this. An old photograph shows that the building’s facade was of three storeys over basement and of seven bays, the centre bay in a pedimented breakfront with a typical tripartite doorcase on the groundfloor approached by a short flight of stone steps and an oculus within the pediment. Directly below this, and between the two third-floor windows was a large panel displaying a coat of arms. Following Peter Daly’s acquisition of the property, the house’s name was changed to Castle Daly and significant changes were made to the garden front, where the old tower house was given a twin to create a pair of projecting wings with a forecourt between them. The roofline of both towers was ornamented with limestone crenellations supported on corbels. While these helped to convey an impression of antiquity, the two bays between them retained the 18th century Venetian tripartite doorcase with a Diocletian window directly above, although the roofline was again given crenellations. Similar work was carried out at Dalysgrove after it too had been acquired by Peter Daly.  … [see post]
  

Ballyglunin Park, Monivea, Co. Galway  

by jenjunebug

Ballyglunin Park, Monivea, Co. Galway  

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

p. 22. “(Blake,/IFR) A C18 house of two storeys and three bays, with large mid and late C19 additions at the back of it and to one side. The C18 house has a one bay pedimented breakfront, with a Diocletian window above a Venetian doorway, boht having blocked surrounds. The doorway has been made into a window, the entrance now being at what was originallly the side of the house; in a gable-end of the C19 addition; where there is a very elaborate Victorian stone porch with balustrading and bits of entablature. At the back of C19 range is a squat round tower with a conical roof. Oval room, formerly hall, in centre of C18 front; wiht cornice of mutules, rococo plasterork including eagle over doors adn C19 stencilled decoration on flat of ceiling. Drawing room adjoining with frieze of plasterwork, shouldered doorcases and good chimneypiece of white marble and Siena, with large reclining putti. Victorian staircase. Outbuildings close to house with square pyramidal-roofed tower. Sold ca 1964 by Mr Acheson Blake; now a conference centre of Opus Dei.” 

https://ballygluninpark.ie

Ballyglunin Park, as seen today, dates back to the 1640s when Martin Blake, high sheriff of Galway, was granted the lands by Charles II. The Blakes were by all accounts important figures in Galway society with a large estate of 10,500 acres that in 1833 was valued in The Great Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland at almost £40,000, equivalent to nearly £10,000,000 today. This must have been a golden age for the family’s fortunes, and it was the period during which parts of the property were upgraded to a style befitting the long-serving MP for Galway, Martin Joseph Blake. 

Ballyglunin Park House is a combination of Georgian and Victorian architecture with features dating back to medieval times. Recent extensive renovations, historical research, and local oral history indicate that a medieval castle, or tower house, was located on or near the site of the current house. The most noticeable evidence of this former castle is evident on the initial approach to the house in the unique stone facade of the entry and the large stone tower overlooking the River and walled garden. The facade of the Entry Hall features many components of medieval Irish Castle architecture, which are believed to have been salvaged from an earlier medieval structure. The large stone tower, built during the Victorian era, also features salvaged components of an earlier structure visible in the carved stone window casings. It is believed this structure is a Victorian nod to the medieval Irish Castle that was once located on the property. The oldest feature of the estate, a carved stone crest located in the walled garden, has been dated to the 14th century. 

Because the Blake’s were landed Gentry, agriculture was the main priority in their economic interest. The wide spacious farmyard which is located near the rear of the residence was once facilitated with loose bakes and stalls which were lofted, for sheltering horses. There were two garages, a workshop, machinery, sheds, cow houses, saw bench plus a 500 gallon petrol tank with a pump. This farmyard was always busy with the constant murmur of cows, horses, engines, and workers. Today some of the original farmyard has been converted into dorms, the original stonework of the building has been maintained while the arched doorways are still visible. An outstanding feature of the Blake farmyard still present today is the square pyramidal-roofed tower formerly used as a storage area for grain. 

According to a letter written in January of 1847, from Ballinasloe Nurseries, the cost of planting a large number of trees in Ballyglunin Park was five pounds and ten shillings. The trees mentioned include: Larch, Hazel, Oak, Beech, Ash, Elm, Sycamore, Poplars, Alders, Hornbeam. Over 170 years later some of these trees are still thriving and can be observed along the front road leading into the Estate. 

In 1970 the land was divided into smaller plots by the Land Commission. Many small farmers within the surrounding area were given acreage for farming and cattle rearing. Today Ballyglunin Park consists of 32 acres of pasture, gardens, and forest.  

Carrowmore (also known as Fairfield House), Aughrim, Co Galway

by jenjunebug

Carrowmore (also known as Fairfield House), Aughrim, Co Galway 

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

p. 59. (Wade, sub Hyde/IFR) A plain three storey 5 bay Georgian house. Tripartite doorway, Victorian triple windows on ground floor.” 

Not in national inventory 

Bunowen Castle, Co Galway  – ‘lost’ 

by jenjunebug

Bunowen Castle, Co Galway  – ‘lost’ 

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

p. 49. “(Blake, Bt, of Menlough/PB1970) A dramatic but somewhat insubstantial C19 castle on the shores of Bunowen Bay, at the southwestern tip of Connemara. Now a ruin.” 

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

In Blake, Tarquin. Abandoned Mansions of Ireland. Collins Press, Cork, 2010.