Accommodation and wedding venues in County Kerry

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

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Kerry:

Places to Stay, County Kerry:

1. Ard na Sidhe Country House, Killarney, County Kerry – luxury 4* hotel

2. Ballyseede Castle/ Ballyseedy (Tralee Castle), Tralee, County Kerryhotel

4. Cahernane (or Cahirnane) House, Killarney, County Kerry – hotel 

5. Carrig Country House, County Kerry

6. Dromquinna Estate, County Kerry – self catering in adjunct buildings, weddings

7. Glanleam, Valentia Island, County Kerry – accommodation

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

10. Muxnaw Lodge, Kenmare, County Kerry

11. Parknasilla Resort and Spa, Kenmare, County Kerry 

Whole House Rental and wedding venues in County Kerry:

1. Ballywilliam House, Kinsale, County Kerry – whole house rental, up to 16

2. Churchtown House, Killarney, County Kerry – whole house rental (sleeps 12)

3.  Coolclogher House, Killarney, County Kerry – luxury vacation rental manor (up to 14 people)

4. Dromquinna Estate, County Kerry – self catering in adjunct buildings, weddings

Places to Stay, County Kerry: 

1. Ard Na Sidhe, Killarney, County Kerry luxury 4* hotel

https://www.ardnasidhe.com

Ard na Sidhe Country House is a place of enchantment and wondrous luxury, an intimate hideaway set on 32 acres of natural woodland on the shores of Caragh Lake.

Inviting lounges with an open log fire, intimate dining and 18 luxurious guest rooms, it really is possible to feel a world away in this magical gem. Come and share the dream.

When you arrive at Ard na Sidhe Country House Hotel you are instantly transported to a stunning world away. Translated as ‘the Hill of the Fairie,’ the majestic panorama of this four star lake hotel on Caragh Lake, Killorglin in County Kerry envelops you completely. A luxurious country manor house built by Lady Gordon in 1913, Ard na Sidhe is highly regarded as one of the best four star hotels in Ireland.

The ethereal architecture and surrounds of this leading country manor house hotel provide an exquisite ambience that make it a landmark destination for secluded Irish accommodation. Victorian styling offers an enthralling sense of history and heritage set against the Ring of Kerry’s breathtaking scenery. Ard na Sidhe’s sumptuous décor and award winning gardens make it a blissful destination for adventure, relaxation and romance in The Reeks District and near the Lakes of Killarney. From the hotel’s doorstop, you’ll feel the heartbeat of this famed region where inspiring tranquility awakens you and modern comforts shroud you at every turn.

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

www.ballyseedecastle.com
Open dates in 2026: Mar 14-Dec 31, 9am-11pm
Fee: Free to visit.

We treated ourselves to a stay in 2023. See my entry: https://irishhistorichouses.com/2023/09/02/ballyseede-castle-ballyseede-tralee-co-kerry/

Ballyseede Castle, County Kerry. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The website https://www.barrowhouse.ie/ tells us the House and Gardens are available for bed & breakfast guests or as an exclusive venue for corporate functions, private group rentals and intimate, small scale weddings. They are members of the Historic Houses of Ireland association, which tells us of the history of the house:

Nestling on the shore of stunning Barrow Harbour with views of the glorious Slieve Mish Mountains, Barrow House in Co. Kerry has a rich history of ownership from knights to noblemen and smugglers.

Built in around 1715, it possibly incorporates the fabric of an earlier house from during or after the Cromwellian period (1649-57). The sublime Georgian front elevation of Barrow House was added as part of the structural rebuild and enlargement work carried out at some point before 1760, while a second sympathetic addition was made at the rear towards the end of the 1800s. The house has changed little over the years. In fact, its still-visible four-feet thick internal walls, two gable end chimney stacks, original interior features, handcrafted ceiling mouldings and sash windows with antique glass exude the restrained, rational elegance typical of a noble dwelling. 

Alongside is a detached seven-bay single- and two-storey former boathouse, c. 1800, on a U-shaped plan. Barrow’s lands were originally part of the 6,000 acres granted by Elizabeth 1 in 1587 to Sir Edward Denny for his loyalty following the Desmond Rebellion. Nearby are the ruins of an ancient church referred to in Papal documents 1302-07 as “Ecclesia of Barun” or the Church of Barun (Barrow). 

Over the centuries, the house and the estate were passed on through marriage or by sale to different owners, including the notorious smuggler, John Collis. The smuggling of wines and tobacco was prevalent in Kerry during the 17th and 18th centuries in particular and Barrow Harbour was a natural rendezvous with its caves and narrow inlets. In the first half of the 20th century, the Knights of Kerry, the Fitzgerald family, affectionately referred to Barrow House as their summerhouse.  In more recent years, it was purchased by an American, Maureen Erde, who published a popular account of running it as a golfers’ guesthouse entitled “Help me, I’m an Irish Inn Keeper”. After she sold it in 1999, the house was restored as a resort estate, flourishing for some years before enduring a period of neglect and abandonment. Barrow House’s current owner, Daragh McDonagh, purchased it in 2016 and has lovingly restored it to welcome guests.

4. Cahernane (or Cahirnane) House, Killarney, Co Kerry – hotel

 https://www.cahernane.com

Cahernane House, County Kerry, photograph from National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, which tells us it is a seven-bay two-storey over part-raised basement Ruskinesque Gothic Revival style country house with dormer attic, dated 1877, possibly incorporating fabric of earlier house. Designed by James Franklin Fuller.

The website tells us:

Beautifully situated on a private estate on the edge of Killarney National Park, our luxury four-star hotel is located just twenty minutes’ walk from Killarney town centre. The entrance to the hotel is framed by a tunnel of greenery which unfurls to reveal the beauty of this imposing manor house, constructed in 1877 and formerly home to the Herbert Family.

Cahernane House Hotel exudes a sense of relaxation and peacefulness where you can retreat from the hectic pace of life into a cocoon of calmness and serenity. The only sounds you may hear are the lambs bleating or the birds singing.

Cahernane House was built as the family residence of Henry Herbert in 1877 at a cost of £5,992. The work was carried out by Collen Brothers Contractors. The original plans by architect James Franklin Fuller, whose portfolio included Ballyseedy Castle, Dromquinna Manor and the Parknasilla Hotel, was for a mansion three times the present size.

5. Carrig Country House, County Kerry – B&B

https://carrighouse.com

The website tells us: “If you are looking for the perfect hideaway which offers peace, tranquility, plus a wonderful restaurant on the lake, Carrig House on the Ring of Kerry and Wild Atlantic Way is the place for you. The beautifully appointed bedrooms, drawing rooms and The Lakeside Restaurant, overlooking Caragh Lake and surrounded by Kerry’s Reeks District mountains, rivers and lakes create the perfect getaway.

Carrig House was built originally circa 1850 as a hunting lodge, it was part of the Blennerhassett Estate. It has been mainly owned and used by British Aristocracy who came here to hunt and fish during the different seasons.

The house was purchased by Senator Arthur Rose Vincent in the early 20th. Century. Vincent moved here after he and his wealthy Californian father in law Mr. Bowers Bourne gave Muckross House & Estate in Killarney to the Irish Government for a wonderful National Park.

Bourne had originally purchased Muckross House from the Guinness family and gave it to his daughter Maud as a present on her marriage to Arthur Rose Vincent. However, Maud died at a young age prompting Bourne and Vincent to donate the estate to the Irish State.

Vincent remarried a French lady and lived at Carrig for about 6 years, they then moved to the France. The country house history doesn’t end there, Carrig has had many other illustrious owners, such as Lady Cuffe , Sir Aubrey Metcalfe, who retired as the British Viceroy in India and Lord Brocket Snr, whose main residence was Brocket Hall in England.

Frank & Mary Slattery, the current owners purchased the house in 1996. They are the first Irish owners of Carrig since it was originally built and have renovated and meticulously restored the Victorian residence to its former glory.

For over two decades Frank & Mary have operated a very successful Country House & Restaurant and have won many rewards for their hospitality and their Lakeside Restaurant. They are members of Ireland’s prestigious Blue Book.

Carrig House has 17 bedrooms, each individually decorated in period style with antique furniture. Each room enjoys spectacular views of Caragh Lake and the surrounding mountains. All rooms are en suite with bath and shower. Those who like to indulge can enjoy the sumptuous comfort of the Presidential Suite with its own separate panoramic sitting room, male and female dressing rooms and bathroom with Jacuzzi bath.

The restaurant is wonderfully situated overlooking the lake. The atmosphere is friendly, warm and one of total relaxation. The menu covers a wide range of the freshest Irish cuisine.

Irish trout and salmon from the lake and succulent Kerry lamb feature alongside organic vegetables. Interesting selections of old and new world wines are offered to compliment dinner whilst aperitifs and after-dinner drinks are served in the airy drawing room beside open peat fires.

Within the house, chess, cards and board games are available in the games room.

6. Dromquinna Estate, Co Kerry – self catering in adjunct buildings, weddings

 https://www.dromquinnamanor.com

Drumquinna Manor, photograph from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, which tells us that the house is an eleven-bay two-storey Jacobean Revival style country house with dormer attic, built c. 1890, designed by James Franklin Fuller.

It was constructed for Sir John Columb around 1889-90. The website tells us:

There are many elements to Dromquinna Manor. Firstly it is a stunning waterside estate unlike anything else. Set on 40 acres of parkland planted in the 1800s, the Estate offers an abundance of activities and facilities.

The Manor, dating from the 1890s, is dedicated to catering for Weddings and events. The Oak Room is the heart of the Manor and is classical in every sense. Stylish beyond words with views of Kenmare Bay celebrations here are truly memorable. The Drawing Rooms and Terrace all make for a very special and memorable occassion for all. It is a real family and friends party as opposed to a hotel ballroom function.”

7. Glanleam, Valentia Island, Co Kerry – accommodation

 https://hiddenireland.com/house-pages/glanleam-house/

Glanleam, County Kerry, photograph from National Inventory.

The website tells us:

Glanleam was built as a linen mill in 1775 and later converted into a house by the Knight of Kerry, who planted the magnificent sub-tropical gardens. In 1975 Meta Kreissig bought the estate which had declined for 50 years. She rescued the house, restored and enlarged the garden and, with her daughter Jessica, made it a delightful place to stay, with a mixture of antique and contemporary furniture and an extensive library. The setting looking out over the harbour is magical. There are green fields, a beach and a lighthouse, and Valentia Island is connected to the Kerry mainland by a car ferry and a bridge.

Glanleam was converted into a country house by the 19th Knight of Kerry (1808-1889). His father had developed the famous Valentia slate quarry (the slates were especially in demand for billiard tables, then very much in vogue). The Knight, an enthusiastic botanist, recognised the unique potential of the island’s microclimate for sub-tropical plants and laid out a fifty acre garden, using species just introduced from South America. His efforts won him great acclaim at the time and today his gardens have matured into dense woodlands.

Together Meta Kreissig and her daughter Jessica have refurbished the house, furnishing it with an amalgam of antique and modern pieces, and opened it to guests. There is an extensive library, several of the rooms have their original Valentia slate chimneypieces, and the bedrooms have luxurious Bonasck designer bathrooms. The gardens have also benefited from their attention. One recent visitor described the ‘radial planting of vegetables’ in the centre of the walled kitchen garden as ‘a jewel’.

8. Keel House, Keel, Castlemaine, Co. Kerry V93 A6 Y3 – section 482 accommodation

(Tourist Accommodation Facility)

Open for accommodation in 2026: April 1- Oct 15 2026

https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/763099850152850482?source_impression_id=p3_1741194866_P3bysbQjjoOVpVMf

9. Kells Bay House & Garden, Kells, Caherciveen, Co Kerry, V23 EP48 – accommodation and gardens

www.kellsbay.ie 

Kells Bay House and Gardens, Co Kerry. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan, 2015 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool (see [1])

See my entry, but note tha in 2026 it is no longer listed on the Revenue Section 482.

https://irishhistorichouses.com/2023/09/13/kells-bay-house-garden-kells-caherciveen-county-kerry/

The website tells us: “Kells Bay Gardens is one of Europe’s premier horticultural experiences, containing a renowned collection of Tree-ferns and other exotic plants growing in its unique microclimate created by the Gulf Stream. It is the home of ‘The SkyWalk’ Ireland’s longest rope-bridge.

The rope bridge crosses the river. Kells Bay, March 2023. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

10. Muxnaw Lodge, Kenmare, Co Kerry – accommodation

https://www.muxnawlodgekenmare.com/

The website tells us that Muxnaw Lodge in Kenmare is an attractive Victorian house, with spectacular views of the Kenmare River and Suspension Bridge.

Muxnaw Lodge features in Jane O’Hea O’Keeffe’s Voices from the Great Houses: Cork and Kerry. Mercier Press, Cork, 2013:

p. 242. “John Desmond Calverley Oulton (konwn as Desmond), who was born at Clontarf Castle in 1921, is the son of John George Oulton and Sybil Mona Calverley. He has long and loving memories of his childhood home at Clontarf Castle, where he played with his siblings in truly magical surroundings…”

p. 245. “During his childhood days, Desmond and his family would travel to Kerry each summer to stay at Muxnaw Lodge at Kenmare, which had been owned for generations by his mother’s people, the Calverleys. A lovely gabled building, the Lodge was built in 1801 as a hunting and fishing lodge by the Calverley family. It is situated on a spectacular site overlooking the Kenmare River and is now run as an up-market guesthouse. 

The name Muxnaw comes from the Irish Mucsnamh (the swimming place of the pigs). Joyce’s Irish Place Names gives this explanation: 

The natural explanation seems to be that wild pigs were formerly in the habit of crossing… at this narrow point. The Kenmare River narrowed at this point by a spit of land projecting from the northern shore, and here in past ages, wild pigs used to swim across so frequently, and in such numbers, that the place was called Muscnamh or Mucksna.” 

p. 245. “Desmond explains the complexities of his family history: “Colonel Vernon, owner of Clontarf Castle, had several daughters and a son. One daughter, Edith Vernon, married Walter Calverley who owned Muxnaw Lodge. They had two children, my mother, Sybil Mona Calverley, and Walter Calverley. Walter was killed during the first world war, and following the death of Walter Calverley Sr, Muxnaw Lodge went to his brother, Charles, who left it to his niece, my mother.” “

11. Parknasilla Resort and Spa, Kenmare, Co Kerry – hotel

Parknasilla, photograph from National Inventory.

https://parknasillaresort.com

The website tells us:

Parknasilla Hotel, nestled in the shadows of the Kerry mountains amidst islands, inlets and hidden beaches.

Come stay with us and feel the restorative power of nature and marvel in the splendour of the seascape and landscape that surrounds you here.

The word  Parknasilla ,(means the field of Sallys) [perhaps “salix” meaning Willow], for so many is evocative of so many things, tucked away in the corner of a subtropical paradise on the Kenmare river , it’s a place of beauty, of rare plants, islands linked by timber bridges and coral inlets.

Where the sea, the light and clouds  put on a continual show to delight the senses. A place where people come as guests and leave as friends, with its tradition of hospitality stretching back over 125 years. It has hosted royalty, dignitaries, family gatherings and romantic get aways.

It has provided people with that peaceful haven for them to recalibrate and recharge their batteries but it has also been that place of quite inspiration for writers and artist from George Bernard Shaw to Ceclia Ahern .

With its winding walks, this 200 acre estate walled gardens, golf course, island dotted bay and spa coupled with a world class resort with a 4 star hotel houses and apartments  it provides one with that perfect retreat to suit all tastes.

It is a place of many layers constantly evolving, seen through the prism of history it’s a place where people create their own be it in the friends formed or memories laid down to last a life time, a place to return to again.”

The website tells us about the history of Parknasilla:

The origins of the rise of the Great Southern Hotels and Parknasilla arised from the middle of the 19th century. Despite the ravages of the famine, Ireland was seen as an exotic tourism destination and this was particularly true after Queen Victoria’s trip to Ireland and Kerry in 1861, that saw an explosion of tourism from overseas. Railway lines were developed in the mid 1850’s from Dubin to remote towns of Killarney, Dingle, Galway and Sligo and later new lines were developed from Killarney for instance to Kenmare.

In the South of Ireland, the most import railway was the Great Southern and Western Dublin-Cork Link that opened in 1849. Excursions were promoted and resort hotels that were built were to supplied with customers by new railway line. New doors opened for Parknasilla around the start of the 1890’s, when in 1893 Kenmare became the terminuis of the branch line. Subsequently two years earlier, the Derryquin Estate was in 1891 by the Bland family in various lots. Bishop Graves of Limerick who had leased the part of the property for a long period off the Blands, purchased in one lot, and only a short time after sold the property to the Great Southern Hotel Group.

On the 1st of May 1895, The Southern Hotel Parknasilla opened, the name Parknasilla which means “The field of the willows” began to appear on the maps. It was also refered to as the “Bishops House Hotel, Parknasilla”. The story of the construction of architecture is also an interesting one. Eminent architect James Franklin Fuller was chosen by the Great South and Western Railway, prior 1895. Fuller himself left an incredible legacy behind, he was responsible for the designs of some of Ireland’s most iconic buildings such as Kylemore Abbey, Ashford Castle, Kenmare Park (formely the Great Southern Kenmare) and Farmleigh House.

Born in 1835 in Kerry, he was the only son of Thomas Harnett Fuller of Glashnacree by his first wife, Frances Diana, a daugther of the Francis Christopher Bland of Parknasilla dn Derryquin Castle. The Blands were indeed synomous with Parknasilla for over two centuries, and new chapter for Parknasilla future now had an incredible link with its past.

The hotel originally started out in what was known as “The Bishops House”, however a better position was chosen in 1897 for a new purpose buillt hotel. The new Parknasilla Hotel faced down the Kenmare Bay an offered its guests uparelled views of the Atantic Ocean. The facilties of the new hotel included Turkish Hot and Cold Seawater Baths, reading and games rooms and bathrooms on every floor. This decision came after unprecedented demand that well exceed supply.

The website also tells us about the early owners of the property:

The Blands of Derryquin Castle Demense were a Yorkshire family, the first of whom Rev. James Bland came to Ireland in 1692 and from 1693 was vicar of Killarney. His son Nathaniel, a judge and vicar general of Ardfert and Aghadoe obtained a grant of land in 1732 which would later become the Derryquin Estate. Derryquin Castle was the third house of the Blands on this land but it is not known when it was first constructed, its earliest written mention being in 1837, however it was indicated some decades earlier by Nimmo in his 1812 map.

Nathaniel Bland (1695-1760), Vicar General of Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, Picture from The Story of Dorothy Jordan by Clare Jerrold, 1914, courtesy of Teresa Stokes, flickr

The estate is said to have reached its zenith under the guidance of James Franklin Bland (1799-1863). His nephew the well known architect James Franklin Fuller described the castle estate in his
autobiography as a largely self-supporting community busy with sawmill, carpenter’s shop, forge as well as farming and gardening. A fish pond existed on the water’s edge just below the castle, alternatively described as being self-replenishing with the tide or restocked from a trawler.

The castle itself consisted of a three-storey main block with a four-storey octagonal tower rising through the centre and a two storey partly curved wing branching off in a western direction. Major renovations were carried out and a significant additional wing running southwest, overlooking the coastline was added sometime between 1895 and 1904.

James Franklin Bland’s death in 1863 the estate passed to his son Francis Christopher, the estate slipped into decline during the time that he was absent while travelling and preaching on Christian ministry, this being during the years of land agitation in Ireland. Part of the estate was sold in the landed estates court in 1873 but ultimately the decline continued with the remainder being sold in 1891.

It was bought in 1891 for £30,000 by Colonel Charles Wallace Warden. He had retired in 1895 as Colonel of the Middlesex Regiment (previously known as the 57th) He had seen action in the Zulu War of 1879 and on his death on 9th March 1953 in his 98th year was its oldest survivor. He also fought with the Imperial Yeomanry in the Boer War. As landlord of Derryquin he was highly unpopular with tenants and neighbours alike, his behaviour regularly mentioned in Parliament. After the burning of Derryquin Castle he retired to Buckland-tout-Saints in Devon and acquired an estate there with his payment from the burning of Derryquin.

However in 2014 Derryquin castle rose again out of the ashes to feature in a novel by Christopher Bland chairman of the BBC who having discovered a photo of his ancestors decided to write the novel Ashes in the Wind. it interweaves the destinies of two families: the Anglo-Irish Burkes and the Catholic Irish Sullivans, beginning in 1919 with a shocking murder and the burning of the Burkes’ ancestral castle in Kerry. Childhood friends John Burke and Tomas Sullivan will find themselves on opposite sides of an armed struggle that engulfs Ireland. Only 60 years later will the triumphant and redemptive finale of this enthralling story be played out.

Whole House Rental County Kerry:

1. Ballywilliam House, Kinsale, County Kerry – manor rental, up to 16

https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/45838390?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=db6b1a4c-0b7e-47c0-8005-a126984fd520&source_impression_id=p3_1662206216_56bfjuaKrGTdi%2Buf

8 bedrooms. Minimum 14 nights stay.

2. Churchtown House, Killarney, County Kerry – luxury manor rental (sleeps 12)

www.churchtownhousekerry.com

Mark Bence-Jones tells us (1988):

p. 83. “(Magill/IFR) A three storey 5 bay C18 house. Doorcase with entablature on console brackets flanked by narrow windows. Fine gate piers with pineapples.” [2]

The Hidden Ireland website tells us:

“Churchtown Estate incorporates both Churchtown House and Beaufort Golf Club. The centre piece is the Georgian Churchtown House built in 1740 by Sir Rowland Blennerhassett. In 1860 James MacGillycuddy Magill bought the estate and turned it into one of the largest dairy farms of its time in the south west region.

James’s grandson and great grandson’s closed the farm in the early nineties and with the help of golf architect Arthur Spring, developed Beaufort Golf Course which was officially opened in 1995. The golf course went through further development in 2007 when it was re-designed by Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie Ebert – Leading International Golf Architects.

Churchtown House mixes traditional elegance with country house charm and modern facilities. 2 large elegant reception rooms, roaring fires and quiet reading rooms add to the atmosphere. There is also a home entertainment room and games room in the basement of the house for guests to enjoy.

The House comfortably sleeps 12 in 6 spacious bedrooms, with a selection of King or twin rooms, with 2 additional ‘pull out’ beds if needed to accommodate 14 guests. All bedrooms have private bathrooms with modern facilities. The kitchen is fully equipped with an Aga and halogen hob, modern appliances and beautiful breakfast table looking out onto the courtyard and Ireland’s highest mountain Carrauntoohil.

The ruins of 15th century Castle Corr standing on the 15th green was designed as a square tower house. Castle Corr (Castle of the round hill) was built circa 1480 by the MacGillycuddy’s, a branch of the O’Sullivan Mór Clan. Fearing that it would have been taken by the English forces Donagh MacGillycuddy burnt the castle in 1641 but restored it in 1660. Donagh went on to become High Sheriff of Kerry in 1687.

The castle was abandoned by Donagh’s son Denis in 1696 when he married into the Blennerhassett family in nearby Killorglin Castle. The stone of Castle Corr was taken to build the Georgian manor Churchtown House.

3. Coolclogher House, Killarney, County Kerry luxury vacation rental manor (up to 14 people)

https://coolclogherhouse.com/

Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.

The website tells us: “Coolclogher House built in 1746 is a historic manor house set on a 68 acre walled estate near Killarney on the Ring of Kerry. The house has been restored to an exceptional standard by Mary and Maurice Harnett and has spacious reception rooms, a large conservatory containing a 170 year-old specimen camellia and seven large luxurious bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and with magnificent views over the gardens and pasture to the dramatic mountains of the Killarney National Park.

The National Inventory tells us that it was renovated in 1855 according to a design by William Atkins.

Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.

This is an excellent base for exploring this ruggedly beautiful county and Coolclogher House specialises in vacation rental for groups of up to 16 people. It is right on the Ring of Kerry and Ross Castle and Killarney town are within walking distance while the Gap of Dunloe and Muckross House are in easy reach. It is the ideal special holiday destination for extended family groups, golfing groups or celebrating that special occasion.

Yellow sitting room, Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.
Green sitting room, Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.

The famous Lakes of Killarney, the Killarney National Park, Muckross House and Abbey and Ross Castle are all within easy reach. Killarney is an ideal starting point on the famous Ring of Kerry, going by way of Kenmare, Parknasilla and Waterville, and returning via Cahirciveen, Glenbeigh and Killorglin, but there are also wonderful drives through Beaufort and the Gap of Dunloe, along Caragh Lake to Glencar or, for the more ambitious, a day trip to the Dingle Peninsula or the wonderful Ring of Beara. There are world famous golf courses at Waterville, Tralee and Ballybunion while boat trips on the famous Lakes of Killarney, fishing and horse riding can all be arranged.

Situated 5 minutes from the historic town of Killarney, which boasts a number of excellent dining options and a wide variety of entertainment, this mansion house is the perfect base for a longer stay and a wonderful location for a family reunion or for celebrating a special occasion.

Torc bedroom, Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.
Green bedroom, Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.
Fuschia room, Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.
Garden room, Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.
Chinese Toile room, Coolclogher, County Kerry, photograph courtesy of Coolclogher House.

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

[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.

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

Places to visit in County Kerry

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

Kerry:

1. Derrynane House, Caherdaniel, County KerryOPW

2. Derreen Gardens, Lauragh, Tuosist, Kenmare, Co. Kerry – section 482, garden only

3. Kells Bay Garden, Kells, Caherciveen, County Kerry  garden only

4. Killarney House, County Kerry

5. Knockreer House and Gardens, County Kerry

6. Listowel Castle, County KerryOPW

7. Muckross House,  Killarney, County Kerryopen to visitors 

8. Ross’s Castle, Killarney, County Kerry

9. Staigue Fort, County Kerry

Places to visit in County Kerry:

1. Derrynane House, Caherdaniel, KerryOPW

Derrynane House, County Kerry, photograph by George Munday, 2014, for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. [1]

See my OPW write-up: https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/11/07/office-of-public-works-properties-in-munster-counties-kerry-and-waterford/

Daniel O’Connell, who lived at Derrynane. Portrait in Mansion House, Dublin, Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

2. Derreen Gardens, Lauragh, Tuosist, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, V93 D792section 482, garden only

https://www.derreengarden.com/

Open dates in 2026: all year, 10am-6pm

Fee: adult €12, child €6, family ticket €45 (2 adults & all accompanying children under18) season tickets from €40
Concession discounts available for large groups

See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2023/09/07/derreen-gardens-lauragh-tuosist-kenmare-co-kerry/

The website tells us: “A beautiful 19th century woodland garden with paths winding through rare tropical plants and opening onto sea views.

Derreen, County Kerry. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Set on a peninsula at the head of Kilmackillogue Harbour and surrounded by the Caha Mountains, the garden at Derreen covers 60 acres.

A network of winding paths passes through a mature woodland garden laid out 150 years ago with subtropical plants from around the world and incomparable views of the sea and mountains.

3. Kells Bay Garden, Kells, Caherciveen, Co Kerry, V23 EP48 – garden only

www.kellsbay.ie 

Kells Bay House and Gardens, Co Kerry. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan, 2015 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool (see [1])

In 2026 this property is no longer on the Revenue Section 482 listing. See my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2023/09/13/kells-bay-house-garden-kells-caherciveen-county-kerry/

The website tells us: “Kells Bay Gardens is one of Europe’s premier horticultural experiences, containing a renowned collection of Tree-ferns and other exotic plants growing in its unique microclimate created by the Gulf Stream. It is the home of ‘The SkyWalk’ Ireland’s longest rope-bridge.

The rope bridge crosses the river. Kells Bay, March 2023. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

4. Killarney House, County Kerry – part of park

https://killarney.ie/listing/killarney-house-gardens/

Originally called Kenmare House. The stable block of Kenmare House was converted in 1830 into this house. The original Kenmare House was built in 1726 and was demolished in 1872 by Valentine Augustus Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare. The succeeding house, called Killarney House, and was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1913 and never rebuilt; instead, in 1915 the stable block of the original Kenmare House was converted into the present Killarney House, although the Brownes called it Kenmare House.

Kenmare House Kerry Photograph taken between 1880 and 1914 Lawrence Collection, National Library of Ireland NLI Ref L_CAB_01020
Killarney House and Gardens, photograph ©Fáilte Ireland by Finola White, 2020, Ireland’s Content Pool.

John McShain, renowned architect and building contractor, acquired Killarney House, the former home of the Earls of Kenmare, in 1956. After the death of McShain’s wife, Mary, in 1998, the stately house, and its lavish gardens were sold to the State with the proviso that the property would be incorporated into the neighbouring Killarney National Park. The McShains were allowed to live in the house for the remainder of their lives, and they remodelled extensively. When Mrs. McShain died in 1998 the house reverted to the state. It sat empty and became derelict, but in 2011 restoration was begun. The gardens are open to the public and at some stage, the house also will be opened up.

5. Knockreer House and Gardens, County Kerry – part of park, Education centre

https://www.discoverireland.ie/kerry/knockreer-house-and-gardens

Killarney National Park Education Centre is based in Knockreer House, the last of the Kenmare mansions. The centre is situated on a hill close to the town of Killarney and has spectacular views over the National Park.

We provide a range of specialist courses linked directly to the curriculum, using the diverse habitats of Killarney National Park as an outdoor classroom. We work with groups from all backgrounds, ages and abilities, including primary schools, post-primary schools, third level institutions, tour groups and youth groups. We also provide facilities and programmes for the general public and the corporate sector.

The website tells us:

Found in County Kerry’s Killarney National Park, Knockreer House and Gardens are within walking distance of Killarney Town. The area includes a circular walk with excellent views of the Lower Lake.

The Knockreer section of Killarney National Park is within walking distance of Killarney Town, County Kerry. This area was formerly part of the Kenmare Estate, which was laid out by Valentine Brown, the third Viscount of Kenmare. Deenagh Lodge Tearoom dates back to 1834 and was the gate lodge of the Kenmare Estate. The tearoom is a popular haunt with locals and visitors after a stroll in the park. It is located just inside Kings Bridge across from St Mary’s Cathedral.

Knockreer House, a short walk up the hill, is the Killarney National Park Education Centre and is built on the site of the original Killarney House, which was destroyed by fire in 1913. The circular walk is signposted and offers excellent views of the Lower Lake. On the circular walk there is a pathway off to the right that leads up to the viewing point on top of the hill, which provides a wonderful panorama of the surrounding countryside.

6. Listowel Castle, County Kerry – OPW

See my OPW write-up: https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/11/07/office-of-public-works-properties-in-munster-counties-kerry-and-waterford/

7. Muckross House (or Muckruss),  Killarney, County Kerry – open to the public

Muckross House Killarney Co. Kerry, photograph by Chris Hill 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])

www.muckross-house.ie 

This nineteenth century Victorian mansion is set against the stunning beauty of Killarney National Park. The house stands close to the shores of Muckross Lake, one of Killarney’s three lakes, famed world wide for their splendour and beauty. As a focal point within Killarney National Park, Muckross House is the ideal base from which to explore this landscape. 

Muckross House was built for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, the water-colourist Mary Balfour Herbert. This was actually the fourth house that successive generations of the Herbert family had occupied at Muckross over a period of almost two hundred years. William Burn, the well-known Scottish architect, was responsible for its design. Building commenced in 1839 and was completed in 1843. 

Originally it was intended that Muckross House should be a larger, more ornate, structure. The plans for a bigger servants’ wing, stable block, orangery and summer-house, are believed to have been altered at Mary’s request. Today the principal rooms are furnished in period style and portray the elegant lifestyle of the nineteenth century landowning class. In the basement, one can imagine the busy bustle of the servants as they went about their daily chores. 

Muckross House and Gardens, Killarney National Park, Co Kerry ©Trustees of Muckross House 2019.
Muckross House and Gardens, Killarney National Park, Co Kerry Muckross House and Gardens, Killarney National Park, Co Kerry ©Trustees of Muckross House 2017.

During the 1850s, the Herberts undertook extensive garden works in preparation for Queen Victoria’s visit in 1861. Later, the Bourn Vincent family continued this gardening tradition. They purchased the estate from Lord and Lady Ardilaun early in the twentieth century. It was at this time that the Sunken Garden, Rock Garden and the Stream Garden were developed.

Muckross House, County Kerry, October 2012. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The children of Charles John Herbert (d. 1823) of Muckross, County Kerry, and his wife Louisa Middleton, by Richard Rothwell, courtesy of National Trust Powis Castle.
Muckross House 1970, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archive. [2]
Muckross House Killarney Co. Kerry, photograph by Chris Hill 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])
Muckross House Killarney Co. Kerry, photograph by Chris Hill 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])
Muckross House Killarney Co. Kerry, photograph by Chris Hill 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])
Muckross House Killarney Co. Kerry, photograph by Chris Hill 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])

8. Ross’s Castle, Killarney, County Kerry – OPW

See my OPW write-up: https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/11/07/office-of-public-works-properties-in-munster-counties-kerry-and-waterford/

Ross Castle, Killarney, County Kerry, August 2007.

9. Staigue Fort, County Kerry – ruin

Staigue Fort, County Kerry, October 2012. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The following website gives us information about this ancient impressive fort: https://voicesfromthedawn.com/staigue-fort/

It tells us:

Constructed entirely without mortar, Staigue cashel encloses an area of 27.4 m (90 ft) in diameter, with walls as tall as 5.5 m (18 ft) and a sturdy 4 m (13 ft) in thickness. It has one double-linteled entrance, a passageway 1.8 m (6 ft) long. In the virtual-reality environment (above) click the hotspots to proceed to the fort’s interior. It is similar in construction to the Grianan of Aileach in Co. Donegal, and was possibly constructed in the same period of the Early Medieval period (approximately fifth to eleventh century CE). The fort is surrounded by a large bank and ditch, most evident on its northern side. This may have been a part of Staigue’s defenses, or it may be a prehistoric feature that pre-dates the construction of the stone fort.

Staigue Fort, October 2012 Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The website continues: “In 1897 T.J. Westropp reported that the local peasantry called the building Staig an air, which he translated as “Windy House, or “Temple of the Father,” or “The Staired Place of Slaughter.” These different translations may inspire distinctly different conjectures about the builders of Staigue. It has been described as both a temple or an observatory, and has been attributed to many different cultures in the past, such as Druids, Phoenicians, Cyclopeans, and Danes. But it was, of course, built by the “Kerrymen of old.”

Staigue Fort, October 2012. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The sign at the site explains that Staigue “was the home of the chieftain’s family, guards and servants, and would have been full of houses, out-buildings, and possibly tents or other temporary structures.” The illustration from this sign is in the gallery below. Cashels, of which Staigue is an impressive and probably high-status example, were enclosed and defendable farmsteads of the Irish Early Medieval period. They housed an extended family and, in high-status examples, their retinue. However archaeologist Peter Harbison was unable to explain why the ancient architects would have created so many (10) sets of X-shaped stairs climbing up the inner face of the wall to its ramparts.

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

[2] https://repository.dri.ie/catalog?f%5Broot_collection_id_ssi%5D%5B%5D=pk02rr951&mode=objects&search_field=all_fields&view=grid

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.

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

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

www.dohenyandnesbitts.ie

Open dates in 2026: all year, except Christmas Day, Mon-Thurs, 9am -11.30pm, Fri-Sat 9am -12.30am, Sunday 10am-midnight,
Fee: Free

Donation

Help me to fund my creation and update of this website. It is my “full time job” and created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated! My costs include travelling to our destinations from Dublin, accommodation if we need to stay somewhere nearby, and entrance fees. Your donation could also help with the cost of the occasional book I buy for research (though I mostly use the library – thank you Kevin Street library!). Your donation could also help with my Irish Georgian Society membership or attendance for talks and lectures, or the Historic Houses of Ireland annual conference in Maynooth.

€15.00

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph courtesy of Flickr, “photos by Joe.”

Doheny & Nesbitt, a popular bar on Lower Baggot Street, occupies what was once a residence, built around 1790. Now it holds one of the finest Victorian pubs in Dublin.

Not long before, until 1773, the road had been called Gallows Road, as it led to the Gallow Mount, where criminals were hung. It was not just criminals, however, but also Catholics: Dermot O’Hurley, Archbishop of Cashel, was hung on 20 June 1584, and officially recognised as a Catholic martyr by Pope John Paul II in 1992. I first heard of the painful fate of Dermot O’Hurley when exploring the park of St. Kevins church, where the Archbishop is buried. His feast day, coincidentally, is this week, the 20th June.

A plaque in St. Kevin’s Park in Dublin tells us about Archbishop Dermot O’Hurley, who was hung on the Gallow Mount in 1584 near where Doheny & Nesbitt is located. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Dermot O’Hurley was born in County Tipperary and studied in Louvain in Belgium. Catholics from Ireland had to go abroad to study. He knew that when he was ordained, his life would be that of a fugitive, ministering when possible. When he travelled to Ireland after his appointment, he never reached Cashel . Officials believed that O’Hurley was plotting to overthrow the English in Ireland. He was captured and tortured, including putting his feet into boots filled with boiling pitch and oil.

Richard Verstegen’s depiction of the 1584 torture and execution of Archbishop Dermot O’Hurley. The 1579 hanging of fellow Irish Catholic Martyrs Bishop Patrick O’Hely and Friar Conn Ó Ruairc is shown in the background. Coloured engraving from Richard Verstegan, Theatrum crudelitatum haereticorum nostri temporis, 1587.

Another person executed in the same spot was “Darkey” Dorcas Kelly, a “Madam” who operated the Maiden Tower brothel on Copper Alley, off Fishamble Street in Dublin. She was burnt at the stake in 1761 – not all that long before the Georgian houses were built on Gallows Road.

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s facebook page.

The pub occupies both numbers 4 and 5, two Georgian houses of two bays and four storeys, fronted in brown brick, with corner quoins. The windows diminish in size from ground to top storey. The Georgian period spans over a century, referring to the four successive reigns of King Georges of the House of Hanover, from the accession of George I to the throne in 1714 to the death of George IV in 1830. 

Dublin Georgian town houses are typically terraced. Dublin Civic Trust’s website tells us that the house facade, including the spacing and shape of windows, is designed in accordance with classical rules of proportion. Servants quarters and kitchens were housed in the basement, while the principal living space was at first floor level, called a ‘piano nobile’ (Italian for main floor). Large windows at this level let in lots of light. Bedrooms, with smaller windows, were on upper storeys.

The National Inventory tells us that the timber pub front is from around 1890. The Inventory describes panelled pilasters over a painted masonry plinth.

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the National Inventory.

A decorative brass sheet reads ‘Tea & Wine Merchant’. 

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the National Inventory.

Wooden oversize scrolled foliate consoles frame the signage. Inside the pub retains its Victorian decor, with its original joinery in the bar, snugs and carved timberwork ceilings (according to the National Inventory). The website tells us that the ceiling is of papier maché, and that it has been restored. There’s a replica Victorian bar in the rear.

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the National Inventory.
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s facebook page.

The main bar retains the original counter, and almost all of the original fittings date from the 19th century. I think it’s unfortunate the bar has big tvs so that customers can follow sports, as they ruin the old world atmosphere.

Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The National Inventory tells us that the liquor licence has been held by several owners. It was a grocers as well as a pub. Shaw’s Directory of 1850 records William Burke as the occupant of the premises. The website tells us that it became a pub in the 1840s. Burke ran the pub as ‘Delahuntys’ for almost fifty years.

In 1924, Philip Lynch and James O’Connor took it over for around thirty years, before passing it onto a Felix Connolly. A sign over the bar retains the Connolly name. Ned Doheny and Tom Nesbitt, two Co. Tipperary men, then took over and gave it the current name. It now has newer owners, who retained the name.

Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The front bar, with mirror and wood divisions, Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
A row of old whiskey jugs decorate the top shelf over the bar, Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The pub sells food and tables can be reserved in advance if one wants a meal.

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.

The bar has several rooms, and function rooms upstairs and in the basement, catering for different capacities.

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.
Stephen and Denise in Doheny & Nesbitt in June 2025. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.

Old advertisments and memorabilia line the walls, and the back bar has an unusual panelled barrel ceiling.

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s facebook page.
Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s facebook page.
Wall of fame, Doheny & Nesbitt, 4/5 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.

There are three rooms available to book for functions: Tom’s Bar, Paul’s Bar and the Marble Bar. There is also a cellar bar.

Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s facebook page.
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s facebook page.
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s facebook page.
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.
The smoking area, Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.
Doheny & Nesbitt, photograph from the pub’s website.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/50100456/doheny-nesbitt-4-baggot-street-lower-dublin-2-co-dublin

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/50100457/doheny-nesbitt-5-baggot-street-lower-dublin-2-co-dublin

Donation towards accommodation

I receive no funding nor aid to create and maintain this website, it is a labour of love. I travel all over Ireland to visit Section 482 properties and sometimes this entails an overnight stay. A donation would help to fund my accommodation.

€150.00

2026 Diary of Irish Historic Houses (section 482 properties)

To purchase an A5 size 2026 Diary of Historic Houses send your postal address to jennifer.baggot@gmail.com along with €20 via this payment button. The calendar of 84 pages includes space for writing your appointments as well as photographs of the historic houses. The price includes postage within Ireland. Postage to U.S. is a further €11 for the A5 size, so I would appreciate a donation toward the postage – you can click on the donation link.

€20.00

Donation

Help me to fund my creation and update of this website. It is my “full time job” and created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated! My costs include travelling to our destinations from Dublin, accommodation if we need to stay somewhere nearby, and entrance fees. Your donation could also help with the cost of the occasional book I buy for research (though I mostly use the library – thank you Kevin Street library!). Your donation could also help with my Irish Georgian Society membership or attendance for talks and lectures, or the Historic Houses of Ireland annual conference in Maynooth.

€15.00

The Odeon (formerly Harcourt Street Railway Station), Dublin 2, D02VE22 – Section 482

The Odeon, formerly Harcourt Street Railway Station.

Donation

Help me to fund my creation and update of this website. It is my “full time job” and created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated! My costs include travelling to our destinations from Dublin, accommodation if we need to stay somewhere nearby, and entrance fees. Your donation could also help with the cost of the occasional book I buy for research (though I mostly use the library – thank you Kevin Street library!). Your donation could also help with my Irish Georgian Society membership or attendance for talks and lectures, or the Historic Houses of Ireland annual conference in Maynooth.

€15.00

I have created my 2026 Diary Calendar, which is available to order now. Please note that if you are purchasing from outside Ireland, I would appreciate a donation toward postage, by clicking on the donation button.

2026 Diary of Irish Historic Houses (section 482 properties)

To purchase an A5 size 2026 Diary of Historic Houses send your postal address to jennifer.baggot@gmail.com along with €20 via this payment button. The calendar of 84 pages includes space for writing your appointments as well as photographs of the historic houses. The price includes postage within Ireland. Postage to U.S. is a further €11 for the A5 size, so I would appreciate a donation toward the postage – you can click on the donation link.

€20.00

Donation towards accommodation

I receive no funding nor aid to create and maintain this website, it is a labour of love. I travel all over Ireland to visit Section 482 properties and sometimes this entails an overnight stay. A donation would help to fund my accommodation.

€150.00

The Odeon, 57 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, D02VE22, formerly the Old Harcourt Street Railway Station, is now a bar and currently a Section 482 property:

Open in 2026: all year Tue-Sat, National Heritage Week, Aug 15-23, 12 noon-12 midnight

Fee: Free

www.odeon.ie

Last week Lisney Real Estate advertised the building for sale for €6,500,000. It’s a beautiful venue for a party.

The Odeon, 1931, from the National Library archives, see flickr constant commons.
The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Railways began in the 1550s as wooden rails used in mines to transport tubs carrying ore. That reminds me of the way Bord na Mona used trains to carry their turf on the bog, and the Guinness brewery also had its own train lines for transporting barrels of stout within the site.

The first public commuter railway system in Ireland launched in 1834 and ran between Dublin and Dún Laoghaire, formerly named Kingstown. [1] The Dublin and Kingstown Railway (D&KR) travelled from Westland Row in Dublin.

The Harcourt Street Station, built in 1859, was the terminus for the Dublin to Bray, County Wicklow train. Passengers could travel to the villages of Dundrum, Stillorgan and Milltown, and the train line helped to develop Bray into a seaside resort. An article in the Irish Independent, “Fascinating story of Harcourt Street line retold,” published 29th February 2012, tells us that two companies vied for the contract to run the train line. One company started building from Harcourt Street, the other from Bray. It was decided that the first to reach Dundrum would win the contract to run the Railway line. William Dargan was the successful contractor. [2]

The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Before trains, public transportation comprised of stagecoaches travelling specified routes between coaching inns and horse-drawn boats carried paying passengers along canals.

The Harcourt-Bray train travelled for a century, ceasing in 1959. Much of the former trackbed remained intact and now carries the Luas, the Dublin light rail, the modern version of the tram. The Luas station ‘furniture’ impedes photography of the building and my attempts to highlight its architectural features!

The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

An entry about Dublin tram history on the Dublin City Public Participation Network tells us that the idea of transporting people along a fixed route within a city began in Nantes, France, around 1823, when Stanislas Baudry opened a bath house outside the city and started a shuttle service that left the town centre on a regular schedule. [3] I’m glad that the first fixed route city public transport system was for bathing and not for work, as I would have expected!

After Baudry realised some passengers used the shuttle to travel to destinations along the route, he created the first urban transit service in 1826 in Nantes, calling his coaches the “Omnibus” (Latin for “for all”). He quickly expanded to Bordeaux, Lyon, and eventually Paris. [see 3]

Architect George Wilkinson (1840-1890) designed the Harcourt Street station. [4] After he built twenty-four workhouses in England, in 1839 the Poor Law Commission in Ireland invited Wilkinson to design 130 workhouses. After eleven years, the Commissioners of the Poor Law decided that they could no longer afford their own full-time architect, and in September 1855 Wilkinson was retired on a pension of £300 per annum. [5]

The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Next, Wilkinson designed railway stations, mostly for the Midland Great Western Railway Company. As he acknowledged, a workhouse had to be “uniform and cheap, durable and unattractive” so that people would be discouraged from applying to them for aid and accommodation. He took pride in his work, however. To underline the painstaking attention he had given to the materials used in the construction of the workhouses, Wilkinson published in 1845 his Practical Geology and Ancient Architecture of Ireland, which included a detailed account of the building materials available in the different counties with tables of the experiments he had conducted on the principal Irish building stones. [see 5] He managed to insert an Italianate tower in the Carlow workhouse.

The Dictionary of Irish Architects tells us that in August 1860 Wilkinson was appointed architect to the Commissioners of Asylums for the Lunatic Poor at a salary of £300 per annum. He designed two identical asylums at Castlebar, Co. Mayo, and Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. He remained in the post until 1886. He appears to have done relatively little private work. A few houses are recorded in Bray and Dalkey and a marble staircase for the Marquess of Sligo at Westport House (1858) but he does not seem to have designed any commercial premises or churches. His last important recorded commission was the new agricultural hall for the Royal Dublin Society at Ballsbridge, built in 1879-80. [see 5]

The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The building is brown brick with granite stone dressing. Two colonnades of Tuscan columns flank the central monumental arch porch which has the entrance doors inside under a further two stone arches. The building is fronted by stone steps as it was built on an embankment.

The central block is double height, topped by an open pediment portico which has ends sitting on a frieze on top of pairs of oversized granite scrolled “corbels.” The large entrance arch is supported on a structure of paired columns.

The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

A keystone in the cut granite arch sits under a granite plaque inscribed ‘MDCCCLIX’ (1859).

The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The windows have granite architraves (decorative moulding around a window or door).

I like the added stripes inside the colonnades. The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Odeon, photograph courtesy of Lisney Commercial Real Estate, June 2025.
The building features lovely ovoid windows with wooden crosshatching. Photograph courtesy of Archiseek.

At the rear of Harcourt Street Station at Hatch Street is the curved end wall of the former trainshed. The curved is due to the placement of the former turntable upon which steam locomotives turned to travel in the opposite direction. [6] This engine shed was used at another time as a bonded warehouse.

Curved wall which housed the turntable for turning the trains, photograph courtesy of National Inventory.
The Odeon, the sheds and vaults are of brick and Calp (limestone) to contrast with the main building of brown brick with granite. December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Odeon, December 2020. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The station platforms, photograph courtesy of Archiseek.
The Harcourt Street station, photograph courtesy of The Odeon website.

In 1900 an accident occurred, when a train failed to stop at the station due to the weight of 30 wagonloads of cattle.

The 1900 crash, photograph courtesy of Odeon website
The 1900 crash, photograph courtesy of Odeon website, copyright Ciaran Cooney.

Archiseek describes:

Beneath the station shed are excellent arched vaults originally designed as a bonded spirit store and now housing a wine merchants and one of Dublin’s trendiest nightspots. The main front part of the building has recently been renovated and cleaned and is now an enormous bar which looks and feels bigger that the external dimensions of the station would suggest. The bar design manages to be sympathetic to the original design suggesting a large ‘Gentleman’s Club’ of the Victorian era without descending to pastiche.

The rear of the station has various store buildings which were accessible from a raised ramp off Harcourt Road. Due for redevelopment, these stores are quite large containing many brick archways from area to area and were used by Dunlop for many years.” [4]

The Odeon, photograph courtesy of Lisney Commercial Real Estate, June 2025.
The Odeon, photograph courtesy of Lisney Commercial Real Estate, June 2025.
The Odeon, photograph courtesy of Lisney Commercial Real Estate, June 2025.
The Odeon, photograph courtesy of Lisney Commercial Real Estate, June 2025.
The Odeon, photograph courtesy of Lisney Commercial Real Estate, June 2025.

This entry makes me want to visit the Steam Museum in County Kildare, another Section 482 property! More next week on a different pub, Doheny and Nesbitt.

[1] https://modelrailwaymuseum.ie/history-of-irish-rail/

[2] https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklow/news/fascinating-story-of-harcourt-street-line-retold/27868681.html

[3] https://dublincityppn.ie/stories/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-first-dublin-tram-network-part-1-beginnings-to-one-network/

[4] https://www.archiseek.com/2010/1859-former-harcourt-street-station-dublin/

[5] https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/4918/Wilkinson-George

[6] http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20H/Harcourt%20Street/IrishRailwayStations.html#

Manorhamilton Castle, Castle St, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim – section 482

Manorhamilton Castle, County Leitrim, August 2022. It was not open on the day we visited despite being listed as an open day during Heritage Week. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

www.manorhamilton.ie

Open dates in 2026: Mar 16-29, Apr 13-26, May 4-31, June 2-12, Aug 15-23, 9am-1pm

Fee: adult €5, child/OAP/student free

The Revenue section 482 list still hasn’t been published for 2025, so today I am publishing about Manorhamilton Castle in County Leitrim.

We attempted a visit during Heritage Week in 2022 but were informed in the café next door that it was not accessible as they were preparing for an event. I was unimpressed, having driven there specially! We were driving from Sligo to Monaghan that day, so we continued on our way.

Stephen heading to the café next to the castle. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Manorhamilton Castle, County Leitrim, August 2022. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The castle was built between 1634 and 1636 for Frederick Hamilton (d. 1646), who was originally from Paisley in Scotland. He was the son of Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley, County Renfew, Scotland. Frederick was the younger brother of James 1st Earl of Abercorn in Scotland, who was Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James VI of Scotland who became King James I of England.

Signpost in Manorhamilton, telling us that before the town was named “Manorhamilton” it was called Clonmullen, from the Irish Cluain Maoláin meaning “hillside meadow.” Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

In 1620 Frederick married Sidney Vaughan, daughter of John Vaughan who was a member of the Privy Council for Ireland and Governor of Londonderry, responsible for commanding the garrison and fortifications of Derry, and of nearby Culmore Fort. [1]

In 1621, Frederick was given a grant of land in Dromahair in County Leitrim, seized from the O’Rourke family. [2] There he commanded a troop of horse, and constantly battled with his neighbours. Three of his brothers, including the Earl of Abercorn, received large land grants in Co. Tyrone in 1610–11. These land holdings were part of the Plantation of Ulster.

Manorhamilton Castle, County Leitrim, August 2022. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

From a Catholic family, Frederick converted to Protestantism. In 1631 he was granted a commission to raise 1,200 Scottish and Irish men for the service of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, in order to defeat the Habsburg-Catholic coalition. He spent about two years in the Swedish king’s German campaigns in the Thirty Years’ War.

He returned to Leitrim and built his castle in Manorhamilton.

Maurice Craig points out in his The Architecture of Ireland from the earliest times to 1880 that there are a group of similar buildings, built over a period of fifty years or more: Rathfarnham Castle in Dublin; Kanturk for MacDonagh MacCarthy, before 1609; Portumna for the Earl of Clanrickarde, before 1618; Manorhamilton for Sir Frederick Hamilton, probably around 1634; Raphoe, for Bishop John Leslie (the “Fighting Bishop” – see my entry on Castle Leslie https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/08/07/castle-leslie-glaslough-county-monaghan/) in 1636, and Burntcourt for Sir Richard Everard before 1650. We visited Portumna in County Galway – see my entry https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/02/14/office-of-public-works-properties-connacht/. The buildings resemble a fort, such as Mountjoy Fort in County Tyrone built 1600-1605. Killenure, County Tipperary, now also a Section 482 property, is similar but has cylindrical flankers, Craig tells us. This last was unroofed by 1793.

Burncourt, CountyTipperary courtesy Mike Searle, Creative Commons geograph.org.uk -1393348
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021, built for the Earl of Clanrickarde, before 1618: one of a group of similar buildings, built over a period of fifty years or more. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin, another one of a group of similar buildings, built over a period of fifty years or more. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Raphoe, County Donegal, another one of a group of similar buildings, built over a period of fifty years or more. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Kanturk_Castle courtesy Breda O’Mullane, photograph licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Manorhamilton Castle, County Leitrim, August 2022. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Manorhamilton Castle was attacked in the 1641 Rebellion. The fighting only ended in 1643, when James Butler, later 1st Duke of Ormond, negotiated a cessation of hostilities with the Catholic Confederation.

Robert O’Byrne tells us on his wonderful site, The Irish Aesthete, that Frederick Hamilton attacked the Catholics in Sligo in retribution for their 1641 uprising:

In July 1642, in retaliation for their latest assault, he sacked Sligo and burnt much of the town, including the abbey. In 1643, after Manorhamilton was unsuccessfully attacked again, he hanged 58 of his opponents from a scaffold erected outside the castle.” [3]

O’Byrne shares with us an extract from a short story written by W. B. Yeats, called The Curse of the Fires and of the Shadows (1897), about the sack of the abbey in Sligo:

One summer night, when there was peace, a score of Puritan troopers, under the pious Sir Frederick Hamilton, broke through the door of the Abbey of White Friars at Sligo. As the door fell with a crash they saw a little knot of friars gathered about the altar, their white habits glimmering in the steady light of the holy candles. All the monks were kneeling except the abbot, who stood upon the altar steps with a great brass crucifix in his hand. “Shoot them!” cried Sir Frederick Hamilton, but nobody stirred, for all were new converts, and feared the candles and the crucifix. For a little while all were silent, and then five troopers, who were the bodyguard of Sir Frederick Hamilton, lifted their muskets, and shot down five of the friars.’

In the story, the five soldiers who shoot the monks are cursed by the abbot. Hamilton orders the soldiers to intercept two messengers who have been sent by the people of Sligo to call for help. Due to the curse, the soldiers lose their way in the forest, and a vengeful “sidhe” (fairy) leads them to their death falling from a cliff. [4]

In 1645 Frederick Hamilton was back on the road, commanding a regiment in the Scottish covenanters’ army against the royal forces. After he left Manorhamilton, his castle was burned in 1652. [5] It was burnt by the army of Ulick Burke, 5th Earl of Clanricarde, Catholic leader of the Royalist army in Ireland. [see 1]

Manorhamilton Castle, County Leitrim, August 2022. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Frederick and his wife Sidney had a daughter, Christina, and three sons, all of whom became soldiers. James and Frederick both fought in their father’s regiment in 1645–6, and Frederick died in 1647 in the Irish wars, in Connacht. The youngest son, Gustavus Hamilton (1642-1723), later 1st Viscount Boyne, fought in the Irish campaigns of King William. [see 2] He took part in the Battle of the Boyne (during which his horse was shot under him and he was almost killed), the Siege of Athlone, the Battle of Aughrim and the Siege of Limerick.

After his first wife’s death, Frederick married again, this time he married Agnes, or Alice, daughter of Sir Robert Hepburn of Alderstown, in Scotland. They had no children. The castle was not rebuilt after it was burned.

Gustavus Hamilton 1st Viscount Boyne sat in the Irish House of Commons for County Donegal from 1692 to 1713.  Subsequently he was returned for Strabane until 1715.  He was granted 3,500 acres of confiscated land at Stackallan in Co. Meath where he built an imposing residence. In 1715 he was elevated to the peerage and two years later created Viscount Boyne. He married Elizabeth Brooke of Brookeborough in Co. Fermanagh and they had three sons and a daughter. Gustavus died in 1723 at the age of eighty.

Gustavus Hamilton (1642-1723) 1st Viscount Boyne, c. 1680 unknown artist.
Stackallan house, County Meath, built for Gustavus Hamilton 1st Viscount Boyne, photograph courtesy of Timothy William Ferres. [6]

The Manorhamilton website tells us that the marriage of Hannah, Frederick’s grand-daughter, to Sir William Gore 3rd Baronet Gore, of Magherabegg, Co. Donegal, carried the Manorhamilton portion of the estate into the Gore family. Hannah was the daughter of Frederick’s son James (d. 1652). James married Catherine Hamilton (1623-1670/71) who was the daughter of Claud Hamilton (d. 1638) 2nd Baron of Strabane, who was the son of James Hamilton 1st Earl of Abercorn.

In February 1759 a descendant, Ralph Gore, sold the 5393 acre Manorhamilton estate to his cousin by marriage, Nathaniel Clements (d. 1777). It was Nathaniel Clements who built the Ranger’s Lodge in Dublin’s Phoenix Park for himself which, much enlarged and altered, became the Vice-Regal Lodge and is now the residence of the President of Ireland, Áras an Uachtaráin.

Manorhamilton Castle, County Leitrim, August 2022. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

[1] https://theirishaesthete.com/2019/03/18/manorhamilton/

[2] Dictionary of Irish Biography https://www.dib.ie/biography/hamilton-sir-frederick-a3737

[3] https://theirishaesthete.com/2019/03/18/manorhamilton/

[4] Yeats, William Butler (1914), Stories of Red Hanrahan – The Secret Rose – Rosa Alchemica, New York: The MacMillan Company, pp. 134–144

[5] www.manorhamilton.ie

[6] http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2018/04/stackallan-house.html

Lisdonagh House, Caherlistrane, Co. Galway – section 482 tourist accommodation

www.lisdonagh.com (Tourist Accommodation Facility) 

Open for accommodation: May 1-Oct 31 2026

Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.

The 2025 Revenue list still hasn’t been published so today I am writing about Lisdonagh in County Galway. It is another tourist accommodation property that is only available as a whole house rental, so I don’t think I will be able to visit. There are also cottages available for accommodation – perhaps Stephen and I can stay there sometime!

The website tells us:

When looking for an authentic Irish country house to hire, the beautiful 18th century early Georgian Heritage home is the perfect choice. Lisdonagh House is large enough to accommodate families, friends and groups for private gatherings. This private manor house is available for exclusive hire when planning your next vacation or special event. Enchantingly elegant, Lisdonagh Manor House in Galway has been lovingly restored and boasts original features as well as an extensive antiques collection. Peacefully set in secluded woodland surrounded by green fields and magnificent private lake, this luxury rental in Galway is full of traditional character and charm. The tasteful decor pays homage to the history of Lisdonagh Manor with rich and warm colours in each room. The private estate in Galway is perfect for family holidays, celebrations and Board of Director strategy meetings. Lisdonagh is an excellent base for touring Galway, Mayo and the Wild Atlantic Way.

Lisdonagh Estate is set in its own mature woodland with private lake and guests may avail of complimentary horse riding, fishing in our lake and rambling walks through our 200 acres of Irish countryside.

Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.

I would love to be able to stay sometime!

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage tells us it was built around 1760; Mark Bence-Jones estimated it to be from 1790s. [1] [2] A third date is suggested on the Visit Galway website which tells us that Lisdonagh House is an early Georgian country manor built around the 1720s by the Reddingtons for the St. George family who were prominent landlords in Galway. [3] 

The Landed Estates website tells us:

For fifty years in the middle of the 19th century a branch of the O’Flaherty family leased an estate at Lisdonagh, parish of Donaghpatrick, barony of Clare, county Galway, from the St. George family of Headford. Bernard O’Flaherty of Lisdonagh was agent to Peter Lynch of Ballycurran in the 1830s…In the 1870s Martin O’Flaherty of Lisdonagh owned 2,128 acres in county Galway. He married Mary O’Gorman and their daughter Eva, a founder member of Scoil Acla on Achill Island, was born in 1874. He sold his estate to Peter O’Mahony in the late 19th century and Lisdonagh passed to Henry Palmer of Galway, who married O’Mahony’s daughter. Their daughter Valda Palmer lived at Lisdonagh until the 1990s. In 1885 Martin Francis O’Flaherty was acting as a trustee for the estate of Edward Michael Davies, a bankrupt. Part of this estate at Moneyteigue, barony of Dunkellin, was offered for sale in the Landed Estates court in April 1885.” [4]

The Women’s Museum of Ireland tells us that Eva O’Flaherty studied millinery in Paris at the end of the 19th century, where she knew Countess Markievicz, and had a millinery emporium on Sloane Street, London, in 1913. Prior to World War I Eva was a well known beauty in the Café Royal, mixing with an eclectic intellectual artistic milieu, many of whom visited her in later years in Achill. Eva corresponded with Kathleen Clarke and other notable Republican women such as Dr Kathleen Lynn and Máire Comerford all her life. She moved to Achill in 1910, opening St Colman’s Knitting Industries in Dooagh which would proved much needed employment for local women for almost fifty years and co-founding Scoil Acla with poet, journalist and, later, politician, Darrell Figgis, Colm O’Loughlainn and Anita McMahon. [5]

After her hectic experiences in Dublin, Eva settled back into life in Achill, where artist Paul Henry became a close friend and where writer Graham Green played cards regularly in her home. Such was Eva O’Flaherty’s contribution to the fledgling Irish state that President Eamon De Valera sent Senator Mark Killilea as his government representative to give the oration at her funeral in Donaghpatrick graveyard in April 1963. Her coffin was draped with a tricolour and she received military honours.” [5]

Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.

The house is two storeys over basement. It has five bays, with a central curved bow. The entrance doorway is in the bow, and has an arched fanlight over the door. The doorcase has limestone block-and-start surround, with a keystone in the form of a massive scroll bracket, and a further cornice above and limestone bracket above that in the form of a heraldic bird’s head, with the beak forming a ring for hanging a lantern. [see 1] The door is approached by flight of five limestone steps with wrought-iron railings.

Mark Bence-Jones tells us that on one side of the house is a detached pyramidally-roofed Palladian pavilion with a Venetian window on one face and a niche on the other. Bence-Jones adds that Dr. Craig is doubtful whether a balancing pavilion was ever built.

The house has commanding views over Lough Hackett, a private Lake which forms part of the Estate, and of Knochma hill. 

Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from website.
Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.

The rear elevation is of three bays and three storeys, with a centre flat-roofed canted bay. This rear bay contains a round headed window with cobweb fanlight which lights the stairs.

Mark Bence-Jones writes in his A Guide to Irish Country Houses that the impressive front hall has walls painted with an Ionic order and figures in grisaille by J. Ryan. [2] The Lisdonagh website tells us that the murals depict the four virtues of valour, chastity, beauty and justice.

Lisdonagh House, photograph from website.

The staircase is behind this hall, partly in three sided projection.

The main rooms are beautifully furnished and look invitingly comfortable. The ground floor has a spacious drawing room with open fire, separate Georgian dining room, small study or reading room and fully equipped kitchen. Dining can be self catered or provided by your hosts on request. A sweeping original oak staircase leads to the first floor and 5 en-suite bedrooms with lake or garden views. There are an additional 4 en-suite bedrooms on the lower ground floor as well as Rafferty’s Room which is a stone clad snug with mini bar style facilities. 

Drawing room, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
Drawing room, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
Lisdonagh House library, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
Dining room, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
Dining room, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
The Bar, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
The Kitchen, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.

The bedrooms look equally enticing.

The Gregory Room: Located in what was originally the kitchens of the Manor, this spacious room features two single beds, marble bathroom and antique period furniture treasures. The two front facing windows are deep set with planted rockery outside. Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
The Merriman room with four poster bed, and a bathroom with one of the first ever bathtubs in Ireland! Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
The Sommerville Room: Also on the lower ground floor (opposite the Merriman Room) with double bed and beautiful black and white tiled bathroom. Jacuzzi bath with hand held shower, the Sommerville room has courtyard garden view. Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
The Synge Room, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
The Maud Gonne room, with two windows with garden and courtyard views, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
Located centrally over the main entrance, The Carolan Room, Lisdonagh House, photograph from website.
The Yeats Room, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
With views of Lough Hackett, The Joyce Bedroom, Lisdonagh House, County Galway, photograph from Lisdonagh website.
The Flaherty Room, located on the lower ground floor, with whitewashed walls and antique brass double bed with mother of pearl headboard. The shuttered window gives a rear view of the courtyard garden area, photograph from Lisdonagh website.

The National Inventory tells us that there is a detached eight-bay two-storey stable block, built c.1760, in yard ancillary to Lisdonagh House. At either end are plain gate piers with wrought-iron gates. The yard has a carriage arch and fountain.

Coach House at Lisdonagh House, photograph from website. Previously the estate’s stables, the two storey, 3 bedroom Coach House is beautifully renovated and has both period features and modern comforts. It comprises a large contemporary kitchen and breakfast room, under floor heating, a spacious sitting room complete with stove and TV including both Irish and UK channels as well as a smaller study or games room. Upstairs there are three en-suite double bedrooms. 

It has two cottages for accommodation also.

Lughnasa Villa at Lisdonagh House, photograph from website: Two storeys with under floor heating on the ground floor as well as a compact galley style kitchen and beautiful antique furnishings. Ideal for friends and families, Lughnasa has two double bedrooms (king size & queen size beds) and two bathrooms. 

As well as Lughasa Villa there is Inisfree Villa. On the ground floor there is a large sitting room with plush period furnishings and wood burning stove. A small but fully fitted galley kitchen is adjacent to the sitting room. Upstairs there are two bedrooms, one very spacious double bedroom and a twin bedroom – both en-suite.

There is a two-bay single-storey gate lodge of c.1830 on the opposite side of the road to the entrance gates, with lime-rendered walls and wide windows. The entrance is through the porch in the south return wall.

Gate Lodge at Lisdonagh House, photograph from website. This self-catering cottage is located at the entrance to Lisdonagh Manor Estate. Set entirely over the ground floor, this holiday rental in Galway can sleep four people in two bedrooms with shared bathroom. The Gate Lodge also has a kitchen with dining area and a sitting room. Oil fired central heating with multi-fuel stove. 

[1] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30404211/lisdonagh-house-lisdonagh-co-galway

[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://visitgalway.ie/lisdonagh-house/ 

[4] http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=L

[5] https://www.womensmuseumofireland.ie/blog/eva-oflaherty-achills-forgotten-heroine

Bewley’s, 78-79 Grafton Street/234 Johnson’s Court, Dublin 2 – Section 482 property in 2024

www.bewleys.com

Open dates in 2026: all year, except Christmas Day, Jan 8am-5pm, Feb – Nov, 8am-6pm, Dec 8am-7pm
Fee: Free

Bewleys, Grafton Street, which opened in 1927. The Grafton Street front includes the gilded Behdety, the winged sun emblem of Horus of Behdet, a god of the midday sun in Egypt. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

In 1840 Samuel Bewley and his son Charles began to import tea directly from China. Charles’s brother Joshua established the China Tea Company, the precursor to Bewleys. Fiona Murdoch tells us that Joshua Bewley started off with a premises consisting of three houses on Sycamore Street in Dublin, just off Dame Street beside the Olympia Theatre. He dealt mostly in tea and sugar and a small amount of coffee. He also sold vases and ornaments. [1]

The Georges Street café, which is no longer a Bewleys café, opened in 1894. Joshua changed supplier for his coffee and had to purchase in larger quantities. Worried he would not sell it all, he started to hold coffee-making demonstrations at the back of the shop, hoping people would purchase the coffee on their way out. His wife Bertha made rolls and scones which Joshua carried on his bicycle into town to serve with the coffee.

In 1896, he opened another café at 10 Westmoreland Street. Joshua’s son Ernest joined the business. In 1916 he bought 12 Westmoreland Street.

The Grafton Street branch opened in 1927 in what were originally two Georgian townhouses.

Bewleys, courtesy Flynnmc.com
Bewleys, courtesy Bewleys stock photographs, flickr, 2009.

The higgeldy piggeldy rooms upstairs remind us that it was a private residence. One of the rooms upstairs now houses a lunchtime theatre, which opened in 1999. They have lately introduced a new Soirée performance, which takes place on the second Thursday of each run at 7pm. 

Bewleys, courtesy Bewleys stock photographs, flickr, 2009.

The buildings on Grafton Street previously housed Whyte’s Academy, a school attended by Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, and Robert Emmet.

The Buildings of Ireland publication on Dublin South City tells us: “Rebuilt in 1926 to designs by Miller and Symes, the playful mosaics framing the ground and mezzanine floors are indebted to the Egyptian style then in vogue following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. The interior, originally modelled on the grand cafés of Europe and Oriental tearooms, was restructured in 1995 but retains a suite of six stained glass windows designed (1927) by the celebrated Harry Clarke (1889-1931). Four windows lighting the back wall of the tearoom are particularly fine and represent the four orders of architecture.” [2]

The 1995 renovation was designed by Paul Brazil.

Image by James Fennell, 2014, Tourism Ireland, from Ireland’s Content Pool.
Bewleys, courtesy Bewleys stock photographs, flickr, 2009.

The four orders of architecture represented are the Doric, Corinthian, Ionic and Composite.

Bewleys Oriental Café, Grafton Street, the four Harry Clake windows. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Ionic window, Bewleys Oriental Café, Grafton Street, Harry Clake windows. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Bewleys Oriental Café, Grafton Street, Harry Clake windows. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Bewleys Oriental Café, Grafton Street, Harry Clake windows. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Bewleys Oriental Café, Grafton Street, Harry Clake windows. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Ernest Bewley’s three sons Victor, Alfred and Joe took over: Victor ran the business, Alfred cooked and Joe ran Knocksedan farm with its prize-winning Jersey cows. Ernest imported the first Jersey cows to Ireland. I remember looking forward to the jersey cow milk when we’d visit when I was young. I used to think the waitresses’ smart black and white uniform the height of glamour.

My great-aunt Harriet, famed for her severity, who used to say one should always leave the table hungry, would buy the famed cherry buns in the vestibule, which was a shop, and bring them inside to eat, as they were cheaper in the shop than in the café!

Bewleys entrance 2009, courtesy Bewleys stock photographs, flickr.

In the 1980s and 90s Dubliners loved the coffee with hot milk that Bewleys served, a precursor to today’s flat white. A group of friends met weekly for a conversation group downstairs in the Grafton Street branch. It was a rare venue open in the evening that was not a pub. One evening we were locked in when the staff didn’t notice we were still deep in discussion!

The Westmoreland Street venue was my haunt in the late 1990s, where I loved the animal skin themed snug downstairs and where we could chat philosophy for hours.

Bewleys Westmoreland Street courtesy Liam Blake, Real Ireland [3]

Recently Paddy Bewley died, the last of the family directly involved with the running of the cafe and coffee business of Bewleys. Paddy was responsible for starting the coffee supplying end of the Bewley business.

Paddy, like those in his family before him, was a Quaker, and he lived by their ethos. Mungo Bewley left Cumberland for Ireland in 1700 and settled in Edenderry, County Offaly. Ireland offered religious tolerance under the Toleration Act. Many Quakers entered trade rather than professions because the former did not require an oath, and Quakers did not believe in taking oaths, believing that their word was enough.

Victor Bewley writes in his memoir that Maud Gonne frequented Bewleys. He adds:

Bewley’s was obviously a place conducive to writers because there was a lot of life milling around, so to speak. Mary Lavin was donkey’s years coming in and I believe she wrote some of her early stories in the cafés. Maeve Binchy became a regular customer when she worked on The Irish Times.” [4]

Bewleys, mezzanine level, courtesy Bewleys stock photographs, flickr, 2009.
Bewleys, mezzanine level, courtesy Bewleys stock photographs, flickr, 2009.

In 1986 Patrick Campbell acquired the company of Bewleys, forming the Campbell Bewley Group, and Paddy Bewley continued to work for the company.

In 1996, Paddy Bewley signed up the company to purchase Fair Trade coffee only, guaranteeing that producers of coffee and their communities would be paid a good price for their beans, irrespective of market fluctuations. In 2008 the company’s roasteries and headquarters in Dublin became 100% carbon neutral. (notes from Paddy Bewley’s obituary in the Irish Times, Saturday January 8th 2022).

There has been much discussion lately about the beautiful Harry Clarke windows in the Grafton Street Bewleys – are they part of the building, or removeable art? I believe they are not actually the windows but can be removed. It is being discussed because it’s not clear who owns them.

Bewleys Oriental Café, Grafton Street, Harry Clake windows. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Bewleys business branched into hotels. Stephen and I held our wedding reception in the Bewleys hotel in Ballsbridge, a former school run by the Freemasons. The hotels too have been sold on to another business.

Bewleys Oriental Café, Grafton Street, another decorative window: “Cruitne” by Jim Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick’s website tells us that Cruitne was the beautiful daughter of the chieftain Lochan. She fell in love with the youthful warrior Finn McCool, much to the disgust of her father who disapproved as the warrior Goll wanted the head of Finn on a plate for a great insult to him and his people. They became lovers but never married as Finn was afraid the Cruitne would be killed in his place if they were man and wife. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The side door of Bewleys. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

[1] Victor Bewley’s Memoirs, as recorded by his granddaughter Fiona Murdoch. Updated edition. Veritas Publications, Dublin, 2002, updated in 2021.

[2] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/app/uploads/2019/10/Dublin-South-City.pdf

[3] https://liamblakephotographer.com/real-ireland/

[4] p. 61, Victor Bewley’s Memoirs.

Lambay Castle, Lambay Island, Malahide, Co. Dublin – section 482 tourist accommodation

Happy New Year! My best wishes for the year ahead. I hope it will bring many exciting house visits.

2026 Diary of Irish Historic Houses (section 482 properties)

To purchase an A5 size 2026 Diary of Historic Houses (opening times and days are not listed so the calendar is for use for recording appointments and not as a reference for opening times) send your postal address to jennifer.baggot@gmail.com along with €20 via this payment button. The calendar of 84 pages includes space for writing your appointments as well as photographs of the historic houses. The price includes postage within Ireland. Postage to U.S. is a further €10 for the A5 size calendar, so I would appreciate a donation toward the postage – you can click on the donation link.

€20.00

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

A tour of Lambay Castle is expensive so I don’t think Stephen and I will be going any time soon, so I thought I would publish an entry about it today.

Lambay Island, photograph courtesy of www.visitdublin.com
Portrane and Lambay Island, County Dublin 1844 after John Edward Jones.

The island is owned and protected today by the Revelstoke Trust and daily management lies in the hands of Alex Baring, 7th Baron Revelstoke, and his family.

The castle on Lambay Island is privately owned but can be rented for accommodation, and there is other accommodation on the island. One can also visit the island on a day trip but the castle is not open to visitors unless booked in advance on the website.

www.lambayisland.ie
(Tourist Accommodation Facility) 

Open for accommodation: April 1- September 30 2026

The website tells us that it the largest island off the east coast of Ireland and the largest privately owned island in North-West Europe. The island is home to seals and puffins, with deer and wallabies that were originally imported. Nesting birds include Fulmars, Guillemots, Herring Gulls, Kittiwakes, Manx Shearwaters and Puffins, while Greylag Geese are common winter visitors. 

The island’s farm produces organic meat from sheep, deer and wallabies. Energy on the island is provided by a wind turbine and solar panels, and water is from a natural spring.

Lambay Island is self-sustaining, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie

The island has an ancient history. The website tells us:

Its early history is obscure but, like many other small islands, it attracted saints, hermits and pirates. It is thought to be one of the first few places where Viking raiders landed and proofs of its prehistoric history and early modern settlement were found around the harbour which date from the 1st century AD.  Excavations also revealed Iron-Age graves dating back to circa 500 BC.”

St. Columba may have established a monastery on the island as early as the sixth century.

In 1181 the island was granted by Prince John (later king) to the Archbishops of Dublin, who received rents and tithes from the island.

To prevent piracy or invasion of the mainland, a license was granted to build a fort in the early 1500s. The structure built may may have formed the core of the castle still surviving when Cecil Baring later purchased the land. John Challoner (d. 1581), who was the first Secretary of State for Ireland, appointed by Queen Elizabeth I in 1560, agreed to build a village, castle and harbour on the island. The website tells us that he set up mines for copper and silver on the island, though it is not clear how successful this was, and bred falcons.

The island passed by marriage to the Ussher family in 1611. James Ussher (1581-1656) is the cleric famous for calculating that the earth was created around 6 pm on 22 October 4004 BC.

James Ussher (1580-1656) Archbishop of Armagh aged 74 by Peter Lely, courtesy of National Trust Hatchlands.

Sean O’Reilly tells us in his Irish Houses and Gardens. From the Archives of Country Life (published by Aurum Press Ltd, London, 1998) that:

Weaver’s first article on an Irish house already showed clearly his concern for disposing of unauthenticated traditions. Among those he corrected was the presumption, promulgated in Samuel Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary of 1837, that the island was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Archbishop James Ussher, a figure famous for dating the creation of the world to 4004 BC on the basis of a chronology of the Old Testament. Weaver pointed out that the island was in fact held by Ussher’s cousin, William. Despite many vicissitudes, Lambay Island remained in possession of the Usshers from 1551 to 1804, from which time no significant work was done on the castle until the arrival of Baring.” [1]

The website tells us that the island was used as a Prisoner of War camp for over 1,000 Irish soldiers during the Williamite war after the Battle of Aughrim. 

In 1805 the island was inherited by William Wolseley and in 1814 it was acquired by the family of Richard Wogan Talbot, 2nd Baron Talbot of Malahide. They built a school and a Catholic chapel on the island. The chapel was later renovated by Lutyens to resemble a Doric temple and the school no longer exists.

James Considine sold Portrane House and purchased Lambay in 1888. Count Considine set about developing the island as a hunting estate and was the first man to introduce deer onto the island. 

Lambay Island, photograph courtesy of www.visitdublin.com

In 1904, Cecil Baring, later the 3rd Baron Revelstoke, and his wife Maude Lorillard bought the island. Baring was a classical scholar and naturalist as well as former director of his family’s New York office of Barings Bank. The website tells us:

​”In early 1904, with Maude heavily pregnant, Cecil went to investigate Lambay; he found a small line of cottages occupied by coastguards, a chapel, a walled garden, a dilapidated old fort and a magnificent wealth of wildlife. It was an intoxicating mixture.

​​”The first task facing the Barings was the repair of the castle and they refitted a heavy lugger, the Shamrock, to carry the necessary materials to the island. The Shamrock (version 3.0) is still in use today as Lambay’s main cargo boat and is used to transport the sheep and cattle as well as bulkier materials and equipment for the off-grid energy system.

Baring hired Edward Lutyens to renovate the property. The website tells us:

​”Lutyens was utterly delighted by Lambay and the couple, and the visit sparked a warm friendship between the three of them that would last throughout their lives. Lutyens extended the Castle masterfully and by 1910 it was a beautiful refuge for Cecil and Maude, surrounded by an impressive circular wall, which Lutyens nicknamed “The Ramparts Against Uncharity“.

Lambay Island, photograph courtesy of www.visitdublin.com

Sean O’Reilly describes the work of Lutyens:

p. 30. “By the time of Lutyen’s arrival much original fabric had deteriorated, and he was required to rebuild in part, though he retained triumphantly the ancient mood. A new service range was necessary, discreetly located off a corner of the castle and set into the ground so as not to dominate the main castle. Lutyens also ensured the prominence of the medieval fabric by deciding not to repeat the leitmotif of the original – the stepped gables – in the new work. Instead he used steep sweeping tiled roofs broken by dormers, gables and stacks.” [1]

Lambay Castle, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie
From “In Harmony with Nature, The Irish Country House Garden 1600-1900” in the Irish Georgian Society, July 2022, curated by Robert O’Byrne.
Lambay Castle, Lambay Island. Photograph from Country Life published 4th May 1912.

The Historic Houses of Ireland website describes the residence:

Today the three-bay centre of the north-west front, which faces a bastion gateway in the Rampart Wall, is flanked by two full-height projecting bays, each with crow-stepped gables and tall chimneys. Lutyens attached a wing to provide guest accommodation at the northeastern corner and regarded the “link between the two buildings as one of his most brilliant architectural coups” since the castle, which appears single storied on this front, continues to dominate the two-storey wing. The castle and the farm buildings, and the walls of the much enlarged gardens were built in grey-green Lambay stone, with grey pantile roofs, and form a sequence of courts, walled gardens and enclosed yards that give the impression of a small hamlet nestling for protection beneath the castle walls.” [2]

The castle and west forecourt of Lambay Castle, Lambay Island. Photograph from Country Life published 4th May 1912.
Lambay Castle: ground and first floor plans, as altered by Lutyens, 1908-11, courtesy https://landedfamilies.blogspot.com

Sean O’Reilly describes Lutyen’s work in more detail:

Lutyens did need to provide suitable facilities within the surviving ruins of the castle, the most basic of these being a staircase. Curiously, the original castle fabric did not possess internal access to the upper floor, so Lutyens inserted his in the space between the bastions at the rear of the building. He linked these two with a sequence of three cross windows broken by the arched doorway leading to the staircase. The new arrangement is a typically imaginative piece of intervention by Lutyens, as it performs a number of functions with appropriate efficiency. It gives access not only to the bedrooms on the upper floor, but also to the raised ground at the rear of the castle, and it connects to the underground service passage to the kitchen wing. 

Reception rooms also needed to be provided inside the ruins, and again it was to Lutyens’s credit that he succeeded in creating an imaginative variety of shapes and spaces without intruding on the individuality of the building. Perhaps most surprising is the provision of two entrance halls, one in each of the corner bastions of the entrance front, and each with its own door. The sitting room, reached only after passing through the central dining room and staircase hall behind, is in the corner adjoining the service wing.

Due to the need for the reconstruction of this corner Lutyens was more free to open out the architecture, without actually intruding on surviving original fabric. Here he introduced a pointed stone arch linking the section of the room in the original bastion with that part set between the bastions. Lutyens topped this range with a hipped roof – an informal nod to the detailing of the service wing – and square battlements – a more formal bow to the stepping in the original gables, seen across the view of the north court.” [1]

Lambay Castle, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie

The Historic Houses of Ireland website tells us that the castle is “constructed with small doors and small casements so that the inhabitants seem, on rough days, to be sheltering like monks.”  [see 2]

The interior has vaulted ceilings, stone fireplaces and a curved stone staircase, while much of the furniture chosen by Lutyens is still arranged just as he intended. 

Spiral arches, Lambay Castle, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie
At the head of the stone stair at Lambay Castle. Photograph from Country Life published 4th May 1912.  
The staircase landing at Lambay Castle. Photograph from Country Life published 4th May 1912.  
The eastern half of the sitting room at Lambay Castle. Photograph from Country Life published 4th May 1912.  
The kitchen in the guest accommodation in the castle, Lambay Castle, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie
The guest accommodation in the castle, Lambay Castle, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie

Lutyens also adapted and enlarged a number of other early structures and integrated them into an ingenious  coordinated layout for the whole island, combining the farm, gardens and plantations as a single composition, in collaboration with the horticulturalist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. 

Rampart walls, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie

Mark Bence-Jones describes the wall that surrounds the castle and gardens: this wall serves the practical purpose of a wind-break, enabling trees and plants to grow inside it which would not grow outside. [3] He also describes the approach to the castle:

Lutyens also designed the approach from the harbour, with curved step-like terraces reminiscent of the now-vanished Ripetta in Rome; characteristically, having ascended these Baroque steps, one has to cross an open field to come to the curtain wall, the entrance gaeway not being at first visible; so that there is a wonderful sense of expectancy. Close the the harbour is the White House, a largely single-storey horseshoe-shaped house with high roofs and white harled walls, which Lutyens designed 1930s for Lord Revelstoke’s daughter, Hon Mrs (Arthur) Pollen. On a hill is an old Catholic chapel, with a portico of tapering stone columns and a barrel vaulted ceiling.” [see 3]

The walled kitchen garden pierces the Rampart Wall to the South and there is the mausoleum of the Revelstokes, designed by Lutyens in 1930, on the opposite side of the enclosure. The website tells us:

​”Cecil and Maude had 12 blissful years together with their little family on Lambay but alas, in 1922, a still young Maude died of cancer, leaving Cecil with two daughters, Daphne and Calypso, and their little son Rupert. Her body was brought back from London to the island for burial. Lutyens, who was then busy with war memorials and the government buildings of New Delhi, designed a large monument for her grave, set in against the rampart walls and facing towards the Castle. The mausoleum is today one of the most pleasant and peaceful spots on the island. Prefacing Cecil’s epitaph, a beautiful poem about his wife, is the word ‘Quiet’, both an imperative to the reader and a description of the monument’s setting.

Lutyens  also designed the White House overlooking the harbour on the western shores of the island, as a holiday home for the couple’s two daughters and their families. This is now available as visitor accommodation.

The White House, Lambay, photograph courtesy of www.lambayisland.ie

The website tells us that Cecil convened a congress to examine the flora and fauna of the island, the findings of which were published in The Irish Naturalist (1907).

He also tried to introduce new species, including mouflon sheep, chamois goats, kinkajous and rheas.  Today, there is a large population of wallabies on Lambay, but these were brought here in the 1980s by Cecil’s son Rupert Revelstoke, who had enjoyed having two pet wallabies in the 1950s.

Lambay Island, photograph courtesy of www.visitdublin.com

I hope that Stephen and I can visit the island and the castle someday!

[1] Sean O’Reilly Irish Houses and Gardens. From the Archives of Country Life. Published by Aurum Press Ltd, London, 1998.

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

[3] 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. 

Killeen Mill, Clavinstown, Drumree, Co. Meath – section 482 tourist accommodation

2026 Diary of Irish Historic Houses (section 482 properties)

To purchase an A5 size 2026 Diary of Historic Houses (opening times and days are not listed so the calendar is for use for recording appointments and not as a reference for opening times) send your postal address to jennifer.baggot@gmail.com along with €20 via this payment button. The calendar of 84 pages includes space for writing your appointments as well as photographs of the historic houses. The price includes postage within Ireland. Postage to U.S. is a further €10 for the A5 size calendar, so I would appreciate a donation toward the postage – you can click on the donation link.

€20.00

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

A happy new year to all of my readers!

www.killeenmill.ie
Tourists Accommodation Facility – not open to the public

Open for accommodation in 2026: April 1- Sept 30, Mon-Sat

Killeen Mill, County Meath. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The five bay four storey mill was built in around 1800. [1] Built on to the side is a house, which is listed on 2024’s Revenue Section 482 as tourist accommodation, although the website link is not working for me today. If interested, you could try ringing (086) 818 2384. The mill was once part of the Killeen estate of the Plunkett Earls of Fingal. Stephen and I drove by the property to see it in July 2022 after a wonderful visit to Dunsany Castle.

A sign on the mill tells us that it was owned by Christopher Plunkett, Earl of Fingal. The only Christopher who was Earl of Fingall is the 2nd Earl (1612-1649). There has been a mill on the site since the seventeenth century, the first record appears in the Civil Survey of 1654.

The sign tells us that the top floor was used for storing grain, the middle for shelling, grinding and “bolting.” The ground floor was used for “shafting” and there was also an office on this level, as well as a small shop. A kiln was used to dry the grain, added in the nineteenth century.

The mill was powered by a horizontal water wheel. Water was channelled to form a millpond. Water passed down a shute to the wheel which ground the flour.

Killeen Mill, County Meath. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Killeen Mill, County Meath. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Killeen Mill, County Meath. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The core of the miller’s house, the sign tells us, could date back to the sixteenth century!

The current owners, Dermot and Fiona Kealy, installed new flagstones inside the cottage and new windows. [2] The also reroofed the mill and made it a safe structure.

The cottage has a kitchen, family room and living room on the ground floor, while upstairs there’s a bathroom and three bedrooms. Fiona told the Irish Times about how restoration had to be done according to regulation for a historic building:  “We even had to have an archaeological dig to make sure we wouldn’t disturb anything of significance. Then everything had to be architecturally correct for the period. When we stripped off the layers of wallpaper, there were holes in the plaster, and our plasterer had to make up plaster with horsehair and lime, the way it would have been done.

It was handy, because the pony was having his hair cut and we used some of his hair. It’s lovely to think you’ve preserved something, and that Cookie the pony is forever enshrined in the walls.” [see 2] At first the family lived in the house, but then they moved to a larger house when their children grew, and they let the cottage for short stays.

[1] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14403802/killeen-mill-clowanstown-co-meath

[2] https://www.independent.ie/life/home-garden/homes/peek-inside-this-renovated-cottage-attached-to-a-17th-century-mill/35449984.html

Donation towards accommodation

I receive no funding nor aid to create and maintain this website, it is a labour of love. I travel all over Ireland to visit Section 482 properties and sometimes this entails an overnight stay. A donation would help to fund my accommodation.

€150.00

Clonskeagh Castle, Dublin – section 482

www.clonskeaghcastle.com

Open dates in 2026: Jan 10-12, 19-20, May 1-3, June 24-30, July 19-26, Aug 15-23, Sept 1-13, Nov 4-8, Dec 1-10, 10am-2pm

Fee: adult €12, student/OAP/groups €8

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

Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie

We visited Clonskeagh Castle in December 2023. The name Clonskeagh comes from the Irish “Cluain Sceach” – the meadow of the white thorns. The house was built around 1789 as a country residence (he also had a house in the city) for Henry Jackson (d. 1817), who owned an iron foundry.

The house was built on an elevated site, and originally faced a toward the Dodder River. It was more compact than the “castle” as we see it today as it did not have the porch or the two towers that now stand at the present front of the house. The front door is less impressive than one would expect but this is because it was not the original front. The portico was added around 1886 when the house was inherited by Robert Wade Thompson.

Owner Frank showed us notes written by architect Marc Kilkenny and architectural historian Alastair Rowan, with a photograph of the original arched entrance to the demesne.
A photograph of the house taken at the beginning of the twentieth century, which shows the landscaped gardens.
The front door of Clonskeagh Castle. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The house was purchased by the parents of the current owner in 1992. The house had been converted into flats and the Armstrongs converted it back into use as a family home. They carried out much work on the building, with the benefit of research and guidance of architectural historian, Professor Alistair Rowan. The website tells us:

The recent works [in 2019] have included restoration of the major portions of the parapet roof in accordance with best conservation practice; withdrawal of earth from the curtailage of the building, which had been piled up over at least a century giving rise to dampness in the walls; and restoration of rooms in what had been the servants’ quarters to create a small apartment.

These works have been executed by Rory McArdle, heritage contractor, under the supervision of award-winning architect Marc Kilkenny, with frequent reference to the conservation experts at Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Fionan de Barra, architect, also provided valuable consultation at the early stages of the project.

Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie

Frank Armstrong, the owner who showed us around, edits a magazine, https://cassandravoices.com/

In an article in the Irish Times published on October 6th 2022 written by Elizabeth Birdthistle, Marc Kilkenny said: “Working with my father-in-law at Clonskeagh Castle was an immense privilege. This house was like a member of the family and I felt honoured to be entrusted with the works… We reopened the original 18th century entrance to create a new sitting room which reintroduced south light into the entrance hall. We replaced the main roof and rerouted rainwater and transformed part of the basement into a light and spacious apartment with associated garden and steps up to a new terrace by the main kitchen. All works were carried out to the highest conservation standards.” [1]

Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie

The house contains a beautiful curving staircase with iron balusters, and a spacious upstairs lobby with arches and large sash casement windows letting in the light.

Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
The wooden banisters were changed to more decorative cast iron banisters around 1850 and decorative cornicing was added to stair hall and upstairs lobby. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The original owner of the house, Henry Jackson, was the fourth son of Hugh Jackson (1710?–77) of Creeve, Co. Monaghan, and his wife Eleanor (née Gault), who belonged to a family engaged in the linen trade. [2] Hugh Jackson introduced the linen trade to Ballybay, Co. Monaghan, and generally improved the town.

Henry Jackson started in business as an ironmonger in 1766. The Dictionary of Irish Biography tells us that he is listed in the Dublin Directory from 1768 as an ironmonger in Pill Lane, and from 1787 as an iron founder or iron and brass founder in Old Church Street. In 1798 he also had mills for rolling and slitting iron on the quays and for grinding corn in Phoenix Street (both also steam powered) and iron mills at Clonskeagh.

Henry Jackson joined the United Irishmen. He was influenced by the writings of Thomas Paine, the author of The Rights of Man, and Jackson named the house “Fort Paine.” The Society of United Irishmen was formed at a gathering in a Belfast tavern in October 1791. They were influenced by the ideals of the French Revolution, and they wanted to secure “an equal representation of all the people” in a national government. The founders were mostly Presbyterian but they vowed to make common cause with Irish Catholics. Presbyterians as well as Catholics had suffered under the Penal Laws in Ireland, as Presbyterians were “dissenters” from the established Protestant religion. Most of the original United Irishmen were members of the Irish Volunteers, which were local militias set up to keep order and safety when British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight in the American Revolutionary War (or as those in America call it, the War of Independence).

In Dublin on 4 November 1779, the Volunteers took advantage of the annual commemoration of King William III’s birthday, marching to his statue in College Green and demonstrating for the cause of free trade between Ireland and Great Britain. Previously, under the Navigation Acts, Irish goods had been subject to tariffs upon entering Britain, whereas British goods could pass freely into Ireland.

Painting by Francis Wheatley depicting the Dublin Volunteers on College Green, 1779.

Theobald Wolfe Tone was one of the founders of the United Irishmen. Thomas Russell had invited Tone, as the author of An Argument on behalf of the Catholics of Ireland, to the Belfast gathering in October 1791. By 1798, Tone instigated Rebellion for independence and the formation of a republic in Ireland, and he sought the help of the French. Although Protestant, Tone was secretary to Dublin’s Catholic Committee, a group which had been formed to seek repeal of the Penal Laws. The Catholic Committee was formed in 1757 by Charles O’Conor of Belanagare in County Sligo (see my entry about Clonalis).

Theobald Wolfe Tone, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.

In 1786 Henry Jackson, who was from a Presbyterian family, joined his son-in-law Oliver Bond, along with James Napper Tandy and Archibald Hamilton Rowan, to form a Dublin battalion of the Volunteers. He was also a member of the Dublin Society of United Irishmen. He sat on several of its committees, acting as its secretary and later as its treasurer, and was present at what proved to be the final meeting of the society when it was raided by the police (23 May 1794).

James Napper Tandy (1740-1803), United Irishman, by unknown artist, presented to National Gallery of Ireland by Mr. Parker 1872, object number NGI 429.

Henry Jackson of Clonskeagh Castle used his foundry to make pikes for the 1798 Rebellion. The website tells us:

Jackson was involved in preparations for the 1798 Rebellion, and his foundries were engaged to manufacture pikes for combat, and also iron balls of the correct bore to fit French cannons, in anticipation of an expected invasion. His son-in-law Oliver Bond was also heavily implicated in these plans.

In the event, Jackson was arrested before the ill-fated Rebellion, and imprisoned in England. After some time he was released on condition that he went into exile in America. He died in the city of Baltimore, Maryland in 1817.

Frank told us that the lyrics of the song “By the Rising of the Moon” may refer to the foundry in Clonskeagh. The lyrics of the song include:

At the rising of the moon, at the rising of the moon
For the pikes must be together at the rising of the moon
And come tell me Sean O’Farrell, where the gathering is to be
At the old spot by the river quite well known to you and me.

Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie

There are tunnels under the house which were perhaps used by Jackson to store his pikes and cannonballs.

The tunnels under Clonskeagh Castle. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
This looks like it could have been an outlet from the tunnels, and faces the original front of the house, toward the Dodder River. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Clonskeagh Castle website continues: “In 1811 the Castle was purchased by George Thompson, a landed proprietor, who had a post in the Irish Treasury, and it remained in the ownership of that family until the early twentieth century. It is interesting to note that whereas Henry Jackson was fired by the objective of Irish independence, the last Thompson family member to occupy the house was vehemently insistent on the preservation of the Union.

Thompson made alterations to the house and made what was formerly the back of the house into the front. The Armstrongs note that the hallway was thus left quite dark, and they did renovation work to allow light to penetrate from the south.

Notes from a report written by Alastair Rowan, with drawings of the original Henry Jackson house, and the George Thompson additions.
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie. We can see that the hall is now made bright by opening up the space to the outside.
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie

The house passed from George Thompson (1769-1860) to his son Thomas Higinbotham Thompson, to his son Robert Wade Thompson (1845-1919). [3] Robert Wade Thompson was a barrister, who married Edith Isabella Jameson, daughter of Reverend William Jameson (1811-1886) and Elizabeth Guinness (1813-1897). Reverend William Jameson was son of John Jameson of Jameson’s Whiskey Company. Elizabeth was the daughter of Arthur Hart Guinness (1768-1855) who was the son of Arthur Guinness (1725-1803), founder of Guinness Brewery.

The house then passed to Robert Wade Thompson’s son Thomas William Thompson in 1919.

The website tells us: “During the War of Independence (1919-1921) the Castle was occupied by the British military, and was used for some time to incarcerate Irish Republicans.

The castle was purchased in 1934 by G&T Crampton, a property development company who later developed the redbrick houses that now stand on the nearby Whitethorn, Whitebeam and Maple Roads.

“Clonskeagh Castle,” held by G. & T. Crampton. © Unknown. Digital content by Assoc. Prof. Joseph Brady, published by UCD Library, University College Dublin.

Frank showed us a couple of books about the area. The house was for sale when we visited. The new owners will be very lucky to own piece of Irish history.

Books that Frank showed us about the area. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Frank told us that in the large dining room they held musical events. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie
Clonskeagh Castle, photograph courtesy of Sherry Fitzgerald and myhome.ie

[1] https://www.irishtimes.com/property/residential/2022/10/06/clonskeagh-castle-complete-with-tunnel-and-secret-staircases-for-sale-for-295m/

[2] https://www.dib.ie/biography/jackson-henry-a4235

[3] https://www.famousjamesons.com

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