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.
p. 220. “(Lucas-Clements/IFR; Strutt, sub Rayleigh, B/PB) A simple md-C19 Tudor-Revival house of grey stone, probably by William Burn; rather steep gables and dormer-gables, mullioned windows. Hall divided by pointed arch; oak staircase. Spacious, pleasant rooms overlooking Mulroy Bay, along the shores of which is a woodland garden, particularly famous for its rhododendrons and azaleas. The planted was originally carried out by the 5th and last Earl of Leitrim and was continued after his death by his widow, the late Countess of Leitrim. Now the home of the late Lord Leitrim’s nephew, Hon Hedley Strutt.”
Detached three-bay two-storey country house over basement and with attic level, built 1865-66, having advanced two-storey gabled-fronted bay to the north-east end of the front elevation (north-west), single-bay single-storey gable-fronted porch to the centre, and with advanced gable-fronted bay to the south-east end of the rear elevation (south-east) having single-storey canted bay window at ground floor level and gablet to the south-western bay to the south-west elevation. Extended c.1890 having recessed three-bay two-storey block to the south-west with dormer attic level with four gable-fronted dormers to the south-east elevation and single-bay three-storey tower with crenellated parapet to the north-west elevation, recessed single-bay two-storey block to the north-east, and with single-bay single-storey blocks attached to the south-west and north-east ends of entire building. Pitched natural slate roofs with cut stone coping to gable ends and gable-fronted bays having cut stone kneeler stones at eaves level, some sections of exposed rather ends, and with stepped yellow brick chimneystacks with cut stone coping over; chimneystacks to the south-west and north-east gable ends of main two-storey blocks having ashlar bases rising to yellow brick upper sections. Hipped natural slate roof to single-storey extension to the south-west. Pitched and flat-headed dormers to south-east elevation having natural slate roofs. Cut stone ball finials on ashlar pedestals to gable apex to some projecting gable-fronted bays. Cast-iron hoppers and downpipes, replacement gutters. Squared and snecked grey and pink granite to elevation to south-east, gable walls to north-west and to entrance porch to the north-west elevation; tooled granite block-and-start quoins to corners and with moulded projecting plinth course. Smooth rendered ruled-and-lined walls with snecked pattern to north-west elevations with tooled granite block-and-start quoins to corners, and with moulded plinth. Cut stone stringcourses to tower above third stage opening with crenellated parapets over having chamfered coping stones. Tripartite and paired square-headed window openings to original three-bay block having chamfered tooled granite surrounds, chamfered tooled granite sills, tolled and chamfered granite mullions and some transoms, and with one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows; fixed-pane windows to canted bay to the south-east elevation. Paired, tripartite and single square-headed window openings to flanking two-storey blocks having flush yellow brick block-and-start surrounds, stone sills, and timber and metal casement windows and timber sliding sash windows. Some replacement windows. Pointed-arched doorway to porch to the north-west elevation having timber panelled double-doors, staged ashlar granite surround, and with cut stone hoodmoulding over; cut stone plaque motif over door to porch. Set back from road in extensive mature grounds to the east of Carrickart with south-east garden front having views over Carrick Bay to the south-east, and located on a shallow peninsula on Mulroy Bay. Extensive formal garden to the south-east, walled garden (see 40901753) to the north-west, and kitchen garden courtyard to the south-west. Multiple ancillary estate buildings to site.
Appraisal
This well-maintained Victorian country house retains its early form and character as well as the majority of its original fabric. The various blocks are arranged to produce a complex plan form which gives the false impression that the house evolved over a number of centuries when, in fact, it was built in two stages in the nineteenth century. The mullioned and transomed windows, many gabled projections, and steeply pitched roofs, all speak of the Tudor Revival style which was en vogue in the mid nineteenth century but the effect has been described as ‘a little hard and institutional for a private house’ (Rowan 1979): it is therefore not entirely surprising to learn that the original house was designed by George Wilkinson (1814-90) who is best remembered for the workhouses he designed in his capacity as Architect to the Poor Law Commissioners in Ireland and, in County Donegal, as the architect of the Letterkenny District Lunatic Asylum (1860-5). Mulroy House was built using good quality dressed and snecked masonry whose varied colours and tones create a mottled effect which is best appreciated on the garden front. The cut stone dressings are sparse, limited mainly to the door and window openings, but the crisp detailing is testament to the skill of the team of masons employed by the contractor, Mr. Crowe of Dublin, who completed the first stage of the house, a modest pile with a central porch, at a cost of £5,782. Mulroy House was not intended as a primary residence by its builder, William Sidney Clements (1806-78), third Earl of Leitrim, but was instead intended as the administrative centre of his Donegal estates. Clements inherited an enormous estate of 90,000 acres stretching across four counties in 1854 but was a much reviled landlord, particularly in County Donegal, owing to his wholesale evictions of tenants who were still reeling from the effects of the famine that hit the north-west of Ireland in 1878 and 1879. Clements was described in a contemporary newspaper as ‘symbolising evil at its worst’, needed an armed escort when in County Donegal, and was ultimately ambushed and assassinated at Cratlagh Wood by three men from the Fanad Peninsula. Mulroy House was inherited by his nephew, Robert Bermingham Clements (1847-92), fourth Earl of Leitrim, who greatly extended the house, more than doubling it in size, as his primary country seat. The identity of the architect responsible for the extensions is not known but they have been attributed to Thomas Drew (1838-1910) who not only produced designs for the new Holy Trinity Church (1895-6) at nearby Carrickart, built in part with financial support from the Clements family, but also extended (1885-90) the Clements seat at Lough Rynn in neighbouring County Leitrim. Occupying mature landscaped grounds on a peninsula jutting into Mulroy Bay, Mulroy House forms the centrepiece of an extensive estate, one of the best surviving estates in County Donegal, which boasts a collection of farm buildings and outbuildings, a walled garden, estate cottages and gate lodges.
“Lough Rynn Castle Hotel Estate & Gardens is one of the top luxury castle hotels to stay in. Located in County Leitrim, Lough Rynn Castle exceeds expectations as one of the most preferred hotels in Ireland.
“It is the ancestral home of the Clements family and the legendary Lord Leitrim. Our magical Irish castle hotel has been transformed from an incredible ancestral home into a place where old world elegance mixes seamlessly with unimaginable modern hotel luxury.
“Staying in a luxurious Castle Hotel in Ireland is a once in a lifetime experience and one that deserves to take place at a location full of history, luxury and charm. Take a step back in time as you approach imposing entrances at Lough Rynn Castle which offers acres of breathtaking scenery, historical sites and walled gardens. Our entire Irish castle hotel’s estate comprises of over 300 acres of land that is idyllic, rich in history and charmed with natural beauty. Take a romantic walk in our walled gardens overlooking our lough and come back to the castle hotel for some exquisite dining in our restaurant or drinks at the Dungeon Bar. Relax and take in the authentic Irish castle atmosphere in the Baronial Hall or in the John McGahern Library.“
Mac Raghnaill family (1210 –1621)
“The current Lough Rynn estate is built on the ancestral lands of Clan Maelsechlainn-Oge Mac Raghnaill, the pre-Conquest rulers of this part of County Leitrim known as Muintir Eolais. The Annals of Loch Cé and Annals of Connacht refer to “the crannóg of Claenloch” (Lough Rynn) in the High Middle Ages, 1247AD, with the structure marked on some maps as “Crannoge” or “Crane Island”, while the medieval Mac Raghnaill‘s Castle is mentioned in 1474AD.
“The ruins of the Mac Raghnaill‘s Castle are located close to the lake and some 500 meters from the existing Lough Rynn Castle. The historian, Fiona Slevin, describes the structure of the Mac Raghnaill castle as “fairly standard for the time, but it did have a few unusual – and clever – features. Although a square shape, the castle had rounded corners that made it more impervious to artillery attacks and it had a straight stairway carved into the hollow of a wall, rather than the more usual spiral stair in one corner.”
“The Mac Raghnaill family had played an important role in the Nine Years War on the side of Aodh Mór Ó Néill resisting the English conquest of Ireland.
Crofton family (1621–1750)
“In the English Plantation of 1621, the Mac Raghnaill lands in Lough Rynn were confiscated and granted to an English family named Crofton. The Croftons brought British Protestant settlers with them and in the 1620s and 1630s the native Irish were gradually removed from the land.
“In 1749, a wealthy landowner named Nathaniel Clements purchased around 10,000 acres in the Mohill area of County Leitrim. Upon doing so, his son Robert became the 1st Earl of Leitrim. On their new estate, the Clements family took up residence in a modest dwelling already on the estate. However, they had their eyes on building a far more impressive residence worthy of their name and their stature – a magnificent castle.
Robert Clements, later First Earl of Leitrim, by Pompeo Batoni, about 1753–1754, Hood Museum of Art.Robert Clements (1732-1804) 1st Earl of Leitrim by Gilbert Stuart courtesy of Christie’s Irish Sale 2001.
“By the start of the 19th century, work had begun on the Clements family’s new home under the watchful eyes of the Earl. Sometime in 1839, Robert Clements died both suddenly and young, which passed the management of the estate to his brother William Sydney Clements. Although Sydney worked with his brother managing the build of Lough Rynn, as a second son, he never expected to inherit the lands or titles. However, in 1854, that’s exactly what he did, taking full ownership of the estate on the death of his father, thus becoming the 3rd Earl of Leitrim or Lord Leitrim as he preferred.
Clements family (1750–1978)
“In 1750 the Croftons were replaced by another English family named the Clements. Daniel Clements, an officer in Oliver Cromwell‘s army, had been granted land in County Cavan which had been confiscated from the Irish following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. In 1750 Nathaniel Clements acquired the Lough Rynn estate, while remaining on his lands in Cavan. Nevertheless, the Clements started to become more involved in political life in Leitrim with Robert Clements becoming sheriff for the county in 1759. In 1795 Robert Clements became the first Earl of Leitrim. In 1833, Robert Bermingham [Clements (1805-1839)], Viscount Clements [grandson of the 1st Earl of Leitrim], built a mock Tudor revival house overlooking Lough Rynn. It is this property which is the basis for the current Lough Rynn Castle.
“Upon Robert’s death in 1839, management of Lough Rynn estate passed to his brother, William Sydney Clements [(1806-1879) 3rd Earl of Leitrim]. In 1854, when their father Nathaniel Clements, 2nd Earl of Leitrim, died William Sydney Clements became the 3rd Earl of Leitrim. He inherited an estate of a massive 90,000 acres which stretched across four counties. From around this time Sydney Clements asserted his control over the estate in an authoritarian manner which won him many opponents among the tenantry. He was unpopular in the locality and in Ireland, his assassination received widespread publicity in Ireland and abroad, with proponents of land reform using it as evidence of the need to protect tenants from the abuses of tyrannical landlords. His funeral in Dublin was marked by further riots, while none of the three assassins were convicted of his death.
“The inheritor of the Lough Rynn estate was Sydney Clements’ English-educated cousin who lived in Cavan, Colonel Henry Theophilus Clements [1820-1904], rather than the heir presumptive to the title who lived in England. This Colonel Clements embarked on an extensive expansion and refurbishment of the castle. He added a new wing, built a Baronial Hall designed by Thomas Drew with heavy plaster cornices, a large ornate Inglenook fireplace, and a fretted ceiling and walls wainscoted in solid English oak. Upon its completion in 1889, the principal floor of the house contained a main hall, Baronial Hall, chapel, reception room, living room and dining room. Two pantries, a kitchen, study, smokehouse and store were accessed by a separate entrance. In the basement there were stores and a wine cellar. There were fourteen bedrooms and four bathrooms upstairs.
“By 1952, when Marcus Clements took over the Lough Rynn estate, most of it had been sold off to former tenants under the land acts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Clements lived there until the 1970’s. The estate remained largely empty until 1990 when it was purchased by an Irish-American investor, for a short time it was open to visitors but it was still in need of more investment and care.
Hanly Family (2001- Present)
“In 2001 Lough Rynn estate was purchased by the current owners, the Hanly family. They invested substantially in the castle and the grounds. In September 2006 when Lough Rynn Castle finally opened as a hotel, the estate extended to three hundred acres. Local father and son Alan and Albert Hanly purchased the castle and grounds. Over the seven years that followed, they lovingly brought it back to its former glory, so that it’s magic, luxury and history could be embraced.
Lough Rynn, County Leitrim, Irish Tourist Collection NLI ref NPA ITA 1377 (Box VII).
“A secluded location, standard-setting craftsmanship, breathtaking views and the perfect blend of old-world elegance and new-world luxury, has turned Lough Rynn Castle into a truly magical destination.“
Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.
p. 193. “(Lucas-Clements/IFR; Clements/IFR) A simple two storey Tudor-Revival house of cut stone, with gently sloping gables, mullioned windows, hood-mouldings and tall chimneys; built 1833 for Robert, Viscount Clements, probably to the design of William Burn; to which a wing in the same style but higher, and on a grander scale, was added 1889 to the design of Sir Thomas Drew for Col H.T. Clements, who inherited the estate from his cousin, William Clements, 3rd Earl of Leitrim. The 1833 range contains pleasant rooms with simple late-Georgian cornices, the later wing contains an oak panelled hall and a very large and impressive drawing room or ballroom in the Norman Shaw style; with oak panelling, a heavy plaster cornice, a fretted ceiling and a vast and ornate inglenook fireplace. Stables with high pitched roofs om French Renaissance style also by Drew. Heavily wooded demesne extending round the lough from which the estate takes its name. Walled garden with terrace above the water’s edge, the parapet adorned with urns and sculpture.”
Lough Rynn, County Leitrim, photograph courtesy of Mark Bence-Jones, A Guide to Irish Country Houses.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached seven-bay two-storey over basement Tudor Revival country house of irregular plan, built in 1832, extended to east in 1889. Multiple pitched slate roofs with cut stone chimneystacks to eastern block, cut stone finials to gables, cast-iron and lead rainwater goods. Cut limestone walls with string courses. Square-headed chamfered mullioned windows with label mouldings. Drew’s addition contains floor to ceiling windows to ground floor containing much elaborate stained glass. Canted-bay window to garden elevation. Gable-fronted entrance porch with segmental-headed opening, tooled moulded stone surrounds, date ‘1889’ above door in decoratively carved panels, surmounted by finely carved crest containing word ‘Salve’. Timber door with iron studs and wrought-iron handle. Limestone slabs to entrance. Doorbell set within carved circular panel. Limestone steps to entrance landing. Original round-headed entrance with block-and-start tooled moulded surround, timber battened door and stone steps to entrance. Cut stone wall to east with terracotta railings and decorative wrought-iron gates. House abutted by cut stone outbuildings to west.
Appraisal
This substantial house, designed by William Burn and extended by Sir Thomas Drew is situated within a large estate containing many buildings and features of notable architectural quality such as stables, coachyard, farmyard, boathouse, walled gardens, viewing tower as well as church, school, dispensary and a number of lodges and estate cottages. These buildings combine to form an estate of major significance within Leitrim and indeed Ireland.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached eight-bay two-storey stable block, built in 1833, with stone walls surrounding yard. Currently disused. Pitched slate roof with dormer window below eaves and stone coping to gable ends. Coursed squared cut stone walls with square-headed window and door openings. Timber casement windows with stone sills. Timber and glazed doors with overlights. Pair of segmental-headed carriage openings. Red brick structure with corrugated lean-to roof to north. Cut stone slabs in circular pattern surrounding former well. Random coursed stone wall to garden. Cut stone piers with cast-iron gates give access to site. Subsequent stable block to west.
Appraisal
This stable yard, which appears to date to the first period of construction at Lough Rynn is of a pleasant design and retains many original features and materials. It forms an interesting group with the related demesne structures comprising Lough Rynn Estate. This group exhibits varied architectural styles, features and materials that are representative of nineteenth-century demesne architecture.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached multiple-bay two-storey L-plan former stable block, built in 1858. Currently disused. Steeply-pitched roofs with gabled dormers, cut stone chimneystacks, stone coping to gables with wrought-iron finials. Random coursed stone walls with cut stone detailing to opening surrounds. Variety of window openings with timber sash and casement windows with stone sills. Slate canopy over four-centred integral carriage arches with timber and glass double doors. Buttress to rear supporting chimneystack. Site bounded by random coursed stone walls with cut stone piers and cast-iron gates. Cast-iron piers with wrought-iron gates situated to west of stable block. This stable block lies to the west of another.
Appraisal
This stableyard, designed by Benjamin Rogers, forms part of an impressive group of demesne-related structures that comprise Lough Rynn Estate. The stunning design of these buildings reflects a standard set amongst the various other structures in the estate. These stables and associated demesne structures are important contributors to the architectural heritage of County Leitrim.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Walled garden complex, built in 1859 to a design by the firm of Deane and Woodward, comprising four separate gardens, terraced towards Lough Rynn and bounded by random coursed stone walls. Access to first garden through cut stone piers with hipped slate canopy supported on timber brackets with limestone corbels. Garden contains stone outbuildings with slate roofs to south wall. Entrances in south wall to remaining three gardens. Pointed-arched openings with sandstone voussoirs and block-and-start surrounds. South-west garden contains glass house with castellated stone plinth walls. Three southern gardens have limestone steps leading between them descending westwards. Two-storey octagonal viewing turret or summer house, built in 1867 at north-west corner of south-east garden. Slate roof with cast-iron weather vane. Random coursed stone walls. Pointed-arched openings with dressed stone surrounds. Two cast-iron balconies. Steps leading from gardens to lakeside terminating in pointed-arched and segmental-headed openings with timber battened doors.
Appraisal
These walled gardens are a reminder of the past horticultural traditions associated with country houses. Their scale and the views they command over the lake make them a notable part of the estate. The glass house would have represented a significant technical achievement in its time. The summer house, which was designed by J.E. Rogers, is an appealing design with its finely executed stonework and cast-iron balconies adding artistic interest to the site. The notice board on site indicates that the garden designs were by Deane and Woodward.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Farmyard complex, built c.1840 and extended in 1858. Currently disused. Comprises four detached outbuildings around central courtyard, with further enclosed courtyard to north-west, accessed through cast-iron gates. Pitched slate roofs with cut stone chimneystacks, cast-iron rainwater goods and dormer windows and rooflights. Random coursed limestone walls with dressed quoins. Block-and-start surrounds to windows and some doors. Timber sash and casement windows with block-and-start surrounds. Variety of timber doors. Cut stone bellcote to gable of north-west range with cast-iron weathervane. Complex bounded by random coursed cut stone walls with cut stone piers and cast-iron gates. Further cast-iron gates lead to a walled garden.
Appraisal
This farmyard is one of a group of structures that form the immediate setting of Lough Rynn House. Extended in 1858 by renowned architects Deane and Woodward the buildings display well-executed stonework which enhances their appeal as an aesthetic as well as functional complex.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached two-pile two-bay one-storey with attic former estate office, built c.1850, recently used as restaurant but now disused. Pitched slate roofs with brick chimneystacks, timber bargeboards, cast-iron rainwater goods and cast-iron finials to gables. Random coursed cut stone walls with dressed limestone quoins. Timber casement windows with brick surrounds and limestone sills. Sash windows to first floor. Timber battened door with pointed arch brick surround and limestone keystone to north. Dormer and oriel windows to east elevation. Glazed timber porch with monopitched slate roof to south elevation. Set at edge of farmyard with stone walls separating.
Appraisal
This former estate office, designed by Mathew Digby Wyatt in the 1850s, is embellished by varied colourful materials such as finely-executed stone walls and dressings, yellow brick surrounds and painted timber bargeboards. It forms an attractive part of the farmyard of the Lough Rynn Estate.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached three-bay two-storey former forge, built c.1840, with two-bay single-storey extension to east. Now disused. Pitched slate roof with stone and rendered chimneystacks to rear, timber bargeboards and some cast-iron rainwater goods. Random coursed cut stone walls. Block-and-start surrounds to timber windows with limestone sills. Block-and-start surrounds to square-headed integral carriage arches with cut stone voussoirs. This building is separate from the main outbuilding complex of estate. Adjacent to forge is a stone lined well with cut stone cover with remains of stone mortice.
Appraisal
This former forge forms part of a complex constituting the utilitarian buildings of Lough Rynn Estate. This simple structure is enhanced by the quality of its stonework, a prevailing feature of the buildings on the estate, especially those closest to the main house. The survival of many original features further enhances this structure, which contributes to the striking group of structures comprising Lough Rynn Estate.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached four-bay single-storey former dispensary, built c.1850, now derelict. Hipped slate roof with red brick chimneystacks. Random coursed stone walls with tooled quoins. Timber casement windows with limestone sills, lintels and block-and-start surrounds. Projecting gable-fronted ashlar porch with decorative timber bargeboard and shouldered-arched opening. Timber battened door with limestone steps. Random coursed stone outbuilding to rear. Site bounded by rubble stone wall.
Appraisal
This former dispensary forms part of a group of demesne-related structures associated with Lough Rynn Estate. Though fallen into disrepair, this building has retained its original form, features and materials. It is similar in design and detail to various lodges, houses and other structures on the estate, while the quality of craftsmanship maintains the same high level. This former dispensary is a socially- and architecturally-significant structure within the estate.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached four-bay single-storey with attic former primary school, built c.1870, now in domestic use. Pitched slate roof with decorative timber bargeboards and brick chimneystacks. Random coursed stone walls with cut stone quoins. Window openings to gable end with red brick surrounds. Stone and timber lintels to façade and rear elevation with replacement uPVC windows. Projecting gable-fronted porch to façade with shoulder-arched opening, brick surround and stone steps to entrance. Replacement uPVC door. Original entrance to site was over single-span stone bridge.
Appraisal
This former school, possibly by the architect Sir Andrew Drew, is an attractive and decorative building situated on the Lough Rynn Estate. Similar in style to various lodges and estate workers cottages, with its finely-tooled shoulder-arched openings and gable windows with brick surrounds, the school is an architecturally- and socially-significant structure within the estate.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached two-bay single-storey with attic gable-fronted former gate lodge, built c.1850, now in domestic use. Pitched slate roof with decorative timber bargeboards, oversailing eaves and catslide roof to porch. Cut stone chimneystack with terracotta pots. Random coursed stone walls with cut stone quoins. Square-headed window openings with yellow brick surrounds having chamfered reveals and chamfered tooled limestone sills. Casement windows and side-sliding timber sash windows. Shouldered-arched opening to entrance with timber battened door and stone steps. Stone outbuilding to rear of site with pitched slate roof. Site bounded by random stone wall with tooled stone piers.
Appraisal
This attractive lodge is one of three very similar lodges giving access to Lough Rynn Estate. The finely-tooled stonework to the shouldered-arched entrance and the window to the front gable with its brick dressings are found on various structures throughout the estate, echoing the architecture of Lough Rynn House.
Lough Rynn Castle, County Leitrim, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached single-bay single-storey with attic gable-fronted former lodge, built c.1850, now a house. Pitched slate roof with catslide roof to porch and oversailing eaves, timber bargeboards to gables and cut-stone chimneystacks. Random coursed limestone walls with sandstone foundation. Side-sliding timber sash windows with tooled limestone lintels, sills and brick surrounds. Porch to east with shouldered-arched opening and brick surround with timber panelled door. Set behind random coursed limestone wall with soldier course forming coping at entrance to Lough Rynn Estate.
Appraisal
This attractive former gate lodge is one of three similar lodges dotted around the periphery of Lough Rynn Estate. The similar plan of these lodges is highlighted by subtle decorative features which vary between the individual structures. The finely-tooled shouldered-arched entrance mirrors that of other structures found within Lough Rynn. Further decorative enrichments include the dressed lintels, brickwork and treatment of the roof.
Detached two-bay single-storey with attic gable-fronted former gate lodge, built c.1850, now vacant. Pitched slate roof with oversailing eaves, cut stone chimneystack and decorative timber bargeboards. Random coursed stone walls. Tooled limestone lintels to side-sliding timber sash windows with limestone sills and brick surrounds. Projecting lean-to entrance porch to east with shouldered-arched opening with cut stone lintel, red brick surround and timber battened door. Stone outbuilding with pitched slate roof to north-west. Set behind random coursed stone wall with rock-faced cut stone piers to estate.
Appraisal
This former gate lodge is one of three such giving access to Lough Rynn Estate. The lodges follow a similar plan with subtle decorative features distinguishing them from one another. The style echoes the architecture and skilled craftsmanship visible around Lough Rynn. The red brick to the window openings here add an interesting deviation and some colour to an otherwise stone façade.
Detached four-bay single-storey with attic former estate worker’s house, built c.1860, with return and extension to rear. Now in domestic use. Pitched slate roof with rebuilt chimneystack and rooflights. Random coursed sandstone walls with dressed quoins. Block-and-start window surrounds to replacement windows. Projecting stone porch with catslide roof and replacement timber battened door. Stone outbuilding to east side, now connected to house.
Appraisal
This attractive former estate worker’s cottage displays well-executed stonework mirroring the standard set amongst other buildings on the estate. Although modernised it is similar in style to these other buildings and forms a charming addition to Lough Rynn.
Detached three-bay two-storey T-plan former steward’s house, built c.1850 in a Tudor Gothic style. Now used as a private house. Multiple pitched slate roofs with cut stone, rendered and brick chimneystacks. Cut stone coping to gables. Random coursed cut stone walls with plinth. Projecting entrance porch with monopitched slate roof. Square-headed and Tudor-arched window openings with tooled stone surrounds, timber casement and uPVC windows. Gablet window to rear elevation. Tudor-arched door openings with tooled stone surrounds, timber panelled door to porch and replacement battened door, sidelight and overlight to rear. Stone and timber sheds to rear of site. Site bounded by random rubble wall and set within mature gardens. Lead water tank to rear of site.
Appraisal
This steward’s house, located near the farm complex, is a highly attractive structure, designed by the architect M.D. Wyatt. Situated on an elevated position, the fine dwelling retains much original fabric and character. This house is an important and imposing structure within Lough Rynn Estate.
Lough Rynn was built in the early 1830s by Robert, Viscount Clements, heir to the 2nd Earl. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation it was valued at £40. In 1906 it is recorded as the property of Col. H.T. Clements and has a valuation of £100. It is still extant. In 2006 it opened as a luxury hotel. For more information see http://www.loughrynn.ie and http://www.loughrynn.net.
Lough Rynn, one of Ireland’s most luxurious castle hotels, was once the ancestral home of the Clements family and the legendary Lord Leitrim. This secluded lakeside retreat offers you contemporary luxury steeped in history. Set inside a 300-acre estate, Lough Rynn offers you breathtaking scenery, lush green pastures, ancient forests and a magnificent Victorian walled garden. Lough Rynn Castle retains a splendour befitting its history. Dine in the 2AA Rosette awarded Sandstone Restaurant where a menu lovingly prepared, focuses on home-grown produce. A simply magical experience awaits you.
Lough Rynn Castle, Restored Castle. Now a luxury castle hotel on the shores of Lough Rynn situated on the historic grounds of the medieval castle and estate of the Mac Raghnaill family of Muintir Eolais. The current Lough Rynn estate is built on the ancestral lands of the Mac Raghnaill family. See Mac Raghnaill’s Castle below. In the English Plantation of 1621, the Mac Raghnaill lands in Lough Rynn were confiscated and granted to an English family named Crofton. The Croftons brought British Protestant settlers with them and in the 1620s and 1630s the native Irish were gradually removed from the land. In 1750 the Croftons were replaced by another English family named the Clements. Daniel Clements, an officer in Oliver Cromwell’s army, had been granted land in County Cavan which had been confiscated from the Irish following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. In 1750 Nathaniel Clements, 2nd Earl of Leitrim KP PC acquired the Lough Rynn estate, while remaining on his lands in Cavan started to become more involved in political life in Leitrim with Robert Clements becoming sheriff for the county in 1759. In 1795 Robert Clements became the first Earl of Leitrim. In 1833, Robert Bermingham, Viscount Clements, built a mock Tudor revival house overlooking Lough Rynn, which is the basis for the current Lough Rynn Castle. When Robert died management of Lough Rynn passed to his brother, William Sydney Clements, 3rd Earl of Leitrim. In 1854, when their father Nathaniel Clements, 2nd Earl of Leitrim, died William Sydney Clements became the 3rd Earl of Leitrim. He inherited an estate of 90,000 acres which stretched across four counties. The inability of tenants to pay rent during and after An Gorta Mór provided him with an opportunity to clear his estate and introduce more productive farming practices. In 1858, in a nationally reported event, Clements assembled one thousand armed military and police to repossess the local Gortletteragh Church for non-payment of rent, (his liberally-minded father had refused to take rent). About six thousand men turned up from Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon and across Leitrim to defend the church, forcing Clements to back down. By 1860 Sydney Clements had become a staunch supporter of the Conservatives. In 1870 he spoke out vehemently against William Gladstone’s first Irish Land Act, believing it to be an encroachment on the rights of property owners. During the 1860s hatred towards Sydney Clements grew in the surrounding area and stories began to be told of his mistreatment of the wives and daughters of local men. In September 1860 James Murphy from Mohill fired a loaded pistol at him, two days after sending him a note challenging him to a duel to ‘take satisfaction for your ruffianly conduct towards my wife’. An additional attempt to shoot him followed in the 1860s. In 1878 Sydney Clements engaged in a wholesale eviction of his tenants in County Donegal, many of whom were starving as a result of the famine. On 2 April 1878 three men, Michael Heraghty, Michael McElwee and Neil Sheils, ambushed and killed William Sydney Clements, 3rd Lord Leitrim, at Cratlagh Wood near Milford, County Donegal. His funeral in Dublin was marked by further riots, while none of the three assassins were convicted of his death. Lough Rynn Castle Hotel now has forty-two bedrooms, a baronial hall, a library named after John McGahern, drawing room, piano room, bar, the award-winning Sandstone restaurant, as well as conference, bar and wedding facilities for up to three hundred guests in an adjoining function room.
Irish Historic Houses 