Open dates in 2025: May 1-31 closed Sundays, Aug 16-24, Sept 1-30, closed Sundays, 2pm-6pm,
Tours: booking essential for National Heritage Week, 2am and 4pm
Fee: adult €20, OAP €10, child €10 over 12 years and under 18 years
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!
Historic Family Home Tours is a company which brings visitors to three historic houses: twelfth century Castlegarde in County Limerick with its 1820s extension by the Pain brothers, Grenane House, and Lismacue in County Tipperary, https://www.hfhtours.ie/
Unfortunately the tours are for groups, but I’d love to see the other two houses as well some time. However, you can visit Grenane house separately as it is listed on Revenue Section 482.
The house at Grenane in County Tipperary was built by and is still owned by members of the Mansergh family. It was lovely to meet the current owner, Philippa, who is very knowledgeable about the history of the house and her family.
Before the house was built there was a castle on the property. The Civil Survey of 1654 mentions the Grenane property in the parish of Templenoe, recorded as consisting of “the castle and town of Grenane and Ballyhosty” (Ballyhusty) and 660 plantation acres. The castle is described as a garrisoned castle, with thirty thatched cabins and houses nearby, forming the “town.” [1] There is a still a field which is called the “castle field” but the castle was pulled down to build the new house.
The house was probably built between 1700-1710, in time of Daniel and Mary Mansergh, from the stones of the castle. The main house, a three-bay Georgian house of middle size, dates from around 1730. [2] Philippa told us that the house had three storeys originally but the third was removed when the west wing was built, around 1740.
Art Kavanagh and William Hayes tell us that three brothers, Brian, James and Robert Mansergh, came to Ireland from Westmoreland in northwest England, with their uncle Daniel Redman, around 1650. [3]
They became involved in the Cromwellian campaign. However, in 1659, after Cromwell’s death, Daniel Redman entered into secret negotiations with the restored Charles II and was formally pardoned for his support of Cromwell. By 1688, Kavanagh and Hayes tell us, Redman was owner of nearly 13,000 acres in Kilkenny. In the land settlement of 1661, James Mansergh received a grant of Macrony Castle in County Cork. This is still occupied today. Brian and Robert Mansergh settled near their uncle in Kilkenny. Brian acquired Ballybur Castle in County Kilkenny, which is now also a Section 482 property, which we have yet to visit. Redman’s daughter Eleanor married James Butler, 3rd Viscount Ikerrin, and his daughter Elizabeth married John Meade, 1st Baronet of Ballintubber, County Cork. [4]
Brian served as High Sheriff and Justice of the Peace for County Kilkenny. He had a son, Daniel (1664-1735). It was through Daniel’s marriage that Grenane came into the ownership of the Mansergh family. Daniel also inherited Macrony Castle from his uncle Colonel James Mansergh, as James’s son George had no children.
Colonel James’s daughter Eleanor married into the Grenane lands in 1684 when she married Nicholas Southcote. Her daughter and heiress Mary Southcote married Daniel Mansergh and brought with her the Grenane property. It was probably in Daniel and Mary’s time that the current house at Grenane was built.
In The Tipperary Gentry, Kavanagh and Hayes tell us the interesting history of the area. Before coming into Mansergh ownership, the land at Grenane was leased to Hardress Waller (1604-1666). He was from a wealthy family from Kent in England, but moved to Ireland after he married an heiress to Irish property, Elizabeth, daughter and coheir of John Dowdall of Kilfinny, Co. Limerick. [5] He served as MP for Askeaton, County Limerick, in the Irish Parliament. At first he supported the Catholic “Old English” who did not want plantation of Protestant settlers in Munster.
However, with the outbreak of the Catholic rebellion in 1641, Waller turned against the “Confederates.” The Confederates were mostly Catholic and many were “Old English” who had settled in Ireland, who wanted to retain their lands despite retaining their Catholic faith. They asserted their loyalty to the King along with their right to keep their faith and their land. The Duke of Ormond James Butler tried to navigate a peaceful means for them to obtain their rights while maintaining loyalty to King Charles I.
The Catholic church became involved in the person of Cardinal Rinuccini, acting on behalf of Pope Innocent X. He came to Ireland in 1645 and brought with him arms and ammunition. The Confederate cause was split, with the emphasis upon the Catholic faith trumping the interest of the Old English who wanted to keep their land and maintain loyalty to the Crown and to King Charles I.
It was a complicated time politically. The Dictionary of Irish Biography tells us that during the summer of 1643 Waller became increasingly critical of the king.
In the spring of 1645 Hardress Waller was serving in the west of Ireland in the Parliamentarian army, possibly under his cousin, William Waller. By April he had taken the solemn league and covenant, and was then appointed as a colonel in the recently formed New Model Army. The Dictionary of Irish Biography continues, telling us that in January 1649 Waller was chosen as a commissioner for the high court of justice to try the king. He attended the trial proceedings as many times as Cromwell, and, on 29 January, signed the king’s death warrant – the only Irish Protestant to do so. After the reinstatement of the Stuart monarchy with King Charles II, Waller was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on the island of Jersey, where he died.
Waller’s daughter, Elizabeth, married William Petty, author of the Civil Survey of 1654. Another daughter married Nicholas Southcote, a Royalist from Devon.
Nicholas Southcote and Elizabeth had a son, also named Nicholas, who in 1684 married Eleanor Mansergh, daughter of Captain James Mansergh of Macrony Castle, County Cork. The name “Southcote” has been used as an added Christian name in later Mansergh generations.
It was Nicholas and Eleanor Southcote’s daughter and heiress Mary who married her cousin Daniel Mansergh (1664-1735) of Macrony Castle.
Philippa brought us inside and we were shown into the library and sitting room. The drawing room has a Wedgewood frieze around the room and a Bossi fireplace.
The second son of Daniel and Mary, Nicholas Southcote Mansergh (d. 1768), inherited Grenane in 1735, Kavanagh and Hayes tell us. His elder brother James (d. 1774) inherited Macrony Castle. James married Mary St. George and his son Richard inherited the St. George estates and added St. George to his surname.
Richard Mansergh St. George (1756/9-1798) at his wife’s tomb by Hugh Douglas Hamilton courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland ID 8757.The portrait is misleading as it shows him with a full head of hair, whereas in reality he fought in the British army during the American War of Independence and was shot in the head. Miraculously he survived and part of his skull was replaced by a silver plate, and from then on, he wore a cap to cover his head.He is also interesting as he was a friend of artist Henry Fuseli, who was beloved of Mary Wollestonecraft.He inherited the Headfort estate in County Galway, and was murdered by rebels in 1798.Richard Mansergh St. George’s wife Anne St. George née Stepney of Durrow Abbey County Offaly, and Child, 1971, by George Romney courtesy of August Heckscher Collection 1959.147English School c.1828 Headford Castle, Co. Galway (now a ruin), Watercolour, inscribed in pencil, Headford Castle, Co. Galway, Ireland Richard St George Esq. courtesy of The History Sale Adams April 2018.
Nicholas Southcote Mansergh owned Grenane for 33 years. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Lockwood of Castle Leake (Castlelake), Cashel, in 1750. His two eldest sons, Nicholas Southcote (d. 1818) and Daniel (d. 1823) continued the Tipperary branches of the family.
In 1770 Nicholas married Elizabeth, daughter of John Carden of Templemore, County Tipperary and sister of John Craven Carden, 1st Baronet of Templemore. It was during their time in Grenane House that the top storey was removed and the south wing, a long two-storey structure, was built.
John Craven Carden, 1st Baronet of Templemore, County Tipperary, by Robert Hunter courtesy of Country House Collections at Slane Castle 13th October 2015.
Nicholas Mansergh the second owned Grenane for around fifty years, outliving his eldest son John Southcote, JP, who died in 1817. John had married Mary, daughter of Richard Martin of Clifford, Co Cork. The Christian name Martin came to be used subsequently in the Mansergh family.
Grenane passed to their son, Richard Martin Southcote Mansergh (1800-1876). A younger son, Charles Carden Mansergh, married Elizabeth Bland, daughter of Captain Loftus Otway Bland. Charles Mansergh and Elizabeth Bland’s daughter Georgiana Constance Antoinette Mansergh married Robert St. John Cole Bowen, of Bowen’s Court in County Cork, and was the grandmother of the writer Elizabeth Bowen – whose short stories I am currently reading!
Richard Martin Southcote inherited Grenane at the age of 18. He married Jane Rosetta, daughter of Robert Bomford and Maria Massy-Dawson of Rahinston, County Meath. He owned Grenane House and estate for about 60 years. He served as a local magistrate.
Richard Mansergh was chairman of the jury in the trial of William Smith O’Brien (1803-1864), a Young Irelander, in 1848. William Smith O’Brien was a politician and served as a member of parliament. Young Irelanders sought Irish independence. O’Brien was arrested at Thurles railway station shortly after his abortive Young Ireland rising which fizzled out at the Widow McCormack’s farmhouse at Ballingarry in July 1848. At the subsequent trial before a jury, O’Brien was found guilty of high treason. Richard Mansergh as chairman of the jury had to announce the verdict. In association with the jury he made a plea for O’Brien’s life in the following terms: “We earnestly recommend the prisoner to the merciful consideration of the government, being unanimous of the opinion that, for many reasons, his life should be spared.”
William Smith O’Brien (1803-1864) by George Francis Mulvaney, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland P1934.
The jury also included Southcote Mansergh of Grallagh Castle, County Tipperary, a former property of a junior branch of the Butlers. Smith O’Brien, whom Mansergh regarded as a good friend, was transported to Tasmania, and pardoned six years later.
In The Tipperary Gentry, we are told: “Richard Mansergh was a member of the Select Vestry of Tipperary Church of Ireland parish, which approved of the building of the new parish church in the town in 1829. He paid £300 for the family box pew. He always drove by himself to church, and according to family tradition, after going into his family pew he spread a handkerchief over his face and went to sleep. On other outings as magistrate he drove in a coach and four with two postillions dressed in the family livery of buff with scarlet edging.
“He did not employ a land agent. On the occasions on the Spring and Autumn gale days, the days on which the rents were due, it was his custom to sit at a table under a lime tree at the corner of the avenue, receiving the rent from his seventy or so tenants, listening to whatever complaints they were brave enough to voice, and “dispensing justice as he thought fit.” His eldest son and heir, John Southcote [1823-1899], popularly called Colonel Johnny, stood beside him, “and sometimes helped to soften the decision.”
Philippa told us that during the Famine, nobody at Grenane died nor emigrated. The walled garden was built and trees were planted, as ways of providing employment and pay. Kavanagh and Hayes tell us that:
“During the years of the Great Famine, Colonel Johnny was chairman of the Tipperary Town Relief Committee, the function of which was to submit orders for Indian meal, raise subscriptions, apply for matching government grants and supervise public works. The main works undertaken were whitewashing the poorer houses, putting in sewers and footpaths to try to reduce the risk of fever, and leveling and draining number of roads leading out of the town.”
Colonel Johnny also gave practical help by allowing a sewing project for women on the estate in the late 1840s.
He married Sissy Wyatt of Flintstone, but only about six months after his father’s death in 1876 he and Sissy moved to London where they continued to live until their death. It was at that stage that Grenane became heavily mortgaged and was let.
Johnny had a brother, Richard St. George Mansergh (1832-1897). The house passed eventually to his son, Philip St. George Mansergh (1863-1928).
Philip’s elder brother, Richard Southcote Mansergh who had succeeded to Grenane, went to live in Friarsfield House, built by the family as a dower house around 1860. [6] This is now occupied by former senator Martin Mansergh, a cousin of the current owner of Grenane, Philippa Mansergh-Wallace. They are both grandchildren of Philip St. George Mansergh.
Philip St. George Mansergh (1863-1928) had been sent to Australia at the age of 18 with only £40 in his pocket and his passage. He had trained as an engineer. Kavanagh and Hayes tell us that he was involved with construction of railway lines in Queensland, Australia, in New Zealand and in Africa on the “Cape to Cairo” railway. His descendant Philippa, current resident of Grenane, has wonderful photographs from this period. Philip married his cousin Ethel Marguerite Otway Louise Mansergh. They had two sons.
Philip returned from his railway engineering career in Africa in 1906, by which time the estate was reduced to its demesne lands. [7] Much land was dispersed in the Land Purchase Acts.
Martin Mansergh’s father (Philip) Nicholas Seton Mansergh (1910–91) was a historian who wrote many books about Ireland including The Irish Free State: its government and politics (1934), The government of Northern Ireland: a study in devolution (1936) and Ireland in the age of reform and revolution, published in 1940 (and in a revised edition as The Irish question, 1840–1921 in 1975). The unresolved question: the Anglo-Irish settlement and its undoing, 1912–72 (1991) was published after his death, as were two volumes of essays, edited by his widow, Diana: Nationalism and independence: selected Irish papers (1997), and Independence years: the selected Indian and commonwealth papers of Nicholas Mansergh (1999). [7]
There is a charming playroom in Grenane house which has every surface covered by gorgeous painting by Marion McDonnell of Tipperary depicting “The Mice of Brambley Hedge.” This took two years to paint. I could have looked at it for hours, it is so detailed and wonderful.
The playroom completely hand painted by Marion McDonnell of Tipperary depicting “The Mice of Brambley Hedge,” courtesy of Grenane House website.
Philippa then brought us outside to see the garden. These feature a hazelnut walk, the only one in Ireland. There is a summerhouse in the shape of an old 50 pence. The terraces were laid out around 1860 by a great aunt, Charlotte Mansergh. Philippa has planted a forest of trees. Unfortunately it was starting to rain so we didn’t linger as long as we would have liked. It was a lovely visit.
[1] p. 127. Kavanagh, Art and William Hayes. The Tipperary Gentry. By William Hayes and Art Kavanagh. Published by Irish Family Names, c/o Eneclann, Unit 1, The Trinity Enterprise Centre, Pearse St, Dublin 2, 11 Emerald Cottages, Grand Canal St, Dublin 4 and Market Square, Bunclody, Co Wexford, Ireland. 2003.
p. 127 refers to R.S. Simington, ed. Civil Survey of Ireland, Co Tipperary, Vol. 2, p. 42, 1934.
Open in 2025: May 12-16, 19-23, 26-30, June 9-13, 16-20, 23-27, 30, July 7-11, 14-18, 21-25, 28-31, Aug 11-25, Sept 1, 10am-1pm, National Heritage Week 16-24, 10am-4pm
Fee: adult €10, OAP/student/child €5, family €30
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!
We visited Mount Trenchard during Heritage Week 2022. The owner is in touch with the original occupants of the house, the Spring Rice family, and they visited several times.
The Landed estates database tells us:
“Lewis described this mansion formerly called Cappa as “beautifully situated on the banks of the Shannon”. Marked as “Cappo” on the Taylor and Skinner map of the 1770s. Home of the Rice/Spring Rice family in the 19th century, valued at £40 in the 1850s and at £54 in 1906. Occupied by the Military in 1944, sold to Lady Holland in 1947 and to the Sisters of Mercy in 1953 who opened a school.” [1]
The National Inventory tells us that the house was built in 1777, and it was originally a three bay three storey over basement house. [2] It has two bays in front, with an entrance door in a later added doorcase of Ionic pillars and a pediment, and a similar window case above. The door is surmounted by a fanlight. The centre window of each bow on the second storey is blocked up. The facade is of limestone, with cut cut limestone platbands to dividing storeys.
Mark Bence-Jones tells us in his A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988) that there are Victorian additions either side of the main block and that the front entrance doorcase was a later addition. [3]
When we were inside the house we were able to go out onto the stone balustraded balcony that is on top of this addition. It gives a lovely view over the gardens.
The estate was initially granted to Frances Trenchard on 20 June 1612 by a charter of King James I. He built a house there. The property was later owned by the Rice family.
Stephen Rice (1637-1715), Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and a supporter of James II, wedded Mary, daughter of Thomas FitzGerald, of County Limerick. Stephen Rice came from Dingle, County Kerry and was Catholic. He was a lawyer and had many landholders as his clients, including several from County Limerick. After the battle of the Boyne (1 July 1690), Rice accompanied King James II to France, although he was soon back in Ireland, in January 1691. [4] I am not sure when the property passed from Trenchard to Rice hands.
The Dictionary of Irish Biography tells us that an incomplete patent conferring the title of Baron Monteagle on Rice was allegedly found among the papers of James II after the battle of the Boyne. The title was revived in September 1839 and granted to Thomas Spring Rice (1790–1866) of Mount Trenchard, Co. Limerick, who became Baron Monteagle of Brandon.
Portrait of Thomas Spring Rice, MP (1790-1866), Chancellor of the Exchequer, later 1st Baron Monteagle, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
It was Stephen’s son, Thomas, who had Mount Trenchard built much as we see it today, in 1777. Thomas married another Mary Fitzgerald, this one was daughter of Maurice the 14th Knight of Kerry. Thomas was also a lawyer. They had a son, Stephen Edward Rice (d. 1831). He married, in 1785, Catherine, only child and heiress of Thomas Spring, of Castlemaine, County Kerry.
Stephen Edward and Catherine Rice had a daughter Mary who married Aubrey De Vere, 2nd Baronet of Curragh Chase, Co. Limerick. [5]
Their son was Thomas Spring-Rice (1790-1866). He married in 1811 the Lady Theodosia Pery, second daughter of Edmund, 1st Earl of Limerick. She brought with her a large dowry. Thomas Spring-Rice was Member of Parliament (M.P.) (Whig) for Limerick between 1820 and 1832, and served in many positions in government, including Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1835 and 1839.
As well as his property in County Limerick, he had property in London, Dublin and Kildare.
Thomas Spring-Rice actively sought to improve the welfare of tenants and of the underprivileged. He led an inquiry into the alleged ill-treatment of inmates in Limerick Lunatic Asylum. He also advocated the end of slavery. He also brought improvements to Limerick, such as having a new bridge built over the River Shannon. He was a supporter of Catholic Emancipation. There is a statue of him Pery Square in Limerick, which looks down on the People’s Park, which was erected due to gratitude for his work toward Catholic Emancipation.
He lost his seat in 1832 but was returned for a seat in Cambridge, so he sat in Parliament in England. Although he supported Catholic emancipation didn’t support repeal of the Act of Union, which disappointed many of his supporters. The Dictionary of Irish Biography tells us that he referred to himself as a West Briton, and may have coined this phrase.
Thomas was elevated to the peerage in 1839 to become 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon, County Kerry. The Dictionary of Irish Biography gives us a good summary of his subsequent views:
“With his removal to the lords, Monteagle took little part in public life till roused by the famine. An improving, paternalistic landlord, during the crisis years he was characterised by his concern for his tenants, energetic attempts to influence policy, and a mounting bitterness towards the government. His correspondence with the treasury and board of works is of considerable value in helping to elucidate the official government position. His letters and speeches in the lords were studded with rhetorical invective against Britain’s long mistreatment of Ireland. Holding landlords to be as much victims of British mismanagement as tenants, he rejected forcibly any claim that they should be held responsible and continually advocated state intervention, though he felt it should not be limited to road works, but extended to agricultural improvements. He did not accept fixity of tenure, since he felt Irish peasants too prone to subletting. His own experience as a landlord bore this out and he considered overcrowding as the principal evil of Irish agriculture. A strong advocate of state-assisted emigration, he was successful in bringing the lord lieutenant, Lord Clarendon, over to his viewpoint, but not the government as a whole. He personally assisted numerous tenants to emigrate and then acted as mediator between them and their families still on his estate.” [6]
Mount Trenchard, 2022.Mount Trenchard, County Limerick, August 2022.
Thomas Rice Spring’s son Stephen died tragically at sea in 1865, and thus a grandson, Thomas (1849-1926) inherited the family property and the title to become 2nd Baron Monteagle in 1866.
Portrait of Thomas Spring Rice (1849-1926), 2nd Baron Monteagle, by Charles Wellington Fursecourtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
The caretaker Tommy showed us the family bible, which follows the tradition of writing births and deaths in the family inside the covers. Here we can see the births recorded of Stephen and his wife, Ellen Mary Frere. They had many children. A daughter Mary married Edward William O’Brien of Cahermoyle House in County Limerick, whose father was the politician, Nationalist and leader of the Young Irelander movement William Smith O’Brien (1803–64).
Thomas (1849-1926) was popular with the locals and helped to promote the Co-operative Creamery Movement in Limerick, and was a friend of Horace Plunkett. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of County Limerick.
Thomas the 2nd Baron married Elizabeth Butcher in 1875, daughter of the Bishop of Meath. Their daughter Mary (1880-1924) became a passionate advocate of Irish independence. She was influenced by her cousin Nelly O’Brien, from Cahermoyle House in County Limerick. She learned Irish and hired a native speaker from Kerry to teach classes in the local national school. [7] The Dictionary of Irish Biography tells us that she was an early member of the United Irishwomen, founded in 1910 as a sister organisation to the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (IAOS) of Horace Plunkett, to encourage countrywomen’s industries and handicrafts. In 1911 she was on the executive of the Limerick branch of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.
Most famously, she was involved with bringing guns from Germany into Ireland with Erskine Childers in his boat the Asgard. Her Asgard diary was published in Martin, Howth gun running (1964). Mount Trenchard was used as a safe house for member of the IRA during the War of Independence. There are tunnels underground which could lead down to the Shannon estuary.
In 1940 the house was let and occupied by a unit of the Irish Army, and they remained there for the duration of WWII.
The 3rd Baron Monteagle did not marry, and his uncle, Francis Spring Rice (1852-1937) became 4th Baron Monteagle of Brandon, of Brandon, Co. Kerry in 1934. He gained the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy. In 1882 he married Elizabeth Ann Fitzgerald, daughter of Peter George, 1st Baronet FitzGerald, of Valencia, Co. Kerry (son of the 18th Knight of Kerry). It was their son Charles who became 5th Baron Monteagle. The 4th Baron later married his wife’s sister, after his wife died. She was the widow of Stephen Edward Spring Rice (1856-1902), grandson of 1st Baron Monteagle.
Charles Spring Rice (1887-1946) joined the military and fought in WWI. When the 5th Baron Monteagle of Brandon died in 1946, the estate was sold. In 1954, the Sisters of Mercy acquired the estate and ran it as a private boarding school for girls, called Stella Maris. [8] It was later sold again, and is now being renovated. The caretaker gave us a wonderful tour of the house and showed us details of renovation, as well as bringing us out to the walled garden, where he has done great work.
It’s a lovely walk from the back garden up to the walled garden. Our tour guide also does the gardening and the walled garden is productive as well as beautiful.
[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.
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
Clare:
1. Barntick House, Clarecastle County Clare – section 482
2. Bunratty Castle, County Clare
3. Craggaunowen Castle, Kilmurray, Sixmilebridge, County Clare
4. Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara, County Clare
5. Kilrush House, County Clare – ‘lost,’ Vandeleur Gardens open
6. Knappogue or Knoppogue Castle, County Clare
7. Mount Ievers Court, Sixmilebridge, County Clare
8. Newtown Castle, Newtown, Ballyvaughan, County Clare– section 482
9. O’Dea’s, or Dysert Castle, County Clare
Places to Stay, County Clare
1. Armada House, formerly Spanish Point House, Spanish Point, County Clare €
2. Ballinalacken Castle, Lisdoonvarna, County Clare – hotel €€
3. The Carriage Houses, Beechpark House, Bunratty, County Clare €
4. Clare Ecolodge, formerly Loughnane’s, Main Street, Feakle, Co Clare
5. Dromoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare – hotel €€€
6. Falls Hotel (was Ennistymon House), Ennistymon, Co. Clare €€
7. Gregan’s Castle Hotel, County Clare€€€
8. Loop Head Lightkeeper’s Cottage, County Clare€€ for 2; € for 4-6
9. Mount Callan House and Restaurant, Inagh, County Clare – B&B
10. Mount Cashel Lodge, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, County Clare €
11. Newpark House, Ennis, County Clare€
12. Smithstown Castle (or Ballynagowan), County Clare€ for 4-8 for one week
13. Strasburgh Manor coach houses, Inch, Ennis, County Clare€
Whole House Rental, County Clare
1. Inchiquin House, Corofin, County Clare – whole house rental€ for 6-10
2. Mount Vernon lodge, County Clare – whole house accommodation€ for 7-11 people
Bunratty Castle, County Clare, photograph by Chris Hill 2014, for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. [1]
Mark Bence-Jones writes in his A Guide to Irish Country Houses:
p. 49. “(O’Brien, Inchiquin, B/PB; and Thomond, E/DEP; Studdert/IFR; Russell/IFR; Vereker, Gort, VPB) One of the finest 15C castles in Ireland, standing by the side of a small tidal creek of the Shanon estuary; built ca 1425, perhaps by one of the McNamaras; then held by the O’Briens, who became Earls of Thomond, until 6th Earl [Barnabas O’Brien (d. 1657)] surrendered it to the Cromwellian forces during the Civil War. A tall, oblong building, it has a square tower at each corner; these are linked, on the north and south sides, by a broad arch just below the topmost storey. The entrance door leads into a large vaulted hall, or guard chamber, above which is the Great Hall, the banqueting hall and audience chamber of the Earls of Thomond, with its lofty timber roof. Whereas the body of the castle is only three storeys – there being another vaulted chamber below the guard chamber – the towers contain many storeys of small rooms, reached up newel stairs and by passages in the thickness of the walls. One of these rooms, opening off the Great Hall, is the chapel, which still has its original plasterwork ceiling of ca 1619, richly adorned with a pattern of vines and grapes. There are also fragment of early C17 plasterwork in some of the window recesses. After the departure of the O’Briens, a C17 brick house was built between the two north towers; Thomas Studdert [1696-1786], who bought Bunratty early in C18, took up residence here in 1720. Later, the Studderts built themselves “a spacious and handsome modern residence in the demesne: and the castle became a constabulary barracks, falling into disrepair so that, towards the end of C19, the ceiling of the Great Hall collapsed. Bunratty was eventually inherited by Lt-Com R.H. Russell, whose mother was a Studdert, and sold by him to 7th Viscount Gort [Standish Robert Gage Prendergast Vereker (1888-1975)] 1956. With the help of Mr Percy Le Clerc and Mr John Hunt, Lord Gort carried out a most sympathetic restoration of the castle, which included removing C17 house, re-roofing the Great Hall in oak and adding battlements to the towers. The restored castle contains Lord Gort’s splendid collection of medieval and C16 furniture, tapestries and works of art, and is open to the public; “medieval banquets” being held here as a tourist attraction. Since the death of Lord Gort, Bunratty and its contents have been held in trust for the Nation.” [2]
Bunratty Castle, County Clare, Photograph by Chris Hill 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])Bunratty Castle, County Clare, Photograph by Chris Hill 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])Bunratty Co Clare National Library of Ireland stereo pairs collection STP_1858. (Dublin City Library and Archives) [3]Bunratty Castle Co Clare National Library of Ireland Lawrence Collection taken between 1880 and 1914, L_CAB_00962 (Dublin City Library and Archives) [3]
3. Craggaunowen Castle, Kilmurray, Sixmilebridge, County Clare
Craggaunowen Pre-Historic Park, County Clare, photo by Stephen Power 2014 for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])
“Early medieval 500AD-1500: The most common form of house style during this period was the ringfort –a circular area of earth surrounded by a bank and ditch. In some cases, stone was used in the defensive enclosure and these are known as cashels. Over 45,000 examples still remain today. Also dating from this period were crannogs (from the Irish crann – tree) – an artificial island built in the shallow areas of lakes with the houses surrounded by a timber palisade or fence. These can be spotted in the landscape as small tree covered islands close to the lake shore – both the ringforts and crannogs most commonly contained circular houses. A reconstruction of a crannog dwelling can be found at Craggaunowen, Co. Clare
“This was also a time when Christianity was introduced to Ireland and whereas the early churches of the 6th and 7th centuries were of timber, evidence of stone churches appear from the late 8th century. These were simple rectangular buildings of about 5m long with a high steep pitched roof. The only doorway had a flat-topped lintelled opening. The early Irish monasteries of the 9th and 10th centuries, such as Clonmacnoise, had larger churches and monastic buildings also included the drystone beehive hut or clochan, as can be seen at Skellig Michael, and also the Round Tower, built between the 10th and 12th century, which consisted of a narrow tower up to 30m high tapering at the top with a conical roof.” [4]
The Craggaunowen website tells us: “Craggaunowen Castle - built by John MacSioda MacNamara in 1550 a descendant of Sioda MacNamara who built Knappogue Castle in 1467. After the collapse of the Gaelic Order, in the 17th century, the castle was left roofless and uninhabitable. The Tower House remained a ruin until it and the estate of Cullane House across the road, were inherited in 1821 by ”Honest” Tom Steele, a confederate of Daniel O’Connell, Steele had the castle rebuilt as a summer house in the 1820s. He used it and the turret on the hill opposite for recreation. His initials can be seen on one of the quoin-stones to the right outside. “The Liberator”. By the time of the First Ordnance Survey, in the 1840s, the castle was “in ruins”. After Steele in 1848 the lands were divided, Cullane going to one branch of his family, Craggaunowen to another, his niece Maria Studdert. Eventually the castle and grounds were acquired by the “Irish Land Commission”. Much of the land was given over to forestry and the castle itself was allowed to fall into disrepair. In the mid-19th century, the castle, herd’s house and 96 acres were reported in the possession of a Reverend William Ashworth, who held them from a Caswell (a family from County Clare just north of Limerick). In 1906, a mansion house here was owned by Count James Considine (from a family based at Derk, County Limerick). Craggaunowen Castle was restored by John Hunt in the 1960s – he added an extension to the ground floor, which for a while housed part of his collection of antiquities. The collection now resides in the Hunt Museum in the city of Limerick.” [5]
Mark Bence-Jones writes in A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988):
p. 115. “(Martyn/LGI1912; Gogarty/IFR; Russell, Ampthill, B/PB) An old tower-house with a bawn and a smaller tower, on a creek of Galway Bay; which was for long roofless, though in other respects well maintained by the Martyn family, of Tulira, who owned it C18 and C19, and which was bought in the present century by Oliver St John Gogarty, the surgeon, writer and wit, to save it from threat of demolition. More recently, it was bought by the late Christabel, Lady Ampthill, and restored by her as her home; her architect, being Donal O’Neill Flanagan, who carried out a most successful and sympathetic restoration. The only addition to the castle was an unobtrusive two storey wing joining the main tower to the smaller one. The main tower has two large vaulted rooms, one above the other, in its two lower storeys, which keep their original fireplaces; these were made into the dining room and drawing room. “Medieval” banquets and entertainments are now held here.”
Timothy William Ferrers writes about it on his website:
“KILRUSH HOUSE, County Clare, was an early Georgian house of 1808.
“From 1881 until Kilrush House was burnt in 1897, Hector Stewart Vandeleur lived mainly in London and only spent short periods each year in Kilrush.Indeed during the years 1886-90, which coincided with the period of the greatest number of evictions from the Vandeleur estate, he does not appear to have visited Kilrush.
“In 1889, Hector bought Cahircon House and then it was only a matter of time before the Vandeleurs moved to Cahircon as, in 1896, they were organising shooting parties at Kilrush House and also at the Cahircon demesne.
“Hector Stewart Vandeleur was the last of the Vandeleurs to be buried at Kilrush in the family mausoleum. Cahircon House was sold in 1920, ending the Kilrush Vandeleurs’ direct association with County Clare. Hector Vandeleur had, by 1908, agreed to sell the Vandeleur estate to the tenants for approximately twenty years’ rent, and the majority of the estate was purchased by these tenants.
“THE VANDELEURS, as landlords, lost lands during the Land Acts and the family moved to Cahircon, near Kildysart.
“In 1897, Kilrush House was badly damaged by fire.
“During the Irish Land Commission of the 1920s, the Department of Forestry took over the estate, planted trees in the demesne and under their direction the remains of the house were removed in 1973, following an accident in the ruins.Today the top car park is laid over the site of the house.
“Vandeleur Walled Garden now forms a small part of the former Kilrush demesne. The Kilrush demesne was purchased by the Irish Department of Agriculture as trustee under the Irish Land Acts solely for the purpose of forestry. The Kilrush Committee for Urban Affairs purchased the Fair Green and Market House.” [6]
Mark Bence-Jones writes about Knoppogue, or Knappogue, Castle in A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988):
p. 180. “(Butler, Dunboyne, B/PB) A large tower-house with a low C19 castellated range, possibly by James Pain, built onto it. Recently restored and now used for “medieval banquets” similar to those at Bunratty Castle, Co Clare.”
7. Mount Ievers Court, Sixmilebridge, County Clare
The website has a terrific history of the house. First, it tells us:
“Mount Ievers Court is an 18th c. Irish Georgian country house nestled in the Co. Clare countryside just outside the town of Sixmilebridge. The house was originally the site of a 16th c. tower house called Ballyarilla Castle built by Lochlann McNamara. The tower house was demolished in the early 18th c. to construct the present house, built between 1733-1737 by John & Isaac Rothery, for Col. Henry Ievers.
“Mount Ievers Court has been home to the Ievers family for 281 years and since then generations of Ievers and their families have worked hard to maintain the house in order to ensure that the estate retains a viable place in the local community and Ireland’s heritage long into the future. Mount Ievers is currently owned by Breda Ievers née O’Halloran, a native of Sixmilebridge, and her son Norman. Norman is married to Karen, an American by birth, who has a keen interest in Irish history & the family archives.“
Mark Bence-Jones writes in A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988):
p. 214. “(Ievers/IFR) The most perfect and also probably the earliest of the tall Irish houses; built ca. 1730-37 by Colonel Henry Ievers to the design of John Rothery, whose son, Isaac, completed the work after his death and who appears to have also been assisted by another member of the Rothery family, Jemmy. The house, which replaced an old castle, is thought to have been inspired by Chevening, in Kent – now the country house of the Prince of Wales – with which Ievers could have been familiar not only through the illustration in Vitruvius Britannicus, but also because he may have been connected with the family which owned Chevening in C17. Mount Ievers, however, differs from Chevening both in detail and proportions; and it is as Irish as Chevening is English. Its two three storey seven bay fronts – which are almost identical except that one is of faded pink brick with a high basement whereas the other is of silvery limestone ashlar with the basement hidden by a grass bank – have that dreamlike, melancholy air which all the best tall C18 Irish houses have. There is a nice balance between window and wall, and a subtle effect is produced by making each storey a few inches narrower than that below it. The high-pitched roof is on a bold cornice; there are quoins, string-courses and shouldered window surrounds; the doorcase on each front has an entablature on console brackets. The interior of the house is fairly simple. Some of the rooms have contemporary panelling; one of them has a delightful primitive overmantel painting showing the house as it was originally, with an elaborate formal layout which has largely disappeared. A staircase of fine joinery with alternate barley-sugar and fluted balusters leads up to a large bedroom landing, with a modillion cornice and a ceiling of geometrical panels. On the top foor is a long gallery, a feature which seems to hark back to the C17 or C16, for it is found in hardly any other C18 Irish country houses; the closest counterpart was the Long Room in Bowen’s Court, County Cork. The present owners, S.Ldr N.L. Ievers, has carried out much restoration work and various improvements, including the placement of original thick glazing bars in some of the windows which had been given thin late-Georgain astragals ca. 1850; and the making of two ponds on the site of those in C18 layout. He and Mrs Ievers have recently opened the home to paying guests in order to meet the cost of upkeep.”
The website tells of the ancient origins of the family, and goes on to explain:
“A parchment found in the sideboard at Mount Ievers in July 2012 maintains that Henry Ivers arrived in Ireland in 1640 from Yorkshire, where the family had been settled since arriving with William the Conqueror nearly six hundred years earlier. It also records that Henry settled in County Clare in 1643 when he was appointed Collector of Revenue for Clare and Galway.“
Newtown Castle, photograph fron National Library of Ireland, flickr constant commons.
www.newtowncastle.com , Open dates in 2025: Jan 6-Dec 19 Mon-Fri, National Heritage Week 16-24, 10am-5pm Fee: Free
The website tells us: “The historic Newtown Castle has occupied a prominent position in Ballyvaughan since the 16th century. Having lain derelict for many years, the castle’s restoration began in 1994, completed in time for the opening of the Burren College of Art in August of that year.
“Newtown Castle is once again a vibrant building in daily use, central to the artistic, cultural and educational life of the Burren. It is open free of charge to the public on week days. Newtown Castle is also available to hire for: wedding ceremonies, small private functions or company events.”
Maurice Craig and Desmond Fitzgerald the Knight of Glin describe it in their book Ireland Observed. A handbook to the Buildings and Antiquities: “This sixteenth-century tower, nearly round in plan, rises from a square base, on which is the entrance door. Ingeniously places shot-holes protect its four sides.” [7]
Maurice Craig also writes about Newtown in his book The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880:
“There is a small class of cylindrical tower-houses: so small that it is worth attempting to enumerate them all, omitting those which appear to be thirteenth-century (and hence not tower-houses). They are Cloughoughter, County Cavan (which is dubiously claimed for the fourteenth century); Carrigabrack, East of Fermoy County Cork; Knockagh near Templemore County Tipperary; Ballysheeda near Cappawhite County Tipperary; Golden in the same county; Crannagh now attached to an eighteenth century house near Templetuohy in the same county; Balief County Kilkenny; Grantstown near Rathdowney County Leix; Barrow Harbour County Kerry; Newtown near Gort in County Galway; Doonagore County Clare also by the sea; Faunarooska, Burren, County Clare; and Newtown at the North edge of the Burren, also in County Clare.
“The last of these is in some ways the most interesting, being in form a cylinder impaled upon a pyramid. Over the door (which is in the pyramid) there is a notch in the elliptical curve traced by the cylinder, and in this notch is a gunhole covering a wide sector of the sloping wall below. At some other castles, for example, Ballynamona on the Awbeg river, there is a feature using the same principle, which is not easy to describe. On each face of the building there is what looks at first site like the “ghost” or creasing of a pitched roof, but is in fact a triangular plane, about a foot deep at the top, decreasing to nothing at the base. In the apex there is a gunhole. Aesthetically the effect is very subtle.” [8]
Newtown Castle, courtesy of National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. [9]
The Castle was built in 1480 by Diarmuid O’Dea, Lord of Cineal Fearmaic. The uppermost floors and staircase were badly damaged by the Cromwellians in 1651. Repaired and opened in 1986, the castle houses an extensive museum, an audio visual presentation and various exhibitions.
Free car/coach parking and toilets Tea rooms and bookshop Chapel Modern History Room 1700AD – 2000AD Museum – Local artefacts 1000BC – 1700AD Audio – visual presentation – local archaeology Medieval masons and carpenters workshop Roof wall – walk to view surrounding monuments
Places to Stay, County Clare
1. Armada House, formerly Spanish Point House, Spanish Point, County Clare €
The is a Victorian house, originally called Sea View House.
The website tells us:
“In 1884 the local Roman Catholic Bishop, James Ryan, expressed a wish to start a primary and secondary school in Miltown Malbay, a short distance from Spanish Point House, but his vision was unrealised for many years to come.
“In 1903 the bishop’s estate donated £900 to the Mercy Sisters to establish a school, but things did not happen until 1928, when three houses owned by the Morony estate were offered for sale to the Mercy Sisters with the intention of establishing a school at Spanish Point. The Moronys were a family of local landlords who had owned a significant number of properties in the Spanish Point and Miltown Malbay area between 1750 and 1929, including Sea View House, Miltown House, and The Atlantic Hotel.
“The Moronys were responsible for much of the development of the locality of Spanish Point, which began in 1712 when Thomas Morony took a lease of land, later purchased by his eldest son, Edmund, divided it into two farms and leased it to two local landlords for thirty-one years. Francis Gould Morony willed Sea View House, which he built in 1830, to his wife’s niece, Marianne Harriet Stoney, who married Captain Robert Ellis. The house was inherited by the Ellis family and one of their sons – Thomas Gould Ellis – became the son and heir.
“Almost a century later, in January 1928, a successor, Robert Gould Ellis, sold the property to the Mercy Sisters for £2,400 and in 1929 Colonel Burdett Morony sold Woodbine Cottage to the nuns for £300. Colonel Burdett Morony was a son of widow Ellen Burdett Morony of Miltown House, a woman who was quite unpopular amongst her tenants for rack-renting to such an extent that a boycott was operated against her. Woodbine Cottage, now part of the local secondary school building, was a summer residence of the Russell family and part of the Morony estate.
“On 19 March 1929 – the feast of St Joseph – a deed of purchase was signed and Sea View House became St Joseph’s Convent. The coach house, stables and harness rooms were fitted out as classrooms and a secondary school was opened on 4 September 1929.
“In 1931 the west wing was used as dormitories for boarders for the first time. In 1946 Wooodbine Cottage was converted into three classrooms and Miltown House (the Morony family seat, built in the early 1780s by Thomas J. Morony, who developed the town of Miltown Malbay) was also bought by the nuns and became the convent of the Immaculate Conception and a day school, while St Joseph’s was given over to boarding pupils.
“In 1959 a new secondary school was opened in part of Miltown House and in Woodbine Cottage by Dr Patrick Hillery, then Minister for Education. He originally came from Spanish Point and was later to become President of Ireland.
“In 1978 the boarding school at St Joseph’s closed, due to falling numbers, following the introduction of free secondary education and free school transport, which allowed pupils a greater choice of schools. The house was then given by the sisters to Clare Social Services as a holiday home for children, and was called McCauley House after the Venerable Catherine McCauley – founder of the Mercy Order.
“In September 2015 Clare Social Service sold the former convent to Pat and Aoife O’Malley, who restored it as a luxury guesthouse and re-named it Spanish Point House.”
2. Ballinalacken Castle (house next to), Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare – hotel €€
Photograph from National Library of Ireland, constant commons, Flickr, Ballinalicken Castle, County Clare.
The website tells us that the property has been in the O’Callaghan family for three generations, and is now run by Declan and Cecilia O’Callaghan. The rooms look luxurious, some with four poster beds, and the hotel has a full restaurant.
The website tells us: “The original house was owned by the famous O’Brien clan – a royal and noble dynasty who were descendants of the High King of Ireland, Brian Ború. The house , castle and 100 acres of land was bought by Declan’s grandfather Daniel O’Callaghan, in 1938 and he and his wife Maisie opened it as a fine hotel. It was later passed to Daniel’s son Dennis and his wife Mary and then to his son, Declan. Declan and Cecilia have three children who also assist in the family business.“
“Standing tall on a limestone outcrop, our very own Castle, Ballinalacken Castle, is a two-stage tower house which was built in the 15th or early 16th century. It is thought the name comes from the Irish Baile na leachan (which means “town of the flagstones/tombstones/stones”).
10th Century: The original fortress is built by famous Irish clan, the O’Connors – rulers of West Corcomroe.
14th Century: The fortress itself is found and Lochlan MacCon O’Connor is in charge of its rebuilding.
1564: Control of West Corcomroe passes to Donal O’Brien of the O’Brien family.
1582: The lands are formally granted by deed to Turlough O’Brien of Ennistymon. After the Cromwellians triumphed in the area, five of Turlough’s castles are razed to the ground – but Ballinalacken is saved as it was not on the list of “overthrowing and demolishing castles in Connaught and Clare.”
1662: Daniel dies and grandson Donough is listed as rightful holder of the Castle.
Mark Bence-Jones writes in his A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988):
p. 26. “(O’Brien/LGI1912) A single-storey house with a curved bow, close to an old keep on a rock. The seat of the O’Brien family, of which Lord Chief Justice Peter O’Brien, Lord O’Brien of Kilfenora (known irreverently as “Pether the Packer”) was a younger son.”
“A warm welcome awaits you at The Carriage Houses, situated in the grounds of Beechpark House, Bunratty, in the heart of County Clare on the west coast of Ireland.
“Part of the estate of a former Bishop’s Palace, the Carriage Houses have been restored to provide a retreat away from the frenetic pace of the modern world. We invite you to relax in your own luxury suite, complete with all modern amenities, and succumb to a slower pace of life while you are with us.”
4. Clare Ecolodge, formerly Loughnane’s, Main Street, Feakle, Co Clare
www.clareecolodge.ie Open dates in 2025: June 1-August 31, Wed-Sun, Aug 16-24, 2pm-6pm Fee: Free
The website tells us:
“Clare Ecolodge at Loughnane’s, Feakle, in the heart of East Clare, is a unique family-run guest accommodation experience. We also offer group and self-catering accommodation as well as residential courses. The buildings, which have been in the family for over 100 years, were renovated 10 years ago. Since then we have been welcoming guests from all over the world. Clare Ecolodge at Loughnane’s offers a wide variety of accommodation to suit the needs of individuals and groups visiting Feakle for a residential courses or using the village as a base to explore the wild and beautiful landscape of County Clare. Feakle is an ideal location from which to discover the East Clare countryside. Steeped in history and heritage, the area is known for its fine walks, stunning lakes, rugged mountains and of course its vibrant Irish traditional music scene. Loughnane’s offers a unique blend of tranquillity and fun giving guests a genuine Irish experience.
“Clare Ecolodge at Loughnane’s in Feakle has been designated by the Irish State as a building of significant historical, architectural interest and members of the public are invited to view the building (free of charge) at the following times from June 1 to August 31 from Wednesday to Sunday between 2pm and 6pm.
Clare Ecolodge; The Energy Story:
“Clare Ecolodge was created in 2018 to signify the changes which we have implemented over the past two years at Loughnane’s Guesthouse/ Hostel. We have converted all our rooms in the main house to large private double and family rooms.In May 2018 we installed 30 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof of the main building. Look up and see for yourself!Since then we have been producing between 20 to 60kw hours per day.
“In May 2018 we also installed an air to water heat pump system. This is a low usage eco-water heating system powered by electricity.This heats all our water requirements for showers, laundry and kitchen requirements. We have not turned on our oil burner since installation. The average yearly energy requirements for an Irish household is approximately 4000kwh. Our energy system has produced this in the past 3 months. In that time we have avoided 2.5 tonnes of CO2.We use between 5 and 15kwh per day. The surplus is sent back to the grid at the transformer at the top of the village. We currently receive zero compensation for the excess electricity we generate but the ESB charges the community for the usage of this electricity.
“We estimate that we are currently at least 50% off-gird.Our main hot water and energy requirements are in the summer months. In high season there are more showers used and laundry needed. Our current energy system can handle this with little effort.
“For the past decade we have been growing our own vegetables and herbs for use in our kitchen.
Next phase – Winter time
“Our Solar PV panels are powered by light rather than heat so will work in winter, albeit not for periods as long in the summer. We aim to install a battery storage system so we can manage the energy we generate to be used at the most opportune times.We aim to install a second heat pump for our central heating requirements. This will effectively reduce our oil consumption to zero.We aim to install a wind turbine system on our 12 acre farm behind the main house. This will be used as a back up to bridge the energy generation gap between winter and summer.“
5. Dromoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare– hotel €€€
Dromoland Castle, County Clare, photo care of Dromoland Castle, for Tourism Ireland 2019, Ireland’s Content Pool. (see [1])
Mark Bence-Jones writes in A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988):
p. 109. “(O’Brien, Inchiquin, B/PB) Originally a large early C18 house with a pediment and a high pitched roof; built for Sir Edward O’Brien, 2nd Bt; possibly inspired by Thomas Burgh, MP, Engineer and Surveyor-General for Ireland. Elaborate formal garden. This house was demolished ca 1826 by Sir Edward O’Brien, 4th Bt (whose son succeeded his kinsman as 13th Lord Inchiquin and senior descendant of the O’Brien High Kings) and a wide-spreading and dramatic castle by James and George Richard Pain was built in its place. The castle is dominated by a tall round corner tower and a square tower, both of then heavily battlemented and machicolated; there are lesser towers and a turreted porch. The windows in the principal fronts are rectangular, with Gothic tracery. The interior plan is rather similar to that of Mitchelstown Castle, Co Cork, also by the Pains; a square entrance hall opens into a long single-storey inner hall like a gallery, with the staircase at its far end and the principal reception rooms on one side of it. But whereas Mitchelstown rooms had elaborate plaster Gothic vaulting, those at Dromoland had plain flat ceilings with simple Gothic or Tudor-Revival cornices. The dining room has a dado of Gothic panelling. The drawing room was formerly known as the Keightley Room, since it contained many of the magnificent C17 portraits which came to the O’Brien family through the marriage of Lucius O’Brien, MP [1675-1717], to Catherine Keightley, whose maternal grandfather was Edward Hyde, the great Earl of Clarendon. The other Keightley portraits hung in the long gallery, which runs from the head of the staircase, above the inner hall. Part of the C18 garden layout survives, including a gazebo and a Doric rotunda. In the walled garden in a C17 gateway brought from Lemeneagh Castle, which was the principal seat of this branch of the O’Briens until they abandoned it in favour of Dromoland. The Young Irelander leader, William Smith O’Brien, a brother of the 13th Lord Inchiquin, was born in Dromoland in C18 house. Dromolond castle is now a hotel, having been sold 1962 by 16th Lord Inchiquin, who built himself a modern house in the grounds to the design of Mr Donal O’Neill Flanagan; it is in a pleasantly simple Georgian style.”
Donough O’Brien (1642-1717), 1st Baronet by Mary Beale, 1690. He lived in an earlier Dromoland Castle.Lucia Hamilton, 1674, daughter of George Hamilton. Wife of Donough O’Brien, 1st Baronet, married in 1674. She died two years later, not long after the birth of his son and heir, Lucius.Edward O’Brien (1705-1765) 2nd Baronet of Dromoland, County Clare from Historical memoir of the O’Briens : The Origin and History of the O’Brien Clan, by John O’Donoghue A.M, Barrister-at-Law, First Published in 1860 (Martin Breen 2002) Illustrations section (Collection of O’Brien of Dromoland), Public Domain,https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109837449Mary Hickman, wife of Edward O’Brien, 2nd Baronet, from Historical memoir of the O’Briens : The Origin and History of the O’Brien Clan, by John O’Donoghue A.M, Barrister-at-Law, First Published in 1860 (Martin Breen 2002) Illustrations section, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109837783
Lucius Henry O’Brien, 3rd Baronet of Dromoland, County Clare (1731-95) also lived in 14 Henrietta St from 1767-1795 – for more about him, see Melanie Hayes, The Best Address in Town: Henrietta Street, Dublin and its First Residents 1720-80, published by Four Courts Press, Dublin 8, 2020.
Dromoland Castle, Co Clare, NLI, Lawrence Photographic Collection photo by Robert French.
Mark Bence-Jones writes in A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988):
p. 121. “(Macnamara/IFR) :A two storey seven bay gable-ended C18 house with a two bay return prolonged by a single-storey C19 wing ending in a gable. One bay pedimented breakfront with fanlighted tripartite doorway; lunette window in pediment. Some interior plasterwork, including a frieze incorporating an arm embowed brandishing a sword – the O’Brien crest – in the hall. Conservatory with art-nouveau metalwork; garden with flights of steps going down to the river. The home of Francis MacNamara, a well-known bohemian character who was the father-in-law of Dylan Thomas and who married, as his second wife, the sister of Augustus John’s Dorelia; he and John are the Two Flamboyant Fathers in the book of that name by his daughter, Nicolette Shephard.”
Ennistymon House (between ca. 1865-1914), County Clare, photograph by Robert French, Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
Gregan’s Castle hotel, County Clare, photograph from National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
The National Inventory tells us Gregan’s Castle was built in 1750. It tells us Gregan’s Castle is a: “six-bay two-storey house, built c. 1750, with half-octagonal lower projection. Extended c. 1840, with single-bay two-storey gabled projecting bay and single-storey flat-roofed projecting bay to front. Seven-bay two-storey wing with single-storey canted bay windows to ground floor, added c. 1990, to accommodate use as hotel.”
The website tells us:
“Welcome to Gregans Castle Hotel. Please take a look around our luxury, eco and gourmet retreat, nestled in the heart of the beautiful Burren on Ireland’s west coast. The house has been welcoming guests since the 1940s and our family have been running it since 1976. Our stunning 18th century manor house is set in its own established and lovingly-attended gardens on the Wild Atlantic Way, and has spectacular views that stretch across the Burren hills to Galway Bay.
“Inside, you’ll find welcoming open fires, candlelight and striking decoration ranging from modern art, to antique furniture, to pretty garden flowers adorning the rooms. Gregans Castle has long been a source of inspiration for its visitors.
“Guests have included J.R.R Tolkien, who’s said to have been influenced by the Burren when writing The Lord of the Rings, as well as other revered artists and writers such as Seamus Heaney and Sean Scully.
“And for the guests of today: with warm Irish hospitality, stylish accommodation, outstanding service and exceptional fine dining in our award-winning restaurant, we truly are a country house of the 21st century. You can do nothing or everything here. And whatever you choose, we’d like you to join us in celebrating all that is wondrous and beautiful in this truly exceptional place.“
Simon Haden and Frederieke McMurray
8. Loop Head Lightkeeper’s Cottage, County Clare€€ for 2; € for 4-6
“Perched proudly on an enclosure at the tip of Loop Head stands the lighthouse station. Surrounded by birds and wild flowers, cliffs and Atlantic surf, Loop Head offers holiday accommodation with all of the spectacular appeal of the rugged west coast.“
9. Mount Callan House and Restaurant, Inagh, Co Clare – B&B
Mark Bence-Jones writes in A Guide to Irish Country Houses (1988):
p. 212. (Synge/IFR; Tottenham/IFR) A Victorian house of two storys over basement built 1873 by Lt Col G.C. Synge and his wife, Georgiana, who was also his first cousin, being the daughter of Lt-Col Charles Synge, the previous owner of the estate. The estate was afterwards inherited by Georgiana Synge’s nephew, Lt-Col F. St. L. Tottenham, who made a garden in which rhododendrons run riot and many rare and tender species flourish.”
The website tells us:
“Mount Callan House & Restaurant is situated in the beautiful surroundings of West Clare in the heart of Kilmaley village. We are a small, family-run restaurant, led by Chef Daniel Lynch, and guest house with a deep connection to our rural community.
“The local landscape is our inspiration and our food is created using the very best seasonal ingredients from award-winning, local suppliers.
“We encourage creativity, a good working environment and a community approach for the benefit of all.“
10. Mount Cashel Lodge, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare – period self-catering accommodation €
The website describes it: “Enjoy luxury self-catering accommodation in these beautifully restored 18th Century lakeside lodges. Set in a 38 acre private landscaped estate with private Lake, riverside walk and Victorian cottage garden to explore. Lake boating, kayaking and fishing are available on site to complete this idyllic retreat.“
Newpark House, County Clare by Jen on flickr constant commons, 2016.
The website tells us: “Newpark House was built around 1750, and since then it has been the property of three families: the Hickmans, the Mahons and the Barrons.
“The Hickmans came into the possession of Cappahard Estate in 1733. On part of this estate, Gortlevane townland, Richard Hickman built a house and landscaped around it. Around this time he re-named the townland Newpark. Several of those trees from the planting of the new park still survive. On his marriage in 1768 his father transferred the property to Richard. He died in 1810 and this property transferred to his son Edward Shadwell Hickman. Edward was a Crown Solicitor in Dublin and put the property up for rent.
“The Mahons: Patrick Mahon, a member of the new up and coming Catholic gentry, took up this offer and moved his family into Newpark. The Mahon family were very involved in the campaign for equal rights for Catholics in Ireland. Patrick’s son, James Patrick commonly known as The O’Gorman Mahon, nominated Daniel O’Connell to contest the famous Clare Election of 1828. O’Connell’s victory in this election resulted in the granting of Catholic Emancipation in 1829. It is highly likely that Daniel O’Connell stayed at Newpark during his visits to Ennis at this time. O’Gorman Mahon (1802-1891) had a very colourful life which ranged from hunting bears in Finland with a Russian Tzar to becoming a Colonel and Aide-de-Camp to the President of Costa Rica. Back in Ireland he is said to have introduced Parnell to Kitty O’Shea.
“While the Mahon family were living here they totally remodled the house. They added on wings and castlated the house in the Gothic revival style which was fashionable in Ireland at that time. The architect responsible would seem to be either John Nash or one of his former apprentices, the Pain brothers, all three were working in the area at this time.
“Of special historical significance is a pair of crosses on the turrets of the house. These crosses have shamrocks on the ends and were put there to commerate Catholic Emancipation. The Mahon family purchased the estate outright in 1853 and held it until 1904.
“At times when Newpark was owned by the Hickmans and Mahons several other families and individuals lived there. The Ennis poet Thomas Dermody spent time here with his father before he set off from Newpark, in 1785, for Dublin, in search of fame and fortune. Thomas remarked on the comfort he felt at Newpark during his time there. Also to have lived at Newpark were Captain William Cole Hamilton, a Magistrate (1870-1876), William Robert Prickett (1883-1886) and Philip Anthony Dwyer (1888-1904), Captains in the local Clare Division of the British Army.
“The Barrons: In 1904 the property came into ownership of the present family, the Barrons. Timothy ‘Thady’ Barron was born on the side of the road, in 1847, during the famine. His father had lost his herdsman job, along with the herdsman’s cottage, due to a change of landlord. After a few tough years his father got another herdsmans job and Thady followed in his fathers footsteps. Thady moved in to Newpark in 1904 with his family and he lived he until his death in 1945. In the 1950s Thady’s son James ‘Amy’ bought the property from his sister Nance. In 1960 Amy’s son Earnan and his new wife Bernie moved into a barely habitable Newpark House. They set about slowly but surely bringing the house back to live. Luckily for them they got an opportunity to furnish the house with antiques, which were at that time considered second-hand furniture. Bernie opened up Newpark House as a B&B in 1966. Her son, Declan, is the present owner and we are looking forward to 50 years in business in 2016.”“The Barrons: In 1904 the property came into ownership of the present family, the Barrons. Timothy ‘Thady’ Barron was born on the side of the road, in 1847, during the famine. His father had lost his herdsman job, along with the herdsman’s cottage, due to a change of landlord. After a few tough years his father got another herdsmans job and Thady followed in his fathers footsteps. Thady moved in to Newpark in 1904 with his family and he lived he until his death in 1945. In the 1950s Thady’s son James ‘Amy’ bought the property from his sister Nance. In 1960 Amy’s son Earnan and his new wife Bernie moved into a barely habitable Newpark House. They set about slowly but surely bringing the house back to live. Luckily for them they got an opportunity to furnish the house with antiques, which were at that time considered second-hand furniture. Bernie opened up Newpark House as a B&B in 1966. Her son, Declan, is the present owner and we are looking forward to 50 years in business in 2016.”
12. Smithstown Castle (or Ballynagowan), County Clare – tower house € for 4-8 for one week
Ballynagowan Castle County Clare by Neale Adams, 2011 on flickr constant commons.
From the website:
“Only few castles in the West of Ireland have survived into our times. Ballynagowan (Smithstown) Castle has played an exciting role in the history of North Clare, taking its name from ‘beal-atha-an-ghobhan’, meaning the ‘mouth of the smith’s ford’.
“It was first mentioned in 1551 when the last King of Munster, Murrough O’Brien, (also known as the Tanist, was created 1st Earl of Thomond and 1st Baron of Inchiquin in 1543), willed the Castle of Ballynagowan to his son Teige before his death.
Murrough O’Brien (1614-1674) 1st Earl of Inchiquin by John Michael Wright courtesy of Manchester Art Gallery.
“Over the years it accommodated many famous characters of Irish history. Records show that in 1600 the legendary Irish rebel “Red” Hugh O’Donnell rested there with his men during his attack on North Clare, spreading ruin everywhere and seeking revenge on the Earl of Thomond for his being in alliance with the English.
“In 1649 Oliver Cromwell’s army came from England with death and destruction. The Castle was attacked with cannons when Cromwell’s General, Ludlow, swept into North Clare striking terror everywhere he went.
“In 1650 Conor O’Brien of Lemeneagh became heir of the castle. His death, however, came shortly afterwards in 1551, as he was fatally wounded in a skirmish with Cromwellian troops commanded by General Ludlow at Inchicronan. With him had fought his wife Maire Rua O’Brien (“The Red Mary”, named after her long red hair), one of the best known characters in Irish tradition. She had lived in the castle as a young woman and it is the ferocity and cruelty attributed to her, which has kept her name alive. Legends tell that to save her children’s heritage after Conor’s death she married several English generals, who were killed in mysterious ways one after the other- she supposedly ended her bloody carrier entombed in a hollow tree.
“During 1652 almost all inhabitable castles in Clare including Smithstown were occupied by Cromwellian garrisons, a time of terrible uncertainty as Clare was under military rule.
“Over the next decades Ballynagowan Castle was the seat of army generals, the High Sheriff of County Clare and Viscount Powerscourt, one of the most powerful aristocrats who had their main residence – a monumental neogothic palace – in Dublin.
“The castle was last inhabited mid 19th century and until its recent restauration served as beloved meeting point for couples -, songs and poems about it finding their way into the local pubs.“
13. Strasburgh Manor coach houses, Inch, Ennis, County Clare€
“The buildings that comprise the holiday homes were the coach houses attached to the House.
“Once occupied by James Burke, who was killed in the French Revolution in 1790, the House was named after the French town of Strasbourg.
“It figured prominently in Irish history up to its demise in 1921, when it was burned down during the Irish War of Independence.
“Families associated with it included: Burke, Daxon, Stacpoole, Huxley, Mahon, Talbot, Taylor, Scott & McGann (ref: ‘Houses of Clare’ by Hugh Weir, published by Ballinakella Press, Whitegate, Co. Clare).“
Whole House Rental, County Clare
1. Inchiquin House, Corofin, County Clare – whole house rental,€€€ for 2, € for 6-10
Inchiquin House, County Clare by Conall, 2021 on flickr constant commons.
The website tells us “Inchiquin House is an elegant period home in County Clare, romantically tucked away in the west of Ireland not far from the Wild Atlantic Way. It is the perfect base from which to explore the unique Burren landscape, historic sites, and the region’s many leisure activities.“
2. Mount Vernon lodge, Co Clare – whole house accommodation€ for 7-11 people
“Mount Vernon is a lovely Georgian Villa built in 1788 on the Burren coastline of County Clare with fine views over Galway Bay and the surrounding area.
“Built in 1788 for Colonel William Persse on his return from the American War of Independence, Mount Vernon was named to celebrate his friendship with George Washington. The three remaining cypress trees in the walled garden are thought to have been a gift from the President.
“During the nineteenth century Mount Vernon was the summer home of Lady Augusta Gregory of Coole, an accomplished playwright and folklorist and a pivotal figure in the Irish Cultural Renaissance. It was her collaboration with W.B.Yeats and Edward Martyn that created the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1904. Lady Gregory entertained many of the luminaries of the Irish Literary Revival at Mount Vernon including W.B.Yeats, AE (George Russell), O’Casey, Synge and George Bernard Shaw.
“In 1907 Lady Gregory gave the house to her son Robert Gregory as a wedding present and it was from here that he produced many of his fine paintings of the Burren landscape. He later joined the Royal Flying Corps and was shot down by ‘friendly fire’ in 1918, an event commemorated by W.B.Yeats in his famous poem, An Irish Airman Foresees his Death.
“A feature from this period are the unusual fireplaces designed and built by his close friend the pre-Raphaelite painter Augustus John.“
[2] p. 49. 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.
[7] Craig, Maurice and Knight of Glin [Desmond Fitzgerald] Ireland Observed. A handbook to the Buildings and Antiquities. The Mercier Press, Dublin and Cork, 1970.
[8] p. 103. Craig, Maurice. The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880, Lambay Books, Portrane, County Dublin, first published 1982, this edition 1997, p. 103.
I had initially published the County Tipperary OPW sites along with Munster counties of Clare and Limerick but the entry is too long so I am dividing it.
OPW sites in CountyTipperary:
1. Cahir Castle, County Tipperary
2. Damer House and Roscrea Castle, County Tipperary
3. Famine Warhouse 1848, County Tipperary
4. Holycross Abbey, County Tipperary – must prebook for tour
5. The Main Guard, County Tipperary – closed at present
6. Nenagh Castle, County Tipperary
7. Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary
8. Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary
see 2. Roscrea Castle and Damer House, County Tipperary
9. Swiss Cottage, County Tipperary
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!
“Cahir Castle is one of Ireland’s largest and best-preserved castles. It stands proudly on a rocky island on the River Suir.
“The castle was was built in the thirteenth century and served as the stronghold of the powerful Butler family. [The Archiseek website tells us it was built in 1142 by Conor O’Brien, Prince of Thomond] So effective was its design that it was believed to be impregnable, but it finally fell to the earl of Essex in 1599 when heavy artillery was used against it for the first time. During the Irish Confederate Wars it was besieged twice more.
“At the time of building, Cahir Castle was at the cutting edge of defensive castle design and much of the original structure remains.“
Our tour guide took us through the outside of the castle, showing us its defenses. Our tour ended inside the Great Hall, or dining hall.
“In the heart of Roscrea in County Tipperary, one of the oldest towns in Ireland, you will find a magnificent stone motte castle dating from the 1280s. It was used as a barracks from 1798, housing 350 soldiers, and later served as a school, a library and even a sanatorium.
“Sharing the castle grounds is Damer House, named for local merchant John Damer, who came into possession of the castle in the eighteenth century. The house is a handsome example of pre-Palladian architecture. It has nine beautiful bay windows. One of the rooms has been furnished in period style.
“How did an ordinary farmhouse near Ballingarry, County Tipperary, become the site of a bloody siege and a monument of the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848?
“It was here that rebels, under the leadership of Protestant aristocrat William Smith O’Brien, besieged 47 police officers who had barricaded themselves into the McCormack homestead, taking 5 children hostage. After two of their number were killed, the rebels finally gave in. They were later transported to penal colonies abroad.
“The Warhouse, as it became known, is now a museum. Its contents illuminate the history of the Young Irelander Rebellion, the trials of its leaders, their exile in Australia and escape to the USA. The exhibition places the rebellion in the context of the Great Famine and the upheaval that rocked Europe during that turbulent year.“
Traditionally it was known as Ballingarry Warhouse or The Widow McCormack’s House.
4.Holycross Abbey, County Tipperary:
Holycross Abbey, photograph from Ireland’s Content pool, by Liam Murphy 2016 for Failte Ireland [see 1]
“As destination for pilgrims, Holy Cross Abbey, near Thurles, County Tipperary, has a rich history. Pilgrims travelled here for eight centuries to venerate the relic after which the abbey and surrounding villages are named – a piece of the True Cross of Christ’s crucifixion.
“Today this working parish church is a peaceful landmark and a place for quiet contemplation and historical discovery. As well as inspecting the relic of the cross, you can marvel at the building’s ornate stonework. The chancel is possibly the finest piece of fifteenth-century architecture in the country. The abbey also houses one of the only surviving medieval wall paintings in Ireland.“
5.The Main Guard, Sarsfield Street, Clonmel, County Tipperary:
The Main Guard, or Clonmel Courthouse, County Tipperary. Photograph from National Inventory of Architectural Heritage: five-bay two-storey courthouse and market house, built 1673, with arcaded ground floor to front and north gable, and pediment and cupola to roof.Until restored c.2000, building had been five-bay three-storey with triple public house front to ground floor, and timber sliding sash windows. Now in use as museum.The columns of the arcaded facades were recycled from the ruins of the Cistercian abbey of Inislounaght, to the west of the town and retain some decorative elements that testify to this fact.
General Information: 052 612 7484, mainguard@opw.ie
“In the seventeenth century County Tipperary was a palatinate, ruled by James Butler, duke of Ormond. When the duke decided he needed a new courthouse, he built one in the heart of Clonmel [built in 1673]. Later, when it was used as a barracks, it became known as the Main Guard.
“A fine two-storey symmetrical building, some elements of its design were based on works by the famous Sir Christopher Wren.
“In the eighteenth century it was the venue for the Clonmel Assizes. The most notable trial it witnessed was that of Father Nicholas Sheehy, the anti-Penal Laws agitator. Sheehy was hanged, drawn and quartered.
“In about 1810, the ground floor was converted into shops, but the building has recently undergone an award-winning restoration. The open arcade of sandstone columns is once again an attractive feature of the streetscape, while inside you will find a fantastic exhibition and event space.“
Main Guard, 1948, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archives. [2]
6. Nenagh Castle, County Tipperary
Nenagh Castle, photograph by Brian Morrison, 2017, for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. [see 1]
General information: 067 33850, castlenenagh@gmail.com
The OPW doesn’t seem to have a site for this currently, but there is information at a site about Nenagh:
“Nenagh Castle was built by Theobald Walter (the first of the Butlers of Ormond) around 1200. To this day the cylindrical keep adorns the town and like most keeps it formed part of the perimeter of the fortress. The walls have now almost disappeared, but fragments remain.
“Built from limestone Nenagh Castle measures fifty-five feet in external diameter at the base and rises to a height of one hundred feet. The Castle features four storeys and thanks to a recent renovation this wonderful landmark now represents the town’s premier tourist attraction.
“The building and has stone spiral stairs to the top. There are 101 steps in all to the top. Access to the tower is through a passageway within the base of the wall. This has low head room and visitors will need to stoop to avoid hitting the stone above. All children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. [3]
Nenagh Castle, photograph by Brian Morrison, 2017, for Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Content Pool. [see 1]
7. Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary:
“Joined on to an earlier medieval riverside castle, Ormond Castle Carrick-on-Suir is the finest example of an Elizabethan manor house in Ireland. Thomas, 10th Earl of Ormond [“Black Tom” (1531-1614)], built it in 1565 in honour of his distant cousin Queen Elizabeth.
“The magnificent great hall, which stretches almost the whole length of the building is decorated with some of the finest stucco plasterwork in the country. The plasterwork features portraits of Queen Elizabeth and her brother Edward VI and many motifs and emblems associated with the Tudor monarchy.“
Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir 1949, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archive. [see 2]
James Butler the 12th Earl of Ormond and 1st Duke of Ormond (1610-1688) spent much of his time here and was the last of the family to reside at the castle. On his death in 1688 the family abandoned the property and it was only handed over to the government in 1947, who then became responsible for its restoration.
7. Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary:
Rock of Cashel, Co Tipperary photograph from Ireland’s Content pool, by Brian Morrison 2018 for Failte Ireland. [see 1]
General Information: 062 61437, rockofcashel@opw.ie
“Set on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale, the Rock of Cashel, iconic in its historic significance, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House.
“Originally the seat of the kings of Munster, according to legend St. Patrick himself came here to convert King Aenghus to Christianity. Brian Boru was crowned High King at Cashel in 978 and made it his capital.
“In 1101 the site was granted to the church and Cashel swiftly rose to prominence as one of the most significant centres of ecclesiastical power in the country.
“The surviving buildings are remarkable. Cormac’s Chapel, for example, contains the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland.“
Rock of Cashel, 1955, from Dublin City Library and Archives [see 2].Rock of Cashel ca. 1901, photograph from National Library of Ireland Flickr constant commons.
8.Roscrea Castle and Damer House, County Tipperary:
Roscrea Castle, photograph from Ireland’s Content pool, by Chris Hill 2014 for Failte Ireland. [see 1]
General information: 0505 21850, roscreaheritage@opw.ie
“In the heart of Roscrea in County Tipperary, one of the oldest towns in Ireland, you will find a magnificent stone motte castle dating from the 1280s. It was used as a barracks from 1798, housing 350 soldiers, and later served as a school, a library and even a sanatorium.
“Sharing the castle grounds is Damer House, named for local merchant John Damer, who came into possession of the castle in the eighteenth century. The house is a handsome example of pre-Palladian architecture. It has nine beautiful bay windows. One of the rooms has been furnished in period style.
“The grounds also include an impressive garden with a fountain, which makes Roscrea Castle a very pleasant destination for a day out. There is also a restored mill displaying St Crónán’s high cross and pillar stone.“
This was originally the site of a motte and bailey fortification known as King John’s Castle. The original wooden castle was destroyed in the late 13th century and was replaced with a stone structure built in 1274-1295 by John de Lydyard. The castle was originally surrounded by a river to the east and a moat on the other sides. [4] It was granted to the Butlers of Ormond in 1315 who held it until the early 18th Century. The castle as we see it today was built from 1332.
The castle was used as a barracks from 1798, housing 350 soldiers. It was used later as a school, a library, and a tuberculosis sanatorium. Roscrea Castle fell into disrepair in the 19th century, and when the roof collapsed extensive repairs were needed in the 1850s. It was named a national monument in 1892, and is now under the care of the OPW.
Damer House is of three storeys and nine bays and has a scroll pediment doorway and inside, a magnificent carved staircase. The Irish Georgian Society was involved in saving it from demolition in the 1960s.
9.Swiss Cottage, Ardfinnan Road, Cahir, County Tipperary:
General Information: 052 744 1144, swisscottage@opw.ie
“The Swiss Cottage, just outside the heritage town of Cahir, is a cottage orné – a fanciful realisation of an idealised countryside cottage used for picnics, small soirees and fishing and hunting parties and was also a peaceful retreat for those who lived in the nearby big house.
Built in the early 1800s [around 1810] by Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall, who, we believe, managed to persuade world-famous Regency architect John Nash to design it [he also designed Buckingham Palace for the Crown]. Originally, simply known as “The Cottage” it appears to have acquired its present name because it was thought to resemble an Alpine cottage.”
Munster’s counties are Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
I have noticed that an inordinate amount of OPW sites are closed ever since Covid restrictions, if not even before that (as in Emo, which seems to be perpetually closed).
Cork:
1. Annes Grove, County Cork
2. Barryscourt Castle, County Cork – currently closed (June 2022)
3. Charles Fort, County Cork
4. Desmond Castle, Kinsale, County Cork
5. Doneraile Court, County Cork
6. Fota House Arboretum and Gardens, County Cork (Fota House itself is maintained by the Heritage Trust)
7. Ilnacullin, Garanish Island, County Cork
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!
€10.00
Cork:
1. Annes Grove, Castletownroche, County Cork:
Annes Grove, County Cork, 1981 from Dublin City Library and Archives. [1]
This is due to be open soon by the OPW. It does not have a website yet. In December 2015 Annes Grove House and Garden were donated to the state by the Annesley family.
“Nestled into an eighteenth century ornamental glen, adjacent to the River Awbeg, the demesne of Annes Grove in north County Cork is the setting for the most exquisite Robinsonian-style gardens in Ireland….
The Gardens at Annes Grove were largely the creation of Richard Grove Annesley in the first half of the twentieth century.” [2]
Annes Grove, County Cork, 1981 from Dublin City Library and Archives. [see 1]
The estate was previously known as Ballyhimmock, and it was acquired by William Grove around 1626.
In 1792 it was inherited by Arthur Grove Annesley (1774-1849) from an aunt by marriage, heiress to the Grove family, after which it was renamed by merging the two family names. [3] Arthur Grove Annesley’s uncle Francis Charles Annesley, 1st Earl Annesley of Castlewellan, County Down, married Mary Grove who inherited the estate from her father.
At the centre of the garden is a restored Gothic style summerhouse. The main house is of Queen Anne design, from the 18th century. Pergolas, a lily pond, Victorian stone fernery, a woodland walk and river garden, a rockery and wild water garden create an atmospheric setting.
From “In Harmony with Nature, The Irish Country House Garden 1600-1900” in the Irish Georgian Society, July 2022, curated by Robert O’Byrne.
2. Barryscourt Castle, County Cork:
Barryscourt Castle by Julia Delio, flickr constant commons, August 2009.
“Barryscourt Castle was the seat of the great Anglo-Norman Barry family and is one of the finest examples of a restored Irish Tower House. Dating from between 1392 and 1420, the Castle has an outer bawn wall and largely intact corner towers. The ground floor of the Tower House contains a dungeon into which prisoners were dropped via the ‘drop-hole’ located on the second floor.
“The Barrys supported the Fitzgeralds of Desmond during the Irish rebellions of the late sixteenth century. To prevent it being captured by Sir Walter Raleigh and his army, the Barrys [David Barry, 5th Viscount Barry (1550-1617)] partially destroyed the Castle.
Walter Raleigh (1552-1618) by Unknown English artist 1588, National Portrait Gallery of London ref. 7.
“During the Irish Confederate War of the seventeenth century Barryscourt Castle was once again successfully attacked. Cannon balls lodged in the wall above the Castle entrance bear witness to this conflict. The last head of the Barry family was Lord David Barry.
“Barryscourt Castle has been extensively restored. The Main Hall and Great Hall have been completed and fittings and furnishings reinstated. Within the Castle grounds, the herb and knot garden and the charming orchard have been restored to their original sixteenth century design.“
After David Barry’s death in 1617 the family made Castlelyons their principal seat (now a ruin). The castle was restored by the OPW and the Barryscourt Trust between 1987-1993, with reproduction furniture made by Victor Chinnery. [4]
An article in the Irish Examiner by Padraig Hoare published 22nd May 2021 tells us that the site is closed and will be for some time:
“A reopening date must be established for one of East Cork’s most historic landmarks after languishing in the midst of safety works for five years.
“That is according to Cork East TD Séan Sherlock, who said Barryscourt Castle in Carrigtwohill has to be a priority for the Government body in charge of the facility, the Office of Public Works (OPW).
“History enthusiasts and families alike were disappointed in the summer of 2020, when it emerged that Barryscourt Castle would remain closed for another 18 months.
“The latest update from the OPW given in response to a parliamentary question from Mr Sherlock suggests it may be even longer than the date anticipated a year ago.
“The Department of Public Expenditure said restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic “has disrupted the good progress” of works being done to make the facility safe.
“It is not possible at this time to give a precise date for reopening to the public,” the department said.“
3. Charles Fort, Summer Cove, Kinsale, County Cork:
The Soldiers Quarters, the Hospital ward, the Lighthouse (by Robert Reading) and Magazine of the 17th Century Charles Fort, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Munster, Ireland. Photograph from Ireland’s Content Pool, photograph by Cahir Davitt, 2016, for Failte Ireland. [5]
General Enquiries: 021 477 2263, charlesfort@opw.ie
“As one of the country’s largest military installations, Charles Fort has been part of some of the most momentous events of Irish history. During the Williamite Wars, for example, it withstood a 13-day siege before it fell. Later, in the Civil War of the early 1920s, anti-Treaty forces on the retreat burned it out.
“Charles Fort is a massive star-shaped structure of the late seventeenth century, well preserved despite its history. William Robinson, architect of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, Dublin, is credited with designing it. Its dimensions are awe-inspiring – some of the outer defences are 16 metres high.
“The view from the ramparts looking out over Kinsale Harbour is spectacular.“
The Soldiers Quarters, and Magazine of the 17th Century Charles Fort, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Munster, Ireland.Photograph from Ireland’s Content Pool, photograph by Cahir Davitt, 2016, for Failte Ireland. [see 5]The seaward Devils Bastion and lighthouse of the 17th Century Charles Fort, with Kinsale boatyard in the background, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Munster, Ireland; Photograph from Ireland’s Content Pool, photograph by Cahir Davitt, 2016, for Failte Ireland. [see 5]
4. Desmond Castle (also known as the French Prison), Kinsale, County Cork:
Desmond Castle Kinsale 1941, photograph from Dublin City Library archives. [see 1]
General Enquiries: 021 477 4855, desmondcastle@opw.ie
“Desmond Castle in Kinsale dates from around 1500. It is a classic urban tower house, consisting of a three-storey keep with storehouses to the rear.
“Maurice Bacach Fitzgerald, the earl of Desmond, originally built the castle as the customs house for the town. [I think this must be the 9th Earl of Desmond – JWB] It served as a prison in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Because it usually held French inmates, as well as Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch and Americans, it became known locally as the French Prison and carries that name to this day. The building was co-opted as an ordnance store during the momentous Battle of Kinsale (1601) and served as a workhouse during the Great Famine.
“Desmond Castle certainly had a colourful history and this continued into the twentieth century. In the early 1900s it was used as a venue to host local Gaelic League meetings. Finally, in the 1930s, a thriving undertaking business operated from within the National Monument.“
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage tells us:
“Freestanding three-bay three-storey tower house, commenced c.1500, abutting earthen terrace to rear. Attached cell blocks and exercise yards to rear (north-west) and platform to side (north-east). Historically used as magazine (1600-1601), as prison for foreign prisoners (1601-1790) and as borough jail (1791-1846). Restored in 1938 currently in use as museum.“
“Fota House was designed by 19th century architects Richard and William Morrison. From the beautifully proportioned rooms with exquisite plasterwork, to the preserved service wing and kitchens, Fota House offers visitors an intimate look at how life was lived in the past, for the cooks, butlers, footmen and maids who supported the lavish lifestyle of the gentry. Our painting collection is considered to be one of the finest collections of landscape painting outside the National Gallery of Ireland and includes works by William Ashford PRHA, Robert Carver, Jonathan Fisher and Thomas Roberts.” [9]
The arboretum and gardens on Fota Island, just 16 kilometres from Cork city centre, are an essential destination for any one of a horticultural bent.
The arboretum extends over 11 hectares and contains one of the finest collections of rare, tender trees and shrubs grown outdoors in Europe. The unique conditions at Fota – its warm soil and sheltered location – enable many excellent examples of exotics from the southern hemisphere to flourish.
The gardens include such stunning features as the ornamental pond, formal pleasure gardens, orangery and sun temple. James Hugh Smith-Barry laid them out in the first half of the nineteenth century. Fota House, the Smith-Barrys’ ancestral home, still stands. The house, arboretum and gardens share the island with a hotel and golf resort and a wildlife park. [10]
7. Ilnacullin, Garanish Island, Glengarriff, Bantry, County Cork:
Italian garden, Garnish Island, Glengarriff, Beara, Co. Cork, Photograph by Chris Hill 2014, Ireland’s Content Pool. [see 5]
general enquiries: (027) 63040
garanishisland@opw.ie
Ilnacullin is an island in the coastal harbour at Glengariff in Bantry Bay. It has an almost sub-tropical climate with mild winters and high levels of rainfall and humidity. These conditions favour the growth of exotic plants. The gardens were set out in the Arts and Crafts style and contain Italianate pavilions and follies, framed against a backdrop of beautiful views.
“Ilnacullin is an island garden of diminutive size and rare beauty. Nestled in the sheltered coastal harbour at Glengarriff in Bantry Bay, the gardens display a wealth of unique horticultural and architectural gems. Bryce House is a fitting memorial to the visionary creators of this unique place.
“The gardens of Ilnacullin owe their existence to the early twentieth-century creative partnership of John Annan and Violet Bryce, the island’s owners, and Harold Peto, an architect and garden designer. The area enjoys a mild and humid micro-climate that makes for spectacular and flourishing plant life all year round.
“Small ferry boats and 60-seater waterbuses take visitors to Ilnacullin regularly. The short crossing usually includes an extra treat – a visit to the nearby seal colony and an opportunity to glimpse majestic sea eagles.“
The Island was bequeathed to the Irish people by the Bryce’s son, Roland, in 1953 and is cared for by the OPW. Bryce House contains material from the Bryces’s lives, including John Annan Bryce’s collection of Burmese statues, Chinese ceramics, Japanese woodblock prints, metal works and rare exotic objects. There are also Old Master drawings by Salvator Rosa, Mauro Antonio Tesi and Giambattista Tiepolo. Over the years the Bryces hosted prominent cultural figures such as George (AE) Russell, George Bernard Shaw and Agatha Christie. [11] You can see a tour of the house and gardens on the website.
From “In Harmony with Nature, The Irish Country House Garden 1600-1900” in the Irish Georgian Society, July 2022, curated by Robert O’Byrne.From “In Harmony with Nature, The Irish Country House Garden 1600-1900” in the Irish Georgian Society, July 2022, curated by Robert O’Byrne.
[7] p. 377. Keohane, Frank. Buildings of Ireland: Cork City and County, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2020.
Another work Keohane identifies as being by Benjamin Crawley is Castle Bernard, now a ruin in County Cork:
Castle Bernard, County Cork, photograph from National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
[8] p. 105. 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.
Irish Historic Houses 