Thread: Ireland has a wealth of cultural history, of which stately homes are the most contentious. To some they represent colonial oppression, whereas to others they are masterworks by Irish craftsmen & women. Let’s visit a few of them. 
Most country house families became more Irish than the Irish themselves & incorporated Gaelic customs such as hospitality; as well as intermarrying with Gaelic aristocracy. Some families avoided the soup, whereas others happily indulged. They were a diverse elite.
Thanks to an anonymous benefactor I’m able to offer a limited number of drawings at a price that everyone can afford. Two original works for just €50/£45. Take your pick!
The great Irish houses begin with Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir, built by the Earl of Ormonde, 1568. It boasts an intact Long Gallery where gentle exercise might be taken; as well as a much-ribbed medallion of Eliz I. It was English Renaissance form transported to Tipperary.
Myrtle Grove, Youghal in county Cork, was home to Sir Walter Raleigh. A 1540-60 unfortified house it provided a retreat for Edmund Spenser to write some of his Faerie Queene (1590). The house is said to be where potatoes were first grown & tobacco smoked in Europe.
Lismore Castle, Waterford was rebuilt in 1610 for the Earl of Cork, Richard Boyle. He stamped his mark on the old castle by having his arms emblazoned there & importing sumptuaries, especially silver. The castle was one of the first Irish residences that enjoyed a garden.
Kilkenny Castle was ancient in origin (1192AD) but following damage incurred in the 1640s wars the Duke of Ormond had the pile rebuilt in the style of a French château. The Castle has played a central role in Irish history & was last attacked during the 1922 Civil War
Beaulieu House, Louth, evolved from an earlier build in the 1660s-1720s. It is a rare survival from a period of chaos. Particularly noteworthy are it’s superb carved over-doors as well as it’s painted ceiling by Willem van der Hagen (?-1745), the father of Irish landscape art.
Milltown Park House, Offaly is one of the most important piles built between 1720-60 (it’s yours for €3.5m). The form of the house with over-sized chimney stacks surmounting the gable wall-ends was old-fashioned by its completion.
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@CompanyofBooks is taking online orders at thecompanyofbooks.ie They even do local delivery in Dublin 6 as well as mail order. Treat yourself to a good read!
Castletown House is Ireland’s greatest palace & was built in 1722. It contains many of the finest interiors to survive from 18th C Ireland, including a print room & the Long Gallery. After a relentless campaign, over decades, the house is now safe in state ownership.
Westport House, Mayo (1730s) is an important building for both its architecture & contents. Unusually it’s interiors & chattels have survived; including family portraits. The house was sold in 2017. A national campaign to save the house for the nation was ignored by government.
Russborough House, Wicklow (1741-55) probably has the finest surviving plasterwork in the country. Built on the proceeds of trade (brewing), it’s owners went all out to convince visitors of their status. Now home to the Beit Fdn it has access to a world class art collection
Carton House, Kildare was the seat of the FitzGeralds. Built in the 1740s, it was more palace than stately home. It is now a hotel with its historic grounds having been destroyed by a golf course. A campaign to bring the house into state ownership had fallen on deaf ears.
Emo Court, Laois (1780-1800) is a happy eg of the Irish ‘Big’ house. Designed by Jms Gandon for the Earls of Portarlington it was bought by Jesuits in 20thC & was home to the photographer Fr Browne. Sold to Mjr Chomeley Harrison in 1969, he restored & presented it to the state.
Tullynally Castle, Westmeath is an early 19th C gothick extravaganza. It is still owned by its builders, the Pakenhams. Along with having a fairytale skyline it also boasts one of the finest landscaped demesnes in the country. It is ranked of national import.
Mitchelstown Castle, Cork (c1820s) represents the many destroyed country houses. To survive into the 21st C a house needed fair landlords &/or a wealthy & fecund family. Later, homes were pulled down as aristocrats focused on their English estates. The State was apathetic too.
Birr Castle, seat of the Earl of Rosse, is Ireland’s Natl Science Centre. The Castle dates back to 1170. It was ‘modernised’ in the mid 19th C when the largest telescope in the world was added to its grounds. It also has the oldest surviving photographic dark room in the world
Howth Castle, Dublin has ancient roots & the mostly 14th C castle was restyled by Lutyens in 1911. The Estate was sold by its founding family in 2018 & is in the process of destruction. The Castle is best known as the leitmotif of James Joyce’s Finnegans wake
Up until the Civil War (1922) many landlords lived in their country estates like princes, whilst some tenants with no security were forced to live in holes in the ground. Grinding poverty & famine amongst the majority was contrasted with an entitled minority.
Some landlords were good. At Mitchelstown the family spent half its wealth feeding the starving during the Famine. Others invented work schemes or waived rents. Deer parks were emptied & families bankrupted seeking to end the misery. Cruelly, some were of the ‘let it rip’ type.
One of the last great houses was Ashford (1850-60s), based on a 1228 Galway castle. Once a retreat of the Guinness Family it is now a hotel. In its many guises it has hosted guests as diverse as Oscar Wilde & President Reagan.
Many houses were burnt out in the early 20th C with those which survived mostly belonging to fair landlords (often judged by their famine response of the 1840s). Post independence, maintenance costs exploded & some were demolished & others converted to institutional or hotel use.
Even today, in Europe’s only post-colonial country, the idea of saving these remarkable houses is contentious. A small few wish to save these monuments for their artistic value & as tribute to the legions of tenants & servants who lived harsh lives around them.
Here’s more on my May offer. Two original drawings for just €50/£45. Take a look, my work is inspired by Irish history & nature!
