A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

Killadoon, Co. Kildare.
Killadoon is located on the outskirts of Celbridge in Co. Kildare. It is owned by
Charles Clements whose ancestors built the house in 1765:
- Killadoon is one of only four country houses in Co. Kildare that has
survived in the ownership of the original families.
- The house was built for Robert Clements MP (later 1 st earl of Leitrim), the
eldest son of Nathaniel Clements MP, a prominent figure in eighteenthcentury
Dublin. The present owners are the sixth generation of the family
to reside there.
- The house contains an important collection of contents, which has allowed
it to retain much of its eighteenth-century character.
- One of its most impressive rooms is the drawing room which has remained
almost exactly as it was when redecorated by the 2 nd earl of Leitrim in the
1820s (the wallpaper, carpet, curtains and much of the furniture in the
room dates to this time.)
The present owner inherited the property from his cousin. In this transfer, he paid
55% Death Duties in 1974 and 40% Capital Acquisitions Tax in 1991. He points out
that the resulting dissipation of assets has severely compromised the family’s ability
to maintain the property.
Since 1991, significant conservation and restoration works have been carried out by
the present owner. However, he points out that much of the increasingly urgent
maintenance requirements, including the eradication of a serious dry rot problem, are
beyond the scope of his financial abilities.
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