A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust
A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust
A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust
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Malahide Castle, Malahide, Co. Dublin<br />
Ardgillan and Newbridge House have been included in this summary as, together with<br />
Malahide Castle, the three houses are all now owned by Fingal County Council.<br />
The three houses were purchased with their demesnes, by Dublin County Council:<br />
Malahide in 1975, Ardgillan in 1982, and Newbridge in1985. Their acquisition was<br />
largely influenced by the need to provide a necklace of major parks in the greater<br />
Dublin area. Today, Malahide, <strong>for</strong> example, attracts around 75,000 paying guests per<br />
annum, while the park attracts over one million visitors.<br />
Ardgillan Castle is located near Balbriggan. It is an eighteenth-century house,<br />
originally belonging to the Taylour family who were also associated with Head<strong>for</strong>t in<br />
County Meath. The central section of the house was built in 1738 and the wings were<br />
added in the late eighteenth century. Opened to the public since 1992, the furniture on<br />
show was originally provided on loan, but is now owned by the County Council<br />
Malahide Castle, is located in Malahide. It has been described as ‘the most<br />
distinguished of all <strong>Irish</strong> castles’. Until it was sold in the mid 1970s, its owners, the<br />
Talbots de Malahide, had the distinction of being the longest resident original family<br />
in an <strong>Irish</strong> country house, having lived there <strong>for</strong> almost 800 years. It has a number of<br />
interesting historical and cultural heritage features:<br />
- Malahide contains the only surviving medieval great hall in Ireland to have<br />
retained its original <strong>for</strong>m.<br />
- The rococo plasterwork is attributed to Robert West.<br />
- Some of its original contents were bought back by Bord Failte. Individuals<br />
have loaned other contents, while a number of portraits purchased by the<br />
National Gallery of Ireland are also on loan.<br />
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