A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

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Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the kind support of the officers and staff of the Irish Georgian Society, particularly Desmond FitzGerald Knight of Glin; Sir David Davies; Mary Bryan; Donough Cahill; Estelle Gittins, Lisa Lambert and Elspeth O’Neill; Dave Fadden and Liam O Connell of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government; John Ducie, vice-chairman of An Taisce; Frank Carr of KPMG; those at Bord Fáilte and the Heritage Council who answered my numerous queries, and most particularly those house owners, managers, representatives and architects who so willingly gave of their time and offered much appreciated hospitality: Lord Altamont; Brian Bellew; Michael Bolton; Hon.Garech Browne; Charles Clements; Rebecca Cogan; John Coote; Martin Corrigan; Thomas Cosby; Jean Costello; Barbara Dawson; Lord Dunsany; Laurence Feeney; Bill Finlay, Desmond FitzGerald Knight of Glin; Mother Magdalena Fitzgibbon; Sir Josslyn and Lady Gore Booth; Major and Mrs. Hamilton; James Howley; Breda and Norman Ievers; Andrew Kavanagh; Brendan Kiernan; Susan Kellett; Margaret and Patrick Kelly; Knights of Columbanus [Billy Roe]; Eileen Lawlor; Samantha Leslie; Michael Lynch; John Madden; Lord and Lady Meath; Sean Moran; Lord Henry Mount Charles; Pyers O’ Conor Nash; Sir John and Lady Nugent; John O’Driscoll; Austin O’Sullivan; Thomas and Valerie Pakenham; Sandra Peavoy; Michael Penruddock; Alexander Perceval; Jim Reynolds; Lord Rosse; Sisters of Sion [Sister Phil]; Michael Sword; Mrs. Sidney Waddington; David Wall; Lord Waterford; Egerton Shelswell- White. Finally the author would like to express his gratitude to the National University of Ireland and to the Department of Modern History, National University of Ireland Maynooth. The author Dr. Terence Dooley is author of The decline of the big house in Ireland: a study of Irish landed families, 1860-1960 (2001). He is currently NUI Fellow in the Humanities, attached to the Department of Modern History, National University of Ireland Maynooth. 3
Executive Summary Due to an amalgam of economic, political and social reasons, only a very small proportion of historic houses (defined in this study as the country and town houses of the Irish landed class) survive in Ireland today in the ownership of their original families. Others have passed into the ownership of the state or of institutions and organisations whereby their functions have changed radically from private residences to hotels, country house bed and breakfasts, schools and colleges, hospitals, government offices, and even a prison. Many more have disappeared completely from the Irish landscape having been burned during the revolutionary period 1920-23, or simply abandoned or demolished since the 1920s. The preservation of all remaining historic houses, as well as their contents and their surroundings, is now a national imperative. They provide the only architectural evidence of the intermediate historical period between the golden era of the landed class in the early eighteenth century and their gradual decline from the late nineteenth century. Their preservation need not be seen as a celebration of the landlord system that facilitated their construction but rather a celebration of the great artistic achievements of the architects who designed them and the everyday works of craftsmanship of those who embellished them. The importance of historic houses, their parks and gardens to Irish and European cultural heritage is now generally accepted. The Irish government, through its participation in the Granada Convention of 1985, has committed itself to safeguarding the built heritage of Ireland for the wider good of the future generations of Europeans. *** This study set out to underscore the importance to Ireland’s heritage of the surviving historic houses in this country, to ascertain their current status, identify the potential threats to their future and make recommendations to safeguard that future. For this purpose fifty houses were selected. Four categories of houses were subsequently identified: those owned by the original families; those owned by the state; those owned by institutions and organisations and those in new private ownership (that is, houses more recently acquired by entrepreneurs and wealthy business people.) It was found that those owned by the original families are of particular importance because most of them retain at least some of their original contents, something that adds immeasurably to their historical integrity. The main body of this report finds the houses, with very few exceptions, are faced with difficulties which threaten their existence in the future unless immediate steps are taken to avert these threats. The state of the houses surveyed varies very much according to the funds which have been available to sustain their maintenance. Their present condition also varies greatly according to the levels of commitment which it was possible for previous generations to give to their conservation and restoration. The financial pressures on the original 4
Page 2 and 3: Table of Contents Page Foreword by
Page 6 and 7: family owners of historic houses du
Page 8 and 9: Section 1. Compiling the Study 1.1
Page 10 and 11: Section 2. Historical Background At
Page 12 and 13: a distance from their houses. In 19
Page 14 and 15: Section 3. Survey Findings 3.1 Pres
Page 16 and 17: - Russborough, Co. Wicklow, is owne
Page 18 and 19: all the known examples of houses of
Page 20 and 21: It is not just the houses themselve
Page 22 and 23: The present condition of these also
Page 24 and 25: - Repair estate walls and garden wa
Page 26 and 27: - which needs to be eradicated imme
Page 28 and 29: o Killruddery can no longer be main
Page 30 and 31: Attracting significant numbers of p
Page 32 and 33: Some difficulties arise which relat
Page 34 and 35: and heritage at Birr is in imminent
Page 36 and 37: Ireland the Local Government (Plann
Page 38 and 39: able to accompany these finances wi
Page 40 and 41: There remain a number of owners, mo
Page 42 and 43: donors to gift their properties to
Page 44 and 45: asset, offering a unique insight to
Page 46 and 47: APPENDIX I Schedule of Houses in Su
Page 48: LOCATION MAP 47
Page 52 and 53: Abbey Leix, Abbeyleix, Co. Laois Ab
Page 54 and 55:
Aldborough House, Dublin Aldborough
Page 56 and 57:
Ardgillan Castle, Balbriggan, Co. D
Page 58 and 59:
Avondale, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow Avo
Page 60 and 61:
Ballinlough Castle, Clonmellon, Co.
Page 62 and 63:
Ballyfin Co. Laois Ballyfin is loca
Page 64 and 65:
Ballyhaise House, Ballyhaise, Co. C
Page 66 and 67:
Bantry House, Co. Cork Bantry House
Page 68 and 69:
Barmeath Castle, Dunleer, Co. Louth
Page 70 and 71:
Beaulieu, Drogheda, Co. Louth Beaul
Page 72 and 73:
Bellamont Forest, Cootehill, Co. Ca
Page 74 and 75:
Bellinter, Navan, Co. Meath Bellint
Page 76 and 77:
Belvedere, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
Page 78 and 79:
Birr Castle, Birr, Co. Offaly Birr
Page 80 and 81:
Borris House, Borris, County Carlow
Page 82 and 83:
Castle Leslie, Glaslough, Co. Monag
Page 84:
Charlemont House, Dublin Charlemont
Page 87 and 88:
- Clonalis House places in context
Page 89 and 90:
- The demesne is one of the most ex
Page 91 and 92:
- Dunsany has historical associatio
Page 93 and 94:
that a large volume of people trave
Page 95 and 96:
- The plasterwork has been restored
Page 97 and 98:
o The neo-Classical plasterwork of
Page 100 and 101:
Headfort, Kells, County Meath. Head
Page 102 and 103:
Hilton Park, Clones, Co. Monaghan H
Page 104 and 105:
Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford Johns
Page 106 and 107:
Killadoon, Co. Kildare. Killadoon i
Page 108 and 109:
Killruddery, Bray, Co. Wicklow Kill
Page 110 and 111:
King House, Boyle, Co. Roscommon Ki
Page 112 and 113:
Kylemore Abbey, Letterfrack, Co. Ga
Page 114 and 115:
Lambay Castle Lambay Castle is situ
Page 116 and 117:
Ledwithstown, Ballymahon, Co. Longf
Page 118 and 119:
Lismore Castle, Co. Waterford. Lism
Page 120 and 121:
Lissadell House, Co. Sligo Lissadel
Page 122 and 123:
Luggala, Roundwood, Co. Wicklow Lug
Page 124 and 125:
Malahide Castle, Malahide, Co. Dubl
Page 126 and 127:
Mount Ievers, Co. Clare. Mount Ieve
Page 128 and 129:
Newbridge House, Donabate, Co. Dubl
Page 130 and 131:
Rathfarnham Castle, Co. Dublin Rath
Page 132 and 133:
Russborough, Co. Wicklow Russboroug
Page 134 and 135:
Shelton Abbey, Arklow, Co. Wicklow
Page 136 and 137:
Slane Castle, Slane, County Meath.
Page 138 and 139:
Stradbally Hall, Stradbally, Co. La
Page 140 and 141:
Strokestown Park, Strokestown, Co.
Page 142 and 143:
Temple House, Ballymote, County Sli
Page 144 and 145:
Townley Hall, Drogheda, Co. Louth T
Page 146 and 147:
Tullynally Castle, Castlepollard, C
Page 148 and 149:
Tyrone House, Dublin Tyrone House i
Page 150 and 151:
Westport House, County Mayo Westpor
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