Glengarriff Castle

THE WHITES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CORK, WITH 16,175 ACRES

The family of WHITE claimed to derive its descent from a brother of the Rt Rev John White, Bishop of Winchester, in 1557. The immediate ancestor of this noble family came to Ireland during the English civil war which commenced in 1641.

This brother's descendant in the fourth degree, 

RICHARD WHITE, of Bantry, County Cork, son of Richard White, of Bantry, married, in 1734, Martha, daughter of the Very Rev Rowland Davies, of Dawston, County Cork, Dean of Cork and Ross, and had issue,

SIMON, his heir;
Margaret, m Richard, Viscount Longueville.

The only son,

SIMON WHITE, of Bantry, wedded, in 1760, Frances Jane, daughter of Richard Hedges Eyre, of Mount Hedges, County Cork, by Helena his wife, daughter of Thomas Herbert, of Muckross Abbey, County Kerry, and dsp, having had issue,

RICHARD, of whom presently;
Simon;
Hamilton;
Helen; Martha; Frances.

The eldest son,

RICHARD, 1ST EARL OF BANTRY (1767-1851), espoused, in 1799, the Lady Margaret Anne Hare, daughter of William, 1st Earl of Listowel, and had issue,

Richard, 2nd Earl;
William Henry Hare, 3rd Earl;
SIMON, of whom we treat;
Robert Hedges;
Mary.

The third son,

COLONEL THE HON SIMON WHITE, wedded, in 1801, Sarah, daughter of John Newenham, of Maryborough, and had issue,

ROBERT HEDGES EYRE, his heir;
Edward Richard;
Fanny Rosa Maria; Harriet.

Colonel White died in 1838, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT HEDGES EYRE WHITE (1809-), of Glengarriff Castle, County Cork, who married, in 1834, Charlotte Mary, only daughter and heir of Thomas Dorman, of Raffeen House, County Cork, and had issue,

ROBERT HEDGES EYRE WHITE (1836-), of Raffeen House, who espoused, in 1860, Mary Anne d'Esterre, daughter of John Roberts, of Ardmore, County Waterford, and had issue,

Robert Hedges Eyre, b 1862;
Simon, b 1863;
Edward, b 1869;
Anna Mary; Frances Dorothy.

GLENGARRIFF CASTLE, County Cork, is a partially castellated house overlooking Glengarriff harbour.

It has a long, two-storey range with shallow, curved bows and ogee-headed windows.

At one end there is a square tower; the other end having a considerably loftier, battlemented round tower.

The round tower joins the main block to a battlemented wing at an obtuse angle to its end.

The Castle was built in the 1790s by Colonel Simon White, brother of the 1st Earl of Bantry.

It was built in the Gothic style, with a panoramic view of Glengarriff Bay.

The woodlands of the estate encompass a wide variety of trees including Oak, Beech, Japanese Red Cedar, European Larch, Chilean Pine and a variety of shrub and flora species.

Wildlife to be seen include red squirrel, sika deer, seals, fox and pine marten.

Over the years, Glengarriff has extended hospitality to royalty, artists and writers, such as Thackeray, Synge and Yeats; and, when living in the area, George Bernard Shaw is said to have written his play St Joan here.

The actress Maureen O'Hara, who starred with John Wayne in The Quiet Man, for many years kept a holiday home adjacent to Glengarriff Castle.

The castle operated as a resort until the late 1970s, when it became derelict.

In 2020 the Castle was purchased by Peter McGill, of Holywood, County Down, who is restoring the property.

First published in May, 2013.