Newcastle House

THE KING-HARMANS WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONGFORD, WITH 28,779 ACRES

NICHOLAS HARMAN, of Carlow, settled in Ireland during the reign of JAMES I.

He was one of the first burgesses of Carlow, named in the charter granted to that borough by JAMES I in 1614, and was High Sheriff of County Carlow in 1619.

By Mary his wife he was father of 

HENRY HARMAN, of Dublin, who had by Marie his wife, five sons and as many daughters, viz.

Edward;
Anthony, dsp before 1684;
THOMAS, of whom hereafter;
William;
Henry;
Anne; Mary; Jane; Margaret; Mabel.

Mr Harman died before 1649, and was succeeded by his third son, 

MAJOR SIR THOMAS HARMAN, Knight, of Athy, knighted by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Thomas, Earl of Ossory, 1664, MP for Carlow, 1659, Kildare Borough, 1661.

Sir Thomas obtained a grant of considerable estates in County Longford, under the Act of Settlement, dated 1607.

He married Anne Jones, who also obtained a grant of lands in County Carlow, 1668.

Sir Thomas died in 1667, and they were both buried in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, having had issue, with a daughter, Mary, a son,

WENTWORTH HARMAN, of Castle Roe, County Carlow, Captain of the Battle-Axe Guards, 1683, who wedded firstly, in 1679, Margaret, daughter of Garrett Wellesley, of Dangan, and had issue, with one daughter, two sons, namely,

Thomas, b 1681, dsp;
WENTWORTH, of whom hereafter.

Mr Harman married secondly, in 1691, Frances, sister and heir of Anthony Sheppard, of Newcastle, County Longford, and had further issue,

ROBERT, successor to his nephew;
Francis, died 1714;
Anthony;
William;
CUTTS (Very Rev), successor to his brother;
ANNE, m Sir Anthony Parsons Bt, of Birr Castle.

Mr Harman died in 1714, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

WENTWORTH HARMAN, of Moyne, County Carlow, who espoused, in 1714, Lucy, daughter of Audley Mervyn, of Trillick, County Tyrone, and sister and heir of Henry Mervyn, of the same place, and had issue,

WESLEY, his heir;
Thomas.

Mr Harman died in 1757, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

WESLEY HARMAN, of Moyle, who wedded Mary, daughter of the Rev Dr Nicholas Milley, Prebendary of Ullard, Diocese of Leighlin, by whom he had an only son,

Wentworth, who dsp in his father's lifetime.

Mr Harman died in 1758, and was succeeded by his uncle,

ROBERT HARMAN (1699-1765), of Newcastle, County Longford, and Millicent, County Kildare, MP for Kildare County, 1755, County Longford, 1761, who married Ann, daughter of John Warburton, third son of George Warburton, of Garryhinch, King's County, and dsp 1765, when he was succeeded by his only surviving brother,

THE VERY REV CUTTS HARMAN (1706-84), of Newcastle, Dean of Waterford, who espoused, in 1751, Bridget, daughter of George Gore, of Tenelick, County Longford, Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, and sister of John, Lord Annaly, by whom he had no issue.

The Dean presented to his cathedral the very fine organ which it possesses.

He bequeathed his estates to his nephew, the son of his sister ANNE, who espoused, as above, Sir Lawrence Parsons.

LAWRENCE PARSONS-HARMAN (1749-1807), of Newcastle, MP for County Longford, 1775-92, assumed the additional surname of HARMAN in 1792, on succeeding to his uncle's estates, who wedded, in 1772, the Lady Jane King, daughter of Edward, 1st Earl of Kingston, and had an only daughter,

FRANCES, of whom hereafter.

Mr Parsons-Harman was created, in 1792, Lord Oxmantown; and, in 1806, advanced to the dignity of an earldom, as EARL OF ROSSE, with special remainder, in default of male issue, to his nephew, Sir Lawrence Parsons, 5th Baronet, of Birr Castle.

His lordship died in 1807, when his peerage passed, according to the limitation, and his Harman estates devolved upon his only daughter and heir,

THE LADY FRANCES PARSONS-HARMAN, of Newcastle, who married, in 1799, Robert Edward, 1st Viscount Lorton, and had issue,

ROBERT, 2nd Viscount, succeeded as 6th Earl of Kingston;
LAWRENCE HARMAN, succeeded to the Harman estates;
Jane; Caroline; Frances; Louisa.

Her ladyship died in 1841, and was succeeded in her estates by her second son,

THE HON LAWRENCE KING-HARMAN (1816-75), of Newcastle, and Rockingham, County Roscommon, who assumed the additional surname of HARMAN.

Mr King-Harman wedded, in 1837, Mary Cecilia (d 1904), seventh daughter of James Raymond Johnstone, of Alloa, Clackmannanshire, and had, with other issue, a second son,

WENTWORTH HENRY KING-HARMAN JP DL (1840-1919), of Newcastle, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1896, Colonel, Royal Artillery, who wedded, in 1863, Annie Kate, daughter of D J Smith, of Kingston, Canada, and had issue,

WENTWORTH ALEXANDER;
Beatrice Caroline; Lilian Mary; Annette Maude.

Colonel King-Harman was succeeded by his only son,

WENTWORTH ALEXANDER KING-HARMAN DSO (1869-1949), of Newcastle, County Longford, and Mitchelstown, County Cork, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Irish Rifles, who died unmarried.

NEWCASTLE HOUSE, near Ballymahon, County Longford, is a large, three-storey, seven-bay, early 18th century, gable-ended house, with lower asymmetrical wings.

There is a small, central curvilinear gable on the entrance front, possibly original, which is repeated on the 19th century projecting porch.

The House has a high-pitched roof.

The drawing-room ceiling boasts painted plasterwork in low relief, with musical emblems at the corners.

Newcastle House was originally the residence of the Sheppard family, whose heiress married Wentworth Harman in 1691.

It was inherited, in 1784, by Lawrence Parsons-Harman, later 1st Earl of Rosse; and subsequently by his grandson, the Hon Lawrence King-Harman.

Newcastle House was sold ca 1950 by Captain Robert Douglas King-Harman DSO DSC RN, grandson of the Hon Lawrence King-Harman.

For several years it was a convent.

First published in April, 2013.

The Argory Acquisition

SELECTIVE ACQUISITIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

PROPERTY: The Argory, Moy, County Armagh

DATE: 1979

EXTENT: 280.92 acres

DONOR: Hoare Trustees and Walter MacGeough-Bond

*****

PROPERTY: Derrygally Farm

DATE: 1979

EXTENT: 77.1 acres

DONOR: Hoare Trustees and Walter MacGeough-Bond

First published in December, 2014

Mount Trenchard House

THE SPRING-RICES, BARONS MONTEAGLE OF BRANDON, WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LIMERICK, WITH 6,445 ACRES

EDWARD RICE, of Dingle, County Kerry, during the reign of HENRY VIII, married Anne, daughter of John Wall, of County Limerick, and was father of

ROBERT RICE, of Dingle, who wedded Julia, daughter of Sir James Whyte, Knight, of Cashel, County Tipperary, and was father of

STEPHEN RICE, of Dingle, MP for Kerry, 1613, who made a deed of settlement of his estates, 1619, and died in 1623.

He espoused Helena, daughter of Thomas Trant, of Cahirtrant, County Kerry, and had two sons, JAMES, MP for Dingle, 1635, from whom descended the RT HON THOMAS SPRING-RICE MP, of Mount Trenchard, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon; and

DOMINICK RICE, MP for Dingle, 1635, who married Alice, daughter of James Hussey, Baron of Galtrim, from which marriage descended

THE RT HON SIR STEPHEN RICE (1637-1715), Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and a supporter of JAMES II, who wedded Mary, daughter of Thomas FitzGerald, of County Limerick, and had issue,

THOMAS;
EDWARD, of whom we treat.

Sir Stephen's elder son,

THOMAS RICE, of Mount Trenchard, wedded Mary, daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 14th Knight of Kerry, and had issue, a son,

STEPHEN EDWARD RICE, of Mount Trenchard, who married, in 1785, Catherine, only child and heir of Thomas Spring, of Castlemaine, County Kerry, and had issue,

THOMAS, his heir;
Mary; Catherine Ann.

Mr Rice died in 1831, and was succeeded by his son,

THOMAS SPRING-RICE (1790-1866), of Brandon, County Kerry, Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1835-39, who wedded firstly, in 1811, the Lady Theodosia Pery, second daughter of Edmund, 1st Earl of Limerick, and had issue,

STEPHEN EDMUND, his successor;
Charles William Thomas, father of SIR CECIL SPRING-RICE GCMG GCVO;
Edmund Henry;
Aubrey Richard;
William Cecil;
Mary Alicia Pery; Theodosia Alicia Ellen F Charlotte; Catherine Anne Lucy.

Mr Spring Rice was elevated to the peerage, in 1839, in the dignity of BARON MONTEAGLE OF BRANDON, of Brandon, County Kerry.

My his first wife he had issue,

STEPHEN EDMOND, his successor;
Charles William Thomas;
Edmond Henry Francis Louis;
Aubrey Richard;
William Cecil;
Theodosia Alicia Ellen F Charlotte; Mary Alicia Pery; Catherine Anne Lucy.

His lordship's eldest son,

THE HON STEPHEN EDMOND SPRING-RICE (1814-65), of Mount Trenchard, espoused, in 1839, Ellen Mary, daughter of William Frere, and had issue,

THOMAS, 2nd Baron;
FRANCIS, 4th Baron;
Aileen; Lucy; Theodosia; Mary; Alice; Frederica; Catherine Ellen; Amy.

The Hon Stephen Edmond Spring-Rice predeceased his father, and was succeeded by his elder son,

THOMAS, 2nd Baron (1849-1926), of Mount Trenchard, who married, in 1875, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the Most Rev and Rt Hon Samuel Butcher, Lord Bishop of Meath, and had issue,
Stephen Edmond (1877-1900);

THOMAS AUBREY, 3rd Baron;
Mary Ellen (1880-1924), of Mount Trenchard.

***** 

Thomas Spring Rice, 2nd Baron (1849–1926);
Thomas Aubrey Spring Rice, 3rd Baron (1883–1934);
Francis Spring Rice, 4th Baron (1852–1937);
Charles Spring Rice, 5th Baron (1887–1946);
Gerald Spring Rice, 6th Baron (1926–2013);
Charles James Spring Rice, 7th Baron (b 1953).
The heir presumptive is the present holder's uncle, the Hon Michael Spring Rice (b 1935).
The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his son, Jonathan Spring Rice (b 1964).
The heir presumptive's heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, Jamie Alexander Spring Rice (b 2003).

MOUNT TRENCHARD HOUSE, near Foynes, County Limerick, is a late-Georgian house of three storeys over a basement, with two curved bows on its entrance front, which overlooks the River Shannon estuary.

There is a wide curved bow in the centre of its garden front, too.

One side of the house has a two-storey Victorian wing, which is almost as high as the main block; while the other side has a one bay, three storey addition and a lower two-storey wing.

Mount Trenchard was occupied by the Irish Army in 1944.

When the 5th Baron Monteagle of Brandon died in 1946, the estate was sold.

Lady Holland lived there for several years.

In 1954, the Sisters of Mercy acquired the estate and ran it as a private school for girls.

They extended the complex to include inter alia a large 1960s dormitory block, classrooms and a church.

Mount Trenchard House became the preserve of the nuns and continued in use as a dwelling.

Subsequent owners acquired the estate in 1996 and began restoring Mount Trenchard House for use as a centre for holistic medicine.

One aspect of the conservation plan was to restore the historic approach to the house which was originally from the south side (in the second half of the 19th century the house had been re-oriented to the north).

This involved changes to the present grounds and paths and woodlands, on the recommendation of the architects leading the project, the owners appointed me to advise them on the forestry and arboriculture aspects of the woodland, heritage, veteran/ancient and champion trees on the estate.

Mount Trenchard is currently used by an agency of the Irish government as an accommodation centre for asylum seekers.

First published in January, 2013.

Kinlough House: II

THE BIG HOUSE AT KINLOUGH, COUNTY LEITRIM

From Chapter Eight of A Man May Fish by T C Kingsmill Moore, first edition published 1960, copyright Estate of T C Kingsmill Moore 1979. 

"… My son tells me that you are an ardent fisherman. We have a house on the shore of Lough Melvin which fishes well in April, and there will be some salmon in the Bundrowse. If you could spare a week or a fortnight of your Easter vacation to stay with us my wife and I would be very pleased.”

This letter, the first of many phrased with the same careful courtesy, introduced me to the big lakes of the west and to a feature of Irish country life then rapidly passing away.

At Bundoran a wizened coachman met me with an outside car which soon covered the hilly miles to where the Big House stood, surrounded on three sides by woodland and open on the fourth, where lawns and fields sloped to the water’s edge.

In spring, the daffodils spread themselves in golden drifts down to the lake, in autumn the scarlet lobelia blazed a flare of colour between house and shrubberies.

The house itself, built when the Georgian style was yielding to the Victorian, was large but architecturally undistinguished.

Originally the walls of all the main rooms had been covered with French cartoons in grisaille, illustrating scenes from classical mythology.

The many life-sized nudes were a little too explicit for Victorian taste, and pictures and furniture had been arranged to hide the more compromising details.

When a later generation, bracing itself to acknowledge the facts of anatomy, removed the obstructions, it was too late.

The discolouration was permanent.

Already the house was an anachronism, a manor house without an estate.

For nearly a century, when Irish country life had been built on a structure of landlord and tenant, it had been the centre of interest for a barony, its stables full of carriages and horses, its garden a model, its owners men of learning and public spirit.

Politics and literature have dealt harshly with the Irish landlord.

Sad and mad they may have been; too often they were absentees.

But many of them were men of culture, bravery, and a high sense of public duty.

Their libraries were good and sometimes remarkable.

They planted world-famous gardens.

They organised and endowed innumerable Irish charities, relieved distress, and helped and advised such tenants as were willing to accept their advice.

Much of their time was spent in hunting and field sports, but these provided employment of the type that the Irish countryman likes, and made the big house a centre of interest and society.

Above all, they supplied a personal relationship which made up for many abuses.

A good landlord was united to his tenantry by bonds part patriarchal, part feudal, and entirely human, which formed a not unsatisfactory pattern of life.

Now all of this has been changed, shattered irretrievably by a great reform which had enabled the tenants to become freeholders.

The landlords lived on, financially not much worse off, still doing their duty on bench and synod, and spending much of their leisure in sport; but the ties which bound them and their families to the countryside were snapped.

Old retainers still remained.

The coachman who had met me was serving his fourth generation, the parlour maid had been nurse to my host, the gardener had been trained by his grandfather.

But the dust was settling; the Big House was dying at its roots.

My host, who had for some years been living a life of use and wont in which sport had ceased to play a part, his guns licensed but unfired, his rods idle in their cases, now roused himself to put his son and myself on the road to true orthodoxy.

He was orthodox to a fault, his fishing methods not so much dated as out-dated, but I owe him a grounding in caution, in boat-craft, and in etiquette which was to help me in difficult times and places...

For four years my fishing centred around the Big House, ten days in spring and the same in August.

The old retainers were dropping away.

“I’ve seen what I’ve seen and I’ll not see much more,” said the coachman, now nearly ninety on the last occasion that he drove me to the station.

On my next visit he was gone.

Kate, the parlour maid, found her rheumatism too crippling, and the gardener retired on a pension to a cottage.

The squire had ceased to come to the lake with us, and he was intellectually less alert.

Over the port he had been eager to cross-question me on all the vexed problems of the day, with his unvaried courtesy treating my undergraduate opinions as if they were worth listening to.

Now he avoided discussion.

When things puzzled him he no longer sought an answer.

He lived more and more in the past.

A weary, slightly despairing look often came over his kindly face.

I was too young to recognise the significance of these changes, signs that the organism could no longer adapt itself to its environment, the first, faint, far-borne notes of the trumpet of Azrael.

Then at one stride came disaster.

Father and mother were dead; the son, always delicate, became incurably ill.

The Big House had fallen.

Another old Irish family had come to an end.

Of the Big House itself only a few ruins now remain.’ 

T.C. Kingsmill Moore was born in Dublin in March 1893 and he died there in February, 1979, at the age of 85. He went to school in Marlborough, England, and returned to Dublin to take a degree at Trinity College. 

During the First World War, from 1917-18, he was in the Royal Flying Corps in France and Flanders. He became a barrister on his return to Dublin and during the Civil War from 1922-23 was also the War Correspondent for the Irish Times. 

In 1947 he was appointed a judge of the High Court and in 1961 a judge of the Supreme Court, retiring in 1965. His visits to the Big House at Kinlough took place between 1914 and 1917 when he was an undergraduate in Trinity. 

First published in March, 2019. 

Royal Visit

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have begun a two-day visit to Northern Ireland.

Their Royal Highnesses, having been received by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast (Mrs Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle CBE), this afternoon visited Cookstown, County Tyrone, and were received by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of County Tyrone (Mr Robert Scott OBE).

TRH subsequently visited Superstars Café, 13 Oldtown Street, Cookstown, and were received by Mrs Frances Nolan (Deputy Lieutenant of County Tyrone).

The Prince of Wales afterwards attended a Reception at Lissan House, County Tyrone, and was received by Mrs Meta Bell (Deputy Lieutenant of County Tyrone).

His Royal Highness, Patron, The Prince's Countryside Fund, subsequently visited the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise Greenmount Campus, 45 Tirgracy Road, Muckamore, Antrim, and was received by Mr Christopher Kerr (Deputy Lieutenant of County Tyrone).

The Duchess of Cornwall later visited a Women's Aid Refuge.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Belfast on Wednesday, 23rd March.

Their Royal Highnesses visited C.S. Lewis Square, 402 Newtownards Road, to mark the Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the EastSide Partnership and were received by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast (Mrs. Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle CBE).

The Prince of Wales afterwards officially re-opened Belfast's Grand Opera House, 2-4 Great Victoria Street.

His Royal Highness, Patron, visited Marie Curie, 1A Kensington Road, and was received by Dr. Philip McGarry OBE DL (a Deputy Lieutenant of Belfast).

The Prince of Wales this afternoon attended a Reception for those who supported the refugee community in Northern Ireland, at Titanic Belfast, 1 Olympic Way, Queen's Road.

HRH, Patron, Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Foundation, subsequently attended a Reception at Titanic Belfast.

The Duchess of Cornwall this morning visited Holywood Arches Library, 12 Holywood Road, and was received by the Very Rev Dr. F. Sellar DL(a Deputy Lieutenant of Belfast).

Her Royal Highness this afternoon visited BBC Northern Ireland, Broadcasting House, 25 Ormeau Avenue, and was received by Mrs. Michele Marken DL (Deputy Lieutenant of Belfast).

HRH afterwards visited Titanic Belfast and was received by Mr. N. Price DL (Deputy Lieutenant of Belfast).

Brittas Castle

THE DUNNES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN THE QUEEN'S COUNTY, WITH 9,215 ACRES

The estate of Brittas was time immemorial in the ancient family of DUNNE, anciently O'Doinn, chief of the name, and a sept of historic note. The O'Doinns occur frequently in the works of James MacGeoghegan, in the Annals of the Four Masters, and the other Irish authorities. 

RORY O'DOINN, Chief of I-Regan, died, according to the Annals of the Four Masters, in 1427, and was father of

LENAGH O'DOINN, Chief of I-Regan, who built Castlebrack, in the Queen's County.

He married a daughter of O'Neill of Ulster and had issue,

TEIG, of whom hereafter;
Falie.

The elder son,

TEIG O'DOINN, Chief of Iregan, wedded firstly, Ellen, daughter of "Lord Power", and had issue,

TEIG (OGE), of whom presently;
Rory;
Edmundboy;
Shane;
Cahir.

 eldest son,

TEIG (Oge) O'DOINN, Chief of Iregan, espoused firstly, Gormla, daughter of O'Connor Faile, and had issue,

Brien, dsp;
TEIGH (REOGH), of whom we treat;
Edmund, of Park;
Dermot.

He married secondly, Giles, daughter of MacGillepatrick, of Upper Ossory, and had further issue,

Donogh;
Cormac;
Cahir;
Dermot.

The second son,

TEIGH (REOGH) or THADY O'DOINN, of Iregan, had a grant of English liberty for himself and his issue, in 1551.

He wedded a daughter of McMorrish, and had issue,

THADY or TEIG (OGE), his successor;
TORLOGH or TERENCE, of whom presently;
Donagh, of Gurtin and Balliglass, living 1570;
Phelim;
Finola.

The eldest son,

THADY (or TEIG OGE) O'DOINN, of Tenchinch and Castlebrack, appointed Captain of Iregan, 1558, made settlements of his estates in 1590, 1591, and 1593, and was living in 1601.

He wedded Elizabeth, daughter of James FitzGerald, of Ballysonan, County Kildare, and had issue,

TEIG (LOGHA) or TEIG OGE, or THADY, his heir;
Cormac;
Brian or Barnaby;
CAHIR or CHARLES, of whom presently;
Murtogh;
Grany;
Two daughters.

The eldest son,

TEIGH (LOGHA) or THADY O'DOYNE (-1637), of Castlebrack, surrendered his estate, 1611, and had a regrant of the greater portion in 1611.

He espoused firstly, Margaret, daughter of Shane O'Neill, who left him and married Cuconaght Maguire, and had by her a son, Teige reogh or Thady, dsp before 1635.

He married secondly, Ellis, daughter of Redmond FitzGerald, of Clonbolg, County Kildare, and had seven sons who survived infancy,

Edmund or Edward, dsp before 1635;
John, dsp before 1635;
William, of Park;
Richard, in holy orders; Vicar-General of Kildare;
James;
Rory or Roger;
Torlogh.

We now return to

CAHIR O'DOINN, alias CHARLES DUNN, LL.D, fourth son of Thady O'Doinn, Captain of Iregan, Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, 1593, Master in Chancery, 1602, MP, 1613, Vice-Chancellor, 1614.

He petitioned against the regrant of Iregan to his brother and got a grant to himself of Brittas and portion of the Iregan estates, which he bequeathed by his will, dated 1617, to his nephew,

BARNABY or BRIAN OGE DUNN (1590-1661), of Brittas, High Sheriff of Queen's County in 1623.

He obtained from CHARLES I a patent for a large estate in the barony of Tinnahinch, to hold to him and his heirs for ever in soccage, provided that he did not take the name, style, or title of O'DOINN, and that he should drop that same and call himself BRIAN DUNN.

He married Sybella, daughter of Sir Robert Piggott, Knight, of Dysart, and widow of Richard Cosby, of Stradbally, both in the Queen's County, and was succeeded by his son,

CAHIR or CHARLES DUNNE, of Brittas, who wedded Margaret, sister of John Coghlan, of Birr, and had issue,

TERENCE, his heir;
Edward;
John;
Charles;
Daniel;
Mary; Peggy; Polly; Clare.

Mr Dunne died in 1680, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

TERENCE DUNNE, of Brittas, a captain in Moore's Regiment of Infantry, who fought for JAMES II and fell at Aughrim in 1691.

He espoused, in 1676, Margaret, daughter of Daniel Byrne, and sister of Sir Gregory Byrne, 1st Baronet, MP for Ballinakill, and had issue,

DANIEL, of Brittas;
Charles, dsp;
Barnaby;
EDWARD, of whom presently;
Dorothy.

The fourth son,

EDWARD DUNNE, of Brittas, married, in 1730, Margaret, daughter of Francis Wyse, of the Manor of St John, County Waterford, and had issue,

FRANCIS, his heir;
Barnaby, dsp;
Anastasia; Juliana; Margaret; Mary.

Mr Dunne died in 1765, and was succeeded by his elder son,

FRANCIS DUNNE, who wedded, in 1760, his cousin, Margaret, daughter and co-heir of Nicholas Plunkett, of Dunsoghly Castle, County Dublin, by Alice his wife, daughter and co-heir of Daniel Dunne (see above), and had issue,

EDWARD, his heir;
Francis;
Nicholas;
Alice; Frances; Katherine; Margaret.

Mr Dunne died in 1771, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDWARD DUNNE JP (1767-1844), of Brittas, a general in the army,  Deputy Governor and High Sheriff of Queen's County, 1790, MP for Maryborough, 1800.

He took an active part in suppressing the Irish Rebellion of 1798, at which time he commanded the Pembrokeshire Fencible Cavalry.

General Dunne wedded, in 1801, Frances, daughter of Simon White, of Bantry House, sister to Richard, 1st Earl of Bantry, and had issue,

FRANCIS PLUNKETT, his heir;
EDWARD MEADOWS, successor to his brother;
Robert Hedges (Rev);
Richard;
Charles;
Frances Jane.

General Dunne was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON FRANCIS PLUNKETT DUNNE JP DL (1802-74), of Brittas and Dunsoghly Castle, County Dublin, Privy Counsellor, a major-general in the army, Lieutenant-Colonel, Queen's County Militia, MP for Portarlington, 1847-57, Queen's County, 1859-68, Clerk of the Ordnance, 1852, Private Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1858-9, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

EDWARD MEADOWS DUNNE JP (1803-75), of Brittas, Barrister, who married, in 1835, Marianne, daughter of Langford Rowley Heyland, of Glendarragh, County Antrim, and Tamlaght, Lieutenant-Colonel, Londonderry Militia, and had issue,

Edward Eyre, 1836-48;
Alexander Dupré, 1838-55;
FRANCIS PLUNKETT, his heir.

Mr Dunne was succeeded by his only surviving son,

FRANCIS PLUNKETT DUNNE JP (1844-78), of Brittas, High Sheriff of the Queen's County, 1878, who wedded, in 1873, his cousin, Frances Jane, daughter of the Rev Robert Hedges Dunne, and had issue,

Francis Plunkett, died young;
ALICE MAUDE, of Brittas;
KATHLEEN PLUNKETT, of Brittas.

Mr Dunne, leaving his estates to be equally divided between his two surviving daughters, ALICE MAUDE and KATHLEEN PLUNKETT, who sold the estate of Brittas in 1898 to their uncle, Robert Hedges Plunkett Dunne, on whose death, in 1901, these ladies succeeded, again, to Brittas and Dunsoghly Castle.

Francis Plunkett Dunne was succeeded in the male representation of his family by his cousin, Charles Henry Plunkett Dunne.

BRITTAS CASTLE, near Clonaslee, County Laois, was a castellated house of sandstone with limestone dressings, built in 1869 by Major-General Francis Dunne, to the design of John McCurdy.

The Dunnes were influential in the form and history of Clonaslee, as evidenced in its planned form and also from a number of ruins in the area.

The former residence of a branch of the family remains in ruins one mile from the village at Clara Hill.

Also, near the east bank of the Clodiagh River, stand the ruins of Ballinakill Castle, built in 1680 by Colonel Dunne.

Throughout the 18th century, Clonaslee prospered due to its location on an important highway across Laois leading onto Munster.

The proximity of Brittas - the seat of the Dunnes - was also influential as the power of this family had by now grown beyond that of a native Irish chieftain.

In 1771, Francis Dunne, then head of the Dunne Family, became a Roman Catholic and built a thatched parish chapel in the village.

This was located close to the site of the present church.

The Dunne family continued to finance the construction of landmark buildings in the village:

The parish Church was erected in 1814 under General Edward Dunne (known locally as 'shun-battle Ned' because of his rumoured refusal to fight at the 1815 battle of Waterloo).

When the main residence in Tinnahinch was blown up in 1653, the Dunne chief had to build anew.

At this time there was a low thatched lodge located at Brittas.

Major-General Francis Plunkett Dunne built a Neo-Gothic mansion at Brittas in 1869.

It was extended ten years later by Millar & Symes.

It is claimed that General Dunne obtained loans from Germany to build the castle, and rental income from his tenants was used to repay the lenders.

The gate piers of the grand house still remain on the western edge of the Green.

The walls and windows give an idea of the house's architecture.

It was three storeys high and the roof was originally thatched.

On the wall over the main entrance, the family crest is still visible, depicting an eagle and a drawn sword.

The last of the family to reside in Brittas House were the Misses Dunne.

The house had extensive gardens, shrubberies and out-offices.

The links with Clonaslee village, and the remains of the Brittas estate are strong.

The expansive demesne grounds contain many splendid trees – remnants of the larger plantations. Lawson's cypress, copper beech, yew, sycamore, cut-leaved beech, and oak that covered much of the townland of Brittas over a century ago.

Brittas Lake – which has recently been restored – was originally constructed as a reservoir for the house.

Its banks are stone lined and water was pumped from the Clodiagh River.

Brittas Castle suffered a fire fire in 1942 and, despite the best efforts of the Tullamore fire brigade, it was destroyed.

First published in September, 2012.

Alan Clark: Diaries

I have been re-reading the immensely enjoyable Diaries Into Politics, by the late Alan Clark.

The Hon Alan Clark, elder son of the Lord Clark, was MP for Plymouth (Sutton), 1974-92, Kensington and Chelsea, 1997-99.

He was appointed a Privy Counsellor when he became Defence Minister.

If you haven’t already dipped into his Diaries, or indeed his other publications (including the splendid Back Fire: A Passion For Motoring, I urge you so to do.

Alan was an insufferable snob.

He once said that Michael Heseltine - “odious Heseltine” - had to buy his own furniture.

In July, 1981, the Clarks gave a grand dinner party for Aspinall’s Ball at Port Lympne: Edward and Fiona Montagu, Jonathan Aitken, Jonathan Guinness and his wife, and two of his sons.

The food “was delicious and the table almost overloaded with Meissen, solid silver, Venetian glass etc.” 

Boy Scouts lined the driveway holding torches of pitch, girl guides doing the same thing from the car park.

As Simon Heffer has said, Diaries show all sides of a man who was, within his complex personality, arrogant, sensitive, loyal, unfaithful, patriotic, selfish, selfless, and - at all times - completely technicolour.

Knocktopher Abbey

THE LANGRISHE BARONETS OWNED 2,615 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY KILKENNY

This family is descended from Sir Nicholas Langrish, Knight, who was seized of the Manor of Langrish, Hampshire, in 1273. The Irish branch is descended from Rafe, or Ralph, third son of Nicholas Langrishe, of Langrishe.

Ralph Langrishe, of Bordon, died between 1542-59; the third in descent from him was Major Hercules Langrishe (1594-1659), Carver in Ordinary to Queen Henrietta Maria, who prevented the arrest of the "Five Members" by CHARLES I.

JOHN LANGRISHE (1660-1735), son of Hercules Langrishe (the first member of the family who settled in Ireland), became proprietor of the borough of Knocktopher, County Kilkenny.

Mr Langrishe, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1696, married firstly, Alicia, second daughter of Harry, 2nd Baron Blayney, and widow of Thomas Sandford, of Sandford Court; and secondly, Miss Sandford, daughter of Colonel Sandford; but had issue by neither of those ladies.

He wedded thirdly, Mary, daughter of Robert Grace, feudal baron of Courtstown, and had an only son, his successor,

ROBERT LANGRISHE (c1696-1769), of Knocktopher, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1740, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod in Ireland, 1745-9, who espoused Anne, daughter of Jonathan Whitby, and had issue,

HERCULES, his heir;
Olympia.

Mr Langrishe was succeeded by his son and heir,

THE RT HON HERCULES LANGRISHE (1731-1811), of Knocktopher, MP for Knocktopher, 1761-1800, who was created a baronet in 1777, designated of Knocktopher Abbey, County Kilkenny.

Sir Hercules, who was a member of the Privy Council, represented the borough of Knocktopher in the Irish parliament for forty years, during which period he ranked amongst the most distinguished of its members, and was the first who advocated and obtained a partial relaxation of the most atrocious code of laws which oppressed the Roman Catholics of Ireland, a code that consigned 80% of the population to unmitigated and grinding slavery, and reduced the whole of the state to semi-barbarism.

He married, in 1755, Hannah, daughter and co-heir of Robert Myhill, of Killarney, County Kilkenny, and sister of Jane, wife of Charles, 1st Marquess of Ely, and had issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
John;
James (Very Rev), Dean of Achonry;
Elizabeth; Mary Jane; Hannah.

Sir Hercules was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ROBERT LANGRISHE, 2nd Baronet (1756-1835), who wedded, in 1782, Anne, daugher of Bellingham Boyle, and granddaughter of the Most Rev Dr John Hoadly, Lord Archbishop of Armagh, and had issue,

HERCULES RICHARD, his successor;
Anne; Henrietta Maria; Elizabeth.

Sir Robert as succeeded by his only son,

THE REV SIR HERCULES RICHARD LANGRISHE, 3rd Baronet (1782-1862), who espoused, in 1817, Maria, daughter of James Henry Cottingham, and had issue,

JAMES, his successor;
Richard;
Anne Maria; Rose Isabella.

Sir Hercules was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JAMES LANGRISHE, 4th Baronet (1823-1910), JP DL, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1866, Lieutenant-Colonel, 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, who married firstly, in 1857, Adela de Blois Eccles; and secondly, in 1906, Algitha Maud, daughter of Sir Henry Daniel Gooch Bt, and had issue,

HERCULES ROBERT, his successor;
Adela Constance; Maria Cecilia; Mary Isabella; Frances Alice; Norah Elizabeth.

Sir James was succeeded by his only son,

SIR HERCULES ROBERT LANGRISHE, 5th Baronet (1859-1943), JP DL, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1891, Honorary Major, Oxfordshire Light Infantry, Temporary Commander RNVR, who wedded, in 1887, Helen Amelrosa Hume, daughter of the Rt Hon William Wentworth Fitzwilliam Dick, and had issue,

TERENCE HUME, his successor;
Hercules Ralph, Lieutenant.

Sir Hercules was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR TERENCE HUME LANGRISHE, 6th Baronet (1895-1973), Captain, the Intelligence Corps, who married, in 1926, Joan Stuart, daughter of Major Ralph Stuart Grigg, and had issue,

HERCULES RALPH HUME, his successor;
Patrick Nicholas;
Robert Gore.

Sir Terence was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR HERCULES RALPH HUME LANGRISHE, 7th Baronet (1927-1998), who married, in 1955, Grania Sybil Enid, daughter of Mervyn Patrick, 9th Viscount Powerscourt, and had issue,

JAMES HERCULES, his successor;
Miranda Grania; Georgina Emma; Atalanta Sue.

Sir Hercules was succeeded by his only son,

SIR JAMES HERCULES LANGRISHE, 8th and present Baronet (1957-), of Arlonstown, Dunsany, County Meath, who married, in 1985, Gemma Mary Philomena, daughter of Patrick O'Daly, and has issue,

RICHARD JAMES HERCULES, b 1988;
Victoria Anna Jean, b 1986.

KNOCKTOPHER ABBEY, Knocktopher, County Kilkenny, is a house which incorporates the remains of the first Carmelite friary in Ireland.

It was rebuilt ca 1866 in the High-Victorian-Gothic style, following a fire.

The house has trefoil-headed, mullioned windows and several gables; high roofs; and a pyramidal-roofed porch tower.

The Abbey remained in the family until 1981.

First published in July, 2018.

Harristown House

THE LA TOUCHES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KILDARE, WITH 11,282 ACRES

The family of LA TOUCHE was established in Ireland by

DAVID DIGUES LA TOUCHE (1671-1745), a Huguenot, who settled in that kingdom after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, having served first as volunteer, and afterwards as lieutenant and captain in Princess Anne's infantry regiment.

Mr La Touche was the fourth son of a noble Protestant family of the Blésois, which possessed considerable estates between Blois and Orléans, and in other parts of France.

He first fled to Holland, where a branch of his family had for some time been established, and shortly afterwards embarking with the Prince of Orange, served the Irish campaign under him.

At the conclusion of the war, Mr La Touche, like many of his countrymen, settled in Dublin.

He married twice: By his second wife he had no sons; by the first, who he wedded in 1690, Judith, daughter of Noél Biard, and Judith Chevalier his wife, he had issue,

DAVID, his heir;
James Digges;
Jane; Judith.

Mr La Touche was succeeded in the bank which he had established in Dublin by his eldest son,

DAVID LA TOUCHE (1703-85), who had been educated in Holland with his relation, Digues de la Motte, at Rotterdam.

He espoused, in 1724-5, Mary Anne, daughter of Gabriel Canasille, and had issue,

Gabriel David, dsp;
DAVID (Rt Hon), of Marlay;
James;
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Peter, of Bellevue;
Gabriel;
Matthew;
Mary Anne; Martha; Elizabeth; Judith.

Mr La Touche's second surviving son,

JOHN LA TOUCHE (1732-1810), of Harristown, MP for Newcastle, 1783-90, Newtownards, 1790-6, Harristown, 1797-1800, married, in 1765, Gertrude FitzGerald, daughter of Robert Uniacke, of County Cork, who took the name and arms of FITZGERALD, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
John, MP for County Leitrim;
Gertrude; Marianne.

The elder son,

ROBERT LA TOUCHE (1773-1844), of Harristown, High Sheriff of County Kildare, 1797, MP for Harristown, 1794-1800, wedded, in 1810, the Lady Emily Le Poer Trench, youngest daughter of William, 1st Earl of Clancarty, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Robert;
William;
Anne; Gertrude; Emily.

Mr La Touche was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN LA TOUCHE JP DL (1814-1904), of Harristown, High Sheriff of County Kildare, 1846, Leitrim, 1859, who married, in 1843, Maria, only child of Ross Lambart Price, of Cornwall, by his wife, Catherine, Dowager Countess of Desart, and had issue,

ROBERT PERCY O'CONNOR;
Emily Maria; Rose Lucy.

His eldest son,

ROBERT PERCY O'CONNOR LA TOUCHE JP (1846-1921), wedded, in 1870, the Lady Annette Louise, second daughter of John, 3rd Earl of Clonmell, though the marriage was without issue, and he was succeeded by his sister,

EMILY MARIA LA TOUCHE (1846-68), who espoused, in 1865, Lieutenant-General the Hon Bernard Matthew Ward, son of 3rd Viscount Bangor, and had issue,

ERNEST OTWAY WARD;Rose Florence.

HARRISTOWN HOUSE, near Brannockstown, County Kildare, was purchased by the La Touche family in 1768 and a spacious Georgian mansion was erected by Whitmore Davis in a dominant position overlooking the River Liffey.

The old house of three stories was destroyed in 1891 and a smaller two storey house sits well in its place.

The diocesan architect, James Franklin Fuller, oversaw the restoration of the house at the same time that he rebuilt the small parish church at the entrance to the estate.

The omission of the third storey allows for an unusual amount of light into the house through a cleverly constructed lantern light; thus the move from the airy and bright downstairs rooms is complemented by a rush of light from the upstairs hallway.

Another interesting feature is the tunnel that runs underground for some eighty yards from the stable yard into the basement.

Carnalway church is adjacent to the front entrance of the estate and Fuller rebuilt it in the Hiberno- Romanesque style similar to that of his masterpiece at Millicent.

The church also has stained-glass windows by Harry Clarke and Sir Ninian Comper.

The La Touches were bankers, weavers and politicians.

The partners of La Touche Bank were the original stockholders of the Bank of Ireland, which opened for business in 1783.

The second generation of the La Touches in Ireland included John, who built Harristown House.

His descendants occupied the house until 1921.

The last John La Touche, of Harristown, died in 1904.

The estate was bought in 1946 by Major Michael Beaumont (father of the Lord Beaumont of Whitley), who set about restoring Harristown to its former glory.

They completely renovated the house and installed furniture and pictures from their former home, Wootton, in Buckinghamshire, the interior of which had been designed by Sir John Soane.

On the ground floor the ceilings stand eighteen feet high and the front hall is a magnificent double room off which open the three main reception rooms the library, drawing room and dining room.

However, the best kept secret of this house is the 16th Century Chinese Wallpaper in a sitting room leading off the drawing room which depicts birds in strong vibrant colours.

Among the other curiosities are an upstairs room finished in oak panelling taken from a Tudor house in England; and a set of French Empire pelmets.

First published in February, 2012.

Dromore Castle

THE MAHONYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 26,173 ACRES

The O'Mahonys were, in early times, powerful chieftains in the province of Munster, and had extensive estates along the sea-coast of counties Cork and Kerry.

Opposite Horse Island, off the former county, was their castle of Rosbrin, boldly erected on a rock over the sea; and its proprietor, in the time of ELIZABETH I, availing himself of the natural advantage that it possessed, led a life of such successful piracy, that Sir George Carew, when Lord President of Munster, was obliged to demolish it.

From old family documents, it appears that the ancestors of RICHARD JOHN MAHONY, of Dromore Castle, held for a long period the office of Seneschal of Kerry, even down to the time of the Commonwealth.

In 1639, MacDermot O'Mahony was confirmed as High Sheriff of Kerry by CHARLES I. Not long after, the O'Mahonys, true to their allegiance, suffered fine and confiscation, and finally sought in foreign climes the distinction denied them at home.

COLONEL DERMOT O'MAHONY, of Rosbrin, a faithful adherent of JAMES II, fought and fell at Aughrim.

His brother, DANIEL MAHONY, received the honour of knighthood from that monarch at St Germain's for his gallant conduct at Cremona, and afterwards for his good services in France, Spain and Italy, obtained the title of Count from LOUIS XIV.

This was the celebrated General Count MAHONY, of the Spanish service, so distinguished at Almanza and in Sicily as Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish troops.

A chief line of the great House of Mahony resident in County Kerry was

JOHN MAHONY, of Dromore Castle, who married firstly, in 1794, Miss Higginbotham, of Bath, who died without issue; and secondly, Miss Day, daughter of the Ven Edward Day, Archdeacon of Ardfert, of Beaufort House, County Kerry, and had issue,

DENIS, of whom presently;
Richard.

He married thirdly, Miss Godfrey, daughter of Sir William Godfrey Bt, of Kilcoleman Abbey, County Kerry, by whom he had a daughter, Agnes, who wedded R C Hickson, of Fermoyle, County Kerry.

Mr Mahony died in 1817, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV DENIS MAHONY JP, of Dromore Castle, who married firstly, in 1827, Lucinda Catherine, only child of John Segerson, of West Cove, County Kerry, and had a son,

RICHARD JOHN, of whom hereafter.

He wedded secondly, in 1829, Jane, daughter of Sir John Blake Bt, of Menlo Castle, and by her had issue,

Denis;
Edward;
Henry;
John;
Rose; Margaret.

He espoused thirdly, in 1843, Katherine, daughter of Mathew Franks, of Merrion Square, Dublin, by whom he had one daughter, Mary Ellen.

The Rev Denis Mahony died in 1851, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD JOHN MAHONY JP DL (1828-), of Dromore Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1853, who was father of

HAROLD SEGERSON MAHONY JP (1867-1905), of Dromore Castle, County Kerry, who succeeded his father in 1892.

When Harold Mahony was killed in a bicycle accident in 1905, he left no heirs.

The estate passed to his sister, Norah Eveleen Mahony, wife of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Hood TD JP, who, in turn, left the castle to her cousin, Hugh Bolton Waller.

DROMORE CASTLE, near Templenoe, County Kerry, looks out over the River Kenmare.

It was built in the 1830s for the Mahony family to a neo-gothic design by Sir Thomas Deane.

It was designed and built for Denis Mahony.

Work began in 1831, although the account books show that only a negligible amount had been carried out before 1834.

Building work was completed in 1839.

The house is in the castellated Gothic-Revival style, with an external finish of Roman cement with limestone dressings.

With the notable exception of the grand south-facing window with its pointed arch, the windows consist of pointed tracery contained within rectangular frames, a style characteristic of Deane's domestic work.

The entrance hall, which is in the form of a long gallery, takes up half of the area of the ground floor.

The west wing of the Castle takes the form of a round tower, with a spiral staircase contained within an attached turret.

Although Dromore Castle appears to have been built on the instructions of Denis Mahony, his father John Mahony had made the decision to build a large residence earlier in the 19th century, but apparently abandoned the attempt after his yacht, returning from London with lead for the roof and wine for the cellar, sank in the River Kenmare, in view of the site of the house.

Thereafter, no further work took place until Deane began building work for Denis Mahony in the 1830s.

Denis Mahony was a rector of the Church of Ireland and a keen proselytiser.

He is known to have set up a soup kitchen at Dromore during the time of the Irish Potato Famine, and preached in the chapel at Dromore to the hungry who came for food.

His proselytizing activities did not make him a popular figure in the locality, and in 1850 he was attacked in his church at Templenoe.

On returning to Dromore, he found a further angry group had uprooted flower beds, felled trees and were about to set fire to the castle; it is claimed that they were only stopped by the intervention of the local priest.

After the Rev Denis Mahony's death in 1851, the castle was inherited by his son, Richard John Mahony, who successfully ran the estate in addition to farming oyster beds in the bay.

When Richard Mahony died, the castle then passed in turn to his son, Harold Segerson Mahony.

Harold was an extremely successful tennis player, and indeed was the last Irish winner at Wimbledon.

His tennis court can still be found in the gardens at the Castle.

It was in the late 1800s, during Harold Mahony's time as head of the household, that Harold Boulton, best known for writing the lyrics of the Skye Boat Song, came to visit Dromore, and it is then that he is thought to have written the words to the popular song "The Castle of Dromore," published in 1892.

When Harold Mahony was killed in a bicycle accident in 1905, he left no heirs, and the castle was passed to his sister, Norah Hood.

She in turn left the castle to her cousin, Hardrass Waller, and the castle remained in the hands of the Waller family until 1993 when it was offered for sale.

Dromore Castle is now owned by an investment company who are attempting to restore the building.

Beyond the Castle's gardens and outbuildings, the majority of the Castle grounds are now owned by  the Irish forestry board.

The Kerry Way runs through the grounds, and there are various footpaths leading to the Kenmare River. Entrance to the grounds is through a castellated gatehouse, also by Thomas Deane.

First published in June, 2012.