Dromoland Castle
Dromoland Castle ( Irish : Caisleán Dhrom Ólainn ) is a country house near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, Ireland . Today the country house is a five-star hotel ; his restaurant, called Earl of Thomond , received a Michelin star in 1995 under the chef Jean-Baptiste Molinari .
The current building was completed in 1835. But the first building at this point was probably a tower house , which was built here in the late 15th or early 16th century. Thomas , son of Shane MacAnerheny , is said to have had it built. There were at least three houses at this point at different times, called "Dromoland". While Dromoland Castle later became home to eight generations of the O'Brien family , early records suggest that other Gaelic families, such as the McInerneys, lived there in the 16th century . Laur the historian James Frost means Dromoland "Wailing Hill".
history
In 1551 Dromoland Castle was mentioned in the will of Murrough O'Brien . He was first a Tanist and was made 1st Earl of Thomond by King Henry VIII of England in 1543 . Murrough O'Brien bequeathed Leamaneh Castle to his third son, Donough McMurrough O'Brien , and gave him the castle and lands of Dromoland. In 1582, Donough McMurrough O'Brien was hanged for rebellion in Limerick and the government decreed that all of his possessions should be forfeited to the Crown. Hence the local sheriff, Sir George Cusack , took possession of Dromoland Castle. A few years later, Turlough murdered O'Brien Cusack and various O'Briens attempted to bring Dromoland Castle back into their possession. The 4th Earl of Thomond claimed sole ownership of the castle and tried to exclude Donough McMurrough O'Brien's son, Conor McDonough O'Brien from it. The outcome of this dispute in not known.
When Conor O'Brien died in 1604, he left Dromoland Castle to his son, Donough McConor O'Brien . Slany O'Brien , whose mother was, was only eight years old at the time. A legal battle broke out between the 4th Earl of Thomond Slany O'Brien. The dispute was settled in 1613. The Earl, then Lord Thomond , received ownership of Dromoland Castle, but had to pay Slany O'Brien a sum of £ 132, 13 shillings and 4 pence. As Donough got older, he refused to acknowledge the outcome of the arbitration. In 1614 William Starkey leased Dromoland Castle from Lord Thomond. In 1628 Lord Thomond had died and Donough continued the dispute at the Court of Wards and Liveries in Dublin . In 1629 Donough was granted access "to all the goods, lands and leases of his late father" against payment of a distance. Dromoland Castle was not included in the long list of possessions and so remained with the Earls of Thomond for another 50 years. The 5th Earl gave Donough two more properties as compensation.
Robert Starkey , son of William Starkey, was living at Dromoland Castle when the Rebellion began in 1641. It appears that he either fled the area or sublet the property. In 1642 Colonel Conor O'Brien of Leamaneh Castle, son of Donough O'Brien and husband of Maire Rua , took the castle together with Captain McInerhenny , leader of the Irish armed forces, who surprised the guards with the help of Starkey's assistant Moran . Conor O'Brien was killed in battle in 1651. His eldest son, Donough , whom he had with Maire Rua in 1642, was heir to Leamaneh Castle and the family's claim to Dromoland Castle. In addition, Donough inherited large estates from his half-brother William O'Neylan (or O'Neillan , 1635–1678) from Dysert , with whose father Maire Rua was married from 1634 until his death in 1639.
Robert Starkey resumed the lease and in 1666 Dromoland Castle was leased to Colonel Daniel O'Brien of Carrigaholt Castle . Three years later it was attributed to Thomas Walcott of Moyhill . Finally, in 1684, the estate was given to Donough O'Brien. Back then, Dromoland Castle was a humble building. The original tower appeared to have been added in Starkey's time, before Donough moved here from Leamaneh Castle.
Sir Donough O'Brien, 1st Baronet , died in 1717. While at Dromoland Castle, it was described as a "pretty Greek building". Donough's son, Lucius , also died in 1717 and Edward , the son of Lucius, became the 2nd Baronet. This first Sir Edward O'Brien decorated the castle with paintings and carvings. He also had plans drawn up for a new house. Thomas Roberts and John Aheron both provided him with drawings of a house with a garden in Dromoland. John Aheron appears to have been the architect responsible for the final execution. He also designed a Salettl for Turret Hill on the opposite side of the street from the main entrance. It was probably built to watch the horses train from there. Dromoland Castle became a country house with ten Jochen expanded and 2½ storeys. A two-story square was completed in 1736. Edward O'Brien died in 1765.
In 1795 an issue of The Gentleman's Magazine provided the following description of Dromoland Castle:
“The posh and beautiful seat of Sir Lucius O'Brien, Bart., In County Clare, perched on a hill that rises gently from a six-acre lake in the middle of woodland. Three beautiful hills rise above it and give a beautiful view of the great rivers Fergus and Shannon, where they meet, each a league wide. "
Sir Lucius O'Brien was the eldest son of Sir Edward O'Brien and the 3rd Baronet. He died in 1794. His son, the second Sir Edward O'Brien and 4th Baronet, decided to have the country house rebuilt. Edward's brother and Robert's son, later the painter George O'Brien , were born there in 1821 . Work began around 1822 and cost £ 50,000. The Pain brothers came up with some classic plans for the new house, but Edward O'Brien opted for their neo-Gothic variant, which was influenced by John Nash . James and George Richard Pain were students of Nash in England. The building was completed in 1835. Journalist Samuel Lewis described Dromoland Castle in 1837 as
"A magnificent crenellated- style structure recently built on the site of the old country house and surrounded by an extensive and wooded property that has recently undergone major improvements."
Edward was with Charlotte , b. Smith , married, and most of what they inherited was used to cover the cost of building the new mansion. Edward and Charlotte were the parents of William Smith O'Brien , leader of the Young Ireland Rebellion of 1848. Sir Edward died in 1837. His eldest son Lucius was the 5th Baronet and 13th Baron Inchiquin .
Burke's 1855 Visitation of Seats provides the following description of Dromoland Castle:
“It's made entirely of dark blue limestone and is a piece of fine craftsmanship; the ornamental gardens and forests extend over more than 6.1 km² of land (...) from some of the heights one has a view of the rivers Shannon and Fergus , which in this part of the country resemble a large inland lake with an island, which is Dromoland Castle one of the most beautiful and desirable residences in Ireland. "
modern times
Dromoland Castle has been preserved without major changes since the mid-19th century. The country house is in the Scottish Baronial Style or Neo-Gothic style. It has four interconnected, irregular crenellated corner towers. A neo-Gothic vestibule on the north facade shows the O'Briens coat of arms. The western part faces the lake and the eastern part faces the hill on which Thomond House now stands. The large, enclosed gardens are to the south. In 1902, the 15th Baron Inchiquin, Lucius , erected the old 17th century entrance structure of Leamaneh Castle at the entrance to the large, enclosed garden. A long, winding road leads from the entrance and the classic lodge north past the lake to the front door of the country house.
In 1962 Donough O'Brien, 16th Baron Inchiquin , sold Dromoland Castle and 1.4 km² of land due to difficult financial circumstances. He had Thomond House built on a hill above Dromoland Castle. In 1965 he moved to this Georgian-style house and died in 1968. The 18th Baron Inchiquin now lives in the house.
hotel
The US citizen Bernard P. McDonough bought Dromoland Castle in 1962. It has been converted into a top class luxury hotel. The Dromoland Castle Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide .
Famous guests
US President George W. Bush spent the night of Friday, June 16, 2004 at the Dromoland Castle Hotel to attend the summit meeting between the United States and the EU that was held there. President Bush was accompanied by approximately 7,000 police, military and civil security personnel on his 16-hour visit.
Many famous guests have stayed at the Dromoland Castle Hotel over the years including Bill Clinton , Juan Carlos I of Spain, Nelson Mandela , Muhammad Ali , Richard Branson , Jack Nicholson , Johnny Cash , Michael Flatley , Bono and John Travolta .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michelin Online Republic of Ireland . Michelinonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011. Retrieved on May 23, 2018.
- ^ John O'Donovan, Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters - Castle of Thomond . Clare County Library. 1839. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ↑ James Frost: The History and Topography of the County of Clare . Clare County Library. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ↑ Dromoland Castle . Clare County Library. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ↑ Dromoland Castle Hotel . Historic Hotels Worldwide. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ↑ Angelique Chrisafis: Irish Batten Down Hatches for Bush . In: The Guardian . Common dreams. June 25, 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ↑ Dromoland Castle Hotel is a dreamland for golfers . Coventry Telegraph. November 5, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 46 ′ 59.7 " N , 8 ° 48 ′ 20.9" W.