Markree Castle
Markree Castle ( Irish Caisleán Mharcréidh ) in Collooney , County Sligo , Ireland is the historic seat of the Cooper family. Today it is a small family hotel.
history
17th century
In 1663, racing ensign Edwar Cooper, who served under Oliver Cromwell when his army defeated the O'Brian clan, was assigned 14th-century Markree Castle and the surrounding land. Up until that point, Markree was a fortified outpost of the Irish McDonald clan, guarding the area across the Unsin River .
O'Brian himself lost his life in the fight and Edward married his widow Maria Rua. They lived at Limerick Castle with their two sons . One son took over Limerick Castle, the other inherited Markree. Charles Cooper, the current owner, is a direct descendant of this son.
Times were tumultuous and during the attempt of King James II of England to regain the throne, the Catholic army occupied Markree and the Coopers had to flee. They were able to return after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and have lived in Markree since then, with the exception of a brief interruption in 1920 when Markree was reoccupied, this time by the Irish Free State Army .
19th century
In 1830 Edward Joshua Cooper , son of Edward Synge Cooper and Ann, daughter of Henry Vansittart, the governor of Bengal, built the Markree Observatory . For several years, Cooper's telescope was the largest in the world.
“ Mr. Cooper's observatory at Markree Castle - arguably the best-equipped private observatory - is served with great activity by Mr. Cooper himself and by his assistant, Mr. Andrew Graham . "
The observatory was in operation until the death of Edward Henry Cooper in 1902.
Ireland's lowest temperature, -19 degrees, was recorded on January 16, 1881 at Markree Castle.
According to some sources, Cecil Frances Alexander wrote her famous hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful" while staying on Markree in 1848.
The castle as it looks today was built in 1802 by the architect Francis Johnston with some changes outside and to the interior .
20th century
The soldier and politician Brian Cooper inherited the castle after the death of his father in 1902 and lived in it with his family until his death in 1930 (except during the First World War and during his service assignments abroad).
After the Second World War , the castle stood empty for many years and was a testament to the poor condition of many castles in Ireland during that time. In 1988 it was used to illustrate an article about The Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland . In 1989 Charles Cooper converted the historic castle into a hotel.
The castle today
Since the renovation, the castle hotel has been run by Charles and Mary Cooper; they are the 10th generation of the Cooper family who live in the castle.
The 1.2 km² property is home to a variety of wildlife, from squirrels to otters to kingfishers .
A monumental staircase leads to a large hall, from where a wooden staircase leads to the 30 guest rooms. A leaded glass window depicts the Cooper family's family tree, from Victorian times back to King John . The dining room is decorated in the Louis-Philippe style .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, volume 11, pages 104-105, 1851
- ↑ Cyberhymnal
- ↑ MET ÉIREANN
Coordinates: 54 ° 10 ′ 26.9 " N , 8 ° 27 ′ 41.2" W.