Ireland's Houses and Castles: An American's Perspective

"Don't you have castles in America?" an Irish girl asked me as I gawked at Dunluce Castle. I had gone on a trip around the Antrim Coast shortly after I arrived in Belfast for a semester abroad in Ireland. After initially laughing at her "joke", I told her "No." Many American children dream about being Cinderella or Prince Charming in a Disney-esque castle in far-off Europe. Children I met in Ireland went by their local castle everyday on their way to school and had little of the awe Americans have over the ancient stony turrets and elegant gardens. Some of the houses I saw in Ireland were more beautiful than any mansion I ever laid eyes on in the U.S. and their elegance captured my curiosity as much as the castles. The ones that I chose to find out more about are Belfast Castle, Dunluce Castle, Dublin Castle, Bantry House, Westport House, and Abbey Leix.

Belfast Castle sits on the top of Cave Hill and overlooks the city in which I spent a semester my junior year of college. In the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast Castle is visited by many and even holds wedding receptions. I visited it soon after arriving in the city and was a little surprised at the size but amazed at its gardens and friendly staff. It does not look like the ancient medieval castles that one would expect but that is because the current building was finished in 1870.

A castle has existed on the site since the 12^th century-when one was built by the Normans. On the same site a stone and timber castle was built in 1611 as the home of Sir Arthur Chichester, barron of Belfast. However this castle was burned to the ground in 1708, leaving only street names (Castle Place) to mark the site. The Chichesters lived in England as absentee landlords but came to live at Ormeau at the beginning of the 19^th century. In 1862, the 3^rd Marquis of Donegall decided to build a new residence within the deer park on the slopes of Cave Hill in the Scottish Baronial style popularized by the reconstruction of Balmoral Castle ("Belfast Castle: History"). The current castle was designed by Charles Lanyon and his son but after Chichester's death and the family's financial demise, The Earl of Shaftsebury completed it. The Shaftesbury family presented the castle to the City of Belfast in 1934 where it was placed in ownership of the Belfast City Council and opened to the public (Wikipedia).

The Donegall coat of arms appears over the front door and on the north wall of the castle, while a section of the Shaftesbury crest appears on the exterior staircase. Also, one of its most striking features, an Italian style serpentine staircase connects the main reception rooms to the garden terrace. In 1978 the Belfast City Council started a major refurbishment program that took ten years and cost over 2 million pounds-done with the work of the Hewitt and Haslam Partnership architecture firm ("Belfast Castle: History"). The castle cellar is dark and chilly but you can find many treasures if you want a classy souvenir. They have hand knitted 'Aran' jumpers, porcelain, china and coloured prints available such as "The Hurler" by William Conor and prints of the Glens of Atrim by the late Charlie McAuley ("Belfast Castle: Antiques"). Unfortunately I was unable to purchase any of these on my visit but I do have a picture of myself on the serpentine staircase-which was a favorite photographic spot for many wedding parties. I also noticed on my exit from the place the huge rock cliff overlooking the castle. My friends I was traveling with said you could see Napoleon's nose in the rock facing if you tilted your head sideways. The real significance of the place known as "MacArt's Fort" is that it is where the United Irishmen planned the rebellion of 1795 (1 2 Travel.com).

My first weekend staying in Belfast, the International Students Organization was taking a trip around the North Antrim Coast to sights such as Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle at a small cost of 5 pounds. I boarded a bus one cold Saturday morning and set off to see my second castle! Again I was a little disappointed because Dunluce is mostly ruins from weathering-located on a rock cliff next to the ocean-but the tour guide told us a story about how the master of the house was so stingy he would not pay for refurbishments to the place and one night the whole kitchen fell into the sea. I straightened up to find out more.

Standing on a 100ft high basalt stack with a "Mermaid's Cave" underneath, the roofless ruins of Dunluce Castle are only accessible by a bridge that replaces a rocky connection to the castle from the mainland. The original connection was destroyed by cannon in 1584 by Sir John Perrot, Lord Deputy of Ireland. The castle holds many secrets such as the concealed tunnel to the beach in the north east Tower and what is believed to be a bowling green in the remains of the three gardens ("Dunluce Castle Co. Antrim Coast"). Described by Oliver Plunkett, the Archbishop of Armagh, as a "palace washed on all sides by the sea", Dunluce has a great history. It is believed that the castle was built by Richard de Burgh in the 13^th century but was taken by force from the McQuillens by Sorley Boy McDonnel after the Battle of Orla in 1565 ("Some of History of Dunluce Castle"). To overcome the palace built on the crags, Sorley had one of his men employed in the castle and he hauled the soldiers up the cliff in a basket. Turns out the tour guide's story was true in that in modernizing the castle, Sorley Boy must have skimped on the kitchen because in 1639, it fell into the sea carrying away 7 cooks and all their pots ("Northern Ireland-The Castles of Antrim"). The castle today stands alone on a long winding road through the North Antrim Coast, but in its prime, a thriving merchant village surrounded it. This village was destroyed by fire during 1641 when the castle was besieged by an Irish army ("Dunluce Castle Website"). After the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the castle was abandoned with the impoverishment of the McDonnels for adhering to the cause of James II ("History of Dunluce Castle").

On my last week in Belfast, I decided to take a day trip to the Republic of Ireland and Dublin in particular. I had studied all the historical moments that had taken place there and learned about Phoenix Park, Edmund Burke, and Patrick Pierce. My tour guide for this trip told my bus all about Molly Malone and allowed stops to Phoenix Park, the Guinness factory and Dublin Castle. The latter was more in lines with what I see when I think "castle". It had a throne room, paintings on the ceilings, elaborate ballrooms and a courtyard.

It sits on a site south of the River Liffey. It was mandated to be built by King John in 1204 and was completed in 1220. Lords Deputy and Lords Lieutenant of Ireland resided in the castle and State councils and sometimes Parliament and Law Courts met there but the only eventful piece of history is the castle's survival of the siege of "Silken" Thomas FitzGerald in 1534 (Guinness and Ryan 103). Of other interest, the Heraldic Museum on the ground floor shows the spot where the safe stood that held the Irish Crown Jewels-stolen at the time of King Edward VII's visit in 1907 and never traced (Guinness and Ryan 105). Dublin Castle is also home to some of the finest stuccowork-which I was told by my tour guide was made with bubbles from beer. It extends all through the State Apartments of the castle depicting trophies of Science, Art, War and the Chase, Apollo and his lyre, Medicine with the Arts, and Science and Minerva introducing the Arts to Hibernia. Some of it has been attributed to the artist and sculptor, Cuvillies and other work is by an unknown artist rescued from other demolished famous houses (Guinness and Ryan 109).

Bantry House in County Cork I learned of recently, but judging from photos, I regret that I did not see it in person when I visited Ireland. Because of its location on the Bantry Bay which is passed by waters of the Gulf Stream, semi-tropical vegetation flourishes near the house that amazes all who flock there. Richard White came to the region in the 17^th century and settled on Whiddy Island in the bay; he then acquired the land which Bantry House is built on. His only son moved to Bantry House, at that time called Blackrock and acquired most of the land around Bantry and along the Berehaven peninsula (Guinness and Ryan 61). In 1796, history was created almost on his doorsteps. A French invasionary fleet sailed into Bantry Bay to join forces with the United Irishmen. White put his house in the disposal of General Dalrymple who arrived with troops from Cork. Ultimately, the French captain was captured and the fleet was never able to help the United Irishmen. Months after the would-be invasion, Richard White was made Baron Bantry for his conduct and service. In 1800, he was made a viscount and in 1816, became Earl of Bantry ("Bantry House, County Cork"). No matter the history, all can enjoy this magnificent estate on 45 acres of ground including a 100-stepped "stairway to the sty", an Italian garden and the largest wisteria circle in the country ("Bantry House-Historic Mansion House and Gardens"). The house was also the set for the film Moll Flanders, several TV documentaries for German, Dutch and English TV including one for the BBC (Earl Spencer), and has been the site for various fashion shoots ("Bantry House").

Westport House in County Mayo is another example of beauty you can not see in America. It stands in a "natural" park looking out across a man-made lake to Clew Bay and the Atlantic. It was designed in 1731 by Richard Castle, for John Browne, later the Earl of Altamount, and is "the most important country house west of the Shannon". John Browne settled in County Mayo in the reign of the first Elizabeth when this part of Ireland was under control of the Burke and O'Malley chieftains stating, "I am the first Englishman that in the memory of man settled himself to dwell in the County of Mayo.... While I was Sheriff, I took prisoners at one time, and made them deliver me their sons for pledges to Her Majesty for their good behaviour." It is said that John Brown spent his days in financial difficulty and never remained in Westport for more than two days so as to avoid being arrested for debt (Guinness and Ryan 249).

The entrance front of Westport is a nine-bay façade with winged eagles at either end of the cornice that are part of the family crest and the pediment above the front door contains the arms of the Earl of Altamont (Guinness and Ryan 249). Westport stands on the site of an old O'Malley castle, whose dungeons can still be seen. The park around the house is informal but the trees appear to stand in rows like soldiers. The terraces and balustrades were laid out by the sixth Marquess of Sligo in 1913 (Guinness and Ryan 250). Black marble mantels embellish the front halls. The high tax rates on the house and land at Westport almost caused the property to be demolished or sold. It was later decided to be opened to the public and has become one of Ireland's major tourist attractions, bringing 30,000 people a year-remarkable for its remoteness. Westport also shares with Newbridge the distinction of being one of the two country houses by Richard Castle to remain in the hands of the family for which it was built (Guinness and Ryan 254). Abbey Leix in County Leix is an old Irish house in ancient woods part of an original primeval forest. It takes its name from an old abbey "de lege dei" which was founded by Conogher O'More in 1183. Two tombstones of the O'Mores are still preserved at Abbey Leix, one which reads "Malachias O'More Lassie Princeps Requiescat In Pace" or: Malachy O'More, Prince of Leix, May He Rest in Peace. When Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries of Ireland, the abbey lands became royal property. They were granted to Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormonde in 1562 until 1698 when Thomas Vesey obtained them. Financial difficulties surrounded him like many other English-appointed men in Ireland, but his son ultimately became Baronet of Ireland at the age of 25-making up for the family's hardships (Guinness and Ryan 225). Thomas Vesey's grandson began to build at Abbeyleix in 1773. James Wyatt was the architect and his plans for the house can be seen in the National Library in Dublin. Plasterwork designs for the ceilings at Abbey Leix can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Thomas Vesey's grandson also had a humanitarian spirit in that he improved the town of Abbeyleix, making a wide, tree-lined main street and a good water supply (Guinness and Ryan 226).

The native woods at Abbey Leix were supplemented with rare and exotic plants to form a beautiful park along the banks of the river Nore (Guinness and Ryan 230). Responsible for additions to the house and the design of the terraced gardens was the 3^rd Viscountess de Vesci, granddaughter of Count Simon Woronzow, Russian Ambassador to the Court of St. James during the Napoleonic period. The present resident, the 6^th Viscount, has opened these delightful gardens to the public and are visited often on the main road from Dublin to Cork (Guinness and Ryan 231).

Researching more about these ancient, mysterious estates has made me long for another trip to Ireland-one purely for the intentions of visiting all the great houses and castles! It is a country full of beauty and history and the walls of these houses and castles can tell visitors their perspectives if they'll only listen. Visiting Belfast Castle, Dunluce Castle and Dublin Castle were some of the greatest experiences of my life. I only wish, now after researching more, that I would visit Bantry House's great bay, Abbey Leix's gardens and Westport House's dungeons. If one ever has the chance, they should pay their respects to the wonderful families and organizations that have preserved these houses and castles and go visit and appreciate their beauty and wonder!

References

Bantry House. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.moviemakersguide.com/data/b/banho0495/banho0495a.htm.

Bantry House, County Cork. From the Appletree Press title: Irish Country Houses. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/travel/attractions/houses/bantry.shtm.

Bantry House-Historic Mansion House and Gardens in Bantry, Co. Cork. Houses, Castles and Gardens of Ireland. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.gardensireland.com/bantry-house.html.

Belfast Castle. 1 2 Travel.com. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.12travel.com/ie/Northern_Ireland/attractions/belfast_castle.html.

Belfast Castle. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Apr. 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Castle.

Belfast Castle: Castle Antiques. Belfast City Council. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.belfastcastle.co.uk/CastleAntiques.asp.

Belfast Castle: History. Belfast City Council. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.belfastcastle.co.uk/history.asp.

Dunluce Castle Co. Antrim Coast. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.emeraldtiger.com/countys/antrim/dunluce.htm.

Dunluce Castle Website. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.northantrim.com/dunlucecastle.htm.

Guinness, Desmond and William Ryan. Irish houses & castles. New York: The Viking Press, 1971.

Northern Ireland-The Castles of Antrim: Dunluce Castle. Northern Ireland Tourist Board. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.georgia.com/northern-ireland/ukiant03.htm.

Some of History of Dunluce Castle. 25 Apr. 2006 http://www.northantrim.com/dunlucehistory1.htm.