Guide to Irish Castles, Manors, and Country Houses

of THE PROVINCE OF LEINSTER for:

-- Co. WESTMEATH --

Notes: (1) -- M. Bence-Jones, A Guide to Irish Country Houses, London, 1988.

Notes: (2) -- Ballinlough -- The castle stands above a lake. In 1730s, a classical house with narrow ealry windows and tall pedimented door were built into what was basically a keep or castle, which despite later additions, the 7-bay facade dating from the 18th Cent. is still unaltered. The castle has a coat of arms of the O'Reilly over the hall door, with the date 1614, and the initials of James O'Reilly, who was responsible for the alterations of that date. The family name would be O'Reilly to this day if it had not been changed in 1812 when Sir Hugh O'Reilly, by Royal license, took the name of Nugent in order to inherit a dowry bestowed on his wife by her uncle, Govenor Nugent of Tortola. The lineal ancestor of the O'Reillys of Ballinlough was Fedlim (Phelim), the presumptive heir to the lordship of ancient kingdom of Breffni (he is buried in the monastery of Trim). Phelim had issue, a son John, who lived at the Castle of Ross on Lough Sheelin. John O'Reilly's son, Brian O'Reilly MacShane married Elixabeth, dau. of Wm. Nugent of New Haggard, Co. Meath, and he was succeededby his son, Hugh, who married Elizabeth, dau. of Thomas Plunkett of Clonabrany nr. Loughcrew, Co. Meath. Hughs' elder son, also named Hugh, was created a Baronet of Ireland in 1795, and it was he who changed the name to Nugent in 1812. Sir Hugh abt 1780 enlarged the Castle. The Castle was completely restored by Sir Hugh and Lady Nugent in 1939...

Notes: (3) -- Belvedere -- In 1736, Robert Rochfort married, as his 2nd wife, Mary Molesworth, the 16 yr. old dau. of the 3rd Viscount Molesworth. Raised to peerage as Baron Belfield in 1738, he and his wife lived at Gaulston, Co. Westmeath, the old family house, and soon began to build a villa, when they christened Belvedere, with a lovely view over Lough Ennell, 6 miles away... In 1774 Baron Belfield died, by now the Earl of Belvedere. The house of great quality is unusual by its small scale. The rooms are small but with high ceilings.The view from the house is interrrupted at one point by a remarkable sham ruin that was built in abt. 1760 by Lord Belvedere, to blot out the neighbouring house of another brother, George Rochfort (with whom he had quarrelled. This large mid-18th C. house, originally called Rochfort, and later Tudenham, is now itself in ruin, and the park has been carved up by the Land Commission, It is situated beside the lake abt. 1/2 mile from Belvedere.) Belvedere was left to Lt.-Col. C.K. Howard-Bury by his cousin, Charles Brinsley Marlay (a descendant of the Earl in the female line) and on his death, the house was bequeathed to Mr. Rex Beaumont, the present owner...

Notes: (4) -- Tullynally -- Edmund Parkenham was the 1st member of the family, which orginated at Parkenham in Suffolk, to set foot in Ireland, he came over as secretary to his 1st cousin, Sir Henry Sidney, who was Lord Deputy for 11 yrs during the reign of Queen Eliz. I. His grandson Henry Parkenham purchased Tullynally in 1655, having been granted some land in Co. Wexford by Charles II. He might have built the 1st house on the site where the castle now stands. Henry died in 1691, and his son Thomas Pakenham was knighted two yrs. later. Thomas was created Prime Serjeant in 1695, and sat in the Irish Parliament. The grandson & namesake of Thos. Pakenham married an heiress, Elizabeth Cuffe, in 1740. She was created Countess of Longford in her own right in 1785, by which time she was a widow (her mother, Lady Alice Cuffe, was the sister and co-heir of Ambrose Aungier, 2nd and last Earl of Longford of the first creation), brought the town of Longford to the Pakenhams and a considerable amount of land besides. Thomas Parkenham had been created Baron Longford in 1756. His 4th son married Louisa Staples, the favorite niece of Tom 'Squire" Conolly of Castletown, Co. Kildare, and when their son eventually inherited that property he changed his name from Pakenham to Conolly. .. The present owner inherited Pakenham Hall from his uncle, the late Lord Longford, in 1961 and changed its name to Tullynally Castle. In 1969 it was opened to the public

< LAST PAGE > < INDEX PAGE > < NEXT PAGE >