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Clonalis House is the Ancestral Home of the O'Conors, Kings of Connacht and at various times, High Kings of Ireland. Clonalis House and Estate enjoys a long and distinguished heritage as one of Ireland's most important family homes.
The O'Conors, as the ruling dynasty of Ireland's Western Province, have not always occupied such comfortable residences through the ages.
Of their early residences (mostly of wooden construction) nothing remains except references in the Annals of Ireland and in ancient Irish Poetry but sites at Rathcroghan/Carnfree, near Tulsk, Co Roscommon were important ceremonial places from the 5th Century AD onwards.
At the height of O'Conor power, as High Kings of Ireland in the 12th Century AD, Tuam and Dunmore both in Co Galway were their Ecclesiastic and Administrative centres. O'Conor Castles from the 14th century AD can be found in Ballintubber, Co Roscommon and in Roscommon town. The former Castle is still owned by the family although they have not resided there since the 17th Century.
The introduction of the Penal Laws (laws principally designed to economically disadvantage those not members of the Established Church) in the late17th/18th centuries, devastated the fortunes of the O'Conors who remained fervently Catholic. The O'Conors like many of their co-religionists were driven into peasantry and Denis O'Conor (1674-1750) lived in a bahaun or peasants mud cottage in Kilmactranny Co Sligo for many years. In 1720 the same Denis recovered some 600 acres of land at Ballanagare, Co Roscommon where he built a small residence, the ruins of which are still visible just outside the village.
In 1820 the 'Ballanagare' O'Conors succeeded to the O'Conor estates at Clonalis when the 'Clonalis' branch of the Family became extinct in the male line and with this the Ballanagare O'Conors succeeded to the 'O'Conor Don' title. The title applies to the Chieftain of the O'Conors of Connaght and is one of a few titles specifically recognised under Irish Law as the Irish State is a Republic.
Charles Owen O'Conor Don built Clonalis House between 1878 and 1880 in the Victorian Italianate/Queen Anne style and to the design of the talented 19th Century architect Pepys Cockrell. It was in this House that Charles Owen decided to bring up his four sons. The former residence known as the 'Old' Clonalis House can still be seen on the avenue leading up to the current home.
The 'New' Clonalis House was constructed by The Rt Hon Charles Owen O'Conor Don MP HML in 1878 to the design of the well known Victorian architect Pepys Cochrell. This property replaced an earlier residence on Clonalis Estate dating from approximately 1750, which the family considered unhealthy by the late 19th century, as it lay close to the banks of the River Suck and frequently flooded.
The 'New ' House combines characteristics of both Queen Anne and Italianate architectural styles. Contrary to the perception of Victorian architecture as being rather dark and gloomy the main reception and bedrooms of Clonalis all face south west and with large windows capture all available light, making the property a bright and airy residence.
The 'New' Clonalis House now serves the dual purpose of being a family home and a major repository of heritage and history, containing correspondence, heirlooms, objet d'art and portraits of the O'Conors over the past 600 years. The Clonalis Library, containing some 7000 volumes, is widely considered to be one of the best collections in private ownership in Ireland. Clonalis House contains over 100,000 original documents, the oldest of which dates back to 1580. The library dates from the 16th century, the oldest book dates from 1522 entitled "Asconii Paediani Exposito".
Today the residence is the home of Charles' great grandson, Pyers O'Conor Nash, his wife, Marguerite and their three children, Barbara, Richard and Letitia. The house, which is southerly facing, is designed with large windows in all its main reception rooms and bedrooms which capture daylight and ensure a bright, informal and airy residence. The house is surrounded by a 2 acre formal terraced garden and adjacent to a woodland dell garden.
Clonalis House is almost unique among Ireland's renowned Historic Houses in celebrating a Gaelic tradition and this is particularly reflected in its contents which include:
- The O'Conor Coronation Stone on which generations of the Family were crowned Kings of Ireland's western province, Connacht.
- Carolan's Harp, Turlough Carolan, 1674 - 1738 was the last and greatest of the Gaelic Bards who was patronised by the O'Conors.
- The O' Conor Papers, a rare Family archive of some one hundred thousand documents and letters dating from the sixteenth century. Here letters from some of the most influential people in Irish, European and British history can be seen. Here too can be seen the parchment dating from the late 16th century, thought to be the last recorded verdict under the old Irish legal system, Brehon Law.
The Brehon Laws were statutes that governed everyday life and politics in Ireland until the Norman invasion of 1171 (the word Brehon is an Anglicisation of breitheamh (earlier brithem), the Irish word for a judge). ...
See also - Castlerea
- Historic houses in the Republic of Ireland
Castlerea (An Caisleán Riabhach in Irish) is located in the west of County Roscommon, Ireland. ...
Historic houses in the Republic of Ireland is a link page for any stately home or historic house in the Republic of Ireland. ...
External links | Historic Irish Houses and Castles |
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