Emo Court, located in the village of Emo in County Laois, Ireland, is a large neo-classical mansion, formal and symmetrical in its design and with beautifully proportioned rooms inside. It was designed by the architect James Gandon in 1790 for John Dawson, the first Earl of Portarlington. It is the only house to have been designed by Gandon. Other buildings by him include the Custom House and Kings Inns, both in Dublin. Gandon was so busy with his work in Dublin that he found little time to work on Emo Court. This may be one of the reasons that it took so many years for Emo Court to be made habitable, let alone finished. County Laois (pronounced Leash), also spelt Laoighis or Leix (Irish: Contae Laoise) , is a county in the midlands of Ireland. ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ... The Four Courts by James Gandon James Gandon (1743 -1823) is today recognised as one of the leading late 18th century, early 19th century architects to have worked in Ireland. ... 1790 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Earldom of Portarlington was created in 1785 in the Peerage of Ireland. ... Custom House is an area of the London Borough of Newham. ... The Kings Inns or formally the Honorable Society of Kings Inns (HSKI) is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of the Republic of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

Completion

When the 1st Earl died, his new house was under construction – but far from finished. The 2nd Earl employed new architects to continue the work. The building actually became habitable during his lifetime. But when he died 47 years later, it was still unfinished. The 3rd Earl succeeded where his parents and grandparents had failed and, round about 1860, brought Emo Court to a state closely resembling that which welcomes visitors today. Some elements of the basic structure are faithful to the original plans of James Gandon. But the fact is that, while he undoubtedly was involved in the first twenty years of its building, little more than his great name can be connected with the house which finally came into being.

Decline

Emo Court was in its heyday in the final forty years of the 19th century. However, times were changing in Ireland and the Earls of Portarlington, like many of the old families who enjoyed lavish lifestyles based on their inherited wealth, failed to adapt. At the outbreak of the World War in 1914, the family left for England and the house was shut up. In 1920 the estate, which extended over nearly 20 square miles, was sold to the Irish Land Commission. The house remained unoccupied, while most of the land was distributed amongst local farmers. The Irish Land Commission was created in 1881 as a rent fixing commission by the Irish Land Act 1881. ...

The Jesuits & Emo

In 1930 the house was acquired by the Jesuits. One of the first Jesuit priests to live there was Father Browne, best known as a brilliant photographer of Irish people and scenery over the first half of the 20th century. The Jesuits were excellent landlords and turned the grounds into a productive farm and orchard and used part of them for playing fields. Some drastic changes were made in the interior, to provide a chapel and assembly room. The Jesuits wanted functional space and the architecture was not their primary concern. But, without their intervention, it is more than likely that Emo Court would have suffered the fate of many big houses at the time. They were simply abandoned and left to fall into decay. Some stand as picturesque ruins, others have disappeared without a trace. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ...

From Major Cholmeley Harrison to the present

A new lease of life for Emo Court began when the Jesuits sold the property to Major Cholmeley Harrison. His desire was to live in a stately home, surrounded by beautiful gardens. He commissioned the London architect Sir Albert Richardson, the leading authority on Georgian architecture, to take on the restoration of the house. While the house remained a very private residence, the public were encouraged to enjoy the gardens every Sunday for a modest fee. A Georgian house in Salisbury Georgian architecture at Royal Crescent, Bath, seen from a hot air balloon. ...

The final phase began in 1994 when Cholmeley Harrison presented Emo Court to the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, who received it on behalf of the people of Ireland. Cholmeley Harrison continues to live there in private apartments. Staff of the government’s Office of Public Works care for the estate now and do everything that is needed to preserve all that is good and to make it a welcoming place for visitors – both from Ireland and abroad. The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ... Mary Robinson (Irish name Máire Mhic Róibín; born 21 May 1944) was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. ...

The house and gardens today

The approach to Emo Court today begins through a rather unobtrusive gateway. Within the grounds, a road runs for some distance through a beech wood which opens suddenly to give a view to the right of the house and the Wellingtonias which now line an abandoned avenue. Visitors are directed to a car park at the side, so that the house and its trees are preserved free from cars and from a goodly share of the 21st century. To the left are coach houses and servants’ quarters, to the right beautiful mature trees and in the centre the entrance front, dominated by a pediment supported by four graceful Ionic pillars. The Earl’s coat of arms fills the pediment and, to left and right, are 18th century friezes depicting agriculture and the arts. Heraldic tigers guard the steps.

Inside the house, an octagonal entrance hall has doors in each of its four angles. Two of them really are entrances to other rooms. The others are simply there to give a balanced effect. A larger doorway leads to the Rotunda, the most splendid feature of the mansion and also the way into two of the major rooms and out to the garden. Completed about 1860 by the Dublin architect William Caldbeck, it is two storeys high, surmounted by a dome which extends above the roof line of the rest of the house. Pilasters of Siena marble support the ornate ceiling.

The gardens at Emo are magnificent and they too have been brought back to the splendour of their past, with formal areas, woodland walks, abundant statuary and a lake. They are divided into two main areas. The Clucker, which contains some fine and rare specimen trees and a vast range of azaleas and rhododendrons and other shrubs. This part of the garden is at its magnificent best in late Spring. The Grapery is an arboretum though which wind a series of pathway, each opening to vistas across the surrounding Slieve Bloom mountains or towards the house. This is a marvellous place to visit in Autumn especially when it is a blaze of dramatic colours.

Historic Irish Houses and Castles

Áras an Uachtaráin | Allenstown House | Ardbraccan House | Ardgillan Castle | Ashtown Castle | Avondale House | Birr Castle | Blarney Castle | Bunratty Castle | Cahir Castle | Carrickmines Castle | Carton House | Castleknock Castle | Castletown House | Chichester House | Clonalis House | Clontarf Castle | Deerfield |Desmond Castle | Donegal castle | Doonagore Castle | Drimnagh Castle | Dromoland Castle | Dublin Castle | Dunboy Castle | Dunguaire Castle | Durhamstown Castle | Emo Court | Farmleigh | Frescati House | Foulksrath Castle | Grianan of Aileach | Howth Castle | Iveagh House | Kilkenny Castle | King John's Castle | Knappogue Castle | Leap Castle | Leinster House | Lismore Castle | Malahide Castle | Mansion House | Mornington House | O'Dea Castle | Ormonde Castle | Parkavonear Castle | Powerscourt House | Rathfarnham Castle | Redwood Castle | Rock of Dunamase | Ross Castle | Russborough House | Slane Castle | Swords Castle | Trim Castle | Tyrone House dublin castle tower File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Áras an Uachtaráin (formerly the Viceregal Lodge) is the official residence of the President of Ireland, located in the Phoenix Park on the Northside of Dublin1. ... Allenstown House was a large 5-bay, 4 storey Georgian mansion in County Meath, Ireland. ... Ardbraccan House (known sometimes historically as Ardbraccan Palace) is a large Palladian county house in County Meath in the Republic of Ireland. ... Ardgillan Castle (Ardgillan Demesne) is a large country house in Balbriggan Dublin with castellated embellishments. ... Astown Castle is a 16th Century fortfied house in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. ... Avondale House, Avondale, County Wicklow, Ireland is the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) one of the greatest political leaders of Irish history. ... Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. ... View from the top of the castle of the surrounding grounds Kissing the Blarney Stone See Also Blarney Stone of Eloquence External Links Official Blarney Castle Website Categories: Ireland geography stubs | Europe buildings and structures stubs | Castles in Ireland ... Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle,Newmarket-on-Fergus,County Clare, Ireland is of Norman Architecture. ... Categories: Ireland-place stubs | Castles in Ireland ... Carrickmines Castle is a controversial archeological site in County Dublin, in eastern Ireland. ... Carton House is one of Irelands greatest stately homes and one time ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster. ... Castleknock Castle is the ruins of a Norman castle in the grounds of Castleknock College in Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland. ... Castletown House, Irelands finest Palladian country house, is an imposing building built in 1722 for William Connolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. ... Clontarf Castle was built in 1172. ... Deerfield is currently the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland and was formerly the official residence of the Chief Secretary in Ireland before Irish independence. ... Desmond Castle is an example of an urban tower house located in the town of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland. ... Donegal Castle showing keep, on right, and Jacobean wing. ... Doonagore Castle, overlooking Doolin and the Atlantic Ocean Doonagore Castle is a 14th Century round tower house with a small walled enclosure, located on the outskirts of the small, coastal town of Doolin in County Clare, Ireland. ... Drimnagh Castle is a Norman castle located in Drimnagh, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. ... A large castle and five star hotel in County Clare, Ireland. ... Dublin Castle. ... Dunboy Castle was a stronghold of the OSullivan Bere, a Gaelic clan leader and Chief of Dunboy. The castle is located on the Beara Peninsula in south-west Ireland and was built to guard and defend the harbour of Bearhaven. ... Dunguaire Castle (Irish: Dún Guaire) is a 16th century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland, near Kinvara. ... 1885 Map showing the location of Durhamstown Castle Durhamstown Castle is a 500 year old towerhouse in County Meath in Ireland. ... Farmleigh was formerly one of the Dublin residences of the Guinness brewing family. ... Impression of Frescati. ... Foulksrath Castle (Irish: Caislean Ratha) is a 15th century Norman tower house located in Jenkinstown in County Kilkenny, Ireland. ... Exterior view of Grianan of Aileach situated in County Donegal. ... Howth Castle lies close to the village of Howth, north of the city of Dublin in Ireland. ... Iveagh House is now the Department of Foreign Affairs as it was donated to the Irish State by the Guinness family in 1939. ... Kilkenny Castle Interior courtyard Kilkenny Castle is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland. ... King Johns Castle sits on the southern bank of the River Shannon. ... The Knappogue Castle & Walled Garden, built in 1467, is located in County Clare, Ireland. ... Leap Castle is an Irish castle near the town of Birr in County Offaly. ... Leinster House The former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ... Lismore Castle is a castle in County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland. ... Malahide Castle lies close to the village of Malahide 9 miles north of Dublin in Ireland. ... The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and has been since 1715. ... Mornington House was the Dublin social season georgian residence of the Earls of Mornington. ... ODea Castle near Corofin, Co. ... Ormonde Castle was the seat of the Butler family—Earls and later Dukes of Ormonde, who acquired the castle in 1315. ... Parkavonear Castle is a 13th Century Norman castle ruin, situated at Aghadoe, overlooking the lakes of Killarney, Ireland. ... Irish Palladianism. ... // Origins Rathfarnham Castle Rathfarnham Castle was originally an Anglo-Norman castle built to defend the Pale from the Irish clans in the nearby Wicklow Mountains. ... Redwood Castle Co. ... Dun Masc or the fort of Masc, as it was known by the Celts, is one of the most historic sites in Ireland. ... Ross Castle Ross Castle Ross Castle is the ancestral home of the ODonoghue clan. ... Irish Palladianism. ... Slane Castle is a castle located in Slane village, County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland. ... Swords Castle was built as the manorial residence of the Archbishops of Dublin around 1200 or a little later. ... Trim Castle (Dublin Side) Trim Castle, [[Trim] (Baile Atha Troim in Irish)], Ireland has an area of 30,000 m². It is the remains of the largest castle in Europe, which was Norman in origin, built primarily by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter. ...