Carton House

Carton House
County Kildare
Carton House
Location
Grid reference:	N95443880
Location:	53°23’28"N, 6°33’58"W
History
	Country house
Information
Condition:	Converted to hotel
Owned by:	John Mullen

Carton House is a historic estate and great house in Maynooth in County Kildare, that was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster.

The estate, the Carton demesne, just 14 miles west of Dublin, extends over 1,100 acres by Maynooth. It is at the very northern edge of County Kildare and spilling over into Meath, with the River Rye flowing through its midst. For two hundred years, the parkland of Carton House was the finest example in Ireland of a Georgian era parkland landscape.

In the 2000s much of the estate was redeveloped into two golf courses and the house into a hotel complex.

History

Carton House in 1824

Beginning of the Carton Demesne

The estate came into being in the twelfth century, following the conquest of Ireland by King Henry II. Maurice FitzGerald played an active role in the capture of Dublin by the Normans in 1170 and was rewarded by being appointed Lord of Maynooth, an area covering townlands which include Carton. The estate remained in the FitzGerald family from that time.

Maurice's son became Baron Offaly in 1205 and his descendant John FitzGerald, became Earl of Kildare in 1315. Under the eighth earl, the FitzGerald family reached pre-eminence as the virtual rulers of Ireland between 1477 and 1513.

However, the eighth earl's grandson, the eloquently titled Silken Thomas was executed in 1537, with his five uncles, for leading an uprising against the English. Although the FitzGeralds subsequently regained their land and titles, they did not regain their position at the English Court until the 18th century when Robert, the 19th Earl of Kildare, became a noted statesman.

First house at Carton

The first record of a house at Carton was in the 17th century when William Talbot, Recorder of Dublin, was given a lease of the lands by the 14th Earl of Kildare and is thought to have built a house. The house and lands were forfeited to the crown in 1691 and in 1703 sold to Major General Richard Ingoldsby, Master General of the Ordnance.

Commencement of the current house

In 1739, the lease was sold back to the 19th Earl of Kildare, who employed Richard Cassels to build the existing house. This was the same year the FitzGerald family bought Frescati House. Castle (originally Cassels) was also responsible for some other grand Irish houses, including Summerhill House, Westport House, Powerscourt House and in 1745, Leinster House, which he also built for the FitzGeralds.

In 1747, James FitzGerald, 20th Earl of Kildare (from 1766 1st Duke of Leinster), married Lady Emily Lennox, daughter of the Duke of Richmond and great–granddaughter of Charles II. Lady Emily played an important role in the development of the house and estate as it is today. She created the Chinese room (bedroom to Queen Victoria) and decorated the famous Shell Cottage on the estate with shells from around the world. One of Emily's 23 children was the famous Lord Edward FitzGerald, leader of the 1798 rebellion.

19th century

Carton House in 1824

Carton remained unaltered until 1815, when the 3rd Duke decided to sell Leinster House to the Royal Dublin Society and make Carton his principal residence. He employed Richard Morrison to enlarge and re-model the house. Morrison replaced the curved colonnades with straight connecting links to obtain additional rooms, including the famous dining room. At this time, the entrance to the house was moved to the north side.

Sale and late history

Carton remained in the control of the FitzGeralds until the early 1920s when the 7th Duke sold his life interest to a moneylender,, Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley, to pay off gambling debts of £67,500. He was third in line to succeed and so did not think he would ever inherit so that the interest he sold was worthless, but in the event one of his brothers died in the war and another of a brain tumour and so Carton was lost to the FitzGeralds.

It is alleged that, In 1923, a local unit of the Irish Republican Army went to Carton with the intention of burning it down. However, they were stopped when a member of the FitzGerald family brought a large painting of Lord Edward FitzGerald to the door and pointed out that they would be burning the house of a revered Irish patriot.

During the Second World War, Carton House was occupied by the Irish Army who used the building as the headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division.

In 1949 the house was purchased by Ronald Nall-Cain, 2nd Baron Brocket (1904–1967), a member of the ancient Irish family of O'Cahan, whose principal residence was Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. He bequeathed Carton to his younger son, Hon. David Nall-Cain, who having moved to the Isle of Man, sold the house in 1977 to the Mallaghan family.

In the 1980s and 1990s the Irish government came under public and political pressure to buy the house and its grounds but decided not to do so.

In 2017 the Mallaghan family sold Carton House to John Mullen for €57 Million.

House as film set

The house was used as a film location by many film-makers and broadcasters. Films made there include:

• Barry Lyndon (1975)
• The Big Red One (1980)
• Leap Year (2010)
• Darling Lili (1970).
• Love/Hate (television drama)

During the filming of Darling Lili, the Director Blake Edwards and wife the actress, Julie Andrews, lived in the Carton House over the summer and autumn of 1969 and Rock Hudson, Andrews co-star lived in the grounds.

Carton House with boathouse

Conversion into a hotel with golf courses

In 2000, Carton was redeveloped as a "premier golf resort and hotel", an action condemned by heritage groups, including An Taisce, and criticised in the Irish Senate. A hotel was added to the main house, altering it drastically, while the estate's eighteenth-century grounds were converted into two golf courses.

Grounds

Tyrconnell Tower, Carton Estate.

The Tyrconnell Tower was said to have been built by Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell and intended for his mausoleum. It is officially named 'The Prospect Tower'.

The famous Shell Cottage is a quaint cottage which once had a thatched roof and is decorated outside and inside with seashells. It was built for Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster

Sport

Golf

Carton House Golf Club has two courses, one designed by Mark O'Meara and opened in 2002, the other designed by Colin Montgomerie and opened in 2003. The former is a parkland course, utilising the rolling land of the estate as well as the waters of the River Rye, while the latter features head high pot bunkers, "fast-running" greens and narrow fairways.

Carton House was the venue for the PGA European Tour's Irish Open in 2005 and 2006, having previously hosted the 2004 and 2005 AIB Amateur Open Championship. The 2013 Irish Open was held on the Montgomerie Course at Carton House (27–30 June).

The Golfing Union of Ireland, the longest established golf union in the world, have their national headquarters on the estate. This facility also comprises the GUI National Academy, a 22-acre teaching facility for up and coming golfers, as well as being a facility available to all golfers in Ireland.

Rugby

The Irish Rugby Football Union have used the house for training and a team base since 2010

Football

A range of soccer teams come to Carton House for pre-season training. Newcastle United F.C. became the first team to train at the Platinum One group facility. Real Madrid became the second team to go to Carton House in 2009. Shamrock Rovers F.C. also trained there ahead of the 2010 season. Chelsea F.C. and Birmingham City F.C. have trained at the facility. It was visited by the Brazil national team during 2008. In July 2010, Wolverhampton Wanderers held a week-long training camp.

GAA

Dublin GAA used Carton House for training during the summer of 2009.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Carton House)

• Carton House Luxury Hotel & Spa Resort Ireland
• Maynooth Town Co. Kildare