Newhall House

Newhall House and Estate
Newhall House, a Queen Anne-style mansion
Location within Ireland
General information
Status	Country House
Architectural style	Georgian
Location	near Ennis, Ireland
Coordinates	52°48′32″N 9°00′43″W / 52.8088°N 9.0119°W / 52.8088; -9.0119
Groundbreaking	1650
Owner	Commane family
Affiliation	Parish of Killone
Design and construction
Architect	Francis Bindon or Isaac Rothery
Developer	Lord Clare O'Brien family (1650) Charles MacDonnell (1764)
Website
http://www.newhall.ie

Newhall is a 17th century country estate near Ennis in County Clare in Ireland, historically held by members of the Irish landed gentry. The front section of the house was added during the Georgian period, creating a T-shaped design with an elongated older rear section which was used partially as servants quarters.

History

Early period: Lord Clare and O'Brien Dynasty

In 1544 King Henry VIII of England granted Kilone Abbey and the parish of Killone, including Newhall, and much other property in County Clare, to Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond. This occurred after Murrough offered the kingdom of Thomond to the King of England, and received his lands and titles back as a feudal subject (a process known as surrender and regrant).

The historic core of Newhall is said to have been constructed using stones from Killone Castle. In 1580, Killone Castle was the property of the Baron of Inchiquin. There is now no trace of the castle beyond Newhall House.

In 1708, Colonel John O'Brien left Newhall and Killone to his wife, Honora O'Brien, in his will.

Honora O'Brien had a relationship with Richard Burke, 2nd Earl of Clanricarde. Their illegitimate son, also named Richard Burke, had a daughter (Marcella Burke) who married Donough O'Callaghan of Kilgorey in 1747.

20th and 21st centuries: Joyce and Commane

In 1912, Charles R.A. MacDonnell transferred 3,485 acres of tenanted land and 256 acres of untenanted land to the Congested Districts' Board for a sum exceeding £26,000. It was a home of the Joyce family of County Galway in the 20th century, from the 1920s to 2016.

As a gentry seat, Newhall hosted fox hunts and balls and was (and remains) a working farm.

In 2016, the estate was purchased by the Commane family, a family from the locality, who are restoring it to its original form.

Killone Abbey

Located on the grounds of Newhall, Killone Abbey is a ruined Augustinian nunnery, possibly founded by Domnall Mór O’Brien in the late 12th century and traditionally associated with the O'Brien dynasty of Thomond.

See also

• Mount Ievers Court

Further reading

• "Gate Lodges of Co. Clare". Roundabout Shannon. 18 June 2024. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
• Weir, Hugh W.L. Gate Lodges of Co. Clare. pp. 44–45.
• Newby, Eric; Petry, Diana (1970). Wonders of Ireland: A Personal Choice of 484. Stein and Day. ISBN 978-0-8128-1274-9.
• Burke, Bernard (1855). A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. Hurst and Blackett. p. 145.
• An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Clare. Stationery Office. 2009. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-4064-2175-0.
• The Archaeological Journal. Longman, Rrown,(sic) Green, and Longman. 1997. p. 301.
• Glin, Knight of; Peill, James (2007). Irish Furniture: Woodwork and Carving in Ireland from the Earliest Times to the Act of Union. Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-300-11715-8.
• Burke, Bernard (21 April 2023). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-382-31545-0.
• Burke, Bernard (1863). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. Harrison.
• Burke, Bernard (1855). A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. Hurst and Blackett. p. 146.
• "Eden Vale | Clare | Landed Estates | University of Galway". landedestates.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
• "Stacpoole (Eden Vale) | Landed Estates | University of Galway". landedestates.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
• "Stacpoole Family: History of the Stacpoole family of Counties Clare and Limerick, 1596-1959, by R. J. Stacpoole". catalogue.nli.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
• Academy, Royal Irish (1907). The Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. Bonham a.o. p. 13.
• "Killone Augustinian Abbey (Nunnery) | Monastic Ireland". Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
• Monahan, Fintan (24 June 2019). "Pilgrimage to St. John's Well, Killone Abbey". Killaloe Diocese. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
• "Saint John the Baptist Holy Well, Tobar Eoin, Newhall". County Clare Heritage Office. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
• Lord Fitzgerald, Walter (July 1899). "INSCRIPTIONS AT ST. JOHN'S WELL, KILLONE ABBEY, COUNTY CLARE" (PDF). ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF IRELAND. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
• "A Folklore Survey of County Clare: Rocks, Caves and Stones". www.clarelibrary.ie. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
• "The Haunting Tale of the Mermaid's Curse of Newhall House and Killone Lake - Moon Mausoleum". moonmausoleum.com. 19 June 2024. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
• "A Folklore Survey of County Clare: Water Spirits and Mer-folk". www.clarelibrary.ie. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
• "The Mermaid of Newhall Lake". Clarecastle Ballyea Heritage. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
• Marshall, Ruth (3 June 2013). Clare Folk Tales. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-9203-2.
• Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. H. Colburn. 1847.

References

External links

• "The Mermaid of Newhall Lake". Clarecastle Ballyea Heritage. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.