Kylemore Abbey, Connemera coast, Ireland. Today the Abbey is the monastic home of the Irish Benedictine Nuns and a renowned international girls' boarding school. However, it was built in the 1860's as a country seat for Mitchell Henry, the son of a wealthy Manchester merchant. Tradition tells us that Mitchell Henry, a surgeon practising in London, first visited Connemara while on his honeymoon in 1849.
Mitchell Henry's young bride, Margaret Vaughan, was charmed by Connemara and the picturesque location of Kylemore Lodge, a shooting lodge which stood on the spot now occupied by the Abbey. The couple are said to have made the decision, there and then, to someday build a home there.
This dream was made possible when, in 1862, Mitchell's father died and on receipt of a sizeable inheritance he abandoned his medical career and became Chairman of the family textile firm, A & S Henry. However, business interests seem to have occupied very little of his time and instead he concentrated his attention on getting elected to Parliament and in the construction of two family homes, one at Kylemore, the other in London.
In 1866 he finally secured the purchase of Kylemore Lodge and 13,000 acres of mountains, rivers, lakes and bog, with extensive fishing and shooting rights. Almost immediately work began converting the Lodge into a Castle.
The Lodge continued to be occupied while excavation for the Castle's foundations was underway. To the rear of the building the builder cut deep into Duchruach mountain to make room for the servants quarters. As the Castle began to rise up around the Lodge, the walls of the old house were taken down and it was incorporated into the new building.
In keeping with the fashion of the day, an extensive walled garden was under construction at the same time as the castle. The barren Connemara boglands to the west of the Castle were transformed into what was recognised at the time as Ireland's most impressive walled garden. The 6-acre garden contained a 21 glasshouse complex, flower garden and kitchen garden separated by a serpentine mountain stream, head gardener?s house, workers? bothy and lime kiln. At the same time hundreds of thousands of exotic and native trees were planted throughout the demesne.
GREAT EMPLOYMENT
To facilitate the construction of the Castle and gardens, the public road to Clifden, which ran in front of the Lodge, was re-routed to where it is today, on the opposite shore of Pollacappul lake.While the construction of Kylemore Castle was under way, Connemara was in deep distress. Crop failure, due to bad weather, had left the people without food and dependant on the shopkeepers for provisions.
The shopkeepers were refusing to give credit and this left the people desperately seeking work for wages, something which was almost impossible to find in Connemara. Mitchell's ability to employ large numbers and his willingness to pay them a respectable wage was a welcome 'Godsend'.
His popularity with the people contributed greatly to his being elected to represent Galway in the 1871 by-election. For the next fifteen years Mitchell represented Galway at Westminster.
TRAGEDY STRUCK Sadly, in 1874, his wife Margaret contracted 'Nile Fever' while touring Egypt and died. Mitchell had her body brought to Kylemore and laid to rest in a mausoleum in the grounds. The stunning and unique neo-Gothic Church to the east of the Castle was built as a memorial chapel to her memory.
CHANGING HANDS Among the 13,000 acres of the Kylemore Estate was Addergoole Farm, which Mitchell converted into a Model Farm and over the years his experiments in agriculture, land drainage and land reclamation attracted attention and interest.
In 1902 Mitchell, then aged 76, retired to England and the Kylemore Estate was put up for sale. It was purchased by the Duke and Duchess of Manchester who carried out extensive and dramatic alterations. The alterations were said to have been costly and really did nothing to enhance the building.
Mitchell Henry died on the 22 November 1910. His ashes were brought back to Kylemore and laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Margaret, in the mausoleum in the grounds of their dream home.
The Duke and Duchess of Manchester spent only a few years at the castle. The property was heavily mortgaged and in 1913 the mortgagees foreclosed. For the next seven years it remained in the hands of caretakers as a new buyer was sought.
NEW OWNERS In 1920, with the help of public loans, the castle was acquired, for little over £45,000, by a Community of Nuns of the Order of St Benedict. The Nuns were refugees from Ypres, Belgium, and were seeking to establish an Abbey and School in Ireland
Hi Ken, Thanks for the history lesson, here. Very intersting, and a very good photo to illustrate it. Not only is the castle / abbey very well captured, I like the composition with the boat in front. It completes the photo. Great shot!
Hi Ken, terrific notes, and a good shot of the abbey with the water and the boat adding depth and colour to the composition. I was at this spot many years ago and recall looking back down the valley through mist which was quite spectacular. A beautiful part of the world and thanks for the reminder. Ian
Beautiful shot, Ken! And what a story!! I can't help thinking that this wonderful picture would pack even more punch if the hills in the background were a little darker. Just a thought? Kind regards, Chris
I got the above story from their website. I was looking for some information about the building. But I was not expecting this story. I thought what a beautiful romantic story.
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{K:102014} 9/28/2005
