Eyrecourt Castle (or Eyre Court) was an Irish 17th century country house in

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

which became a ruin in the 20th century. The house, the surrounding estate, and the nearby small town of

Eyrecourt Eyrecourt, historically known as Donanaghta (), is a village in County Galway, Ireland. Eyrecourt is on the R356 regional road 12 km west of the Banagher bridge over the River Shannon. History The Eyres after whom the village is named ...

all took their name from Colonel the Right Hon. John Eyre, an Englishman who was granted a large parcel of land in recognition of his part in the military campaign in Galway during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. There was an earlier fortified house or castle on the same land. There is also a block of private apartments called Eyre Court located in the

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neighbourhood of St. John's Wood.

Description

Eyrecourt Castle was "an early example fa classical country house ". A 7-bay two-storey house "built on a symmetrical pattern with a central staircase and hall taking up nearly a third of the overall space, it was an impressive, modern residence for the new landowner". A visitor in 1731, Mary Granville, commented on a "great many fine woods and improvements that looked very English" in the parkland around the house. Richard Cumberland, a few decades later, called it "a spacious mansion, not in the best repair" with "a vast extent of soil, not very productive". The grounds are now called a '' demesne'', a standard expression in Ireland for an estate; the demesne gates were bought and restored by the National Heritage Council in the 1990s. The most striking features of the house were its "ambitious wood-carvings, massive doorcases and a famous baroque staircase", one of the first grand staircases in Ireland, with " acanthus leaves issuing from grotesque masks and rolling down the banisters"Loeber and "by far the most exuberant piece of wood carving surviving from the 17th century".Harbison Dutch craftsmen are believed to have worked there, with the possible involvement of the

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

-based French-born James Tabary.Harbison One chimneypiece followed a design of Serlio's. The house had a motto over the door to the main hall saying, "Welcome to the house of liberty", and its own small chapel, built in 1677. Local tradition says the grounds were used as an overnight camp by Ginkell's

Williamite A Williamite was a follower of King William III of England (r. 1689–1702) who deposed King James II and VII in the Glorious Revolution. William, the Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, replaced James with the support of English Whigs. O ...

army after the

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim ( ga, Cath Eachroma) was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Jacobite army loyal to James II and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 (old style, equivale ...

in 1691.

History

In 1662 Colonel John Eyre was granted the of Eyrecourt land, with the power to empark it, as reward for his role in Cromwell's Irish campaign. He built the house in the 1660s or early 1670s. Eyre was subsequently an MP for

and High Sheriff of County Galway for 1681. On his death in 1685 the property passed to his eldest son John (known as Proud Eyre). From him it passed in turn to John's son George (High Sheriff in 1706 but who died young in 1710), then to George's brother, John (High Sheriff in 1724) and then to a third brother, the Revd. Giles, Dean of Killaloe and Clonfert. From Giles it passed to Giles' son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, who was made Baron Eyre. Lord Eyre died childless in 1781 and the peerage became extinct. on openlibrary.org The house, however, was inherited by his nephew Lieutenant-Colonel Giles Eyre (High Sheriff in 1798), who spent a lot of money on unsuccessful electioneering. He left it to his own eldest son, John (1794–1856). John was killed whilst hunting and it passed to his son, yet another John (1820–1890). On the latter's death in 1890 it descended to William Henry Gregory Eyre, an Assistant Land Commissioner. In 1883 the Eyres were considered insolvent and the estate was offered for sale. By the 1920s the house was falling into decay and around 1950 the staircase was purchased by

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

. Since then the house has been left to collapse although the staircase still exists in storage at the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation and expansion project comple ...

Notes and references

*Rolf Loeber, ''Early Classicism in Ireland: Architecture before the Georgian Era'' in ''Architectural History'' Volume 22 (1979) This volume of ''Architectural History '' includes photographs of the ornate staircase, a chimneypiece, and an 1854 print of the house. *Peter Harbison, ''Ireland's Treasures: 5000 Years of Artistic Expression'' (2004),
''Pigot & Co's Provincial Directory of Ireland'' 1824''Memoirs of Richard Cumberland Written by Himself''
chapter 3 (1806)

External links

Detailed description of the house in the Irish Arts Review (subscription required)

Description

History

Notes and references

See also

External links

Further reading