Katherine Conolly (''c.''1662 – 1752) was an Irish political hostess, landowner, and philanthropist.

Life

Katherine Conolly was born Katherine Conyngham around 1662. Her parents were Sir Albert Conyngham and Margaret (née Leslie). She was the eldest of their 10 children, with one of her brother's being Henry Conyngham. Her maternal grandfather was Henry Leslie. She married

William Conolly William Conolly (9 April 1662 – 30 October 1729), also known as Speaker Conolly, was an Irish politician, Commissioner of Revenue, lawyer and landowner. Career William Conolly was born the son of an inn-keeper, Patrick Conolly, in Ballysh ...

in 1694, a speaker of the Irish house of commons and purported to be the wealthiest man in Ireland. The marriage was likely to have been a love match. The couple used her dowry of £2,300 to purchase their first estates in

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

. Through her connections, her husband was able to ally himself with the influential protestant families such as the Gores, Montgomerys and Leslies. She became known as a political hostess, gaining a mention in a ballad detailing the 1723 Westmeath by-election. Upon the death of her husband in 1729, Connolly inherited estates in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, as well as in counties Meath, Roscommon, Westmeath and Kildare. She continued to be influential in Irish public affairs, being asked for her opinions and counsel. Living on Capel Street, Dublin and at

Castletown House Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, is a Palladian country house built in 1722 for William Conolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. It formed the centrepiece of an estate. Sold to developers in 1965, the estate ...

, County Kildare, she entertained a large circle of friends. She carried on her husband's plan to build the residential Collegiate School, Celbridge, built from 1733 to 1737, then supporting the school with £50 each year. She commissioned a monument in her husband's memory by Thomas Carter, in Kildrought church, Celbridge. She also commissioned Conolly's Folly in 1740 and

The Wonderful Barn The Wonderful Barn is a corkscrew-shaped building on the edge of Castletown House Estate, formerly of the Conolly family, in Celbridge, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The barn itself is formally in neighbouring Leixlip. Structure ...

in 1743 to generate employment in the area. Connolly died in Castletown House on 23 September 1752. A portrait of her by

Charles Jervas Charles Jervas (also Jarvis and Jervis; c. 1675 – 2 November 1739) was an Irish portrait painter, translator, and art collector of the early 18th century. Early life Born in Shinrone, County Offaly, Ireland around 1675, the son of John J ...

still hangs there. Upon hearing of her death, Mary Delany noted: :"is a general loss. Her table was open to all her friends of all ranks and her purse to the poor ... she was clever at business, and wrote all her own letters . . . she was a plain and vulgar woman in her manner but had very valuable qualities."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conolly, Katherine 1662 births 1752 deaths 17th-century Irish people 18th-century Irish people British salon-holders 17th-century Irish women 18th-century Irish women