Moore Hall, County Mayo
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Moore Hall, the house and estate of George Henry Moore and family, is situated to the south of the village Carnacon in the
barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Carra, County Mayo Carra () is one of the nine barony (Ireland), baronies of County Mayo in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, located in the mid-south area of the county. It is sometimes known as Burriscarra. It incorporates the town of Castlebar, the villages of To ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in a
karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
limestone landscape. Named for the Irish
landed gentry The landed gentry, or the gentry (sometimes collectively known as the squirearchy), is a largely historical Irish and British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. It is t ...
family who built the estate between 1792 and 1795, Moore Hall lies on Muckloon Hill overlooking
Lough Carra Lough Carra () is a marl lake''Lough Carra''
descriptive document, '' ...
. The house was designed by the Irish architect
John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...
. Several members of the Moore family played major parts in the social, cultural and political history of Ireland from the end of the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. The house was burned down in 1923 by anti-
Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...
IRA during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
as Maurice Moore was viewed as pro-Treaty.


Background

The Moores were a landed gentry Irish family who built Moore Hall between 1792 and 1795. The first Moore of Moore Hall was George Moore, a wine merchant, a name borne by many members of the family down the generations. The Moores were originally an English Protestant family but some became Catholic when John Moore married a Roman Catholic, Jane Lynch Athy of
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, and when their son, George, married Katherine de Kilikelly (a.k.a. Kelly), an Irish-Spanish Catholic, in 1765. Notable members of the Moore family, associated with Moore Hall, include: * George Moore (1727–1799), who built Moore Hall, originally came from Straide near
Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...
. During the time of the
Penal Laws Penal law refers to criminal law. It may also refer to: * Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism * Penal laws (Ireland) In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...
, George went to Spain where he was admitted to the Royal Court. From the 1760s until about 1790, George Moore made his fortune in the wine and brandy trade, running his business from
Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...
. When the Penal Laws were relaxed at the end of the 18th century, he returned to
County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
with a fortune of £200,000 and in 1783, bought over of land at Muckloon, Ballycally and Killeen from Farragh Mc Donnell, and commissioned the building of the grand residence of Moore Hall. * George's son, John Moore (1767–1799), was educated in France and became a lawyer. With the rebellion of 1798, he returned to Mayo.
General Humbert General Jean Joseph Amable Humbert (22 August 1767 – 3 January 1823) was a French military officer who participated in several notable military conflicts of the late 18th and early 19th century. Born in the townland of La Coâre Saint-Nabord, ...
appointed him President of the Connacht Republic in
Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...
. Thus, John Moore was the first President of an Irish republic, albeit for a very brief interval. He was captured and, although initially sentenced to death, his sentence was later commuted to deportation. He died in the Royal Oak tavern in
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
on 6 December 1799. * George Henry Moore (1810–1870), was educated in the Catholic faith in England and later at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. His main interest was in horses. At the height of the
Great Irish Famine The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger ( ), the Famine and the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a historical social crisis and had a major impact o ...
in 1846, he entered a horse called ''Coranna'' for the Chester Gold Cup and netted £17,000 from bets laid on the horse. He used his winnings to import thousands of tons of grain and cattle to aid his tenants. It is still remembered on the Moore estate that nobody was evicted from their home for non-payment of rent during hard times, and that there were no deaths there during the Famine. George Henry is buried in the family vault at Kiltoom on the Moore Hall estate. *
George Augustus Moore George Augustus Moore (24 February 1852 – 21 January 1933) was an Ireland, Irish novelist, Short story, short-story writer, poet, Art, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a landed family of Catholics who lived at Moore Hall, C ...
(1852–1933), was a writer during the Irish Literary Revival period. A number of notable writers of the time, including
Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrot ...
,
Maria Edgeworth Maria Edgeworth (1 January 1768 – 22 May 1849) was a prolific Anglo-Irish novelist of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and a significant figure in the evolution of the novel i ...
, and
W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...
were regular visitors to Moore Hall. George Augustus Moore was an agnostic and anti-Catholic. His ashes are buried on Castle Island on
Lough Carra Lough Carra () is a marl lake''Lough Carra''
descriptive document, '' ...
in view of the big house on the hill. * Maurice George Moore (1854–1939), Senator Colonel Maurice Moore was the statesman of the family. He served with the
Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Ireland, Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Fo ...
in the
Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...
and became concerned with human rights in South Africa. He was also involved with the
co-operative movement The history of the cooperative movement concerns the origins and history of cooperatives across the world. Although cooperative arrangements, such as mutual insurance, and principles of cooperation existed long before, the cooperative movement bega ...
in Ireland, founded by
Horace Plunkett Sir Horace Curzon Plunkett (24 October 1854 – 26 March 1932), was an Anglo-Irish agricultural reformer, pioneer of agricultural cooperatives, Unionist MP, supporter of Home Rule, Irish Senator and author. Plunkett, a younger brother of J ...
.


History

The house at Moore Hall was designed by
John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...
, an architect from Waterford who also designed Tyrone House in County Galway in a similar style. It was built between 1792 and 1796, and was occupied by various members of the extended Moore family until the turn of the 20th century. Moore Hall house was burned down on 1 February 1923 during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
. An account of the burning was given shortly afterwards by the owner in a letter to the press.


Later ownership

The house, lake, farm, and estate is now owned by the forestry company,
Coillte Coillte (; ; meaning /) is a state-owned commercial forestry business in Ireland based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte manage approximately 7% of the country’s land, and operates three businesses - their core forestry business, a 'land solut ...
, and it is a visitor attraction in the area. The house is not open to the public due to its poor condition – it has not been refurbished since it was burned. Non-native forestry grows on the estate lands along with areas of natural regeneration of clearfell areas recently cut by Coillte. Trees have begun growing over the farm walls and buildings behind the ruins of the grand house. Local people who lived and worked on the Moore Hall estate remembered it fondly. The estate passed to the
Irish Land Commission The Irish Land Commission was created by the British crown in 1843 to "inquire into the occupation of the land in Ireland. The office of the commission was in Dublin Castle, and the records were, on its conclusion, deposited in the records tower ...
upon the death of George Moore, and a campaign to restore the house has been waged. In 2018 the Mayo County Council purchased the 80-acre site with the intent of turning it into a tourist destination. The project is being undertaken as a strategic partnership between the Mayo Council, Coillte, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. As of 2020, the first phase of work was underway, and included restoration of the Walled Garden, and new visitor facilities including walkways, seating, play areas and signage. Storyboards telling the story of Moore Hall, the Moore Family and their role in the history of the Irish nation are also planned for the site.


Gallery


References

{{Reflist


External links


Moore family record
at the ''Landed Estates Database'', NUI Galway.
Estate record
at the ''Landed Estates Database'', NUI Galway. Buildings and structures in County Mayo Houses in the Republic of Ireland