Tullynally Castle, also known as Pakenham Hall, is a

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

situated some 2 km from Castlepollard on the Coole village road in

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, Ireland. The Gothic-style building has over 120 rooms and has been home to the Pakenham family (now the

Earls of Longford Earl of Longford is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. History The title was first bestowed upon Francis Aungier, 3rd Baron Aungier of Longford, in 1677, with remainder to his younger brother Ambrose. He had previ ...

) for over 350 years. The house is surrounded by twelve acres of parkland and gardens, including

woodland garden A woodland garden is a garden or section of a garden that includes large trees and is laid out so as to appear as more or less natural woodland, though it is often actually an artificial creation. Typically it includes plantings of flowering shrub ...

s and walled gardens laid out in the early 19th century with a limestone grotto and ornamental lakes. In the 21st century, a Chinese garden with a pagoda and a Tibetan garden of waterfalls and streams have been added. The site entrance from the public road is situated 1.5 km outside Castlepollard on the Granard road 20 km from Mullingar, 80 km from Dublin via the N4 or N3 roads. The grounds are open to the public from April to September.

History

In 1665 Henry Pakenham, a captain in the Parliamentary Dragoons, was granted land in lieu of pay arrears that included Tullynally. His grandson Thomas was created the 1st Baron Longford in 1756. Thomas's grandson, another Thomas and 3rd Baron Longford, also inherited the superior title of 2nd Earl of Longford in January 1794 from his grandmother, The 1st Countess of Longford. The 2nd Earl remodelled the 17th-century house in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style in the early nineteenth-century, adding towers and a moat. It was by then larger than any other castellated house in Ireland. Since then, the house has passed down through successive generations of Pakenhams to the present head of the family, The 8th Earl of Longford, and is the largest house in private hands in Ireland. The senior British Army commander, General Sir Edward Pakenham, GCB, was born and brought up in the house. His elder sister, Kitty, was married to Major-General Sir Arthur Wellesley in 1806. Wellesley subsequently became

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

The 1st Duke of Wellington.

Other Westmeath castles

Ballinlough Castle Ballinlough Castle is a 17th-century country house situated near the rural town of Clonmellon in County Westmeath, Ireland on a hill overlooking two of the Westmeath lakes. It is the home of Sir Nicholas and Lady Nugent. House and gardens The gr ...

Delvin Castle Clonyn Castle also known as Delvin Castle, is a Victorian country house situated in Delvin, County Westmeath, Ireland some 18 km from Mullingar along the N52. It is a square, symmetrical, two-storey castle-like building of cut limestone wi ...

* Killua Castle *

Knockdrin Castle Knockdrin () is a townland and Electoral division (Ireland), electoral division that is 5.6 kilometers northeast of Mullingar, in County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the home of the Westmeath Hunt, and its most notable buildin ...

Tyrrellspass Castle Tyrrellspass Castle, dating back to circa 1411, is situated in the town of Tyrrellspass, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is the only remaining castle of the Tyrrells, who came to Ireland around the time of the Norman Invasion. Architecture The c ...

References

External links

Tullynally Castle and Gardens
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