Shanbally Castle

Shanbally Castle was located near Clogheen, County Tipperary and built for Cornelius O'Callaghan, 1st Viscount Lismore in around 1810. It was the largest house built in Ireland by the noted English architect John Nash. The castle was acquired by the Irish Land Commission in 1954. On 21 March 1960 the castle, after much controversy, was demolished.

Shanbally Castle was commissioned c. 1812 for Lord Lismore, who kept it as his principal seat until his death in 1857. The property then devolved to his only surviving son, George O'Callaghan, 2nd Viscount Lismore.

Following the deaths of his two sons, the 2nd Viscount Lismore bequeathed Shanbally to the great-granddaughters of his mother's brother John Butler, 17th Earl of Ormonde, Lady Beatrice Butler and Lady Constance Butler, who inherited the Castle and Estate following the deaths of Lord Lismore in 1898 and his widow in 1900. The peerage of Viscount Lismore became extinct following Lord Lismore's death. In 1899 the Shanbally Estate was worth an estimated £25,000 annually, although the actual income produced was likely £18,500.

Lady Beatrice, her husband Lt. Gen. Sir Reginald Pole-Carew, and Lady Constance hosted the King, the Queen, and Princess Victoria at Shanbally on 3 May 1904.

In December 1946 the house was being advertised for long-term rentals in Country Life Magazine, which listed the owner as the Shanbally Estate Company. The advertisement described the Castle as containing nine reception rooms, fourteen bedrooms, six dressing rooms, servants apartments, central heating, telephone and electrity access, and thousands of acres of shooting rights in addition to the land comprising the Castle's demense. The house continued to be advertised as being available for rent, including as a "country club, hotel, or other similar purpose" in December 1947, and reportedly then contained 8 reception rooms (including those allocated for servants), 28 bedrooms, six bathrooms, partial central heating, and 7,000 acres of shooting rights.

Following the deaths of Lady Constance in 1949 and Lady Beatrice in 1953, the estate was sold by Lady Beatrice's younger son Major Patrick Pole-Carew to the Irish Land Commission during the 1950's.

Text adapted from “Shanbally Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Shanbally Castle ranks #6,878 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #157 of the 173 mapped in Ireland. Founded c. 1810, it is older than 12% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 607 atlas entries founded in the 19th century. 6 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Cork, 53 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗