Draft:Thomastown House



Thomastown House is a manor house near Belclare in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. Located between the towns of Tuam and Headford, it is an example of Georgian Architecture & Victorian Architecture, originating from 1640 with various Northward and Southward additions leading to the final 1850 Southern Victorian Wing. . The interior today contains fine ornate plasterwork on the ceilings from the 18th Century.

The House has an adjoining courtyard with various two-storey outbuildings and nearby walled cruciform layout garden, all within its own parkland grounds amounting to some 4.3 acres.

Thomastown House and its grounds are the Kane’s private family home and are not open to the public

History
Thomastown House originates in some substantially lesser form from at least the Caroline era, as the property is said to evidence elements from c.1640s, and over the succeeding century the then Bodkin house developed Southward into a c.1730s Georgian manor house set in parkland grounds, it is recorded as a “Gentleman’s Seat” in 1824 & 1837 being the residence of Captain Henry Kirwan HP, later Southward development by the Clarke Family added on a c.1850s-70s Victorian three-bay two-storey gable-ended wing with five-sided two-storey projecting central bay.

The House was saved from being burnt in the period of 1919-1923 during the Irish War of Independence and later Irish Civil War as unlike other Manor Houses in Ireland, it was the residence of the Catholic Clarke family (The National Archives of Ireland 2007). The neighbouring big house “Castlehackett House” owned by Colonel P. Bernard was burnt by 30 armed anti-treaty IRA men in December 1923. The last of the Clarkes died in 1976 and the House and Grounds were left to the local Murphy family who resided in it for a number of years.

The House and Grounds were in the ownership of the Keaney Family in 1999, under whose ownership two planning applications were made in 2003 to subdivide the parkland grounds in three, between: two proposed new dwelling houses and Thomastown House, those applications were refused, in part, because the proposals “would seriously injure the setting of a protected structure, the visual amenity of the historic structure and the designed landscape associated with it”.

In late-2023 the Kane Family bought it as their private primary principal residence despite it being an uninhabitable, vacant and vandalised house set in bramble covered grounds and all in desperate need of repair and restoration.

Thomastown House has a number of significant recordings given its age, character and architectural merit, these include:

• Galway County Council’s Record of Protected Structures (RPS) Number 54, granted on account of “Appraisal: Regional value because of its age and architectural quality.” with “remains of ceiling freize c.1780”

• Recorded in the University of Galway’s Landed Estates Directory

In summary, the house has been an unwavering witness to Ireland's complex, rich and sometimes difficult history over the centuries from at least AD 1640 right up to the present day, that’s more than 380 years.

Prior to being a manor house in parkland grounds, it of course had an Irish name and was part of a larger land formation, use evidenced from the Mesolithic and Bronze Age, named "Turlach Na Rua" understood to mean 'the Dried Lake of the Red Cow' which under English rule was mapped as "the Common" or “Turloughnaroyey” and today immediately East of Thomastown House's grounds remains a 100 acre disappearing lake, or turlough, within a 121 hectare wildlife sanctuary designated as Belclare Turlough pNHA. Just West of Thomastown House's grounds is “Chnoc Meá” or Knockma Forest Park, the forested circular hill walk featuring two Cairns, one folklore believes to be the burial ground of Queen Medhbh of Connacht and the other where the fairy king Finvarra or Fionnbharr King of the Connacht Sidhe holds court.

More modern pre-1640 history would indicate that the area of Thomastown would have been native Gaelic O’Flaherty lands, prior to a branch of the Norman Hackett Family conquering the lands, driving the O’Flaherties back Westward beyond “Lough Hackett”, and the Hacketts then building Castle Hackett, in the 13th-century, and then in the 15th Century the Kirwans, one of the tribes of Galway, settled the land.

Built Environment
Thomastown House stands extant as a c.700m2 Georgian Manor House with Victorian Southern-Wing. This is the current focus of energy and effort with respect to restoration.

Thomastown House originates in some substantially lesser form from at least the Caroline era, as the property is said to evidence elements from c.1640s, and over the succeeding century the house developed Southward into a four-bay two storey c.1730s Georgian manor house with cellar set in parkland grounds, later Southward development added on a c.1850s-70s Victorian three-bay two-storey gable-ended wing with five-sided two-storey projecting central bay.

Thomastown House has a number of significant recordings given its age, character and architectural merit, these include:

• Galway County Council’s Record of Protected Structures (RPS) Number 54, granted on account of “Appraisal: Regional value because of its age and architectural quality.” with “remains of ceiling freize c.1780”

Tree Lined Avenue: c.200m treelined avenue from the gates at the public road to Southern wing of Thomastown House

Tradesman’s Entrance: overgrown tradesman’s entrance” from public road to Northern wing of Thomastown House and the Courtyard

Courtyard: Gravel courtyard

Coach House: Two storey stone coach house with tack room and stable

Walled Garden: original cruciform layout walled garden, the wall contains a beautiful old wrought iron pedestrian gate under a stone arch.

Other Elements: Adjoining this courtyard there is a second yard now overgrown and disused with former stables, milking parlour, piggery and other miscellaneous stone buildings leading to the “Haggard” an Irish term for an open air hay/corn yard with a large stone cart house and the original stone corn stands (also known as rock stands, staddle stones or mushroom stones).

Ecology And Sustainability
Today immediately East of Thomastown House's grounds is Turlach Na Rua, a 100 acre disappearing lake, or turlough, within a 121 hectare wildlife sanctuary designated as Belclare Turlough pNHA.

Just West of Thomastown House's grounds is “Cnoc Meadha” or Knockma Forest Park, the forested circular hill walk featuring Castle Hackett, a 13th-century tower house, and two Cairns, one folklore believes to be the burial ground of Queen Medhbh of Connacht and the other where the fairy king Finvarra or Fionnbharr King of the Connacht Sidhe holds court.

The Kane Family is committed to a Dark Sky and maximum wilding of the lands to promote a shared enjoyment of Thomastown House’s Grounds between the Kane Family and the animals and plants of Turlach Na Rua.

Thomastown House is powered by 100% Green Energy.