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Ballinacor House and estate today

Picture
Ballinacor House, Glenmalure, 2000.
The site of the present house is almost certainly the former seat of the Chiefs
of Gabhail Raghnail (branch of the 0 'Byrne clan) the most famous of whom was  Feaghe McHugh O'Byrne. In August 1580 he and his kinsmen defeated and routed one  thousand English troops who were commanded by the Lord Deputy, Lord Grey. Edmund  Spenser, the poet, was his secretary and regarded as "the most trusted and tried  Captain of his Army". The disgrace of this defeat was not forgotten however by  the English because it is recorded that Feaghe McHugh, who had retaken  possession of his traditional wooden house at Ballinacor, was tracked down by  Mountjoy and beheaded at Fananeirin, where the present yard stands, in May 1597.
Ballinacor was then burnt and his son Feilim retreated up the hill and built the  stone castle known as Feilim's Castle, the site of which is still visible on the  eastern slope of Ballinacor Hill.
The Kemmis (Kemeys/Camoys) family came from  Monmouthshire in Wales, some of whom were already settled in Ireland in the 17th  century. Thomas Kemmis became Solicitor General to the Crown in 1784 and  subsequently became a rich man acquiring further lands, including those at  Ballinacor. In 1805 his third son William married and was given the Ballinacor
Estate by his father. It is recorded that William borrowed £21000 and commenced  building the present fine Georgian House. 'William's Cottage' as it was then  called, was originally a small house known as Drumkit Lodge, which (or part  of it) formed the front rooms of his new home. The Kemmis family and their heirs  remained in ownership of the estate until 1986. Their Coat of Arms is depicted  on the side of the house.
Ballinacor House is beautifully situated, facing  south east, with a fine vista from the front down a magnificent green valley
flanked by oak woods and groups of specimen trees. Immediately to the rear of  the house is a wooded heathery hill, Caran Top, which in turn is crowned by an  arc or horseshoe of much higher hills namely Ballinacor, Croaghanmoira and
Fananeirin. The highest point on the estate is just over 2,400 feet above sea  level. Half a mile from the house is a 'Spa Well' which was known for its  mineral waters since the beginning of the 18th century. Visitors from Dublin  frequented the 'Drumkit waters' for their medicinal properties. Beyond  Fananeirin yard is a lovely oak walk which eventually leads to the Finger Stone,  a huge rock impossibly balanced on the side of a steep rocky hill. From this  vantage point can be viewed in detail much of the Glenmalure valley and from  here  Feaghe McHugh 0 'Byrne and his successors would keep watch for the
movements of the English militia.The estate was rented for many years by the  King of Sweden for its shooting faciliites but when he died the loss of of a  substantial income forced the then owner Lord Meath, 'Jack' Brabazon to sell it
in 2000 and go to live in Bray, in Killruddery. It is now owned by the Goff family.
In 1999 I visited Ballinacor  with Dr.Conor O'Brien, we were looking for the remains of the castle but it was
out of reach for us that day. However the house and surroundings were stunning  and what with the history of Glenmalure it was a memorable  day.
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Design and Graphics by Val Byrne.        Copyright © 2013 Val Byrne.    All rights reserved.