Emo Court facts for kids
Emo Court is a grand old house located near the village of Emo in County Laois, Ireland. It's built in a special style called neo-classical, which means it looks like ancient Greek or Roman buildings. You can see its fancy features like tall windows, balconies with railings, and a big dome on top.
A famous architect named James Gandon designed Emo Court in 1790 for John Dawson, who was the first Earl of Portarlington. An Earl was a noble, like a lord. Gandon also designed other important buildings in Dublin, like the Custom House.
Building Emo Court started in the 1790s, but it took a very long time to finish. The first Earl died before it was done. It wasn't fully completed until the 1860s, when the third Earl of Portarlington was in charge. Over the years, the house had a few different owners. In the 1990s, the Irish government took over the house and its beautiful gardens. Today, the Office of Public Works looks after Emo Court, and everyone can visit it!
Contents
History of Emo Court
Building the Grand House
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When John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington passed away in 1798, his new house was still being built. It was far from finished! His son, the second Earl, also named John Dawson, hired new architects to keep the work going. The house became good enough to live in during his time.
However, when the second Earl died 47 years later, the main building was still not complete. After a very difficult time in Ireland called the Great Famine (from 1845 to 1852), the house almost had to be sold. But by the 1860s, the third Earl, Henry Dawson-Damer, managed to finish Emo Court. It looked very much like it does today. Even though James Gandon designed the first plans, so much time passed that only his name is really connected to the final house.
Changes in the Early 1900s
Emo Court was at its busiest and most beautiful in the late 1800s. But after World War I started in 1914, and then some difficult times in Ireland, the Earls of Portarlington decided to leave. Many noble families left Ireland around this time. The house was closed up in 1920. The huge estate, which was almost 20 square miles, was sold to the Irish Land Commission. The house stayed empty, and most of the land was given to local farmers.
The Jesuits at Emo Court
In 1930, a group of priests called the Jesuits bought Emo Court. They bought the house and 280 acres of land for £2000.
The papers were signed in February 1930, and Emo Court became known as St Mary's, Emo. It opened as a training center for new Jesuit priests in August 1930. Young men came from another college to begin their training here. One of the first Jesuit priests to live there was a famous photographer named Father Francis Browne. The Jesuits turned the land into a working farm and orchard. They also used parts of it for playing fields. Inside the house, they made some big changes to create a chapel and a meeting room.
By the 1960s, it became clear that St Mary's Emo was too far away from everything for modern training ideas. The number of new priests joining also became smaller. It was expensive to keep such a big house for only a few men. More than 500 young men had started their lives as Jesuits at Emo. In September 1969, the Jesuits moved out of Emo Court to a new place in Dublin.
Emo Court Today
A new chapter began for Emo Court when the Jesuits sold it to Major Cholmeley Harrison in 1969. Major Harrison hired a famous architect named Sir Albert Richardson. He was an expert on Georgian architecture, which is similar to the style of Emo Court. He helped restore the house to its former glory.
Even though it was a private home, Major Harrison let people visit the gardens every Sunday for a small fee.
The final big change happened in 1994. Major Harrison gave Emo Court to the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. She accepted it on behalf of all the people of Ireland. Major Harrison continued to live in private apartments in the house until he passed away in 2008, at the age of 99. Now, staff from the Office of Public Works (OPW) take care of the whole estate.
Exploring the House and Gardens
To get to Emo Court, you drive through a grand gateway. The driveway goes through a beautiful forest of beech trees. Then, it opens up to a long path lined with huge giant sequoia trees. These enormous trees were first planted in 1853. They were named Wellingtonias to honor Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, a famous general who had died the year before. There's a car park for visitors next to the house. On one side, you'll see old coach houses and servants' rooms. On the other, there are mature trees. In the middle is the main entrance. It has a triangular top supported by four tall Ionic pillars. The Earl's family symbol is on the triangular top. On either side, there are old carvings showing farming and art.
Inside the house, you enter an eight-sided hall. It has doors in each of its four corners. Only two of these doors actually lead to other rooms. The others are just there to make the hall look balanced and grand. A bigger doorway leads to the rotunda. This is a key part of the house, inspired by the ancient Pantheon in Rome. It's also the way to two of the main rooms and out to the garden. The rotunda was finished around 1860. It's two stories tall and has a big dome that rises above the rest of the house. Tall, thin columns made of Siena marble hold up the fancy ceiling.
The gardens at Emo Court are huge, covering 35 hectares (about 86 acres). They have beautifully designed areas, peaceful woodland paths, statues, and a 20-acre lake. Having a lake was a common feature in old-style gardens. Many of the original statues were found in the lake! People think they might have ended up there when the Jesuits lived at the house. The gardens are split into two main parts. The Clucker has some rare trees and lovely areas filled with azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and other shrubs. The Grapery is a special area with many different kinds of trees. Pathways wind through it, and some open up to amazing views of the nearby Slieve Bloom Mountains or back towards the house.
See also
- List of Jesuit sites
