Glenveagh Castle facts for kids
Glenveagh Castle is a large, beautiful house built like a castle. It is located in Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal, Ireland. The castle was built around 1870 and is a famous landmark in the area.
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History of Glenveagh Castle
Captain John George Adair built Glenveagh Castle between 1867 and 1873. It stands inside Glenveagh National Park, close to Churchill and Gweedore in County Donegal. The castle is built in a style called Scottish baronial. This means it looks like old Scottish castles.
The castle has a tall, rectangular main building with four floors. It is surrounded by lovely gardens. Behind the castle are huge areas of mountains, lakes, and woods. These lands cover about 165 square kilometers (40,873 acres) and are home to a herd of red deer. The Irish name Gleann Bheatha means "Glen of the Birch Trees." The park's visitor center helps people learn about the area with displays and a video show.
Captain Adair and the Evictions
Captain John George Adair (1823–1885) was a wealthy landowner from County Laois. He made a lot of money by taking risks with land in the United States. Then, he came back to Ireland and bought huge amounts of land in Donegal.
In 1869, Adair married Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie. She was the daughter of a general from the American Civil War. Together, they started to create the castle and its gardens. Adair wanted his estate to be even grander than Balmoral Castle, which was Queen Victoria's home in Scotland.
John Adair is not remembered fondly in Donegal. After the terrible Great Famine, many people were struggling. Adair forced 224 families out of their simple, traditional homes, called blackhouses. He did this not for money, but just to make the view from his castle look better. These events are known as the "Derryveagh Evictions." People remember John George Adair as a very cruel landlord.
Adair bought the Glenveagh and Gartan lands in 1859, making his estate about 280 square kilometers (28,000 acres). Soon after, he had problems with his tenants. A disagreement over hunting rights and sheep led to the death of his manager, James Murrog. Because of this, Adair carried out his threat to evict the tenants.
On April 3, 1861, a large group of 200 police officers and other officials went to the area. They began forcing families out of their homes. The evictions lasted for three days. In total, 44 families, or 244 people, were forced to leave.
It is said that a curse was placed on the castle because of these cruel evictions. People believe that this curse meant none of the future owners would have children to inherit the castle.
Many of the evicted people went to the work house in Letterkenny, a place for very poor people. Others were helped by local people and church leaders who raised money. In Australia, a fund was set up to help young people (aged 16 to 28) move there. Many took this chance. As they settled in Sydney, they passed down the sad stories of their families' evictions.
After John Adair died in 1885, his wife, Cornelia Adair (1837–1921), took over the castle. Unlike her husband, she was well-liked. She made the castle grounds even more beautiful and was kind to the local people. They did not have any children.
In September 1902, a royal visitor, the Duke of Connaught, and his wife stayed at the castle with Mrs. Adair.
Later, in 1929, Professor Arthur Kingsley Porter from Harvard University bought Glenveagh Castle. He and his wife, Lucy, used it as a second home. They displayed his large art collection and welcomed guests. Professor Porter also built a small fishing cottage on Inishbofin Island. He mysteriously disappeared from that area on July 8, 1933. His wife, Lucy, then sold the castle to Henry Plumer McIlhenny.
Henry Plumer McIlhenny
Henry Plumer McIlhenny from Philadelphia bought the estate in 1938. He had been renting it during the summers since 1933. In the 1970s, Mr. McIlhenny generously gave the gardens and castle to the Irish nation. This allowed Glenveagh National Park to be created. He continued to live in the castle part-time until 1982.
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Glenveagh Castle (2015)
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Glenveagh National Park
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Glenveagh
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Glenveagh Castle
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