Mitchelstown Castle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mitchelstown Castle
19th-century painting of the former castle
Location	Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland.
Built	19th century
Built for	3rd Earl of Kingston
Demolished	1920's
Architect	James and George Pain.
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Mitchelstown Castle was once a grand home in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland. It belonged to the Earls of Kingston, a powerful family in the area. This castle was known for being the biggest neo-Gothic (or new Gothic) house in all of Ireland.

A Look Back: Early Castle History

The very first castle at Mitchelstown was built a long time ago, in the 1400s. It was built by a family known as the White Knights of Mitchelstown. Later, through a marriage, the castle became the property of the King family, who were Barons and later Earls of Kingston.

In the 1730s, James, the 4th Baron Kingston, updated and improved the castle a lot. After he passed away in 1761, the castle went to his granddaughter, Caroline Fitzgerald. She married her cousin, Robert King, who became the 2nd Earl of Kingston. In the 1770s, the Kingsboroughs took down most of the old castle. They used what was left to build a new, large house called a Palladian mansion, which was described as a 'house with wings'.

The Grand 19th Century Castle

In 1823, George, the 3rd Earl of Kingston, decided to build something even bigger. He took down the Palladian house and replaced it with a brand new castle. This new design was created by architects James and George Richard Pain.

This castle was truly huge! It had 60 main bedrooms and 20 smaller ones. There was a gallery that was 100 feet (about 30 meters) long, three libraries, and a dining room big enough to seat 100 guests at one time. It also had many other rooms and facilities.

Mitchelstown Castle was the largest neo-Gothic house in Ireland. It cost a massive £100,000 to build, which was a huge amount of money back then. It was considered a very fashionable building and inspired other big castles in Ireland, like Strancally Castle and Dromoland Castle.

The Kingston family owned a vast amount of land, about 100,000 acres. However, they faced many money problems. After the Great Famine (1845–1851), they had to sell off about 70,000 acres of their land. More problems came from family arguments and legal issues.

The Castle in the 20th Century

In June 1922, during a time of conflict in Ireland, the castle was taken over by the Irish Republican Army. The owner at the time, William Downes Webber, along with his family and servants, had to leave the castle and move to nearby houses. For a few weeks, the castle was held by these republican groups.

Sadly, in early August 1922, many valuable items were stolen from the castle. These included famous paintings by artists like Thomas Gainsborough and William Beechey, as well as silver, furniture, and other treasures.

On August 12, 1922, Mitchelstown Castle was burned down. This was ordered by a local republican leader. At the same time, other buildings in the area, like military barracks and a workhouse, were also burned.

After the fire, William Downes Webber asked the Irish Free State for money to rebuild the castle and replace its contents. He wanted £149,000 for rebuilding and £18,000 for the stolen items. He hoped to rebuild if he received enough money. After his death in 1924, another family member continued the claim in court.

In 1926, a judge said that burning Mitchelstown Castle was a pointless act of destruction. He awarded £27,500 for the building and the full £18,000 for the contents. However, this amount was not enough to rebuild the huge castle. So, most of the money was used to build other properties in Dublin instead.

The stones from the ruined Mitchelstown Castle were later sold to the Cistercian monks of Mount Melleray Abbey in County Waterford. The monks used these stones to build a new abbey.

In the 1940s, the Mitchelstown Co-operative Agricultural Society bought the castle site and some of the surrounding land. They built a milk processing factory there. Today, the site is owned by Dairygold Co-op. The old coats of arms from Mitchelstown Castle are now owned by a local writer. They will be displayed in Mitchelstown's new public library, which will also have a special section about local history, including Mitchelstown Castle and its past owners.

Famous People Connected to the Castle

Many interesting people were connected to Mitchelstown Castle:

• Mary Wollstonecraft, a famous writer who supported women's rights, worked there as a governess (a private teacher) for the children of the family. One of her students was Margaret King, who later became Countess Mount Cashell. A famous poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, dedicated one of his poems to Margaret King.
• Viscount Kingsborough, another member of the King family, was known for writing a book called Antiquities of Mexico.

Some famous guests who visited Mitchelstown Castle included:

• George Bernard Shaw, a well-known playwright.
• Arthur Young, a writer about farming.
• Elizabeth Bowen, a famous author.
• Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, a German prince and landscape artist.

Images for kids

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  19th-century painting of the former castle