A little History
Enter Ballymagarvey House and become a part of its history.
At the centre of Ballymagarvey village and flanked by a courtyard of stone cottages and a flax mill is Ballymagarvey House, an impressive fortified country house built around 1800.
During its 210 years, Ballymagarvey House has protected its occupants through some of the most turbulent times in Ireland's history, looked on as the Aylmer family made its Corn and Flax Mill Village a great success, nurtured growing families, watched the school children come and go at the village school and become home to a stud-farm owning family. Then, it rested for a while until the day we began the process of conserving and restoring, making Ballymagarvey House the luxurious, elegant house it is today.
'Strong House'
Ballymagarvey House was a typical 'Strong House' when it was built around 1800 for Mrs.Osbourne. 'Strong Houses' gave protection to Planter families who would occasionally find themselves under attack from rapparees (from the Irish, ropairí, meaning 'pike-wielding people'), peasants or disenfranchised Irish, exacting revenge for having been evicted from their land. The family would lock themselves into the tower which was connected to the main body of the house. A steel door separated the besieged family from attackers.
As fire was the main form of attack, the tower had narrow, slitted openings which would allow the family to look out but would also prevent the fire from coming in. The floor of the tower contained an ultimate point of refuge; the 'Murder Hole'. The 'Murder Hole' led to a tunnel which in turn led to an exit far away from the house and its attackers. It is said that at Ballymagarvey a long tunnel still leads from the tower all the way to the walled, neighbouring cemetery.
The Tower
The original tower at Ballymagarvey was later modified by the Aylmer family, a family of stonemasons who introduced the cut-stone battlemented structure and who were also responsible for the design and building of the cut stone courtyard, home to the mill, granary and cottages which were also built with blue limestone cut-stone.
Ballymagarvey House has seen many families grow up and leave its secure walls. Some, who were children here, have fond memories of a good life; memories they wish to rekindle now that they have reached advancing years. We have received long letters detailing life at Ballymagarvey and indeed, we have been happy to welcome back former inhabitants and allow them to wander freely as they recall long summer days spent in play, chores and adventure.
Recollections of Mr. Crockett
Mr. J Crockett's recall was impeccable, bringing to life Ballymagarvey in the early twentieth century. He described his father's acquisition of a Model T Ford, which later 'suffered the indignity of being used for ploughing when a tractor would not start.' He also described 'a back door, much scratched by generations of dogs.' He remembered a maid named, Delia, 'padding across the brick floor' of the scullery and he also remembered accompanying his mother and siblings for butter churning in the dairy.
"Generally Elizabeth, Godfrey and I attended, because, in return for spells on the handle, my mother would sit on the window sill and read aloud to us. In the lid of the churn was a small window and one of us would always peer in as the lid swung round, to note when flecks of butter appeared in the milk. When all the milk was churned, my mother would collect the butter with a fine sieve, then bang it into a solid mass with wooden butter bats. Sometimes she would amuse us by making small butter men. The buttermilk was then stored in a large, earthen crock. There was a tin pint-measure beside the crock, and whenever any of us had been playing at high speed, we would come in for a long drink of buttermilk, which, of all drinks I know, is the best thirst-quencher."
"The bedroom occupied by Godfrey and me looked out over the Kitchen Garden. The window was low and on summer evenings, the fragrance of dog-rose, privet and elderberry, with the golden light of evening, and in the distance, the faint music of the Somerville Pipe Band out practising for the Feis, all combined into one life-long beatitude."
The caring hand of Major McClouston
Mr. J Crockett also paid a worthy tribute to Major McClouston.
'Where Ballymagarvey really scored as an estate was in its having once been the home of a very wealthy man, a Major McClouston, at about the time of the Crimean War. He had spent a fortune on it, using the very best materials, which sixty years later, looked good enough to last another century.'
Sheela's Old School days
Sheela Leggatt was good enough to write and tell us of her memories of her childhood in Ballymagarvey and she wonders, 'I may be dreaming, but is there a ha ha there?' No, you didn't imagine it, Sheela, a ha ha divides the lawn in front of the house.
Sheela tells us, 'Where you have the consevatory is across the windows of what was the old schoolroom where we did our lessons and all human life took place. My mother's roll-top desk was beside the window and my Aunt Kitty used to sit in a basket-chair knitting socks interminably. She only came for visits but visits went on a lot longer in those days!'
Sheela was delighted to see the pond and mill race restored and told us the pond used to have great frog spawn. She recalled playing tennis on a home-made tennis court in front of the house and catching the bus to Ballymagarvey from the quays in Dublin.
All returning grown-up children were delighted to see Ballymagarvey honoured and cared for and they wished us well. We appreciate their wishes.
Read a little more on the history of Ballymagarvey village here »