Location: Celbridge, Kildare County
Constructed: 1722 by William Conolly
Tel. 01 628 8252
Bus: 67, 67A from Dublin
Open: mid- March- end- Oct 10am- 6pm Tue- Sun (last admission 1 hour before closing)
Castletown House is a former residence situated in a town of Celbridge, Kildare County in Ireland. Castletown House was build in 1722 by William Conolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.
It is an imposing building founded in 1722 by William Conolly
(1662-1729), president of the Irish Parliament, and at that time the
richest man in the country. The building follows the style of
palladianism, and important architects such as Alessandro Galilei,
Sir Edward Lovett Pearce and William Chambers participated in the
project.Castletown's design is similar to that of Leinster House in
Dublin, and both influenced Irish architect James Hoban to build the
White House in Washington.
The mansion was inherited by Tom Connolly in 1758 and the interior
decoration was then finished by his wife, Lady Louisa
(great-granddaughter of Charles II of England) during the years 1760
and 1770.
In the TWENTIETH century, Desmond Guinness purchased the property of
the house, avoiding that was demolished.
It currently belongs to the state, and is open to the public.
Around the Castletown House there is a legend that includes the
demon figure. It is said that one night Tom Connolly invited him to
dinner.
One afternoon, when Connolly was hunting around, he became friends
with a stranger and invited him to dinner. When the guest took off
his boots, Connolly saw with horror that he had hooves. He quickly
disguised himself and made him sit and wait for dinner, while he ran
to fetch the priest. When the good man went to the mansion, he tried
to scare the devil away, causing him to break a large mirror of the
living room. Scared, the Demon escaped, breaking the home as he came
out the chimney.
Today, you can see the broken mirror and the home of the chimena,
who suffered the same fate.
Connolly''s Folly
"Connolly's Folly" or "The Obelisk" is an obelisk structure near
Castletown House, built in 1739. She was commissioned by Katherine
Conolly to honor her husband. It is 42 meters high and decorated
with stone shapes. It's the work of architect Richard Castle.
The house as a museum
The interior of the House has two architectural peculiarities: The
"Long Gallery" (The Grand Gallery), a huge 25-meter elegantly
decorated room; and the impressive main staircase in the hall, made
of flying beam and made with the White Portland stone.
To access the entrance to the house you must walk a path, surrounded
by trees and green fields, which is about 800 meters from the access
to the grounds.
There are guided tours that explain the history of the house, and
that teach the facilities.