As Ireland Prepares For The Visit Of The Queen Of England, Kylemore Abbey Remembers How King Edward VII Eyed Up The Connemara Castle In Person - But Decided The Property Was Too Pricey.
King Edward VII, accompanied by Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria visited Kylemore Abbey while touring Connemara in 1903. At the time of the royal visit, the castle at Kylemore was still in ownership of its original owner, Mitchell Henry, a business tycoon, surgeon and politician from Manchester.
The assemblage arrived in Connemara by the Royal Yacht at the village of Leenane on 29 July 1903 where they were met by cheering crowds and a nine-car motorcade which carried them through Connemara on their tour of the Congested Districts of the West.
"This was the first time a British Monarchy visited Connemara and the visit received extensive media coverage" said Bríd Connell, marketing manager at Kylemore Abbey. "Large crowds gathered in villages and along the road to welcome the king and watch the motorcade spectacle". The sight of such a large collection of cars travelling the roads of Connemara was so unusual that Motor News sent a reporter to cover the spectacle. The group travelled through Tully, Letterfrack and Kylemore where they visited the castle. The Royal party was greeted at Kylemore castle by an agent of Mitchell Henry and a bouquet was presented to the Queen by Miss Clementina Browne, the niece of Lord Kilmaine. The party then travelled to Recess along the Inagh Valley where they lunched at the Railway Hotel and later travelled by train to Galway.
Rumours spread widely that the King was planning on purchasing Kylemore Castle as a Royal residence. Clifden-born historian and writer Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill explained in her book “History of Kylemore Castle and Abbey” that the King had been under pressure to purchase an Irish residence. It is said the King was in favour of the idea of purchasing Kylemore Castle and "expressed strong admiration for the scenic beauty of the sister-isle and real appreciation for the rugged splendour of the West cost". It is said the King did not purchase the property due to its enormous size and immensity of the grounds which made it too expensive for His majesty as £40,000 a year was estimated for the upkeep of the property alone.
Rumours spread of the possibility of a Royal owner of the castle, and it was the 9th Duke of Manchester, William Angus Drogo Montague who bought it later that year for £63,000.
But the Duke and Duchess of Manchester spent little time at Kylemore. They fell heavily into debt, largely due to the Duke’s gambling problem, and the property was taken over in 1914 by a London banker who installed a caretaker and land agent until a buyer was found 7 years later.
The Benedictine order of nuns became the next owners turning “Kylemore Castle” into “Kylemore Abbey” where they opened an international boarding school and created the largest tourist attraction in the west of Ireland. Today, the nuns continue to welcome visitors from all over the world.
Further information:
Bríd Connell, Sales & Marketing Manager, Kylemore Tourism Ltd. 095 52029 or email brid@kylemoretourism.ie