Very eventful day today. Firstly I’ve discovered a descendant of Alf Beatty (or rather she discovered me) who has more photos that are sure to help us identify the whole James Beatty family. More next week.
This morning I talked to Mrs. Mac Hale the expert on local Enniscrone history, and through her the authors of two of the most useful books about Kinard and Enniscrone, her son Conor Mac Hale and John McTernan. I came to Ireland to find the books – let alone talk to the authors! I feel very privileged and have some new leads to follow up
Since I now know that our James Paget is the son of James Paget of Knockglass, Crossmolina, I drove over there this afternoon and got soaked scrambling around the churchyard of St. Mary’s looking for the Paget graves.
The old part of the churchyard is an overgrown, slippery mass of roots, stinging nettles and broken and indecipherable headstones. Two of the Paget headstones had collapsed on their faces, and despite being fit from weightlifting “tombstones” at the registry of Deeds I couldn’t shift these. The standing ones are descendants of James’s cousin Thomas Paget.
Determined to find Knockglass House where James Paget junior was born in about 1803 I drove up and down several narrow muddy lanes until a kind farmer told me to keep driving past a ruined gatehouse for about a mile through a dense, ragged forest labelled “Game reserve”, pretty much the first actual forest I’ve seen in Ireland apart from some pine plantations. It seemed a most unlikely drive for a substantial home, and after about three quarters of a mile there was a very new and businesslike locked gate.
Refusing to give up having come so far and there being no “No trespassing” sign, I left the car and climbed over the gate in the rain, and continued up the muddy track through the forest on foot, wondering if such an isolated house might belong to a weird cult or drug barons or someone else unsympathetic to my desire for a photo of the ancestral home and hoping it wasn’t guarded by savage dogs. The ivy-draped trees made sinister groaning noises and I jumped out of my skin when a pheasant (or something) suddenly clattered across the track. Around a last corner into the open and to my relief the house was empty and deserted so figured nobody would mind if I photographed it
I later learned that it is for sale.
I drove back through Ballina where the main streets probably haven’t changed all that much since the Beatty family lived there, the River Moy practically running a banker through the middle of the town. Too tired to take more photos, camera, car and shoes all very wet and muddy, I went home to Enniscrone to dry out. It gets dark by 4.30 here anyway. Back to Dublin tomorrow.
We’ve found the house on Knight Frank real estate website. For sale for 475,000 euros. Stands on 52 acres,
http://search.knightfrank.com/gwr110057
It is advertised as a former bishop’s palace. Beautiful looking house. Has been home to the last 4 Bishops of Tuam, Killala and Achonry. Dates back to 1700s.
Well done, Sue!!
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That made me laugh Carol. I haven’t googled it lately or could have saved myself some trouble. Still, I wanted photos where I own the copyright so I can put them on the website. It doesn’t seem much money does it.
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My grandparents bought Knockglass house in 1946 they lived there for about 20 years.It was so beautiful and to read about your visit there brought back so many memories.My brother and I spent the first 16 years of our lives visiting there twice a year.It was the most beautiful house out side and in with a walled in kitchen garden,working farm,and lovely sweeping lawns and flower beds on the right hand side of the house as you approach.
My mother went back to visit it 6 years ago at 86 years of age and saw a very changed property,but we have our memories and I hope who ever buys the house that it bought for a good purpose and is lovingly restored.
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Nice to hear from you Ruth. I’m so glad you loved the home that was probably built by my 4th great grandfather Thomas Paget in the early 1770s. It is a bit run down at the moment isn’t it? I’m also a bit worried about what might happen to it. An unsympathetic restoration would be almost as sad as demolition. I think the last Paget to live there may have been Jane who died in 1930.
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Hey! I lived there form 1986 to 1997, and LOVED it. My father was the Bishop at the time. – Peter Neill – info@shootthesound.com
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Thanks Peter, It must have been great to live there. It has quite an atmosphere and I guess it must be little changed since the 19th century.
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