Group outing to Menlo Castle, 1924
Item
Format
JPEG
Title
Group outing to Menlo Castle, 1924
Identifier
VHG0043
Depiction
A group of twenty two persons, comprising eight women, ten men and three priests in front of an ornate building facade
Description
The picture shows a group of twenty two people outside the ornate frontal façade of Menlough Castle, locally more usually referred to as Menlo Castle (Sites and Monuments Record Number GA082-064). It is located alongside the river Corrib, and about 5 km north - northwest of Galway City. The group include Rita Carlos and Patt Larkin, graduates of UCG, in the second row from the top, positioned 5th and 6th respectively from the left hand side.
Menlough Castle, locally referred to as Menlo Castle (SMR GA082-064), is a ruined but picturesque castle on the eastern bank of the river Corrib, a short distance south of Menlough Village. “Menlo” was the usual spelling of the name in all the Blake family records. The original castle building was a long, rectangular 16th century hall-house, later bearing Dutch gables, measuring 22.6m x 9.2m, of two or more storeys (1720 – Menlough Castle, Galway | Archiseek - Irish Architecture) . The eastern frontal façade, latterly modified to contain six bays, had battered walls, a centrally located porched doorway insert, a wallwalk parapet with Dutch gables, bearing a bartizan at each corner, and a tall chimney on each end-wall, only one of which survives. The original doorway was retained on the south side, close to the south-east corner. The new front doorway entrance was enhanced by the addition of an ornate 17th century styled porch, which was removed from the building c. 1930. It, or a facsimile, is now located at the Falconry at Kylemore Abbey. All four of the corner bartizans are intact and still in situ, one of them incongruously incorporated into the later manor house extension to the west. The original castle was extended and much altered c. 1720, by the addition of a battlemented manor house and turret to the west.
Menlo Castle is said to have been constructed in 1569, according to Blake family records (In conversation with Mr. Bruce St. John Blake, a past President of the Law Society of Ireland, d. April 2019) . This most likely refers to the hall-house described above, but possibly to an earlier, more basic castle east of the existing site. Remnants of that structure are likely to have provided the core of the Tea-Room folly on the west bank of the Corrib, opposite Menlo Castle.
In the defining list of castles in County Galway dated 1574 (See Colonel J.P. Nolan M.P., in JGAHS Volume 1, Part II, p. 109), Menlo Castle is mentioned (Mynlagh) as having been in the possession of one Thomas Colman (Thomas Colman was a Public Notary in Galway, witnessing numerous Blake family legal instruments between 1549 and 1564. As effectively the Blake family solicitor, it is likely that his possession of the castle was for and on behalf of the Blakes at a time when prudent Catholics would minimise their property portfolios). He was effectively the Blake family solicitor, and it is likely that his possession of the castle was for and on behalf of the Blakes at a time when prudent Catholics would minimise their property portfolios. However, the castle was in the possession of the Blake family by the turn of the 17th century, who then made it their main seat in Galway. The first occupant was Sir Valentine Blake, (1560 – 1635), merchant and Mayor of Galway, declared the richest man in the town by 1592 (Martin J. Blake, Blake Family Records, Part I, p.104, Record 133). He was created Baronet of Menlough on July 10th 1622, and married firstly Margaret Ffrench, and secondly Annabel Lynch, so he did not lack connections. After four centuries of residence there, the castle was in the possession of the 14th Baronet, again Sir Valentine Blake (1836 – 1912). In a tragic accident, the castle burnt to the ground on 26th July 1910 with loss of life. The Blake family left the site, and never returned.
Menlough Castle, locally referred to as Menlo Castle (SMR GA082-064), is a ruined but picturesque castle on the eastern bank of the river Corrib, a short distance south of Menlough Village. “Menlo” was the usual spelling of the name in all the Blake family records. The original castle building was a long, rectangular 16th century hall-house, later bearing Dutch gables, measuring 22.6m x 9.2m, of two or more storeys (1720 – Menlough Castle, Galway | Archiseek - Irish Architecture) . The eastern frontal façade, latterly modified to contain six bays, had battered walls, a centrally located porched doorway insert, a wallwalk parapet with Dutch gables, bearing a bartizan at each corner, and a tall chimney on each end-wall, only one of which survives. The original doorway was retained on the south side, close to the south-east corner. The new front doorway entrance was enhanced by the addition of an ornate 17th century styled porch, which was removed from the building c. 1930. It, or a facsimile, is now located at the Falconry at Kylemore Abbey. All four of the corner bartizans are intact and still in situ, one of them incongruously incorporated into the later manor house extension to the west. The original castle was extended and much altered c. 1720, by the addition of a battlemented manor house and turret to the west.
Menlo Castle is said to have been constructed in 1569, according to Blake family records (In conversation with Mr. Bruce St. John Blake, a past President of the Law Society of Ireland, d. April 2019) . This most likely refers to the hall-house described above, but possibly to an earlier, more basic castle east of the existing site. Remnants of that structure are likely to have provided the core of the Tea-Room folly on the west bank of the Corrib, opposite Menlo Castle.
In the defining list of castles in County Galway dated 1574 (See Colonel J.P. Nolan M.P., in JGAHS Volume 1, Part II, p. 109), Menlo Castle is mentioned (Mynlagh) as having been in the possession of one Thomas Colman (Thomas Colman was a Public Notary in Galway, witnessing numerous Blake family legal instruments between 1549 and 1564. As effectively the Blake family solicitor, it is likely that his possession of the castle was for and on behalf of the Blakes at a time when prudent Catholics would minimise their property portfolios). He was effectively the Blake family solicitor, and it is likely that his possession of the castle was for and on behalf of the Blakes at a time when prudent Catholics would minimise their property portfolios. However, the castle was in the possession of the Blake family by the turn of the 17th century, who then made it their main seat in Galway. The first occupant was Sir Valentine Blake, (1560 – 1635), merchant and Mayor of Galway, declared the richest man in the town by 1592 (Martin J. Blake, Blake Family Records, Part I, p.104, Record 133). He was created Baronet of Menlough on July 10th 1622, and married firstly Margaret Ffrench, and secondly Annabel Lynch, so he did not lack connections. After four centuries of residence there, the castle was in the possession of the 14th Baronet, again Sir Valentine Blake (1836 – 1912). In a tragic accident, the castle burnt to the ground on 26th July 1910 with loss of life. The Blake family left the site, and never returned.
People
Rita Carlos
Patt Larkin
References
Private communication: Patrick Larkin via email in Nov., 2023
Contributor
Bibliographic Citation
P. Larkin, S.G. Jennings, ‘Group outing to Menlo Castle, 1924’, Visual History Retired Staff Collection, University of Galway Digital Collections, Asset Id 14294, Archival Record Id VHRS
Temporal Coverage
Period
1920s
Category
colour
group
off-campus
outdoors
Keywords
Educational tour
Language
English
Publisher
University of Galway Library
Rights
This image may be used for non-commercial purposes under CC BY-NC-SA
see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/