All these years I have been driving through the village of Kilcolgan … how did I NOT know it was home to this incredible mansion, albeit a burned out shell of a mansion, but still no less a beautiful one?
The manor in question is called Tyrone House and as you can see, it’s completely gutted as a result of an arson attack conducted by the IRA back in 1921.
There was talk of restoration in recent years but sadly the plans never came to fruition.
Situated on a quiet countryside road and standing 3 stories high, Tyrone House makes for a slightly surreal sight when you catch that first glimpse of it.
There are a number of underground tunnels leading from the house though I’m not quite sure where exactly they lead.
As the manor has fallen into such ruin however, visitors to the house can actually see some evidence of the tunnels in question.
At the point of entry, there’s a gate in place and a weary, wind-beaten sign warning against going inside this unsafe and unstable building.
Of course, ‘when in Rome’ … or, in this case, Kilcolgan.
It goes without saying, there’s not much to see inside.
One part of it is genuinely quite dangerous so if you do venture past the fence and in through the front doorway, be careful of where you tread.
The one thing that caught my eye when outside was the level of detail in the architecture.
There was clearly a great deal of attention to detail invested in this house during its construction.
Even the level of detail around each of the windows is incredible.
It’s hard to know whether the authorities will ever renovate the house or just let it fall further into ruin only to inevitably lament its loss in years to come.
Here’s hoping it won’t be the latter.
T xx
Tara's Ireland 