King House

Service Description

A TOUR OF KING HOUSE IS A WALK THROUGH OVER 400 YEARS OF IRISH HISTORY. Visitors of all ages are enthralled by stories of medieval Ireland, the fascinating King family and the history of the highly respected Connaught Rangers. Set in this magnificent, sensitively restored Georgian Mansion. THE GAELIC IRELAND EXHIBITION EXPLORES LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES, DURING THE TIMES OF HIGH KINGS AND CHIEFTAINS. In the period that became known as the Ascendancy, grants of land were made to English settlers in recognition of services rendered to the Crown, usually in a military capacity. This was largely at the expense of old Irish princes and chieftains. The lands granted to Sir John King in 1603 had, for centuries, been controlled by the Mac Dermott Clan. The Mac Dermotts (Mac Diarmada) were the ruling dynasty over a large part of Connacht. The official residence of the Clan was at Moylurg, an estate the King family would later rename as ‘Rockingham’. Today Moylurg is the home of Lough Key Forest and Adventure Park. The Gaelic Ireland exhibition at King House depicts celebratory feasts, looks at the harsh realities of daily life and recounts the tragic legend of Úna Bhán Mac Dermott. THE CREATION OF A NATION EXHIBITION TELLS THE STORY OF KING HOUSE, BOYLE AND THE CONNAUGHT RANGERS DURING THE STRUGGLE FOR IRISH INDEPENDENCE. The exhibition explores this pivotal period of Irish history that spans the Easter Rising (1916), the War of Independence (1919 – 1921) and the Irish Civil War (1922 – 1923). At the time Boyle was one of the most heavily garrisoned towns in the country and King House, having been purchased from the King family in 1795, was the army barracks of the Connaught Rangers. The chilling jail cells in the basement show the appalling conditions endured by soldiers who broke military discipline and IRA prisoners held at the barracks. We tell the personal story of a Connaught Ranger soldier, Private James Joseph Daly, and his heart-breaking final letter home. In 1920 the Connaught Rangers, stationed in India, had staged a mutiny in protest against the violent conduct of the Black and Tans occurring in Ireland. 69 mutineers were court marshalled and 14 sentenced to death. Only one, Private Daly, was executed. The exhibition details how the most violent fighting in Boyle took place in July 1922, during the Irish Civil War. We learn how the town was blockaded and mines placed in many locations, including King House.

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