Introduction Clickable Map Route One Murder 1741 Murder Site Copper Mines Flag Quarry Smugglers Cave Skerries Islands St. Patrick's Island Shenicks Island Red Island Rockabill Lighthouse Lambay Island The Wreck of the Tayleur Air Crash 1913 Drumanagh Cuhulainn and Emer Martello Tower Cliffs School House Route Two Lizzy's Cottage The Lodge Old Castle Portico of Kenure House Kenure Graveyard St. Catherine's Well Kenure Church Route Three Baldungan Castle |
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Portico of Kenure HouseKenure formed part of the ancient manor of Rush, the fee of which was vested in the Butlers of Kilkenny, later to be en-nobled as Earls and Dukes of Ormonde. They held on to their lands in Rush until the rising of 1641, when they took the side of the King, and subsequently lost all their possessions in the Cromwellian confiscations. At the Restoration of 1660, King Charles II restored all their lands to them, but they lost them again in 1714 when James the 2nd Duke of Ormonde fell out of favour with George and had to flee to mainland Europe. The next occupiers of Kenure were
the Echlins, who remained there until 1780. Elizabeth Echlin became heiress
to the property when her brothers pre-deceased her. She married Francis
Palmer of Castlelacken Co Mayo and so began the connection of the Palmer
family with Kenure, which lasted until 1963 when Colonel Palmer, the last
of thee line, sold the estate to the Land Commission. They divided some
of the land among the Rush farmers. The remainder was sold to the County
Council, who used it for building houses and for playing fields. As no
buyer could be found for the mansion it was demolished in 1978 and all
that remains is its magnificent portico, a sad finale to that once great
house. "The May Money"What became known locally as 'The May Money' was actually a dowry in the form of a bequest left in the will of Sir Roger Palmer of Kenure Estate in 1801 to be given each year to 10 women born within 2 miles of his estate between the ages of 20 and 32 who married in the month of May. The bequest stated that £2,500 be laid out in investments in Ireland and the interest on this money was to be used as the marriage dowry at the rate of £10 each and subsequently increased from £15 to £20. It is estimated that over 1,000 brides from the Palmer estate and the town of Rush benefited from this bequest. |
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