Built by Isidore Blake at the end of the 18th Century, Towerhill was a very fine “Big House” near Carnacon in south Mayo.
Standing 6 bays wide and 3 bays deep over basement, the house was reputedly built on the site of an old burial ground and church dedicated to St. Patrick. The 340 acres of the demesne proper were described by a visitor in 1838 as “splendid ornamental ground”. One year earlier, Lewis refers to “the beautiful seat of Major Blake, situated in a noble demesne. The house stands on an eminence commanding fine views of the surrounding country and the adjacent mountains of Partree [sic]”.
Isidore was succeeded by his son, major Maurice Blake who, in time, was succeeded by his own son, Valentine.
Catholic landlords, the Blakes were descendants of one of the Twelve Tribes of Galway and Valentine is credited with having reintroduced the newly organised Gaelic Football to County Mayo, by sponsoring a 2-hour match on their land in December 1885. The local team, Carnacon, wore the green and red that were to become the colours of the county team.
The colours were presumably selected in response to Young Irelander Thomas Davis’ poem “The Green Above The Red”.
“Full often when our fathers saw the Red above the Green,
They rose in rude but fierce array, with sabre, pike and scian,
And over many a noble town, and many a field of dead,
They proudly set the Irish Green above the English Red.”
But change was afoot. At the time of the foundation of the Irish National Land League in nearby Castlebar in 1879, the Blakes owned 11,900 acres (4,800 hectares) in Mayo and Galway. By the early 20th Century, however, almost all of this land had passed into the hands of former tenant farmers.
Writing in the 1930s, well-known Mayo local historian and journalist JF Quinn visited Towerhill, noting that “practically the whole country hereabouts was up to recently in with the landlords’ demesnes or grazing ranches, the sections occupied by tenants being congested and the land not of the primest. Now, all outside the demesnes proper has been broken up and picturesque homesteads abound, the land being extremely well cultivated.”
Of Towerhill itself, where he was visiting retired captain Valentine J Blake (b.1866), Quinn continues “The demesne is of considerable size and well timbered. Gigantic trees, hundreds of years old, abound with immense stretches of charming woodlands devoted to sheep, cattle, meadows and cultivation. The entrance and up-to-date farmyard indicate farming on a big scale and it is evidently a place that requires considerable labour and outlay. The mansion is a huge solid structure of local limestone, of some architectural beauty. It contains many fine apartments, antique furniture and portraits in oils of various members of the family adorn the walls.”
Valentine Blake, unmarried, died in 1947, aged 81, at which point the demesne itself and house were sold to local landowners, via the Land Commission. The roof was removed and Towerhill emptied of its valuables.
Towerhill House today
Today, the ivy-covered roofless shell of Towerhill lies hidden in forestry, long forgotten and rarely visited. It doesn’t share the same place in the Mayo public’s consciousness as the neighbouring Moore Hall estate. Like Moore Hall, though, it is home to a colony of Lesser Horseshoe Bats.
If you are interested in Connacht’s “big house” heritage, you can search sites and families on NUIG’s wonderful Landed Estates website.
My wife’s GG Grandmother’s (Bridget Glynn Quinn) family worked and lived at Towerhill. I would love to find more information on their dwelling. James Glynn, her brother and his family are on the 1901 and 1911 census, there as a herder and livestock manager. Their father was John Glynn.
Thanks Jeffrey for your comment. Did you read through all the comments here – there’s loads of info from others whose families had ties to the big house.
Hi Barry, I just want to say that sadly the house has now been fenced off, due to health and safety reasons. They are doing some work on Towerhill for tourism like repairing the bridge and opening the river, as it has a beautiful design to it and hidden little islands. They are just beginning this project and we are excited to see this project in action. There are plans that can be seen on google of Towerhill grounds but I’m struggling to find them, but I’m told they are amazing.
Emma Hughes
Thanks for that update Emma, I must get down there again to have a look.
Hi Emma ,
I got in there just before Coillte fenced it off in June .
What a magnificent building . I took some photos and it is in every way as impressive as Moore Hall.
With the help of this site and ancestry.com, we are now hoping to have a small gathering of descendants of the George Browne and Bridget Blake family mentioned earlier.
I’m Looking for anybody who can help fill some family gaps in our knowledge. Specifically, the Brownes of Carrownagreggaun, where the old school was. It was on Towerhill land but Henry Browne had it.
I’m also looking for more information on Bridget Blake who married George Browne (ca.1810-1873).
I got great info from the family now owning the land of Henry Browne, but would love info on their parents John Browne and Mary Ansbro (Balla). I have messaged Tom Gill but I have no reply yet. Hopefully someone here can point me a little further in the right direction.
All the best.
Hi PJ et al,
I’m just going to post this link to your discussion elsewhere, just in case some people who are interested in your family history and stumble upon this site might not yet be aware of it : https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/message-board/browneblake.
Regards, Barry.
My mother was from Moorehall. Next to the Moorehall estate. My grandfather was a carpenter for the Moore family. I remember her talking about the Blake house. So happy to read this. I love the area.
A fascinating article about a fascinating house! I am currently researching Towerhill for a history assignment. I would very much love to visit the ruins. Is this possible? I am based in Castlebar. Thank you in advance.
Hi Aisce,
Yes, you can generally visit the site, but you should first ask the neighbours out of courtesy. There is a cottage at the top of the lane down to the ruin and you should knock on their door and just ask them if you can go down. If you don’t know where the house is, simply look for Carnacon on Google Maps, and you’ll see a conifer plantation immediately to the east of the village.
I’m trying to track down my 2nd great grandfather’s father. In notes from a relative I have that “John Clark’s father was in England. He was a machinist in England. His father was oversear and financier of Captain Blake’s estate in England-Towerhill.” Doesn’t make much sense but looking to see if there is any connection anyone might know. Thanks.
Hi Catherine,
The reference to England in your notes may indeed be an error, though not necessarily. A quick search (not thorough by any means) for an estate by that name in England has not yielded me any result. You could check for your family connections with the South Mayo Genealogy Centre at http://www.historicalballinrobe.com/page_id__265.aspx and note that your ancestor may have spelled their name Clarke with an e, or Clery / O’Clery, or possibly in Irish as Mac a’ Chlerich / Cleireach.
Thanks for your comment.
Regards, Barry
Indeed there is. If you’re facing the front of the house and go to the right hand side of it (outside) you’ll notice a big bolted down metal/concrete cap on the ground. Well, underneath that there is a tunnel that goes in two directions. I happened to meet the lovely lady who lives in the house at the turnoff to Towerhill. I asked her about it and she told me that nobody actually knows where exactly it goes. There is a gate house to the house very close to Caranacon village at the start of where the old road to the house is. I have a theory it may lead to that? I guess the only way to find out is to go down into it and walk it! I put a GoPro camera down into it with a powerful LED light and it seems to be very intact, however it has a lot of huge spiders in so I’m going to see if I can acquire some sort of a jumpsuit first, haha. I can email you on some pictures if you would like. The lady’s uncle is an O’Malley from the area who also worked there years ago, so I’m going to meet up with them to see if I can learn more about its history.
Thanks for that, Tadhg, fascinating!
A fascinating read this is. Thank you creating it Barry. Question: do you Barry or indeed anybody reading this know where does the underground passage coming from the house lead to and what was it’s purpose?
Thanks Tadhg, I’m not sure about the underground passage you refer to. I’m not aware of one. Tell me more!
He wasn’t Major Blake, he was Captain Blake. You might want to correct that point. Of late, I can inform everyone the road up to Towerhill has been opened up, I’m very happy to say but sadly I’ve heard the news that now “The Big House” is meant to be for sale. I just hope that our piece of local History is not destroyed. As one of the landowners, I loved reading about the fact that the Mayo colours were created in our home land and plus the fact that we own that land makes it very special to us. I have had the pleasure of meeting some relations of the Blakes and I hope that Towerhill House will be preserved, so more of their bloodline can visit and see where their ancestors lived. It’s such a beautiful old house hidden away deep in a forest covered with ivy and its habitants, a rare bat, with a once beautiful bridge over a running river which has long had its stone work stolen, as well as the house having been battered for its stone work and its stables down the avenue still stand, along with a once filled orchard and its high walls. You would never know it even existed, unless you were aware of the history like us locals and landowners. It’s just so annoying that this house had its beauty robbed from it.
Thanks for your comment and memories, Emma.
Maybe the new owners will open it up and remove the ivy and encroaching vegetation. It would be great to see the old bridge restored. I do think that it should be like Moorehall, where people can go in and see this once great mansion instead of being afraid they will be done for trespassing.
Hi Mary, I’m not sure who you mean by “new owners”. The current owners of the land have had it for decades. As for your wish, the reality (I’d imagine) is that somebody would have to pay to have ivy etc removed and that’s really not practical or realistic, I would suggest. Furthermore, if a person doesn’t want to be “afraid they will be done for trespassing”, the solution is simple – ask permission of the landowner to enter the grounds and visit the ruin. I’ve never been refused.
Thanks for your reply Barry, I must have a look next time I am down that way. I was reluctant to go further as I was conscious that I was going onto someone’s land.
Best of Luck
Martin
Thanks Martin, I’ve sent you an email regarding your point. Regards, Barry
A terrific read, thank you Barry… On recently discovering the nearby Moore Hall and reading about the connection of the Blake family, I couldn’t help but seek out Towerhill. I ventured down the lane to find ruins alright and possibly of the stables, but I suspect the main house is further in past the barrier amongst the woods? Would I be correct?
I was lucky enough to get my hands on The Moores of Moorehall by Jonathon Hone 1932. It’s a rare book and is the definitive history of the Moores. A fascinating family and contains a chapter documenting the marriage between George Henry Moore III to Miss Mary Blake. His son was of course George Henry Moore IV the author. I highly recommend his book, The Lake. A beautifully descriptive book, painting a wonderful picture of Loch Cara and the surrounding landscape. We have so much wonderful history here…
Thanks for your comment, Martin. Yes, the house is past the barrier you refer to. You’ll notice the remains of what was once a lovely old stone bridge to your left. Turn around with your back to the little bridge and the house is in front of you, within the modern plantation forest.
My uncle Jimmy worked in Towerhill House for Captain Blake, as did other members of his family. He gave us a walk through tour in 2014. So interesting. He is now in his 90’s. I wonder how many people are left who worked there?
An effort should be made to capture this history, before it dies out.
Thanks for your comment Mary. Maybe you should take it upon yourself to sit down with your uncle and a recording device and ‘interview’ him about his experiences. Good Luck!
Hi, my mother worked as a parlour maid in the house when she was sixteen and her sister Mary was the cook until she got married. This was in the years 1943/44.
Thanks Maria, that’s so interesting.
❤
Hi Mary,
Would your uncle be a surname of Gill. I was down at Towerhill on Sunday and was told to go to Tom Gill if I needed to know anything. We are hoping to plan a reunion of the Bridget Blake and John Browne descendants for next year and I would love to gather information if at all possible .
Thanks P.J.
Hello Barry,
I’m a descendant of George Browne (born 1823?). As I understand it, George’s spouse was Bridget Blake. Together, they had six children, one of whom was John Browne.
John Browne married Mary Ansbro. Mary’s parents were Joseph Ansbro and Mary Fallon.
Do you or any others know of the Browne or Blake connection to Tower Hill? The “big house” is definitely part of my family history and I would love to know more, if possible.
Thanking you kindly in advance for any information you might be able to provide.
Thanks Maura, that’s interesting.
Have a read about Towerhill and the Blakes at https://landedestates.ie/estate/488. This would, of course, be just one ‘wing’ of many in the Blake family. The Brownes of Mayo would be associated with properties such as Westport House, among many others. See https://landedestates.ie/property/304. There is no reference on the Landed Estates site to an Ansbro family. You could enquire with http://mayo.rootsireland.ie/. Good luck!
Thanks much, Barry!
Hi Maura,
I would love to know your connections, as I am a descendant from Mary Ansboro and John Browne. John and Mary had 14 children and I am a grand child of one of the twins in that family. The two twins were Nan and Grabrilla (Ella).
Thanks you for any input you may have. If you need to email me with anything, I can pass on my email address.
My Mother is still alive, 84 and she is Nan (Ann’s) daughter. She remembers the Ansboro and Blakes and playing there as a child.
Thanks for that lovely comment, PJ. If yourself and Maura would like to exchange email addresses, I’m happy for you both to email me on barry@barrysguidedtours.com with your emails and I will exchange them for you both privately, rather than putting them in a comment here where anybody would be able to see them. Regards, Barry.
I don’t return home often, but I agree with Emma that the forestry have let the road grow over and access to the house is near impossible. It should be cleaned up and some work done on the house itself, as it’s full of so much history. I’ve done a lot of research about the estate and the Blake family.
Thanks Stephen for your comment, although we must also respect the current landowners and their usage of the land that is now theirs.
Hello Alexandra, planning my 2016 Ireland holiday I stumbled across Towerhill House and read your comment. As far as I know, the reason for the removal of the roofs of so many estate houses and other properties was due to the fact that if a house had no roof, the owner did not have to pay taxes on it. So I’m guessing the new owners who bought it, mentioned here, removed it for that reason. I will try to get to it in any case while I’m in County Mayo to take some photographs… Greetz John.
Yes indeed, John, the roof was removed from many “big houses” for that reason.
There is an old tree remaining from the estate to the right hand rear side of the house. It is a large Holm Oak or hybrid and holds its leaves all year round. It would be nice to have this house at least tidied up a bit, with consideration to the Horseshoe Bats that have taken residence. Also, the pictures above show a window with an arch which is on the gable wall and I believe this was part of the chapel in the house.
Interesting about the Holm Oak, John, thanks. I’ll have to look out for it on my next ramble around the place.
Hello All,
I too am a descendant of the Blakes of Towerhill and am visiting the region in October 2016. I would very much like to see the ruins of the house. Could you please advise who I need to gain permission from, in order to do this?
Thank you for your comment Bronwyn and I have emailed you.
Is there any way, I wonder, of getting the walkway up to this beautiful house reopened. As I walk up there everyday, it’s impossible for the public to get up there in comfort to admire the building. There was also a beautiful bridge, but all the stone pillars were sadly stolen as well. Why people do such horrible things I’ll never know.
Thanks for your comments, Emma. I guess access is a question for the landowner. The walk up to the house that goes over the bridge is lovely alright.
If you access online the National Archives Census Of Ireland 1901 and browse Census 1901 > Mayo > Burriscarra and Towerhill Demesne, you can see the actual Census form returned from Towerhill House in the handwriting of the head of the household. The number of rooms, windows, outbuildings, etc, are available on the original Census form. It is also interesting to compare the more than 13 rooms in Towerhill House with the average of the other houses in the townland. A lot of them are one room shacks. All that exploitation, wealth and privilege was gone in the space of 20 years in the early 20th Century.
It’s so lovely to read about our local history. I live beside this house and as a family that owns some of this property, we have memories as children walking up to this house and admiring our history. Sadly, today this house is just a sad sight. The beautiful stone work stolen and it’s just stripped of its beauty. To think houses like these are just closed off to the public to admire and left as a forgotten story is a disgrace.
I did an MA in 2011/2012. In the subject matter that I researched, I came across details of a battle to select a candidate for the Irish Home Rule Party to replace an MP, John Dennehy, who was forced to resign. The preferred choice of the locals at the Convention in Castlebar was Edmund Blake of Towerhill. However John Dillon, the then Party Leader, had other ideas. He wanted a London Doctor and friend of his, Robert Ambrose, a native of Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, selected. He achieved his aim after aborting the first Convention in Castlebar and re-fixing it for Westport the following Sunday, where he swung the Convention to his way of thinking, by what appeared to be a whole lot of skulldruggery.
Thanks for that interesting snippet, John.
Hi John,
Can you provide the year in which the event you describe (to select a candidate for the Irish Home Rule Party to replace an MP, John Dennehy, who was forced to resign) took place?
Thank you!
Hi Maura,
The event described by John in his comment, above, took place during 1893. John Deasy MP (not Dennehy) was forced to resign his West Mayo seat in the UK Houses of Parliament after a scandal. Of course, Ireland was still part of the UK at that time. Robert Ambrose took the by-election uncontested on 8 August 1893 and won several following general elections, remaining as the MP for West Mayo until 1910. Both Deasy and Ambrose were members of the anti-Parnell Irish National Federation party.
Lovely to read this account of Tower Hill. I have a letter dated January 1865 requesting my grandfather, Jimmy Dunne, to go to the Blakes in Tower Hill to ride out and train horses for them. He spent a number of years at Tower Hill and then went to Marlborough Heath, outside Portlaoise, with the family before going on to train horses as an independent trainer on the Curragh.
Thank you for your lovely information, Ros.
Could I possibly request a copy of your letter? Wouldn’t that be an interesting addition to this post. Let me know.
Regards, Barry.
I liked reading this, as I grew up at the top of the road down into the house. My family, the O’Malleys, have been farming some of the land for over 60 years. I remember playing around the ruins of the big house as a child, as my mother did before me. I love reading about its history
I really enjoyed seeing and reading about Towerhill as I am so familiar with it. I grew up about 5 miles from there in Ballinaglea and on my visits home to Ireland have taken my family there many times. I remember two of the ladies living in that house. They would always be at mass in Carnacon and when any child got out of line at mass, they would get tapped on the head with their umbrella. I got their message more than once!!! I also was in the gatehouse leading in there to visit a friend of my Mothers who occupied it in later years for a while. Her ghost stories were endless.
Thanks for your lovely comment, Margaret.
Thank you! As an Australian descendant of the Towerhill Blake Family, I appreciate the photos and history.
My cousin Helen Blake has done a lot of research into the Galway and Towerhill connections. I recall that she had some information about a fire c.1930s (which would explain the removal of Towerhill’s roof and conversion to ruins). She also said that part of the estate was subsequently used by the government for forestry development – as illustrated by your photographs.
– Alexandra Cornwell
Brunswick Heads NSW Australia
Thank you Alexandra. It is a fascinating site to visit. Regards, Barry
Just visited today… it’s a very beautiful place and what a history, if the walls could speak…
Yes indeed, Róisín, if the walls of all these old ‘big houses’ could speak…