history
continued ...
In the middle of the 19th century Ireland saw land speculation
on a grand scale as a result of the Great Famine in the
1840's and subsequent bankruptcy of many landowners. Over
a period of two years starting in 1857, John George Adair,
using funds from parlayed land speculation bought 28,000
acres including Glenveagh.
Adair planned to profit from his land speculation by grazing
sheep on his land. Unfortunately this spelled disaster for
small tenants as Adair withdrew permission for grazing on
common lands, extracted fines for the return of stray animals,
arrested and incarcerated several men for theft, blamed
locals for the loss of sheep and evicted 47 families from
their homes.
Adair died in 1885 in St. Louis, Missouri. His remains
were returned to Ireland for burial, however local residents
tried, in vain, to prevent his internment in their graveyard.
Early in 1922, the Civil War that followed Irish independence
reached Glenveagh. The castle was first taken over by anti-treaty
"Irregulars", but in July, soldiers of the Free State Army
moved on the castle and the Irregulars withdrew without
a fight. The new occupiers remained until 1925.
In 1929 the castle was sold to Arthur Kingsley Porter,
Professor of Fine Arts at Harvard University. The American
connection remained when, in 1937, Philadelphian John McIlhenny
(inventor of the gas meter) bought Glenveagh. McIlhenny
was a collector of Irish furniture, silver, and French and
Victorian Art. His hospitality at Glenveagh was legendary
and few would willingly refuse McIlhenny's invitation. Even
Greta Garbo was a guest at this remote hideaway. In 1975,
McIlhenny sold the land around Glenveagh, creating the country's
third National Park. In 1983, McIlhenny gave the castle,
contents and gardens to the nation.
