Johnstown Castle - Gardens - Agricultural Museum

C.L.A.H.S. Excursion 

to 

Johnstown, Co Wexford on Saturday 17th June 2023 

Including Killashee House, Co Kildare

Woodenbridge Hotel, Co Wicklow

    Castle

    Gardens 

    Agricultural Museum 

Saturday 17th June 2023 

C.L.A.H.S. Excursion    Saturday 17th June 2023

Departing Dundalk - Crowne Plaza Hotel 8:30 a.m.

Departing Drogheda - Homebase Carpark 9:00 a.m.

Drogheda Retail Park, Donore Road, Drogheda, A92 V189

Killashee House, Co Kildare - 'Scones' -  Approx 10:30 a.m.

Arrival at Johnstown 12 - 12:30 p.m.

o - Guided Tour of the Castle @ 2p.m.

o - Visit the Agricultural Museum - Visitor Centre

o - Walk and spend some time the extensive Gardens

o - Dine, relax, shop at Peacock cafe and Shop

                    https://johnstowncastle.ie/peacock-cafe-shop/

Depart Johnstown 5 p.m. (Sharp)

Woodenbridge Hotel & Lodge - Evening Meal 6:00 p.m.

(Vale of Avoca, Arklow)

Arrive Drogheda 9 p.m.

Arrive Dundalk 9:30 p.m.

Cost €75

Includes Bus, Guided Tour, Scones and Evening Meal

Book with

John McCullen 087-9111668

or

Seamus Bellew

secretaryclahs@gmail.com

086-2377256

Killashee House, Hotel

(Once home to the Moore family)

Woodenbridge Hotel, Ireland's Oldest Hotel dating back to 1608

(Location of meetings of many Irish Historical Figures including Michael Collins, Eamon De Valera, John Redmond and Daniel O'Connell) 

https://www.woodenbridgehotel.com/about/

Further detail of Johnstown Castle & Estate

https://johnstowncastle.ie/johnstown-castle/

Brief History of Johnstown

 

The first castle built on the estate was a tower house built by the Esmonde family, as part of the Norman settlement.

 

Cromwell spent a night on the estate in 1649. The Catholic Esmondes were subsequently expelled.

 

Johnstown Castle was bought by the Grogan family in 1692. The owner Cornelius Grogan was hanged in 1798.

  

In 1810 the estate was restored to his brother John Knox Grogan, who, with his son, Hamilton Knox Grogan-Morgan, created Johnstown Castle as it stands today.

 

Daniel Robertson designed the Gothic revival castle.

 

By 1863, the demesne was divided in two, with a deer park in the north and the castle, gardens, farm and two artificial lakes to the south.

The Grogans later married into the Fitzgerald family.

 

Following the death of Lady Adelaide Fitzgerald who died in 1942, was the last of the family to in Johnstown.

 

The Johnstown Estate was then acquired for the purpose as an agricultural college.

 

The castle was taken over by the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc from 1988. It is used for research into soils with laboratories on site.

 

The castle opened to the public in 2019.

Museum

Click on photo to enlarge

    double click on photo to enlarge

Some heraldry from Johnstown Castle

https://irishheraldry.blogspot.com/2019/09/heraldry-at-johnstown-castle-co-wexford.html