Ballynestragh House and the lost Irish Treasure

Written by Ben Kesp

Ballynestragh House 

Ballynestragh House, Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland, dates to the 17th century and is the ancestral home of the Esmonde family. It contained an important historical museum whose loss was second only to the destruction of valuable Irish documents held at the Four Courts, Dublin in 1922. It also for a brief period in its history housed Titania’s Palace, an Irish treasure, lost to Ireland in 1978. 

In addition to the house containing a vast historical museum which was destroyed in 1923, Ballynestragh for a short period housed an unusual treasure lost to Ireland in 1978 at auction at Christie’s in England. The treasure was Titania’s Palace, a miniature castle (Doll House), hand built in Ireland by Irish Cabinet Makers, James Hicks & Sons. Sir Nevile Wilkinson commissioned the making of Titania’s Palace for his daughter who claimed to have seen a fairy under a tree near her home at Mount Merrion, Dublin. Wilkinson’s daughter felt sorry for the fairy and wished for it to have a home to live in. The palace has 18 rooms and salons. It is 4’1” tall and contains hand carved mahogany furniture. The palace was purchased at auction in London in 1978 and sold to an investor in Denmark that later turned out to be Legoland. It remained with Legoland until 2007 before being purchased by Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille of Egeskov Castle, Denmark. 

Titania's Palace 

A new house was commissioned in Ireland to replace the loss of Titania’s Palace, now called Tara’s Palace. It is now on display at Powerscourt Estate, Co. Wicklow. 

The original Ballynestragh house built in the 17th century was a large Georgian House, which later had battlements and tower added. The Esmonde’s have a long history with Wexford, being of Anglo-Norman descent, arriving in Ireland towards the end of the 13th century. Following the burning of Ballynestragh in 1923, Sir John Esmonde, current owner at the time and senator of the Irish Free State, had the house rebuilt in 1937 on a smaller scale and in a Neo-Georgian style. The house currently remains within the Esmonde family. 

Images: Titania's Palace - Independent.ie