Moore Hall

Written by Ben Kesp 

Situated in Co. Mayo, Ireland, nestled among the trees are the remains of Moore Hall, a large country house and the ancestral home of the Moore Family and of Irish writer, George Moore (1852 – 1933). It was built between 1792 and 1795 for the Moore family who were an aristocratic Irish family that made their money from business activities in the wine and brandy trade in Spain and in shipment of seaweed from Galway for the manufacture of iodine. 

Moore Hall remained within the ownership of the Moore family until 1923 when it was burned down during the Irish Rebellion as Maurice Moore, the last of the Moore family to live there was seen as pro treaty. The Moore’s played an important role culturally, politically and socially in Ireland. During the great famine it was recorded that no one died or no evictions were ever recorded. The family were original Protestant however became Catholic following George’s marriage to an Irish-Spanish Catholic in 1765. 

When George Moore sold his property in Alicante, Spain he returned to Ireland to build Moore Hall. He had been advised not to build the house on Muckloon Hill, the site he had chosen. George ignored the folklore set around an event that occurred on the site in the year 400A.D. The tale goes that following the death of the King of Connaught, the king’s druid fled to Muckloon Hill in hiding. The Druid was eventually hunted down and killed. It is not recorded if any bad luck befell the Moore family while living at Moore Hall in fact it appears to be the opposite as they had fulfilling careers and were very prosperous. 

Moore Hall was designed by architect John Roberts based on the same design as Tyrone House, Co. Galway. The interior of the house comprised of Italian plasterwork still visible today and many other rooms were oak panelled. The house is three stories over basement and features two bays and a triple window over the main entrance door which is framed with fluted pilasters. A Venetian window sits over the main door situated beneath a single storey Doric portico. 

The house and estate is currently owned by Mayo County Council. 

Images: Irish Aesthete