Ormond Castle (10/4)

 [Chris]

Ormond Castle was built in Carrick-on-Suir (about 30 min from us) by one of the Butlers (the 10th Earl of Ormond, written about previously) who went to school with distant relatives, soon-to-be Edward VI and soon-to-be Elizabeth I. It is said that he may have built this manor onto his family's preexisting castle in order to woo her.  Just a reminder, the Butlers were no slouches themselves - Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth were descended from the 7th Butler, and Anne was briefly engaged to the 9th Butler before the higher-ups nixed the marriage in favor of Henry VIII.

The themes of the castle were

• Lots of English symbolism to remind visitors of his influence with the crown
• Lots of Butler symbolism to indicate influence in Ireland
• Lots of ornate decorations, particularly in the plaster work, to indicate wealth
• Pictures of Queen Elizabeth, hoping she would visit

This castle was distinct from the Butlers' Cahir Castle (left in military condition) and Kilkenny Castle (updated numerous times to match the trends over the centuries) because it is a residence mostly in its original state.  Our tour guide explained, "Kilkenny was their office and this was their home." 

Note, our pictures include both the historical castle ruins (~700 years old) and the newer Tudor manor (~450 years old), which is the main draw of the site.  It has been described as the finest residence in Ireland.

Kudos to the OPW (the Irish government's public works department) for buying, restoring, and maintaining all of these amazing properties.

And I did manage to find the tour's intro video, if you are interested.  It is quite good. 

The manor entrance

Another excellent model, showing the older castle in gray on the left, on the River Suir, and the more modern manor in white, on the right.

One of my goals on this trip is to memorize the Butler lineage, elegantly captured in this poster.  FYI, the last Butler heirs are in Chicago, but I think the Earl/Duke title (peerage) ended in 1990 when they declared bankruptcy (receiving a letter of sympathy from now-King Charles).  Apparently the Butlers founded/owned Oak Brook, Illinois, where, coincidentally, McDonalds was headquartered until 2018.

This is Black Tom himself, who built this English style manor as an add-on to his family's castle on the Suir River.  He was so named because of his black hair; also "White Tom" was already taken by one of his rivals.  Note his left finger pointing at his gun, like, yeah, go ahead and challenge me.

His cousin and possible love interest.  It is said that Elizabeth "favored him with her love", but she never visited to see her face all over the ceilings.  Did I mention Tom was married to a different Elizabeth while building this house?  You would know that if you watched the video linked above.

The Butler crest.  In the upper right are 3 wine glasses, calling back to their role as butlers to King John -- ordering, taste-testing, and serving the wine. We learned that one reason for drinking wine is because the town water supply was not trusted.  These crest patterns are throughout the home.  First a wooden mold was carved, and then the plaster panels were formed in bulk.

The dining room.  Note the leaded pewter flatware.  Which explains why the nobles seemed to get sicker from certain foods than the peasants, like acidic tomatoes which were thought to be toxic for a while until they realized that the poor people eating with their hands or using wooden plates were not getting sick.

Kate in the role of servant girl.  There are certain pagan symbols scratched in the tray to ward off witches (scratched by the servants, not the nobility).  

Ornate original 2nd story windows, with the arrow/gun slot right over the front door.  This is a possible origin of the term "eavesdropping" because people on the second floor, in the eaves over the front door, could overhear conversations there.  

An unbelievably ornate bed.  In the wood was carved mostly gender and fertility symbolism.  They really wanted male heirs.  The bed was elevated to avoid rats.

The servants quarters in the attic, in their original condition.  The wood beams are all original, with no metal fasteners.  Amazing.    

In the interest of space I have not included hundreds of our images of fine artistic details from the home, but these were some original panels (from 1565) saved from various chests, beds, doors, etc.

You have to appreciate the skilled embroidery that so accurately captures the challenges of motherhood, as well as the rolls of back fat on the babies.

 

This is the castle view, with one tower holding up better than the other.

We're having a great time.