Drumcar House

Drumcar House
General information
Type	Historic house
Architectural style	Georgian
Address	Near Drumcar, Ardee, Dunleer, County Louth, Leinster
Country	Ireland
Coordinates	53°51′0″N 6°23′5″W / 53.85°N 6.38472°W / 53.85; -6.38472
Design and construction
Owner	M'Clintock family

Drumcar House (later: St. Mary's Hospital; currently: Saint John of God Residence) is a manor house in the historical parish of Drumcar in the barony of Ardee, 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of Dunleer, County Louth, Leinster, Ireland. The house was built in 1777.^[1] It was home to the M'Clintock family from then to the 1940s, stemming from Alexander M'Clintock (1692-1775), formerly of [[Seskinore Lodge]].^[2] One of its best known owners was John M'Clintock (1770-1855), a magistrate for County Louth, and formerly Serjeant at Arms in the Irish House of Commons, who was known to be occupying the estate in 1805 and until his death.^[3] The house was sold in about 1903 by the 2nd Baron Rathdonnell to his cousin, Frank McClintock (1853-1924), Rector of Drumcar and Dean of Armagh.^[4]

In 1948, it became St. Mary's Hospital, a colony for the mentally ill. Still later, it was converted to Saint John of God Residence, a hospital/infirmary.^[5]

The building is now registered with the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (Reg. No. 13901503).^[5]

John M'Clintock

Architecture and fittings

The elegant white Georgian mansion was originally large and rectangular, three storeys over a basement. It was two rooms deep split by a large central hall. A shallow hipped roof was hidden behind a cornice. There was a blocking course that included chimneystacks. The entrance front had five bay windows. The original building had a simple triparite doorcase that was set in a shallow relieving arch, as well as single-storey walls with built in niches and sunken panels. These joined the main block and included a pedimented carriage arch on each side.^[1] The 1837 Topographical Dictionary of Ireland described it as "the seat of J. McClintock, Esq., an elegant mansion, beautifully situated in an extensive and richly wooded demesne, commanding a fine view of the Carlingford and Mourne mountains and the sea."^[6] The view extends to Dundalk Bay.^[1]

A mid-19th century expansion included a four-columned Doric porch and balcony. Also moulded window surrounds and changes to the ground-floor windows occurred at this time. A later expansion added two-storey, three-bay wings. Another renovation added Mansard roofs.^[1]

The interior was entirely remodeled by Kelly & Jones when Drumcar House became St. Mary's Hospital, a colony for the mentally ill, in 1948.^[1] The conversion and extension cost approximately £360,000.^[7]

A plaque on the portico commemorates 50 years of residence by Saint John of God brothers.^[5]

The grounds are large and there are a number of single-storey buildings for accommodation and clinics.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Casey, Christine; Rowan, Alistair John (1993). North Leinster: the counties of Longford, Louth, Meath and Westmeath. Yale University Press. pp. 250–. ISBN 9780140710854. http://books.google.com/books?id=NJ1j2FhGpAEC&pg=PA250. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
2. ^ Burke, John (1847). Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry. H. Colburn. p. 793. http://books.google.com/books?id=0NEKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA793. Retrieved 21 May 2011. 
3. ^ Urban, Sylvanus (1805). The Gentleman's magazine. F. Jefferies. p. 384. http://books.google.com/books?id=jEq5Toaa9OsC&pg=PA384. Retrieved 21 May 2011. 
4. ^ Bunbury, Turtle. "McClintock of Drumcar". turtlebunbury.com. http://www.turtlebunbury.com/family/bunburyfamily_mcclintocks/bunbury_family_mcclintocks_drumcar.html. Retrieved 21 May 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d} "Saint John of God Residence, County Louth". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architecttural Heritage. http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=LH&regno=13901503. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
6. ^ "DRUMCAR". From A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, a publication now in the Public Domain. 1837. http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/D/Drumcar-Ardee-Louth.php. Retrieved 21 May 2011. 
7. ^ "CO. LOUTH, DRUMCAR, ST MARY'S HOSPITAL". Dictionary of Irish Architects. http://www.dia.ie/works/view/9097/building/CO.+LOUTH,+DRUMCAR,+ST+MARY%27S+HOSPITAL. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 

External links

• Image of the house