The once vast estate was centred on Dartrey House which was demolished in 1946.[3] The forest's main gate is only a few miles from Cootehill. It is currently managed by Coillte as a commercial forest. The Forest is partially bordered by what is known locally as 'the Famine Wall', which stretches halfway along the road from Cootehill to Rockcorry (the R188). Just across the R188, the main Cootehill to Rockcorry road, near the main gate into the forest, is the Dawson Monument, a fine neo-Classicalcolumn designed by James Wyatt and erected around 1808. The column, just outside the forest, stands on the roadside.
The landscape of the forest and surrounding area is particularly beautiful, being composed of a series of lakes joined by the Dromore River. A description from 1844 states "the banks of the Cootehill (Dromore) River, for several miles above the town, furnish a constant series of very rich close landscapes, chiefly of the class which may be designated languishingly beautiful." The lakes have a number of crannógs which provided traditional fortification until, possibly, the late 16th century and perhaps helped facilitate trade with settlements up stream.
Black Island and The Mausoleum
Between the lakes is Black Island, a large island of considerable beauty, where a building, known locally as The 'Temple' or The Mausoleum and more formally as the Dawson Mausoleum is located. The mausoleum is of significant architectural importance, especially within an Irish context. Alas, the structure has suffered much decay over the years. Designed by James Wyatt in 1770, it is modelled on the Pantheon in Rome and is, according to John R. Redmill, DipArch, FRIAI, RIBA, a leading Irish architectural conservationist, "one of the most important 18th century buildings in Ireland". Although roofless for the last 40 years, historic preservation and restoration efforts are now being undertaken by the local Dartrey Heritage Association. (see link below for image of Temple) Although built as a mausoleum in fact it houses no remains yet still it remains a monument to universal grief and loss.
Black Island is connected with the mainland, western shore of the Inner Lough by the Iron Bridge, a fine iron structure that badly needs restoration.
Dartrey Castle and Church
Dartrey Forest today largely covers the former demesne (or 'park') that surrounded Dartrey Castle (also known as Dartrey House or Dawson Grove), a neo-Elizabethancountry house largely constructed in the 1840s, during part of the Great Famine in Ireland. The castle was at the centre of the once vast Dartrey Estate (also known as the Dawson Grove Estate). The mansion was designed by William Burn, the famous British architect, for The 3rd Baron Cremorne (later created The 1st Earl of Dartrey).[4]
The early Victorian house was built for young Lord Cremorne on the site of Dawson Grove, the old late 18th century neo-Classical country house that stood in the demesne. The old house dated from the 1770s. Lord Cremorne, who later became a prominent Liberal (and, later, Liberal Unionist) politician, had the old Dawson Grove remodelled and greatly enlarged to create a virtual new house.
Dartrey Church of St. John the Evangelist
The new 'castle' stood on the western shore of the Inner Lough, a lake separated from Dromore Lough by Black Island. According to the Introduction to the Dartrey Papers (which can be viewed online) held at P.R.O.N.I. in Belfast, a fire destroyed part of the newly remodelled house in March 1856. After this, the house was again rebuilt in the neo-Elizabethan (or, indeed, 'Jacobethan') style. Most of the contents of the castle were sold off in 1937. Dartrey Castle, one of Ireland's best known country houses, was demolished in 1946. Only the castle's old stables, and part of the old farmyard, remain.
Quite near the site of the castle, on the edge of the old demesne, is the Church of St. John the Evangelist (better known simply as Dartrey Church), the neo-GothicChurch of Ireland estate church built at the edge of the townland of Kilcrow. This church, which was originally built in the late 1720s and early 1730s, and partially rebuilt throughout the 19th century, remains in use to the present day.
The location was once part of the wider region of Dartrey (Dartraighe, Dartraige Coininnsi, Dairtre, Dartree, Dartry) Kingdom which stretched north to Clones, belonging to the McMahons and O'Boylans. The name is derived from the Dartraige, the 'calf people' who were an early Irish tribe that dwelt in and around the area of present-day north County Roscommon, east County Sligo, west County Leitrim and southern County Monaghan. It was a sub-kingdom of the larger federated Kingdom of Airgíalla, which at one stage stretched from Lough Neagh to Lough Erne, but mainly covered what is now County Monaghan and County Louth. The status of the king (and queen) of Airghialla was such that they sat beside the High King at Tara at great gatherings, and his sword was allowed to touch the High Kings hand – a sign of trust. The larger kingdoms territory decreased as the area took on a more ecclesiastical power structure from Armagh and allied with the Northern and Southern Ui Neill who dominated the political sphere serving as High King of Ireland from the Hill of Tara. It was further reduced by the conquest of the Normans in the 12th century. The Book of Rights list the tribes of the Airgíalla in the 5th century and their entitlements from the king of Airgialla. The following poem was composed by the bard Benén to preserve these rights and benefits.
Benén's Poem
1. This difficulty rests upon the descendants of the Collas, the bright host of Liathdruim, that they do not know the amount of their stipend, from the king of bright Fuaid.
2. Here is the tradition—I shall relate it for you— of the descendants of gentle Cairpre: learn, people of Fál of the fiana, the handsome stipends of the Airgialla...
16. The king of Dartraige, a flame of valour, is entitled to four bondsmen of great labour, four swords hard in battle, four horses, and four golden shields...
20. Here is the tradition of the hosts, whom Benén always loved: it is a great difficulty to all the learned, save him who is expert in testimony.
as Gaeilge (original)
1. In cheist sea for chloind Cholla for sluag luchair Liathdroma can fis a tuarastail tall ó ríg Fuaid na find-fearand.
2. Atá sund, sloindfed-sa daíb senchos cloindi Cairpri chaím: cluinid, a lucht Fáil na fian, tuaristla áilli Airgiall.
16. Dligid rí Dartraigi, in daig, ceithri mogaid mórastair, ceithri claidim chruaidi i cléith, ceithri heich, ceithri hór-scéith.
20. Atá sund senchas na slóg dá tuc grád co bráth Beneón; acht int í bus treórach teist ar cach n-eólach is ard-cheist.
Monaghan is the county town of County Monaghan, Ireland. It also provides the name of its civil parish and barony.
Earl of Dartrey, of Dartrey in the County of Monaghan, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in July 1866 for The 3rd Baron Cremorne.
Castleblayney is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town had a population of 3,607 as of the 2016 census. Castleblayney is near the border with County Armagh in Northern Ireland, and lies on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Letterkenny.
McMahon, also spelt MacMahon, were different Middle Age era Irish clans. Their name is derived from the Gaelic MacMathghamhna meaning 'son of the bear'.
Cootehill is a market town and townland in County Cavan, Ireland. Cootehill was formerly part of the neighbouring townland of Munnilly. Both townlands lie within the barony of Tullygarvey.
Rockcorry historically known as Newtowncorry, is a village and townland in County Monaghan, Ireland. The village is located close to Dartrey Forest on the R188.
The High Sheriff of Monaghan was the British monarch's representative in County Monaghan, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he held his office for the duration of a year. He had judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs.
Achaidh Leithdeircc is an ancient location in Ireland reputed to be the site of a historic battle, or series of battles, around the year 331AD, in which the forces of the Three Collas along with men of Connaught eventually conquered vast tracts of territory from the tribes of the Ulaid. The prehistoric royal site of Navan Fort was burnt and plundered and ultimately this territory would re-emerge as part of the kingdom or federation of Airgíalla.
Burrenwood is a cottage orné or country house and estate near Castlewellan, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Richard Dawson, 1st Earl of Dartrey KP, styled the Hon. Richard Dawson until 1827 and the Lord Cremorne from 1827 to 1866, was an Anglo-Irish Liberal, and later Liberal Unionist, politician.
Dartraighe, anglicised as Dartree, Dartry or Dartrey, was an Irish territory or tuath in medieval Ireland which stretched north to Clones and south to the Dromore River. It was later incorporated into County Monaghan as the barony of Dartree.
The Hon. Edward Mayne was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Ireland (1805–1816) and afterwards Judge of The Court of the King's Bench (1816–1818).
Thomas Dawson, 1st Viscount Cremorne was an Irish landowner and politician from County Monaghan.
Richard Dawson was an Irish Member of Parliament.
Drum is a village and townland in the west of County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It is notable for being one of the only Protestant-majority settlements in the Republic of Ireland.
Vesey Dawson, 2nd Earl of Dartrey, styled Viscount Cremorne between 1866 and 1897, was an Irish Liberal politician.
The Finn River, also known as the River Finn, is a small river that flows through parts of County Fermanagh and parts of County Monaghan in the south of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. In certain places, the river forms part of the boundary between County Fermanagh, which is part of Northern Ireland, and County Monaghan, which is part of the Republic of Ireland. Two very short stretches of the river, just north of Redhills and at Castle Saunderson, near Belturbet, also form part of the boundary between County Fermanagh and County Cavan. This means that some stretches of the river form part of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, these short stretches also forming part of the external border of the European Union.
Bellamont House is a Georgian Palladian-style house set amongst 1,000 acres of grounds in Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland. The house was completed in 1730 for Judge Thomas Coote and likely designed by his nephew, the architect Edward Lovett Pearce.
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