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Moore Hall
editMoore Hall: A History
Moore Hall is a 220-year-old manor house located on the shores of Lough Carra, near the village of Carnacon. Once home to the Moore family who were described as patriots, sportsmen, statesmen, artists and known for kindness to their tenants during the bleak Great Famine years.
The house was burnt out in 1923 by anti-treaty forces, towards the end of the Irish Civil war. It then took 3 years to rebuild, by George Moore, a shrewd Mayo Businessman who had made his fortune abroad as a wine and brandy merchant and also as a manufacturer of iodine. The Moore Hall rebuild generated local employment during its inhabitation and construction. The house consisted of about 30 rooms which included a library, a billiards room, a study, a private chapel and special accommodation for the priest.
John Moore, son of George, took part in the uprising of 1798, leading rebel forces during the famous battle that became known as the ‘The Races of Castlebar’. General Humbert made him the first and only ‘President of the Republic of Connaught’, an honour that was to last one week and culminate in Moore’s arrest. His death sentence was changed to deportation, but he died in 1799 in Co. Waterford. His remains were reinterred for burial at the mall in Castlebar.
Legend has it that a Celtic druid placed a cure on the location of Moore Hall before he was hunted down and killed there for the murder of his king.
A shadow of its former self, the shell of the great house still stands and is now home to the rare and protected Lesser-horseshow Bat. Plans are afoot to conserve the structure and its natural and cultural heritage.
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