History in the making in rural north Mayo
The chairman and board of the North Mayo Heritage Centre, along with the Kellett family of Enniscoe House and Enniscoe Estate, are today celebrating the awarding of the Green Flag and the Heritage Flag by An Taisce.
The Heritage Flag award has been set up by An Taisce this year and seven unique sites have been chosen – one of which is the Enniscoe Estate, located close to Crossmolina.
Enniscoe House is recognised as a house of national importance and has remained in the same family since it was built in the 1740s, with a substantial addition in the 1790s transforming it into a classic Georgian house.
By the late 18th century, the garden walls enclosed three acres, complete with propagating house and stone-built orangery. Gradually over the next 150 years the gardens and estate took on the appearance that is still evident today.
This year, Enniscoe House was chosen by the Georgina Campbell Guide as Country House of the Year, while the Good Hotel Guide awarded it the Editor’s Choice for a Fishing Hotel.
Susan Kellett and her son D.J. have been welcoming visitors to the house and grounds for nearly 40 years. The North Mayo Heritage Centre (NMHC), which is located behind Enniscoe House, has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich heritage of the region since the 1990s. The Heritage Centre comprises a family history research unit, holding a database of over 1.2 million records, a small museum, cafe and conference centre.
NMHC is a member of the Irish Family History Foundation and provides an international genealogical service through the Roots Ireland website.
Delighted
“I am delighted to see such positive developments for everybody in this community coming after two very long and difficult years,” said Councillor Michael Loftus, chairman of NMHC.
“It’s a credit to all the hard work done for generations by so many people associated with Enniscoe Estate and bodes well for its future.”
The original three-acre walled garden was divided into two gardens in the 1870s. The Ornamental Garden was restored in the late 1990s under the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme and has been open to the public since 1999.
The second garden is home to one of the oldest certified organic gardens in the country. For 26 years, Enniscoe Organic Garden has grown a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and herbs. These are used by a number of restaurants in the area as well as being available to the general public who visit the garden.
In recent times the quality of the produce from the organic garden has been recognised by Bord Bia at the National Organic Food Awards as well as by leading chefs such as J.P. McMahon and Derry Clarke.
In 2019, NMHC began a collaboration project with Reel Deel Brewery in Crossmolina. Working together, they have grown the ingredients for an organic craft beer.
“Market research has shown us that consumers are now looking for an organic craft beer,” said Marcus Robinson of Reel Deel. “My problem has always been where to find the ingredients that were organic, local and would produce a really good quality end product.”
An area of the garden has been set aside to become the new hop plot. “We researched the variety of hop to ensure a healthy crop, and we already knew that the walled garden has its own unique microclimate which allows the plants to do extremely well here in the west of Ireland,” said Aine Bell, garden supervisor.
Planting
Last summer a support trellis was constructed as the ground was prepared for planting in the spring. “Hops grow very fast and very tall. Each year our variety will grow at least four metres in height before being harvested.
“In the craft brewing industry you have to know everything about your ingredients: where they came from, how they have been grown and the quality of the handling. What we are doing is called a 'green brew'. This means the hops will be harvested in the morning and transported the five kilometres to the brewery for the process to start immediately. You can’t get much fresher than that,” said Marcus. “Today, we get to taste the first trial brew.”
The manager of NMHC, Hugh Trayer, said he is always on the lookout for new sustainable community projects.
“It means that as well as creating this unique organic craft beer from locally grown hops, we are encouraging job creation and upskilling. We have become very good at identifying, developing and delivering new opportunities which will further enhance this community,” he pointed out.
As if all this was not enough excitement, this year also saw the setting up of a partnership between Susan Kellett, Enniscoe Estate, and the National Parks & Wildlife Service. Launched by the Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, in July, the 15-year agreement will see many rare breeds on the Enniscoe lands. In the summer, Connemara Ponies, Irish Moiled cattle, Cladoir sheep and a number of Old Irish Goats were all settling in.
“It seems an excellent match between my ambition to preserve and enhance this unique corner of Mayo and the work of the National Parks & Wildlife Service,” Susan said on the occasion of the minister’s visit.