Cenotaph on Mayo estate erected in memory of beloved wife

PART ONE

by Tom Gillespie

LOCAL historian, the late Brian Hoban, had undertaken extensive research into the Brownes of Rahins, Castlebar.

Readers will remember that the estate was the location for the Occasion at the Castle rock festival, which was staged in 1981 and ’82.

Today the Raheens looped walk overlooks the property and the ruined mansion.

According to Mr. Hoban, the history of the Rahins estate goes right back to the time of the earliest settlers in the area. Archbishop Healy, who wrote much of the early history of the parishes in the area, suggests that St. Patrick visited the area and converted members of the Club Cuan at Maigh Taithin (the plains of Rahins).

He suggests that St. Patrick did not stay at the estate but established a church at Annagh, a promontory on the opposite side of the lake about a mile from the Rahins estate, around 441 AD. There was supposed to be the remains of a Patrician church in the estate, but this is disputed.

Rahins estate lies partially in Castlebar and Islandeady parishes. Struane, a townland within the estate, is in fact a townland in Castlebar parish and is referred to in place names in the area.

There is a road within the estate known as Struane Road. The Browne family have a burial place, a vault, near the place known as Killeen, a name referred to an old church.

Some of the early Annals of the Saints refer to St. Finan who settled among the Clann Cuan, and describes him as Abbot of Raithin. The Clann Cuan (from which the surname Quinn is derived) had their residence in Lough Lannagh, and a crannóg dating back to this time is still partially visible in the lake. Some maps around 1851 refer to Castlebar Lake as Lake Raithin.

There was also a strong connection between Rahins and Castlebar. Prior to the establishment of a proper road system the lakes were used to transport cattle, agricultural produce and fuel - turf and timber - to Castlebar and these were lined where the lawn of Marsh House now stands.

A canal connected Islandeady Lake to Clonkeen Lake, which adjoins Lough Lannagh. The canal was built during Famine times.

The Brownes, whose head was Lord Kilmaine, and who occupied the estate up to 1934, claimed to have a pedigree going back to the Battle of Hastings. These Brownes were of the same origin as the Brownes of Breaffy, The Neale and Lord Sligo (Westport House).

The Brownes took over the estates at the time of the Cromwellian Plantations (1652 to 1660) in return for a favour. Local folklore suggests that Cromwell gave it to one of his soldiers who did not fancy it and offered it to anyone who would give him a horse.

The tale goes on to say that a soldier named Browne gave him an old white horse and received the estate in return.

At the time of the Restoration (1600), or shortly afterwards, the Brownes did convert to Protestantism.

Renowned, journalist and historian Joseph F. Quinn, who spent many years on the editorial staff of The Connaught Telegraph, in his History of Mayo, stated: “The Brownes of The Neale, Castlemacgarrett, Breaffy and Rahins, when the old faith was proscribed, following the breaking of the Treaty of Limerick (1691), did publicly Read the Recantations.

“Despite stories to the contrary and that a son came out to oust the father, the head of the Westport family did not publicly deny the faith, as the law required, and take on the new religion. It was forced on the heir when a child and the whole family followed what was the new fashion.”

The original estate consisted of over 1,000 acres and the residence of the Brownes, now a ruin, was once a fine mansion. It stood in beautiful parkland and was reached by a winding avenue over a mile long and bounded by charming groves.

A large section of the estate south west of the big house was divided up by the Land Commission among adjoining tenants. The Browne residence stood in Islandeady parish.

Dodwell Browne owned the estate at the time of the Act of the Union (1800). It appears that Dodwell was married twice. His first wife died and is buried in Ballinrobe. According to The Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memories of the Dead, the inscription on a tomb in Ballinrobe Protestant Cemetery refers to ‘Elizabeth Browne, wife of Dodwell Browne of Rahins and daughter of James Cuffe of Ballinrobe, who died on March 13, 1777, aged 44 years, and her daughter, Elizabeth, who died on June 5, 1781, aged 18 years’.

Elizabeth was sister of James Cuffe who became Baron Tirawley. He was a notorious character, and died without issue and was buried in Ballinrobe.

Dodwell married Maria O Donel (a Catholic) in his second marriage. She was daughter of Sir Nial O Donel of Newport.

There is a monument erected some distance from the house (pictured) and in alignment with the old Elizabethan mansion which was pulled down in 1835 by Mr. Henry Browne who built a house, a portion of which still remains. A moat and four bastions surrounded the original house.

Some years after her marriage Maria became ill and was taken to Dublin for medical attention. She reached Dublin and died shortly afterwards.

Her husband Dodwell erected a cenotaph in her memory. This obelisk was erected at a time when the Brownes were powerful and wealthy. It was common at the time among aristocratic families to erect such monuments in memory of loved ones.

The monument is a fine imposing structure about 80 foot in height and is topped with an ornamental globe carved out of local limestone. On a polished slab, six foot from the base, is an epitaph in English and Irish.

The English inscription reads: ‘This cenotaph was built in memory of Maria Browne O Donel, second daughter of Sir Nial O Donel’.

NEXT WEEK: Distinguished visitors to Rahins House