Draft:Rathbeale Hall

Rathbeale Hall
General information
Architectural style	Palladianism
Town or city	Swords
Country	Ireland
Coordinates	53.472461°N 6.266924°W / 53.472461; -6.266924
Year(s) built	1670-1690

Rathbeale hall, dating to c.1670, is a country house located near Swords, County Dublin, Ireland.

History

The site on which Rathbeale Hall stands has been continuously inhabited since at least the Viking period. Originally known as Rickanhore, a Norse-derived name, the area was later renamed "Rathbeale". By the late sixteenth century, the estate was owned by the Blackeney family, with William Blackeney serving as Member of Parliament for Swords in 1615. Following the 1641 Irish Rebellion, George Blackeney, who had sided with the Royalists, was dispossessed of the estate, which was then granted to Sir Walter Plunket during the Restoration period.

Sir Walter Plunket made substantial changes to the estate in the late 1600s, including the addition of chimneys and enlarging the southern wing. His descendants held the property until 1751, when debts forced its sale to Hamilton Gorges of Kilbrew, County Meath. Gorges and his wife Catherine Keating, undertook renovations, renaming the house Catherine’s Grove in her honour.

In 1832, Richard Gorges-Meredith, then baronet and last Gorges resident, sold Rathbeale Hall to the Corbally family, who reverted the house’s name to its original form. The Corballys made further Victorian additions including a billiard room, dairy, and secondary staircase. A notable family member, Edward Corbally, died by suicide at the hall in 1821.

The house remained in the family into the 20th century, with Lady Mary Corbally, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Cottenham and a descendant of Samuel Pepys, being its last long-term resident. After her death in 1957, the house passed through several owners, narrowly escaping demolition.

The house was bought by Prince and Princess Azamat Kadir Sultan Guirey in 1973. It was sold in 2024 for €5.875 million.

Architecture

Rathbeale Hall is a three-storey over basement structure with five bays and flanking two-storey wings, constructed largely in the late 17th century, but incorporating elements from the 15th-century structure. The exterior was reworked in the 18th century with Portland stone detailing, a Palladian façade, and curved screen walls. The Palladian redesign was attributed to Richard Castle by the Hon. Desmond Guinness.

A double baluster staircase, among only three of its kind in Ireland (the others being in Leixlip Castle and Howth Castle), remains intact. The interiors once featured extensive decorative plasterwork, attributed to the LaFrancini brothers, who also worked at nearby Newbridge House.