HOW IT BEGAN | The late 18th Century property which evolved into the newly renovated Stables, completed in December 2008, was originally the courtyard stable block and farm manager’s accommodation for the large Newcastle House and Demesne estate. Having fallen into disrepair, it has been lovingly restored to its original splendour with a large modern extension which respects the original building.
NEWCASTLE HOUSE | Was built around 1680 by Robert Choppayne and by the early 18th century it was in the hands of a Frances Sheppard who married Wentworth Harman. The once 30,000 acre estate became the Harman family seat until the 1949 death of Colonel King-Harman when the now enlarged house was sold to the Holy Rosary Sisters and became a convent. From the 1980s the house went into private ownership and it is now (2016) undergoing renovations.
OLIVER GOLDSMITH | On Ballymahon’s main street you’ll see a statue of the allegedly dissolute 18th century writer and poet, Oliver Goldsmith, who was born in 1730 only a few miles from The Stables, in the townland of Pallas. He lived in Ballymahon after graduating with a BA in Law and Theology from Trinity College in 1749 but left Ireland in 1752. His most famous works are the novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) and the lyrical poem The Deserted Village (1770).