Kilmorony House,

Co. Laois.

Documenting our Heritage

Many thanks to Ger McCarthy, Chairman of the County Kildare Federation of Local History Groups and also Willie and Terry Giltrap who grew up on the Kilmorony estate lands.

Kilmorony House was originally called "Sportland" as shown on the 1783 Taylor map of Kildare. Built sometime after 1752, the original main block of the house is two stories over basement, five bays wide by three bays deep. The house was extended with a single bay two story wing, and then further extended with a two story wing of five bays.

Once home to the Weldon family who after arriving in Ireland around 1600, had acquired considerable estates in Counties Laois and Kildare. The Weldon family had strong military connections with members serving the British Empire in India, Africa and the Far East. Captain George Anthony Weldon of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers was killed at Glencoe in October 1899 during the Boer War. Major Arthur Stewart Weldon, served in South Africa and the Great War and was killed in action in March 1917. Sir Anthony Arthur Weldon became the sixth Baronet of Kilmorony on the death of his father in 1900, he commanded troops in Limerick during the Easter rising of 1916 and died of the effects of gas poisoning in 1917 while fighting in France during the First World War.

After Sir Anthony Arthur Weldon's death, the Kilmorony estate fell into a period of decline. The widowed Lady Weldon was unable to maintain the operation of the estate and contracts to supply the Curragh military barracks with materials such as hay, fruit and vegetables were lost. Eventually in 1947 the family sold off the entire contents of the house and the Land Commission set about dividing the estate lands. The roof of the house was removed with material such as timber and slates being reused in the locality. Bulldozers were brought in by farmers who had acquired land through the Land Commission and the Kilmorony Demesne was cleared of all the finely planted woodlands. The land commission had taken more than 18 years to complete the acquisition and distribution of the Kilmorony estate.

In 1872 the Athy cricket club was formed, laying claim to be the oldest cricket club in Kildare. In that year Sir Anthony Crossdill Weldon, 5th Baronet, rose a team of 11 players and the Athy cricket club played their third match against Weldon's team on the lawn in front of Kilmorony House.

The Athy team suffered their third defeat.

Sir Anthony Weldon was also the Club President of the Athy Golf Club and opened the first Athy Club Pavilion on the 16th August 1906.

Today Kilmorony House stands as a gaunt ruin giving little indication of its grandiose past.