The ownership of Old Connaught by the Plunket family (1854 ~ 1938)

In 1807 the Estate and the grounds of Old Connaught were leased to the Hon. William Conyngham Plunket (1764 – 1854), who became the first Baron Plunket of Newtown, Co. Cork in 1927. His lease of the grounds stayed within the family until the 1940’s. When William Conyngham Plunket died in 1854, he was succeeded by his eldest son Thomas Span Plunket, Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry (1792 – 1866) who then became the Second Baron. Thomas died without a male heir to his title so it was then passed on to his younger brother John Span Plunket (1793 – 1871), the Third Baron, a barrister and Crown Prosecutor on the Munster Circuit. Neither the Second nor the Third Baron had any interest in living in the house so it was leased to various tenants from 1854 until 1871.

(Old Connaught House)

In 1871 Archbishop William Conyngham Plunket (1828 – 1897), Fourth Baron Plunket of Newtown, inherited Old Connaught and decided to move into the house and surrounding property. When Archbishop Plunket married Anne Lee Guinness in 1863 he received a considerable settlement of £49,000, which provided the means to extend Old Connaught parkland and house and to transform the Walled Garden. In 1874 the Archbishop purchased some of the adjacent Walcot property which gave room for the extension of the garden in an Eastwards direction by adding a 3rd enclosure of 0.47 ha (1.13 acres) and the Orchard Garden, which are now privately owned. Plunket spent a lot of money developing the garden which included:
- He rebuilt a number of walls using red and yellow brick as well as adding corner piers and junctions at the end surmounted with urn finials.
- The Kitchen Garden was developed to supply the house’s fruit and vegetables. The long south facing border was ideal for growing fruit. The warm border below and the open aspect of the central vegetable plots would have ensured good crops.
- The two rectangular pools installed either side of the main path. Later on, it was thought to be the 1920’s; two of the statues and their pedestals were moved into these pools. Although the statues were removed in the 1940’s their pedestals still remain.
- A doorway, with projecting brick surround, cornice and surmounted by a statue of a horse, provided an important focal point at the west wall of the terrace and was aligned on the central axis path.
- There was also a slip garden built along the outside of the southern old Walcot Gardens where an extensive range of glasshouses were built for fruit, propagation and display.
- At the west end of the garden a small yard was created where a large gateway facilitated vehicle access from the backyard avenue.

When Archbishop Plunket died in 1897, the title and property was inherited by his eldest son William Lee Plunket (1864 – 1920) as he became the Fifth Baron Plunket. Shortly after he inherited Old Connaught, he was appointed Private Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1900 -1904) and following that Governor and Commander-in-Chief of New Zealand (1904 – 1910) which meant that he didn’t have much time to stay in Old Connaught. There were several changes made to the garden despite the fact William Lee wasn’t there,
- The Ornamental Garden was altered with the addition of cordylines- which is still a striking feature of the garden.
- At the south end of the terrace in the Ornamental Garden a round headed entrance was created giving access to a new small fernery.
- The fernery was added to the southwest corner of the Slip Garden.

(Lord Plunket 5th Baron)

After William Lee’s death in 1920, the property and title was once again passed on to his eldest son, Terrence Conyngham Plunket (1899 – 1938) as he became the 6th Baron Plunket of Newtown. In 1922 he married Dorothy Mabel, widow of Capt. Jack Barnato, R.A.F., and daughter of Joseph Lewis Mayfair. The main change that Terrence Coyngham made to the garden was the Summer House in the centre of the Ornamental Garden. On February 24th 1938, Terrence Plunket and his wife were killed in an air crash in California. The children were then raised by their maternal grandfather Lord Londonderry and grandmother. Terrence Lee’s eldest son, Patrick Terrence Conyngham Plunket (1923 – 1975), then became the 7th Baron Plunket. Patrick Terrence was to be the last of the Plunket family to own Old Connaught. He was educated at Eton, and then joined that Irish Guards before becoming Equerry to King George VI (1949 – 52), then to Queen Elizabeth (1952 – 54) and subsequently Deputy Master of the Household of the Royal Household 1954 – 1975. As a result of his career, Old Connaught then ceased to be a family residence and the gardens were abandoned. It was thought that perhaps they were leased by Mr Charles Britton until 1946 when the estate was sold.

(The Old Fountain) (The Original Greenhouse)

The Christian Brothers at Old Connaught ~ ‘Coláiste Chiaráin’

After the land of Old Connaught was sold, the house then became a Christian Brother senior novitiate school. There is very little recorded information about the Brothers time at Old Connaught House, then called ‘Coláiste Chiaráin’. It was run as a senior cycle secondary school for novitiates or students engaged in a special period of preparation before a candidate is formally admitted to Religious Life. The Brothers who lived there at the time consisted of the Brothers who taught at the school and the Brothers who worked in the kitchens and the farm, including the kitchen garden. The farm mainly consisted of cattle, chickens, pigs and most of the farm was in tillage. The farm was run as a business at one point, as the Brothers sold carrots, cabbage, potatoes, apples, pears and plums.

In 1972 the Christian Brothers decided to leave Old Connaught, which was then sold off in sections. They sold the Walled Garden and Old Stable Yard to Mr James Carroll, who closed the gates of the property and locked it where it was left idle for over 20 years.

(The Farmyard at Old Connaught – near where the Festina Lente entrance is now) (c1953)

Festina Lente in Old Connaught (1996 ~ present)

In 1996, Mr James Carroll leased the Walled Gardens and farmyard of Old Connaught House to the Festina Lente Foundation, which was known as the National Specialised Equestrian Training Centre at the time. EU Horizon funding assisted the project with the objective of piloting two employment projects for people with disabilities. The organisation decided to change its name to co-incite with their new residence. They decided to adopt the Plunket family motto of ‘Festina Lente’, which means ‘Hasten Slowly’.

Garden after being left without care for over 20 years

The next step for the organisation was to begin the long and arduous process of restoring the gardens which included:

Taming the overgrown grass and bushes which hadn’t been groomed in over 20 years and reseeding the grass.

Laying new paths on the line where the old ones were.

A large amount of planting.

Installation of a new circular fountain.

The pools in the pool garden were restored.

In the Kitchen Garden, a plastic tunnel and a learn-to potting shed was built with another potting shed in the Slip Garden.

Restoration of the original walls and pillars which enclosed the garden.

In 2001, with financial assistance of the Heritage Council, a historical survey was commissioned to support the restoration of the Walled Gardens in line with original drawings and plans. There were 122 recommendations made to make the gardens more historically accurate. Festina Lente has since addressed many of these recommendations, with the exception of the Glasshouse in the Ornamental Garden and the reinstatement of the fernery.
The gardens were officially opened by HRH Princess Anne on the 10th September 2004.
The Festina Lente Foundation has further plans and intends to continue to develop the Walled Gardens as part of the full services of the Foundation. The result of all of the Festina Lente foundations hard work is the wonderful garden which available to the public to enjoy whenever they want, as the current garden shows off its wonderful colour and beautiful historic character on a daily basis.

Garden Walkway

Fountain

Pond in the Lavender Garden