BOOKS: The fascinating tale of the Moores of Moorehall

FEW of Ireland’s landed gentry command quite as much respect as the Moores of Moorehall.
From their palatial domain atop Muckloon Hill by the shores of Lough Carra, the family ruled a vast 12,000-acre estate for more than 200 years.
During that time, the Moores made a remarkable contribution to local and national history and garnered a most uncommon respect from their tenants.
The tales, triumphs, tragedies and legacy of one of Mayo’s most remarkable families have now been captured in Michael Gerard’s new book, ‘The Irish Merchant of Alicante’.
The book takes its title from the founding father of Moorehall, George Moore, whose tale, like many of his descendants, is entwined with the history of Ireland itself.
The Moore family first came to Ireland from Yorkshire as part of the plantations around the beginning of the 18th century, when they were given 5,000 acres at Ashbrook, near Foxford.
George Moore, the second son of Protestant John Moore, became a Catholic through marriage to Katherine de Kilkelly, which saw his opportunities as a Catholic limited by the oppressive Penal Laws.
A highly educated man, George Moore then sailed from Galway Bay to Alicante, where he made his fortune trading wine and iodine.

CHARACTERS
HE eventually returned to Ireland with the relaxation of the Penal Laws and purchased 12,000 acres by Lough Carra.
It was here that he established Moorehall House in 1795, one of the finest houses in all of Mayo, one which produced many famous sons.
Among them was the great George Henry Moore, who spared his tenants from starvation during the Great Famine with grain purchased with the winnings of one of his racehorses.
So too was John Moore, who routed the English through Castlebar alongside General Humbert, who appointed him President of the Republic of Connacht.
As well as producing great figures, Moorehall produced some interesting characters.
Like the reclusive and cantankerous bachelor George Augustus Moore, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of his time.
Or Colonel Senator Maurice Moore, a former British soldier who was turned towards Irish nationalism by his comrades’ atrocities during the Boer War – eventually becoming a prominent Irish Volunteer.
In The Irish Merchant of Alicante, Michael Gerard awakens these characters through dialogue.
Thus, the strife between Catherine de Kilkelly and Louisa Brown – both spouses of the Moores - is magnified to a far greater extent than prior works on the family.
So too is the bitter feud between Maurice his brother George Augustus – an avowed anti-Catholic who vehemently opposed the Catholic education of Maurice’s children.

‘ENCHANTING’
A native of Kilkelly and a resident of South Carolina for the past 38 years, Michael had never set foot in Moorehall until a chance visit with some family four years ago.
“It’s just an enchanting place and it struck a chord in me,” he recalled during an interview with The Mayo News at the launch of his latest book.
“I had been researching my previous book and already was aware that the gentry had a big part in the making of modern Ireland, but I didn’t know how to present that in my other book.”
So he did a bit of digging, and it wasn’t long until a fourth book was in the making.
“Then when I realised nobody had written a comprehensive book about Moorehall I said, ‘Time to do it. I need to take it on’.”
The son of an East Mayo IRA veteran and life-long history lover, Michael first considered writing the book through the eyes of all four George Moores; beginning with the wine merchant and ending with the horseman.
In the interest of continuity, he declined to so, instead choosing to write it in third-person; historical fiction, but with real history.
“The four Georges were very, very different types of characters. They were all unique individuals with totally different traits. I would say that essentially made them very, very special,” said Michael.
“They were also interacting in Irish history at a very important time in Irish history,” he added, noting their coincidence with 1798 Rebellion, War of Independence, and – tragically - the Irish Civil War.

TRAGEDY
IT was towards the end of that civil war that the Moore family home met its demise with the burning of Moorehall House in the early days of February, 1923.
Though it is now a shell of its former glory, Michael Gerard believes that Moorehall House is not just a local treasure, but a national treasure.
Not for its majestic surrounds or its stunning architecture, but because of the great people who lived there.
“They had done so many great things for the people in their area, that I think they stand out.”
In his eyes, the Moores were an exemplary manifestation of those who came to Ireland from abroad and became ‘more Irish than the Irish themselves’.
“They were part of the gentry, but they didn’t hold themselves to double standards. They stood with the people, they supported the people, they were part of the people and I think that put them in a very special place and I think it puts Moorehall in a very special place.”

‘The Irish Merchant of Alicante’, by Michael Gerard, is available now in all local bookshops.