THE HOME OF THE EARLS

The original residents of Palmerstown House were descendents of The De Burgo family who had a long and illustrious history.

They were Norman descendents of William the Conqueror, who settled in Ireland in the twelfth century. While the family was settled in Ireland, the family name was changed to Bourke.

The house was built in 1872 by the Mayo family in memory of the 6th Earl of Mayo, Richard Southwell Bourke, Vice Roy and governor general of India. Richard Southwell Bourke was the Chief Secretary of Ireland in 1852 and in 1868 he was appointed Viceroy and governor general to India. He held that office until his tragic death at the hands of an assassin, on the Andaman Islands, on the 8 February 1872. Richard Southwell Bourke's remains where subsequently brought back from India and his final resting place was in Johnstown, Co. Kildare.

Once the house was completed in honour of Richard Southwell Bourke, his eldest son Dermot Robert Wyndham Bourke, the 7th Earl of Mayo, became the first resident in this great house. The Earl took a keen interest in Irish History and Antiquities and he was instrumental in founding the Kildare Archaeological Association at Palmerstown in 1891.

During the Earl's tenure at the great house, the house was tragically damaged by a fire that was caused by intruders in January 1923. It was later restored by the state. Tragedy struck again on New Years Eve 1927, when Robert Wyndham Bourke died of natural causes. However before the Earl passed away, he gifted a very beautiful organ to St. John's Church in Johnstown. The organ has a very distinguishing feature – the normal position of the black keys and white keys have been reversed.