Longueville House

Places to Stay | Co. Cork, Ireland

---

---

Set in 500 acres of wooded estate in the heart of the Blackwater Valley, Longueville House is a 1720 Georgian Heritage Mansion owned and run by the O’Callaghan family.

Maintaining and modernising the house has been a labour of love for third-generation owners William O’Callaghan and his wife Aisling, your hosts.

Longueville House has received many awards and reviews over the years by visiting journalists and guests which highlight its reputation as one of the top Country Guest House’s in Cork.

A potted history.

Longueville’s beautiful view of the Blackwater Valley belies a turbulent history. The house was built in 1720 by the Longfield family, who always maintained they were of French extraction and not Cromwellians. Proprietor William O’Callaghan is a descendant of original owner Donough O’Callaghan. Donough fought beside the Catholics after the collapse of the 1641 Rebellion and forfeited the land to Cromwell. At this time, when Richard Longfield was created Baron Longueville in 1795, the family changed the name to Longueville. Richard was later rewarded with a Viscountcy, receiving a large sum of money as compensation for losing his Parliamentary seat.

He’s believed to have used it to add two wings, stone parapets and a pillared porch. Architecturally Longueville is typically late Georgian, with ornate Italian-designed ceilings, marble dining-room mantelpiece featuring a relief of Neptune in his chariot, rare, inlaid mahogany doors, and an unusual, full-height staircase. On the East side, you’ll find a fine Victorian conservatory of curved ironwork added in 1866 by Richard Turner, the greatest ironmaster and designer of glasshouses of the Victorian era. Today Longueville is back in the hands of the O’Callaghan clan whose forebears were originally deprived of it by Cromwell in 1650.

This place to stay in Co Cork comes complete with tree plantations that resemble the battle lines at Waterloo – French on one side, English on the other. Which side has the healthier trees? ….You decide.

Address: Longueville House, Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland

---