Doondahlin, date unknown, by 'A.E.' |
from Pilkington Family Collection
Doondahlin was one of the homes associated with my family back in Ireland, and which in present times is a ruin. I had no idea who ‘A.E.’ might be, as the initials did not relate to any known family.
The painting was brought to mind again a few months ago when I received an email from a man in Ireland, seeking information about Doondahlin for a local history group. So back to the family archives I went, to see what I could find out.
Doondahlin, sketched by Sarah Haughton in 1859 |
Doondahlin took its name from an ancient Irish hill fort, the remains of which were located on the same cliff top. Dun Dahlin was one of four hill forts along this stretch of Loop Head Peninsula, the origins of which are based in legend.
Ring-Forts in the Barony of Moyarta, Co. Clare, and Their Legends
by Thomas Johnson Westropp
Part I.—From Loop Head to Carrigaholt
(Clare Library)
Marcus Keane considered himself something of a scholar on the subject of Irish antiquities, and wrote a book published in 1867 titled “The Towers and Temples of Ancient Ireland: their origin and history discussed from a new point of view”. Perhaps it was this interest which led him to choose this site for his ‘fine lodge’.
In his book “The Houses of Clare”, Hugh Weir describes Doondahlin as a plain L-shaped, 2 storey house, with 3-bay front, and 4-bay wing along the east side, and a single-storey 3-bay wing on the west side. According to this newspaper advertisement, there were 3 sitting rooms, 7 bedrooms and dressingrooms, 3 servants rooms, plus kitchen, pantries, and closets. I’ve also been told that the construction of the building included a layer of turf stacked between the double brick walls to act as insulation – probably necessary protection from the Atlantic gales blowing across that exposed cliff top.
Freemans Journal 2 June 1873 |
from Irish newspapers at findmypast.com
Marcus Keane filed a claim for compensation to the Irish Grants Committee in 1929. I haven’t seen his claim myself, but I am told that it outlines a previous attempt at firing Doondahlin a few months earlier, which was thwarted by the attention of the caretaker.
So, back to the picture. While searching for information to pass on to my Irish correspondent, I did a google search for “Doondahlin” and was surprised to find the following in an on-line art catalogue – a third copy of the very same picture, together with another of the view from Doondahlin across the Shannon to Mt. Brandon in Kerry. Both pictures were surrounded by ‘folk art frames of oystershell’. The pair of pictures had sold for $100 just a few months previously in October 2017.
The Australian Art Sales Digest, published by John Furphy Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia.
According to the catalogue, the mystery ‘A.E.’ was an Irish/Australian artist by name of Annie Eldridge. Written on the rear of this picture was ‘Mrs. Eldridge, Rosehill, Buffalo Creek, South Gippsland’. Buffalo is in the same district in South Gippsland where my family members from Ireland settled.
After some more investigation, I came up with two possibilities. The first was Annie Eldridge nee Farrell, an Irish woman from county Galway, who was married to a William Eldridge. The couple ran a hotel in Wodonga for many years. This one was promising, because a Farrell family were long-standing friends of my extended family in Gippsland, and the Eldridge family of Rosehill had a son named William. It all seemed to fit perfectly – except that the Rosehill William Eldridge was married to someone else, and this Annie didn’t fit into the Farrell family we knew. Additionally, I could not find anything linking this couple to South Gippsland.
The second possibility was Annie Eldridge the sister of William of Rosehill. Although this Eldridge family were of English origins, not Irish, Annie married into a family with Irish connections. She was born in 1866, making her a contemporary of my grandfather and his brothers, and she was definitely in the right location to be acquainted with my family. I’m still unable to connect her to Doondahlin though, so not sure what opportunity she would have had to do the painting.
All three pictures shown here - painting, sketch and photograph - are taken from a similar vantage point on the shore of Kilbaha Bay in front of what was Kiltrellig Lodge, home of my Pilkington family. The Pilkington sisters who lived there took in paying guests to help make ends meet. It is not unreasonable to imagine that IF Annie Eldridge had travelled to Ireland she may have sought accommodation with the family of her friends in Australia.
The ruins of Doondahlin, 2007 |
© K. Vincent 2007