Period Hotel Killarney – Olde World Hotel Killarney – Heritage hotel Killarney

History

Formerly the Residence of the Herbert Family the Earls of Pembroke, Cahernane House Hotel Killarney Ireland dates back to the 17th Century.

Two Brothers, members of the Pembroke family, whose ancestors had fought on the Yorkist side during the war of the roses, came to Killarney in 1656.

One Brother was given the great Muckross Estate and the other the smaller property of Currens and Cahernane. The Herbert family maintained these Estates for five generations.

By 1872 the rent roll was declining as a result of pressure by the land league under the presidency of Charles Stewart Parnell. This organisation took up the cause of the Irish peasants who had long been oppressed by their British landlords.

Henry Herbert like most other Irish Landlords was determined to maintain appearances and to do so kept carriages, horses, boats, boatmen, gardeners, gamekeepers and a great many servants.

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In 1877 he pulled down the old family mansion one of the few remaining Queen - Anne buildings in Ireland and in its place he built a more modern residence - now the Cahernane House Hotel.

As a result of violence by the land league, and harassment by the Home Rule movement in the House of Commons, the British parliament passed the land act of 1881. The legislation benefited the peasant by guaranteeing fair rent, fixed tenure, and freedom from sale. It was the death knell of great many large holdings, amongst them Muckross Estate.

In that year Muckross house was closed and trustees were appointed to take charge of the estate and attempted to pay off debts that it had incurred, Cahernane House survived for a further quarter of a century when eventually it too changed ownership to assume a different role.