Castlepollard has a fascinating story. The town we know today grew from a small settlement at the meeting point of three important roads: the Dublin – Granard route, the Mullingar – Cavan road and the road towards Oldcastle and Longford.
The town takes its name from the Pollard family, who came to Ireland from Devonshire in England. Captain Nicholas Pollard settled in Westmeath after accompanying the Earl of Essex to Ireland, receiving lands at Mayne. His grandson, Walter Pollard, played an important role in the development of the area. He built Kilafree Church and later established Kinturk House and Jail. King Charles II granted Walter Pollard letters patent to establish a town on the lands of Rathyoung and Ballinagross, along with the right to hold a fair and weekly market.
At the heart of the Pollard family's story stands Kinturk Manor House. It was their principal home and estate, and remains today as you enter the town via the Dublin Road.
William Dutton Pollard inherited the estate in 1803, and in the 1820s, the distinguished architect Charles Robert Cockerell was commissioned to extend and remodel the great house which dated to about 1760. Although in a poor state of repair, the building does retain original Georgian features, including ornate plasterwork and a Portland stone staircase with brass balustrading.
The wider estate included a farmyard, walled garden, agricultural buildings, estate walls and landscaped grounds. It was an important part of the local landscape and economy.
The Pollard family's connection with Kinturk and Castlepollard lasted for more than three centuries. By the end of the 19th century, however, that connection was beginning to weaken. When Walter Pollard Urquhart died in 1892, his brother Francis succeeded him but lived in Scotland, marking the gradual decline of the family's direct presence in the town.
In 1934, the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary purchased the Pollard Manor House and estate. It turned out that this incarnation would be a dark chapter in Castlepollard's local history.
It was under William Dutton Pollard that Castlepollard was transformed into the elegant and spacious small town we recognise today. The town was laid out around a central Green, with houses erected around three sides. This is the location we now know as The Square.
The buildings served both residential and commercial purposes. A Market House was built on the western side, encouraging trade by providing farmers and customers with a reliable place to weigh and exchange crops and livestock.
The town continued to grow throughout the 19th century. Churches, schools, a courthouse, police barracks, pubs, a hotel, post office and shops were all established. The Square became the centre of community and commercial life and it remains the physical and social heart of Castlepollard..
One of the darkest events in the town’s history occurred on 23rd May 1831 during the annual Fair. An argument at a public house in the Square escalated, and a man arrested by the Constabulary was taken from the police by members of the crowd.
Later that afternoon, Chief Constable Peter Blake returned with police officers, who formed up in the Square and fired several volleys into the crowd. Thirteen people were killed and several others injured. Nineteen policemen were later committed to jail in Mullingar and tried at the Summer Assizes in July, but all were found not guilty.
The Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary purchased Kinturk Manor & estate in 1934. A hospital and chapel were added, and in 1935 they opened a mother and baby home.
In those times, to be unmarried and to become pregnant carried enormous social stigma in Ireland. Over the course of its operation, an estimated 4,792 women and girls were sent here from across the country. Some 4,559 children were born or admitted.
The women were largely isolated from the surrounding community, and many were required to work in the kitchens, laundry and farm. Babies were cared for in the nursery, with mothers and children sometimes separated, particularly when babies were placed for adoption or foster care. Many children were subsequently adopted, including through adoption societies, with some also being fostered or boarded out.
What occurred here affected the lives of thousands of women, children and families around the world. It was one of the institutions examined by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation.
You can view their full report here.
In 1971, the site was taken over by the Midland Health Board. It later operated as St Peter's Centre until its closure in 2014. The site, which includes protected structures, now sits largely vacant.
