ABBEYLANDS, CLANE.

Abbeylands, Clane

James Durney

In 1829 the new Vicarage at Clane, now called Abbeylands, was begun. It was finished in 1839. 500 trees were planted after the ‘night of the big wind’ of 6 January 1839. William McKenna was, possibly the first, vicar until his death in 1850.

The advowson of Clane, the right of presenting a Vicar, was in the hands of the Barnewell family until the 1641 Rebellion when it was seized by the Crown. In 1868 Rev. Ambrose Cooke became the ‘last presentation to the Vicarage by the Crown’ for Clane. The glebes to which Ambrose Cooke came into possession as Vicar of Clane included Vicars Hall (now called Abbeylands) and 13 acres and 3 roods of land; a cabin and a garden of 1 rood exactly facing a private road to Vicars Hall. Rev. Cooke died on 25 June 1888.

Mr. George Leycester Penrhyn, the next owner of Abbeylands House, was a Justice of the Peace, a land agent, member of the Kildare Hunt, involved with Punchestown racecourse and Co. Kildare Lawn Tennis tournament.

The house and lands were put up for sale in July 1933 by Jackson, Stops and Joyce, Dublin, and again in October 1933 by Robert J. Goff, Newbridge. The residence was described as being in ‘perfect order.’ Abbeylands was bought by Charlie O’Neill.

Abbeylands was sold around 1992-3 to Ballyoulster Construction, Ltd., who applied to Kildare Co. Council for permission to build a scheme of houses there in 1994. Abbeylands House was to be auctioned in Lawlor’s Hotel on 3 July 1997 by Oliver Reilly & Associates, Ltd. The contents of the house were auctioned later and the house itself withdrawn from sale.