A picture emerged on social media recently of a mystery mansion hidden deep inside a forest somewhere in Ireland.
The haunting photograph, captured from above by a drone, shows the abandoned ruins of a large Irish stately home with some of the trees growing so close, they are beginning to take over the house.
The abandoned mansion is Moore Hall in Carnacon, County Mayo, the former house and estate of the Moore family - and it has a fascinating history.
It was burned down 100 years ago during the Irish Civil War by members of the anti-treaty Irish Republican Army and was never restored.
Some visitors to the overgrown Moore Hall and its grounds have described it as “magical”, a “hidden gem” and something out of a “fairy tale”.
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It was bought by Mayo County Council in 2018 for €400,000 with the intention of enhancing and developing it as a nature reserve and tourist attraction.
The council now own the 80 acres of woodland estate overlooking Lough Carra in west Mayo, including the house, courtyard and walled garden and the grounds are open to the public.
One tourist wrote: “We explored from one tip to the other on this beautiful island. Just a short walk from the parking lot, this spot is magical, like you're walking through a fairy tale book.”
Another said: “Absolutely beautiful place. Such a hidden gem. Wonderful walk around the forest. Stunning spot.”
It was built in 1792 and is situated on Muckloon Hill overlooking Lough Carra, just a 20-minute drive from Castlebar.
It is a place of national historic significance and several members of the Moore family played major parts in the social, cultural, literary and political history of Ireland from the late 1700s to the early 1900s.
The house came to a terrible end on February 1, 1923 when it was burned down during the Irish Civil War as Maurice Moore, the brother of the owner of Moore Hall, was viewed as pro-Treaty.
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George Moore, the owner, wrote a letter to The Morning Post two weeks after the burning where he quoted someone who described watching the ancestral home go up in flames.
“I was sitting in my lodge reading when armed men who were perfect strangers to me came to the door and demanded the keys. I asked what for and was told that a column was going to be put up there for the night…
“I had no option but to give up the keys, and suspecting what was on I pointed out to the leader that the house was not Colonel Moore's property. This had no effect.
“I sat up all night hoping that when all would be clear I could save even a portion of the library. At four o'clock I heard four loud explosions.
“At five I went to the place and found the whole house was seething in a mass of flames. I at once saw that all was hopeless.
“A fire brigade would be powerless, so firmly had the flames gripped the entire building.
“I could do nothing but stand by and await the end with the same feelings that one has when attending the open grave of a very dear friend.”
