1790-built period gem in Tralee

THE Georgian period in Ireland was the equivalent of our generation’s Celtic Tiger, a time of economic boom and considerable infrastructure development.

In Tralee, the then justice of the bench, Sir Robert Day, built what could be regarded as Ireland’s first holiday home development, at Day Place.

Tralee was then undergoing its largest period of growth since it was burnt down during the Desmond revolt.

Sir Robert Day, who was related to the Knights of Kerry and to the Blennerville family, was the son of a clergyman and a product of his time. Raised until he was nine years of age by cottiers on his family’s estate, he spoke Irish fluently and regularly used it in his work as a judge.

His daughter, Elizabeth, married Edward (Lord) Denny. The Denny family had a strong influence in Kerry for 300 years, and were originally granted lands after the Desmond rebellion. Denny Street is named for them.

Sir Robert handled the couple’s affairs, and, apparently, used Denny funds to build Day Place, then a terrace of eleven houses.

Tralee was a popular spa resort, with visitors coming for the clean air and the waters. Wealthier tourists came for the entire season and moved their families and servants, en masse, into Sir Robert’s houses.

Day, however, lived most of his life in Dublin, at 4 Merrion Square, and at his country retreat.

A renaissance man, Sir Robert was interested in a diversity of subjects, including politics. He was a friend of Daniel O’Connell, called Henry Grattan ‘his immortal and best-loved friend’ and, in the terms of the time, would have been regarded as a liberal.

He worked for prison reform and ensured that the old jail in Tralee was knocked and replaced, while, contradictorily, sending prisoners to Tasmania, and the gallows.

His private life was also noteworthy, in that he carried on a long-standing affair with his invalid wife’s nurse and had a number of children by her: he eventually married his mistress, after his wife’s death.

Number 3, Day Place, now run as a Georgian museum by its owners, Kathryn and Jed O’Connor, is unusual in that it has remained unchanged since the terrace was built, between the years 1790-1800.

In the last two centuries, properties on the row have been transformed from single-family residences to flats and offices, but number 3 escaped that fate to remain in its original condition.

The present owners purchased the property in 1997 and found that, after a survey, the house was in good structural condition. No wet or dry rot was found and the ceilings, doors, and staircase were still intact. The house was re-roofed and some of the windows were repaired, but maintained in the same style.

Kathryn O’Connor had intended turning the property into a gracious, Georgian guest-house, but was horrified by the changes the fire regulations would require. Fortuitously, she visited the Georgian museum at 29, Fitzwilliam Street, and conceived the idea of doing the same at Day Place.

Long a collector, Mrs O’Connor was able to fit out the three-storey, over-basement property with authentic Georgian furniture and the house opened as a museum in 2002.

Number 3 has a grand entrance hall, a front reception room, a study, and ladies and gents toilets (one of the few modern additions here).

The basement houses the original kitchen, a scullery, wash room and staff bedroom.

The impressively designed and maintained drawing room and dining room are on the first floor, with their original fireplaces intact. On the second floor are located the master bedroom, the ladies room and a nursery. The attic space is not open, but could be renovated and utilised.

For sale with the estate agent, Paul Stephenson, of Sherry FitzGerald and Co, at a price of €640,000, the house could be used as a private residence, guesthouse or corporate headquarters.

Kathryn O’Connor says she would love to see number 3 used as a ‘Mansion House’ by Tralee Town Council, or by Kerry County Council, thus ensuring that the building is preserved.

What is also surprising about Day Place is that this prime Georgian terrace has not been listed by either council authority, thus allowing some of the houses in the terrace to be radically altered.

As a lasting reminder of the town’s history, Tralee should take number 3, Day Place, under its wing.