Oriel House

Charles Henry Leslie, a Cork banker, built Ballincollig Gunpowder Mills in 1794,[1] though Oriel House itself wasn't built until sometime after this.[4]

Oriel House was built early in the 19th century by the Board of Ordnance following their takeover of the mills site.[5][6] Originally built as three houses for the administrating officers of the Gunpowder Mills, it was not known as Oriel House until some time later.[7] Mr. Charles Wilkes, who was a superintendent in the Gunpowder Mills, lived in the house in the first decades of the 19th century.[6]

In 1834 the Gunpowder Mills were bought by Thomas Tobin of Liverpool.[8] He married Catherine Ellis in 1835, and they moved into the house. Catherine was a painter, and so the Tobin's built an oriel window to provide additional light for painting.[5] The oriel is about 20 ft long (6.1 m) and 10 ft wide (3.0 m), and has a glass roof to give maximum natural light. It wasn't until after this feature was added that the house became known as Oriel Court.[1]

In the years after Thomas Tobin's death (1881), the house passed through a series of owners. In Guys Directory of 1886, Colonel W. Balfe of the 11th Hussars was listed as being in Oriel House. The 11th Hussars were in Ballincollig from 1884 to 1886. In 1893 J.McKenzie MacMorran was in the residence. In 1911 Lt. Col. Onslow R.F.A. lived there. In 1916 W. J. O Hara was living there. In 1922 the house was set on fire by republicans, but some local people cut the roof joists and saved the eastern part of the house. In 1925 A. F. Mac Mullen lived in the house and his son R. Mac Mullen was living there in 1938. In 1947 Mrs. Marie Louise Perrins (of Lea & Perrins fame) came to live there.[2] She later married Noel Mahony of Blarney Woollen Mills. A keen horsewoman, she later moved out of the house, as she felt the road was getting busy and dangerous for her and her horses (1957).

The house was left to various people until the Shanahan family bought it in 1970.[2] The house was in a state of semi-dereliction at this stage. Oriel House (the name having been changed from Oriel Court) was opened as a hotel in 1983 and was a family-run hotel. The Shanahan family used a number of salvaged items as part of the redecoration and renovation. This included the door to the cellar bar (which came from Cork City Gaol), the doors to the hotel (from the Savoy Cinema in the city), the counter in the lounge (from a bank in the city), and with some tables coming from Saint Augustines Church.

In 2003, Oriel House was sold (by the Shanahan family) to William and Angela Savage of Cork Luxury Hotels.[9] The new owners undertook additional renovations, and reopened the hotel in late 2006. These renovations included a new extension with a leisure centre, swimming pool and spa.

In 2012, the hotel went into receivership, under the management of BDL Ireland. In 2014 it was purchased by the Talbot Hotel Group, who have other properties in Wexford, Carlow, Dublin and at the Midleton Park Hotel.[3]