Coranna Wins The Chester Cup
The Moore’s had a voracious passion for horses and an impressive stable of race horses on their estate.
In 1845, famine was spreading across Ireland. George Henry Moore was concerned of the devastation that famine would bring to his tenants.
He conceived a daring plan of entering his horse Coranna in the Chester Cup, one of the most prestigious races in England. He planned for the horse to win and use the purse to alleviate the plight of his tenants.
Coranna was trained on Drumnashinnagh Hill on the Moore Hall estate as it demanded similar effort to that needed on the Chester racecourse.
On the day of the race, 6th May 1846, and in response to the cries of “Drumnashinnagh” from jockey Frank Butler, Coranna raced up the last furlong and won the Chester Cup.
George Henry, in a letter to his mother wrote:
“My dearest Mother, Coranna won the Chester Cup this day. We won the whole £17,000. This is in fact a small fortune. It will give me the means to be very useful to the poor this season”.
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George Henry Moore
Did You Know?
The fate of hundreds of lives depended on Coranna because of the win no one died on the Moore estate during the famine and no evictions occurred.
“Moore Hall burnt down last night, nothing saved!”
On 1st February 1923 Moore Hall was torched by an armed anti-treaty group during the Civil War.
The following morning James Reilly, steward of Moore Hall, dispatched a telegram to George and Maurice Moore: “Moore Hall burnt down last night, nothing saved”.
Reilly later described the event:
“…it was then pitch dark and pouring rain, imagine my horror, when I got to the hill overlooking the garden, and saw the whole house one seething mass of flames, huge tongues of fire were shooting out of every door and window, clouds of sparks like snow flakes were being carried by the wind… I at once knew that there was no hope even if I had help nothing could be done, a fire brigade would be powerless so firmly had the fire gripped the entire building, fearing that the out offices would catch I let out all the live stock, and stood by to see the last, and felt as one does when standing by the open grave of a very dear friend. At 6 o clock the roof went in with one huge crash…”.
Castle Island, Lough Carra
Final Resting Places Kiltoom Burial Site
Kiltoom is the Moore family burial site.
A vault bearing a Celtic cross and the family motto
FORTIS CADERE CEDRE NON PROTEST holds the remains of:
George Moore (George II) and his wife Louisa Browne
Their sons Augustus, John, George Henry Moore (George III) and his wife Mary Blake
A grave adjacent to the vault holds the remains of Colonel Maurice Moore.
To the rear of the site there is a small burial ground which holds the remains of local children who were either stillborn or died before baptism.
Castle Island, Lough Carra
The ashes of the novelist George Augustus Moore (George IV) rest on Castle Island. A monument at this location proclaims:
‘George Moore
Born Moore Hall 1852 died 1933 London
He deserted his family and friends for his Art
But because he was faithful to his Art
His Family and friends
Reclaimed his ashes for Ireland’
George Moore I is buried at Ashbrook, Straide, Co Mayo
The remains of President John Moore, who died in captivity in Waterford after the 1798 rebellion were exhumed from Ballygunner cemetery, Co Waterford and reinterred at the Mall, Castlebar, on 13th August 1961 with full military honours.
Kiltoom burial site
Castle Island Monument
George Moore’s death mask
