The Saga Begins: A Way to Say Mine

Adair first saw Glenveagh in 1857 wheile on a tour of the area and, in his own words, he was ‘enchanted by the surpassing beauty of the scenery.’ After his visit he immediately began planning to buy the property. His plans included building a castle for himself on the estate. this was designed by John Townsend Trench, a cousin of Adair’s.

He purchased the rent of Derryveagh and Glendowan in 1857 and bought out the intgerests of the major tenants. He also bought from the ecxclesastical commissioner the lands from Gartan to Devlin. By 1859, the estated totalled 11,300 hectares. (Ed. Note: 1 hectare = 2.471054 acres = 27,922.9102 acres)

Heritage Service
Glenveagh National Park: A Visitor’s Guide
1996