FOR the first time in 153 years, a masonic order will hold a meeting in Knappogue Castle.
In what organisers have labelled as “a significant event,” the Grand Lodge of Ireland will be holding a meeting in Knappogue Castle this Saturday. It is the first time since 1873 when Lord Dunboyne chaired a meeting of Lodge 60 that a masonic order in Knappaogue Castle.
Founded in 1725, the Grand Lodge of Ireland is the second oldest Grand Lodge in the world. The Grand Lodge of Ireland is the institution which governs the Masonic Fraternity within Ireland and in a number of provinces overseas. Irish Freemasonry boasts approximately 19,000 members around the globe.
By the early 18th Century, Masonic Lodges in England, Ireland and Scotland formed ‘Grand Lodges’ to govern the fraternity in their areas. The Masonic Fraternity had developed into a popular fraternity by the late 18th and early 19th Centuries and had spread throughout the world. In Ireland during that period, many well-known members of Irish society had joined, including Daniel O’Connell, Archibald Hamilton Rowen and many members of the FitzGerald Dynasty.
Freemasons meet together in individual units called Lodges. Lodge meetings are fundamentally private assemblies where the business of a Lodge takes place. While there are traditions and formalities within the Fraternity, much of a Lodge meeting is taken up with simple business such as minutes, correspondence and other items that would usually be found on the agenda of a Committee. Freemasonry is a non-religious, non-political society where heritage and history are very much part of the traditions, based on legends that date back to the time of the construction of King Solomon’s Temple.
Quin native John Donovan is the incoming Worshipful Master of Dalcassian 950 Lodge. He said of their work, “For the last number of years we’ve been starting to come out from underneath the shade, we’ve been doing quite a lot of work but privately and have done a lot of charity work”. Between Clare and Limerick, there are 160 members.
At Christmas, €1000 was raised for Down Syndrome Ireland’s Limerick branch and another €1000 for ADAPT Domestic Abuse Services based in Rossbrien, Limerick. Teddies for Loving Care is managed locally by Freemasons who also volunteer their time to run the scheme which provides teddy bears to children who are in hospital emergency departments, helping to reduce the fear and anxiety that can come with being in a clinical or unfamiliar setting.
For “twenty odd years,” John has been a member of the masonic order. “We have open days and a coffee morning once a month which is open to anybody, we’ve a masonic centre in Limerick which was opened by Willie O’Dea in 2000 and we’re open during Cultural Night. A lot of people don’t know where we are, across the road from King John’s Castle”.
Now living in Limerick, John explained that Knappogue’s setting is noteworthy, particularly with it taking place in the Dalcassian Room. “The reason Knappgoue was chosen because it was the home to Lodge 60 from Ennis, Lodge 60 was the last masonic lodge in Co Clare and ran up until 1965. Clare was the only county without a masonic lodge but at one particular point there was nine lodges in Clare, there is one now Dalcassion 950 which was inaugurated in 2024 and Mayor of Clare was in attendance for inauguration meeting at The Radisson Hotel”.
During Saturday’s event, a presentation will be made to Clare Tourism and Clare County Council “with some regalia for the continuity of Knappogue with masonic order into the future” with John recounting that the 1873 gathering at the same setting was “a huge meeting”. He added, “we’re hoping to continue with that historical connection”.
Describing the order and lodges as “a male orientated organisation,” John said, “the membership is vast from plumbers, electricians to engineers, we have a huge spectrum, we’ve Irish and international members, we’ve Brazilian, Polish, Irish, we’ve a wide spectrum, it is a male organisation”.
