VANDELEUR Walled Garden & Visitor Centre has marked the launch of its Summer Festival with the official opening of a new permanent exhibition space, housing both The Vandeleur-Phelps Fireplace and The Frank O’Connor Butterfly Collection.
Speaking at the official opening event, Chairperson of Kilrush Amenity Trust, Noel Kilkenny stated, “Today marks an important milestone for Vandeleur Walled Garden & Visitor Centre. This new exhibition room allows us to honour both the cultural legacy of the Vandeleur family and the lifelong dedication of Frank O’Connor to the natural world. We are grateful to the families who entrusted these collections to us, and we are proud to make them accessible to the public in a permanent and meaningful way”.
Director of Services for Tourism, Festivals, Libraries & Cultural Services with Clare County Council, Siobhán McNulty added, “I am proud to welcome the addition of these important artefacts, each offering a unique insight into the region’s past. The Vandeleur-Phelps Fireplace and The Frank O’Connor Butterfly Collection both deepen the cultural and natural history experience for visitors to Vandeleur Walled Garden & Visitor Centre”.
In 2025, the Madden family provided the historic Vandeleur-Phelps Fireplace on long term loan to Clare County Council and the Vandeleur Walled Garden & Visitor Centre. Crafted from yellow sandstone, the fireplace was commissioned in 1864 by John Lecky Phelps of Waterpark House, Clonlara, as a wedding gift for his bride Rosetta Anne Vandeleur.
The fireplace features the Phelps and Vandeleur family coats of arms, along with the initials J.L.P. and R.A.P. Originally installed at Waterpark House, the fireplace remained there until the property’s sale and demolition in 1939. It was then purchased at auction by Paddy Con McMahon, who incorporated it into his well‑known ballroom on Station Road, Ennis, first known as ‘Paddy Con’s Dance Hall’ and later ‘The Jet Club’. The Madden family later preserved and restored the fireplace during their ownership of the building as Madden Furniture from 1989 to 2025.
The exhibition also features a butterfly collection donated in memory of Patrick Frank O’Connor (1931–2021) of Kilrush by Brian Kennedy and family. A lifelong naturalist and advocate for wildlife, Frank O’Connor dedicated decades to observing and recording the birds, butterflies, and habitats of West Clare. Assembled several decades ago, the collection includes species from a wide range of regions and continents. Once central to scientific study, collections like this now serve as valuable historical records of biodiversity and illustrate how conservation practices have evolved.
The Visitor Centre at Vandeleur Walled Garden is open daily from 10am to 5pm. For more information, visit www.vandeleurwalledgarden.ie.
