Search is on for Tulla family roots

US president Barack Obama came to Moneygall this week to reclaim his roots but the relatives of the Tulla Brady-Browne family are also retracing their roots and are appealing for information about their ancestral home.
Newgrove House in Tulla was the former home of the Brady-Browne family. It was demolished in the mid-1960s but the basement remains and is home to a protected colony of bats.
Dublin-based David Browne has issued an appeal to locals for any photographs, memorabilia, artefacts or memories of Newgrove and its lands in an effort to learn more about the house that his grandfather was born in in 1887 and which was occupied by his grand-uncle up until his death nearly 75 years go.
“My own relationship with Newgrove is that my grandfather’s brother was Thomas Henry Brady-Browne, he was the last occupant of the house until his death at the Clonmoney races in 1937. I understand that the house fell into disrepair after that and was demolished in the mid-1960s,” David said.
He explained that his interest in the Brady-Browne history was prompted by the passing of his father recently and he became interested in finding out more about Newgrove House, who worked there and any memories people have about the family and the house.
From his research to date, David understands that Newgrove House was built in the 17th century or earlier and was originally home to the Browne family. It is believed the Brownes intermarried with leading Clare families over the years, most significantly with the Bradys of Raheen House, Tuamgraney, and since then have typically been known as the Brady-Brownes.
“The last member of the family to live at Newgrove was Captain Thomas Henry Brady-Browne. He had served in the Clare Artillery and also served with the fifth Irish Lancers in the Boer War and later in World War I. His brother, Windham, who was my grandfather, also served as a lieutenant with the Clare Artillery in the early 1900s and later fought in World War I, serving with the Canadian forces. A third brother, Alfred Lucius, emigrated to Canada, where there are still some relatives today,” David explained.
He said research revealed that after World War I, Thomas Henry Brady-Browne returned to Newgrove but at this time the estate was falling into decline.
“Captain Brady-Browne was a keen horseman and was Master of the Clare Hunt, whose dogs were kennelled at Newgrove. In the Clare Hunt Point-to-Point at Clonmoney in 1937, he was killed following a fall from his horse. He is commemorated to this day by the Members Race on Easter Sunday for the Brady-Browne Memorial Cup, which I was pleased to be able to present at the event last Easter.  Indeed, the owner of the winning horse relayed that his own father had hunted with Captain Brady-Browne. Captain Brady-Browne’s nephew, Thomas B Cullinan, was a jockey and won the English Grand National in 1930 on Shaun Goilin,” David added.
According to David, it is believed that following Captain Brady-Browne’s death in 1937, his wife Mable Mayne, who was the daughter of Longford surgeon Nathaniel Mayne, sold off the house and contents and seemed to have moved to Northern Ireland.
“The house gradually suffered the effects of the weather and became unsafe and was eventually demolished. However, I have been to the site a few years ago and was shown around by the current owner. The stable yard and walled garden are largely intact and the gated entrance is now a protected structure by Clare County Council.
“Captain Brady-Browne still has a son (Edmund) and daughter (Elizabeth) alive in England, who I am in contact with. Captain Brady-Browne’s father, Thomas Browne, built the library in Tulla, which was formerly the Market House. The Browne family also had a holiday home at Cartron House in the Burren, where they lived during the summer months, and the surviving members of the family recall spending summers there in the 1930s,” he outlined.
Meanwhile, the 1911 census details some of the staff at Newgrove, which included coachman William Hamilton, maid Mary Daly, nurse Rose Sherwin and cook Mary Sexton.
David is encouraging anyone who may have a story to tell, old photographs or any other connection to Newgrove House to get in touch by contacting him on 086 2311730 or by post to David Browne PO Box 9702, Dublin 7.