Conflict in Castle Freke: If we pussy around this fella he ’ll walk all over us
Locals oppose plans by this businessman for lands at his ancestral home in Cork
HIS granduncle, early aviator John Carberry, once thrilled the local people with his ability to perform loop-the-loops over the family’s ancestral pile in West Cork.
But today, locals are opposing a bid by the aviator’s grandnephew Stephen Evans-Freke to buy back land that once formed part of the family’s extensive country estate.
And if they have their way, the wealthy businessman may well be brought back to earth with a bump.
Already the people of this corner of West Cork have mobilised: a recent public meeting at which local people raised their objections drew more than 200 people, many concerned that an ancient right-of-way could be under threat.
The loudest cheer of the night went to a man who told the packed hotel function room: ‘We should open his precious right-of-way and let him know we don’t want him stepping on our lands. If we pussy around this fella, he’ll walk all over us.’
Meanwhile, the businessman whose granduncle once took to the skies with the colours of the Irish Tricolour decorating the tail of his World War I aircraft, insists he does not want to hamper local access rights, and wants only to see the land ‘back in a beautiful state before I kick the bucket’.
At the centre of the dispute is a 65-acre plot of land owned by State forestry firm Coillte that adjoins Mr Evans-Freke’s home, Rathbarry Castle. Just a stone’s throw away lies the 65-year-old businessman’s ancestral home Castle Freke.
The entrepreneur, who is based in the Virgin Islands, has been steadily buying up land and property in the area since 1999 when he bought Castle Freke.
Five years later, he acquired Rathbarry Castle and now, all that stands between the wealthy businessman’s two imposing residences are fields of rolling countryside, a public roadway known locally as The Avenue, and woodlands owned by the State forestry company Coillte.
But more crucially, is a right-ofway locals insist has been used since at least the 13th century as a Mass path to a nearby Catholic church.
And even though the days have long passed since the Carberry family were entitled to be lords and masters of all they surveyed in West Cork, locals argue that the family believes little has changed.
As far as local people are concerned, they are viewed as the humble peasant stock expected to kowtow to those living in the Big House. And if the angry remarks made at the recent public meeting are anything to go by, they are in no mood to be placated by honeyed words and promises that rights of way will be upheld and maintained – that’s if this descendant of the 10th Lord Carberry manages to convince Coillte to sell him the 65-acre plot.
The State forestry agency has already felled and harvested trees on the strip of land over which both locals and the 10th Lord Carberry descendant stake an emotional claim. It is used by the public as a much-cherished rambling woodland that leads to a summit from which there are stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and a striking monument, the country’s tallest memorial Celtic Cross. It was installed at the turn of the last century by Lady Mary Carberry in memory of her husband, Algernon, the 9th Lord Carberry, in 1898, and is undeniably an impressive sight.
But large swathes of this plot of land have become rather sorry looking since being stripped of trees by Coillte two years ago.
It was this clearing operation that prompted Mr Evans-Freke to approach the State forestry firm with a view to buying the land and restoring it to its former glory.
The businessman firmly insists that he has no intention of interfering with public access to the land.
He explained: ‘It was one of the prettiest walks in West Cork and now you might as well be walking through the scene of a First World War battle.
‘It just stuns me, to be honest. The people who are up on their soap box pretending to be looking after the people’s patrimony haven’t noticed that it has been destroyed. I’m 65 and I would like to see it back in a beautiful state before I kick the bucket. I don’t want to pillory the Coillte people. They are just doing their job, their job is commercial forestry.’
However, some 200 people attended a public meeting at a local hotel recently. It ended with all those present agreeing to form a committee tasked with opposing any moves to sell the land.
Speaker after speaker spoke about how much the area meant to them and were loudly cheered when they said the State forestry firm and any potential private new landowners should be told in no uncertain terms: ‘Hands Off Our Walkways’.
There was also talk of how rightsof-way and bridle paths have already been closed, of unsuspecting walkers being set upon by a dog
‘I’d like to see it back in a beautiful state’ ‘Any landowner should be told: “Hands off”’
from Rathbarry Castle, allegations that occupants of the country pile had claimed their canine charge was entitled to roam wherever he pleased, the wilful destruction of a 17th-century clapper bridge (a bridge formed from slabs of rock lain over stone piers) along a Mass path in order to improve the drainage of Rathbarry Castle’s lawns, and the erection of signage and a gate to block public access.
But most disturbing and distressing of all were claims, that when the landed gentry wanted to build a church of their own more than 200 years ago, the remains of paupers were exhumed and interred in a specially built crypt only to be later cast aside to make room for the remains of Stephen EvansFreke’s mother when she died.
The committee has since held its first meeting to campaign against any possible sale of State land into private ownership.
Meanwhile, Mr Evans-Freke disputes much of what has been claimed about Mass paths, rightsof-way across his property and the alleged wanton destruction of the 17th-century foot bridge. In particular, he takes issue with the claims in relation to the alleged ‘removal’ of paupers’ remains.
‘We had to delay my mother’s funeral for 10 days,’ he says.
‘The crypt was opened in the presence of a number of people and in it were the remains of the 6th Baron, his wife and daughter.’
‘This is the family mausoleum…. [those reports are] blatant lies. It’s flagrant lies. There’s a history here and they know perfectly well that it is patently untrue.
‘The access is through the Coillte land and it has always been public land. My mother’s and father’s funerals were brought up through the Coillte land.
‘There are no legal rights-of-way across it (Rathbarry). I never knew that there was a bridge there because it was so overgrown. There were very bad floods and there was water a couple of feet up the drive… that is why [the bridge] collapsed.’
Meanwhile, Coillte will only say it has received an approach about buying the woodland and has refused to comment on rights-ofway issues.
‘Like the aftermath of a WWI battle’