06 Feb Mount Bruis , Shronell , County Tipperary
Joseph Damer was a banker and entrepreneur who moved to Ireland from England 1662. He lived in Dublin.
He soon purchased large tracts of land in County Tipperary from the Cromwellian settlers there.
He filled these pastures with sheep and soon he had set up a vast business exporting wool.
Though Joseph was phenomenally rich he was reputed to have been a miser. Dean Swift wrote that ” he walked the streets in a threadbare cloak and dined and supped at charge of other folk ”
Joseph died a bachelor in 1720 and the massive wealth passed to his nephew John Damer.
Like his uncle John was said to have been very careful with money.
In 1740 John commenced the construction of a huge mansion in Shronell , on a little hil which he called Mount Bruis.
It was aid that he had a secret vaulted room in that mansion with a vast treasure in sovereigns hidden away there. There were 365 windows in the house , one for every day of the year !
Sadly the gable is all that remains of the great house at Shronell but it is still worth a visit on your Ireland tours as it is a hidden gem of a site with a great story.