The spirited Wynnes - raising a glass to Hazelwood's family dynasty this Father's Day

With Father’s Day approaching, as well as thinking about cracking open a bottle of Athrú Irish single malt whiskey and sharing stories with your loved ones, it’s also a time to reflect on family history, heritage, and the generations before that brought us to where we are today.

This sense of connection is much the same here at the Lough Gill Distillery, where family roots and ancestral history goes back to long before we began crafting our Athrú Irish single malt whiskey. Not many whiskey distilleries can share such a significant family bond, and we feel very privileged to do so.

The beautiful Hazelwood House, which we’re now fortunate to count as the heart of our distillery estate was, from its inception in 1722 and for over 200 years thereafter, home to the Wynne family - a very important Sligo family who included members of Parliament and High Sheriffs within their ranks.

For over two centuries, the house was passed down through generations, with each head of the house having their own visions for the lifestyle they would enjoy at Hazelwood. Upon the passing of each, the eldest son - the progenitor, acquired all of the assets his predecessor had passed on. At this time, if their mother was still alive, she would relocate to Ardaghowen House (originally called Ellenville), a dowager house in Sligo.

The Lady Anne Walk that originally connected Hazelwood House with Ardaghowen, was built for Lady Anne Butler who married into the Wynne family, and earlier this year received funding for renovation and extension work to maintain a trail between Hazelwood and Sligo.

It’s not just within Hazelwood itself that strong family connections were made, either. The estate had links to other notable family homes in Sligo, including Lissadell House and Temple House, where members of these estates married into the Wynne family.

Read on to discover more about the Wynne dynasty, and also find some suggestions for giving your dad what he really wants this Father’s Day (aside from an estate)...Ireland’s most beautiful single malt whiskey.

The Wynne Family

Owen Wynne II

Within the Wynne family, each first-born son was named Owen, with the exception of one, and upon their father’s passing, would take over the running of Hazelwood House.

While this was the tradition that continued over centuries, the first owner of Hazelwood House, Owen Wynne II was actually unmarried and had no children of his own, which meant that upon his passing in 1737, just six years after the completion of Hazelwood, it was instead consigned to his nephew, Owen Wynne III.

Lieutenant General Owen Wynne (Owen Wynne II) was a wealthy man, who already owned land in Co. Cavan, and purchased the family's estates in Co. Sligo comprising 14,500 acres for £20,000. The conveyance included parts of the town of Sligo, together with the town's fairs, markets, tolls, and customs. After purchasing the estate in 1722, Owen Wynne II commissioned the building of Hazelwood House, to be designed by one of the greatest architects of his time, Richard Cassels. Hazelwood became the first Palladian-style house to be designed by Cassels.

Given his age, it was unlikely Owen Wynne II would ever spend much time enjoying Hazelwood, and indeed he passed away just six years after it was completed. With no children of his own, it’s likely this project was never intended to be a family asset, and instead, was a legacy project. We like to think that much like in our whiskey, where the ‘longer now’ is very much a part of the process, Owen Wynne believed the same - that putting time and effort into a project would mean that it would continue to be enjoyed for years to come.

Owen Wynne III

Upon Owen Wynne II’s passing, his nephew Owen Wynne III became head of Hazelwood House. He married his first cousin, Catherine, daughter of Colonel John Ffolliott of Donegal, and his wife Lucy daughter of Owen Wynne I, and they went on to have five children - James, Owen (later Owen IV) and John, and two daughters, Lucy and Hannah. Owen III was a colonel in the army, and High Sheriff of Co. Sligo in 1723 and 1745. His eldest son, James, passed away in 1748, eight years before his father's death, which meant that upon Owen III’s passing, Hazelwood House was acquired by the son next in line - Owen IV.

Owen IV

Owen IV was elected MP for Co. Sligo in the Irish Parliament in 1749 and he became an Irish Privy Councillor in 1756, allowing him the title of Right Honourable. He was High Sheriff of Co. Sligo in 1758, residing in Dublin during this time. His tenure at Hazelwood House allows us the greatest insight into what life at the estate was like, because whilst living in Dublin, he received regular correspondence from Edward Martin, his agent in Sligo. These letters, which extend in time from 1758 to 1766, throw much light on the life which revolved around Hazelwood. They refer to estate management, elections and the candidates in them, rents, the recovery and payment of debts, the employment of servants, the cutting of turf and more.

Mrs. Martin oversaw brewing, pickling salmon in kegs of spice, wine and vinegar, while on one occasion 600 oysters were pickled. As required, kegs were sent to the Wynne household in Dublin.

Letters written between 1758-1761 refer to the functioning of an agricultural estate at Hazelwood. There are also letters regarding Hazelwood’s early drink origins - it’s likely it would have been the location for many parties and gatherings, and correspondence refers to the purchase of brandy and wine, purchased at a rate of a dozen bottles at a time. It would seem during this time, more infrequent purchases of port were made, but when they were, they were significant - one letter indicates a purchase of eight dozen bottles of port.

During the period three hogsheads (46 gallons each) of claret were bought from a wine merchant in Derry.

Owen Wynne V

At the age of 34, upon his father’s death in 1789, Owen Wynne V inherited Hazelwood House and estate. He was twice High Sheriff of Co. Sligo during his father's lifetime. A year after succeeding to the family estates he married Lady Sarah Elizabeth Cole, the daughter of William Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen and they had two sons and four daughters.

Over his lifetime, Owen Wynne V had a notable political career spanning many decades, which saw him in posts such as Member of the Irish Parliament for Co. Sligo, MP for Sligo borough from 1820 to 1830, High Sheriff of Sligo from 1819 to 1820 and High Sheriff of Leitrim from 1833 to 1834.

When he passed away in 1841 at the age of 86, Hazelwood estate was passed to his eldest surviving son John Arthur Wynne, who would become the first head of Hazelwood not to be named Owen.

John Arthur Wynne

As the son of a wealthy family, John was educated at Winchester School and Christ Church, Oxford. He married Lady Anne Wandesford Butler, the daughter of James Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde. She died eleven years after her marriage, while helping with Famine relief, having given birth to four children.

Much like his father, grandfather and predecessors before, John also had a notable political career. As well as spending time as a member of Parliament, Irish Privy Counsellor, High Sheriff of Co. Leitrim and Co. Sligo, he was also chairman of the Board of Guardians, the body responsible for the relief of poverty, and helped found the Sligo Mental Hospital. In his later years he devoted himself to agricultural improvement and afforestation. He had served his community well. He died on a visit to Tuam in 1865 and was then succeeded by his son Owen VI.

Owen Wynne VI

Owen Wynne VI was born in 1843 and was just twenty-two when he inherited the family estate. He became the last head of Hazelwood House, having four daughters, so with no male heir, the line of Wynnes ended when he died in 1910.

Once again, like his ancestors, he was a man of political notoriety, but he was also responsible for a thriving business at Hazelwood. Under his tenure, the agricultural side of the business prospered. Hazelwood demesne consisted of 900 acres of arable land, with one hundred cattle bred annually, alongside dairy cows, ewes and there was also stabling for thirty horses. £1,500 was expended annually on labour and the workmen were comfortably housed.

During this time, in addition to the agricultural business, the demesne was used as a venue for many sporting events. Yacht racing on Lough Gill took place throughout the 19th century and from 1880 to 1942 race meetings were held on the racecourse on the Hazelwood demesne. A polo club was founded in 1878, matches being played at Hazelwood. According to the Sligo Champion, a game at Hazelwood was an event to be watched by the entire town. The national success of the Sligo polo team was renowned and Sligo polo ponies were so in demand that many were exported to England and America. Shooting parties were also regularly organised at Hazelwood.

While the goings-on at Hazelwood may have shown little sign of sadness behind closed doors, Owen VI was said to have never recovered after his wife Stella died in a tragic carriage accident in 1887. He died aged 67, having sold off his land in Leitrim and Sligo, with just Hazelwood remaining. Finally, Hazelwood House was sold in 1937 by the last Wynne descendent, and so ended over 200 years of The Wynnes at Hazelwood.

Father’s Day gift ideas

If bequeathing an estate is out of the realms of possibility this Father’s Day, then perhaps giving the gift of the finest Irish single malt whiskey would be more palatable. Here are some ways you can enjoy Athrú this Father’s Day…

Single Cask Tasting Event & Virtual Distillery Tour

Taking place on June 24th, join Lough Gill’s head distiller, Ollie Alcorn, to enjoy single malt whiskey in its purest form - straight from the cask. This premium event will include a virtual tasting of cask strength single malts drawn from specially selected individual casks.

This event will be hosted on Zoom and single malt samples and access details will be posted seven days in advance.

Tickets cost just €48.00/£41.33 each, and include 90 minutes of pure whiskey joy - a fantastic Father’s Day gift, and a great way to come together on Father’s Day and enjoy some premium whiskeys, even if you’re miles apart. Book your tickets here.

Athrú Mini Trilogy Gift Set

For the whiskey-curious dad, treat him to our gift box set of the three 14 year Athrú single malt whiskies. This set contains three individual 50ml bottles of the first trilogy of 14 year single malts, each finished in different hand-selected casks: the Annacoona (Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry), Knocknarea (Oloroso sherry) and the Keshcorran (Tokaji sweet wine casks). Costing just €35/£30.14, this set will certainly be a winner come Father’s Day. Order yours here.

Athrú Trilogy Collector’s Edition

If you’re really looking to treat your dad to the finest Irish whiskey this Father’s Day, then look no further than our Trilogy Collector’s Edition set. Comprising three 70cl bottles, our first edition, the Creation Trilogy is aimed at the discerning whiskey connoisseur. Launched from our 300 year old estate in Sligo and rooted in Irish mythology, these superb whiskeys are packaged to resemble “First edition books”, telling stories of ancient Ireland as documented in the chronicles of medieval Irish history. The artwork on the boxes and bottles reflect the stories on the inside cover, each retelling a foundational story related to the creation of Ireland, the land of Saints and Scholars. The Creation Trilogy, our first release, is displayed in a wooden case, packed in a beautifully designed gold coloured box with all bottles having the same limited edition number on the neck label.

Find yours here for €629/£541.63