James Joyce & The Greville Arms
The Greville Arms Hotel is on of Ireland’s oldest hotels and dates from 1750. The hotel was purchased by Lord Greville in 1858 when he purchased the entire town of Mullingar for £120,000, which afforded his Lordship a home and annual rental of £6,000.
The Greville Arms Hotel is one of the few surviving Irish hotels known to James Joyce and immortalised by him in his writings.
“Stephen Dedalus is seated in the Greville Arms Hotel, chaffing the barmaid who was indulging in flirty, gossipy conversation with the young men. She admires Stephen more than the others who responds counting the buttons on the blouse, which reveals her very tempting figure.”
This is one of the many references to the Greville Arms by James Joyce.
Famous Visitors
Many famous people were visitors to the Greville Arms Hotel as well as James Joyce, who visited the hotel a number of times in the 1900’s. His nephew Ken Monaghan unveiled the life size wax figure of James Joyce from the original death mask of Joyce in 1982 and it is now on permanent display in the hotel. The hotel bar is called Ulysses after James Joyce’s most famous work. Former US Ambassador Jean Kennedy-Smith, sister of the President of the United States visited the Greville Arms Hotel to see the Kennedy coin, which is in the Greville Arms museum, located on the first floor of the hotel.
The great Joe Dolan was a regular visitor of the hotel and performed many times including his last concert in Mullingar at the Greville Arms Hotel. Niall Horan who was born in Mullingar, had part of the One Direction Movie filmed in the Greville Arms Hotel and we are proud to display his Brit awards in the foyer of the hotel. The singer Michael Jackson was also a visitor. The world-famous explorer Charles Howard-Bury held his 80th birthday in the hotel. The museum on the first floor of the hotel has many of his artefacts on display.
The Penitent Magdalene by Antonio Canova
The world-renowned sculpture of Penitent Magdalene, by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), is one of the most famous sculptures in the world and was carved out of pure Carrara marble 200 years ago for the British Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, (1770-1820) and is on display in the foyer of the hotel.
The Greville Museum
Hanging on the wall of the stairs is the portrait of Robert Rochford (1661-1727) (Ancestor of the Earls of Belvedere), Speaker of the House of Parliament (1695-1703). The portrait also shows the Gret Mace of Parliament in 1665, the only recorded portrait of this historical Irish Mace, which was melted down to pay for King James’ troops after the Battle of the Boyne.
The Texas flag presented to the Friendship Force of Mullingar which was flown over the state capital of Texas on St. Patrick’s Day 1987 is also displayed.
The museum contains some of the world’s oldest limestones fossils estimated to be 400 million years old. Pieces of meteorites over 10 billion years old and a piece of extremely rare Mars rock, including a Stone Age axe found in Killucan which is 4,500 years old.
The first Irish coin was minted in Dublin in 995AD and fragments of early Celtic art and a rate 8th century depiction of the crucifixion are also in the museum. Also in the museum is a man trap used for catching poachers. King James II coinage found at Lough Ennell and many other old coins including the Mullingar penny are also on display.
The famous Belvedere Bear Head brought home from Tiam Shan mountains by Howard Bury to Belvedere House in 1901 where it remained for a number of years, it was called ‘Adu’, is on display in the museum. The Victorian Cross Medal and other medals presented to Howard Bury are in the museum and his diary written on his Everest expedition, and mother other interesting artefacts and historical items are on display.
Heraldic Symbol
In Pigots Commercial Director of 1824, the Greville Arms was knows as Wilton’s Hotel, later named Murray’s and was purchased by Lord Greville in 1858 when he purchased the entire town for £120,000 which afforded his Lordship and annual rental income of £6,000.
The present heraldic symbol used by the hotel was granted to the first Baron Greville of Cloyne, Co. Westmeath , on 15th December 1869.
The Greville Monument
The Greville Monument, a poignant drinking fountain, was generously gifted to Mullingar by the 2nd Lord Greville in 1909 as a memorial to his son Ronnie. Ronnie, a complex figure, was involved in political clashes, notably a flag dispute with his father over Home Rule. A Conservative and Unionist, he ordered the removal of the Irish flag flown by newly elected councillors. The Greville Monument, symbolizing a life cut short, stood in Dominick Square until the late 1920s, later becoming a symbol of landlordism. Removed and eventually placed in the roof garden of the Greville Arms Hotel, it remains a historical emblem of the family’s influence in Mullingar for over 70 years.
