Frybrook’s History

Frybrook House is one of the oldest and  finest houses in Boyle.  Its history goes back to 1743 when Henry Fry Esq was invited by Lord Kingston to establish a Weaving Business in Boyle on the banks of the Boyle river. Henry Fry was a merchant from Edenderry and older brother of Thomas Frye, known as The Neglected Genius, an Irish Artist living in London. The house itself was built c1753, Georgian style but uniquely without a basement due to the proximity of the river, and remained the Fry family home for more than 230 years. Some important  facts about the house itself:

At the entrance gates on the pillars there are 2 distinctive “Hospitality Stones” – an indication that visitors were always welcome here.

A bell was positioned on the roof of Frybrook house and it rang every day to invite the locals to dine in Frybrook, and when there was no room inside the house, tents were erected on the lawn.

During the 1798 rising (‘Year of the French’) even the officers of the opposing French army were dining in the house.

Frybrook House also supplied soup to the locals during the Great Famine (1845 to 1852), evidenced by a very large Famine Cauldron in the kitchen.

A very large separate Bakehouse was established to supply bread to the house and the town on a daily basis – unfortunately only the foundation remains.

Luckily, Frybrook House survived 19th century risings against the British Rule, the 1916 Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Irish Civil war, where so many Big Houses in Ireland were destroyed.

Frybrook shared its history with us, now it’s our time to give it a future and to share it with you.