In 1587: To his name with £ 1,000, it was given a grant of 14,000 acres of land in West Limerick.
He was a native of Wiltshire, England. William retained 1,500 acres for himself and allotted the rest of his holdings at Robertstown, Knockpatrick, Shanagolden, Clounagh and Kilmoylan, to other Englishmen.

Corgrig Castle

It was about two miles south-east of Foynes described in Elizabethan times as "belonging to Master Trenchard the Undertaker, and of strength sufficient to hold out against any force except the cannon.
The Trenchard family continued to liver here until they built a mansion, in Cappa, now Mount Trenchard, in Georgian times.
Corgrig House, the ancestral home of Gerald Griffin, derived its name from Corgrig Castle. A large part of this massive structure and its wall-faced moat still survive. In 1837 it was known as Congreiff and was one of the principal seats of Robertstown Parish.

Mount Trenchard

Early in the nineteenth century the rock of Lehy's Point, the point nearest to Foynes Island, as excavated to form a new line of road, the coast road, and this resulted in the approach road to the big house being altered.

Mount Trenchard is a late Georgian three-storey hose, built over a basement of some time before 1777. In that year the Trenchard estate, was divided between the husbands of the two daughters of the last Trenchard male heir.

In the late 1800 century Andrew Rice of Kerry purchased the Trenchard estate. His son, Stephen Edward Rice, was employed as a tutor to Catherine Spring, the only child and heiress of Thomas Spring of Castlemaine.
The young couple married and returned to Mount Trenchard where they established the Spring Rice family.

In Victorian Times a wing was added to one side of the house. At that stage a porch was added onto one bow but this was later replaced by a more conventional front entrance between the two bows.

The Spring Rice family remained in occupation until Lady Holland purchased Mount Trenchard in 1952.
It was the home of Lieutenant-Commander C.E. Hall until 1957 when it was bought by the Sisters of Mercy.
They replaced the west wing with modern extensions in order to accommodate a girl's boarding school.

Stephen Edmond Spring Rice (1814 - 1865)

He is commemorated with a large cross which was erected on the hill overlooking the village. Stephen Edmond Spring Rice was the eldest son of Thomas Spring Rice (1780-1866), Lord Monteagle, he never succeeded to the estate and title as he died at sea, a year before Tomas died. Stephen managed the Mount Trenchard estate while his father pursued a political career. Stephen is now remembered as a liberal Protestant landlord who favoured Catholic Emancipation.

More Info about the "Large Cross"

Sir Stephen Edward De Vere (1812-1904)

He was a nephew of the first Lord Monteagle and he was a notable writer and poet. He was a Member of Parliament for Limerick City from 1854 to 1859.

He is best remembered for his account of a voyage on one of the infamous coffin ships used to carry Irish emigrants to America.

The Monteagle Mills

This Mill purchased timber from Russia and Scandinavia during the 19th Century. Huge ships from these countries used Foynes.

The Monteagle or Spring Rice involvement with the development of the village continued. The second Lord Monteagle, Thomas, was responsible for having the Harbour Order passed in 1890 to keep Foynes Harbour independent of the Limerick Harbour Board.
Thomas also founded a co-operative creamery in the main street and his daughter, Mary Spring Rice, was involved in gun-running in 1914.
He arranged for the erection of two jetties, during his 36 year chairmanship of the Foynes Harbour Trustees.

The Royal Navy used Foynes as a naval base into the early 29th Century and warships came frequently to the port.