Donore House

Donore House is a plain three story Georgian mansion located on the western shore of the lake, since demolished .

This was the seat of the Nugent Family and three members of parliament for Westmeath resided at Donore. Andrew Nugent grandson of Richard Nugent 10th Baron of Delvin settled at Donore in the middle of the 15th Century . He was appointed a captain in the army in 1641 . The Donore estate was part of his mother's inheritance her father.

Sir Robert Hollywood of Dublin, purchased it from the heirs of Sir Theobald Verdun. In 1641 land ownership was confined to a few families of Norman descent who possessed enormous estates, the Nugents owned 7,200 acres.

During 1838 Thomas Nugent Fitzgerald, a brother of Sir Percy Nugent was drowned in Derravaragh when his sail boat over turned in a squall. In 1831 Percy Fitzgerald who inherited Donore from his grand uncle Sir Percy Nugent (as he had no issue) adopted the name of Nugent . Sir Percy Nugent of Donore was M.P for Westmeath from 1847-52 . He was also Chairman of the Multyfarnham Relief Committee during the Famine.

A further descendant Sir Walter Nugent was elected M.P for South Westmeath in 1907 a position he held until 1918 .

A curious structure marked on the 1837 Ordnance Survey map on the Donore shore was a snow house, this was used for the preservation of salmon by the residents of the house.