At the entrance to Parque Marechal Carmona, near the Cascais marina, stands the Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães. Originally named Torre de São Sebastião, the house is a striking example of revivalist eclecticism, blending Neo-Manueline, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Romantic, and Neo-Moorish styles. With its mediaeval-style tower, decorative façades and azulejo panels, it evokes a fairy-tale castle more than a conventional manor. It was built in 1900 by Jorge O’Neill, a wealthy businessman and heir to a distinguished Irish-Portuguese lineage.
The O’Neill family first came to Portugal in the 18th century. Colonel João (Seán) O’Neill and his brothers Féilim and Cathal arrived in Portugal in 1740, part of the ongoing diaspora of Irish exiles known as the ‘Wild Geese’ that followed the Jacobite defeat in Ireland and the introduction of the Penal Laws. Many of Ireland’s noble families sought refuge in Catholic Europe, finding welcome and purpose through service in the armies of France, Spain, Austria and Portugal. Over time, the O’Neill family secured official recognition of their noble titles and established themselves as part of Portuguese society.
Jorge O’Neill, born in 1849, inherited this legacy and expanded the family fortune through business, notably as a director and shareholder of the Portuguese railway company. Well-connected at home and abroad, he was the Honorary Officer-Major of the Royal Household and a personal friend of King D. Carlos. He was a supporter of Irish nationalist causes, including the Irish Volunteers. He was also acquainted with Roger Casement during Casement’s tenure as British consul in Lisbon. Casement, a knighted diplomat, was later executed for treason for his part in the Irish struggle.
In Cascais, O’Neill moved in elite circles as co-founder of the Royal Sporting Club in 1879 and built Torre de São Sebastião near the royal summer retreat. But his fortunes declined after the fall of the monarchy in 1910, when many aristocrats lost wealth and influence in the new republican era. Forced to sell, the property passed to Count Manuel de Castro Guimarães, who, on his death, in 1927 bequeathed it, along with his art and manuscript collection, to the town of Cascais.
Today, Torre de São Sebastião is home to the Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, where visitors can admire both the Count’s legacy and Jorge O’Neill’s Irish heritage. One of the highlights is the Sala dos Trevos (Shamrock Room), with shamrocks in the wrought-iron door and painted on the ceiling. In the turret’s ceiling, the O’Neill coat of arms is depicted, a proud reminder of the O’Neill family’s Irish origins.
- ‘Museu Condes de Dastro Guimarães, Cascais’ is published in Anthology Volume 24. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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