The Leeson family originated in Northamptonshire and had moved to Ireland in the second half of the 17th century. A sizeable fortune made in brewing and property development in Dublin passed down to Joseph Leeson, who bought land at what was then Russelltown. He became an MP and was made Earl of Milltown in 1763. Russborough house was designed for Joseph Leeson by Richard Cassels and built between 1741 and 1755. It remained in the possession of the Earls of Milltown until the sixth earl. On the death of his widow in 1914 it passed to a nephew, Edmund Turton, who rarely stayed there. On Turton's death in 1929, his widow sold the house to Captain Denis Bowes Daly in 1931. Sir Alfred and Lady Beit bought Russborough in 1952 from Captain Daly to house their art collection and in 1976 established the Alfred Beit Foundation to manage the property. The foundation opened the historic mansion and its collections to the Irish public in 1978. Beit died in 1994 but Lady Beit remained in residence until her own death in 2005. On February 7, 2010, a fire severely damaged the west wing and caused part of the roof to collapse. No art was damaged, being removed along with furniture to allow for restorations to the west wing. Initial examinations of the damage suggested an electrical fault from wiring in the roof may have sparked the fire. In recent years locally advertised Farmers Markets have been held on a regular basis in the grounds of the house.
Art collections
Russborough has housed two fine art collections, begun with the Milltown estate, whose collection was donated to the National Gallery of Ireland by the widow of the sixth earl. Sir Alfred Beit bought the house in 1952 where he housed his own family's collection, comprising works by many great artists, including Goya, Vermeer, Peter Paul Rubens and Thomas Gainsborough. This collection was since stolen four times: in 1974 by an IRA gang including British heiress Rose Dugdale; in 1986 by Martin Cahill ; in 2001, and in 2002 by Martin Cahill's associate Martin Foley. Two paintings, Gainsborough's Madame Bacelli and Vermeer's Lady writing a Letter with her Maid, the latter probably the most valuable painting of the collection, were stolen twice across the thefts, although each was subsequently recovered. The Beit collection has donated many of its works to the state but substantial proportion of the paintings have been returned and been made available to view by the owners, the Alfred Beit Foundation. Other paintings which have returned are four Claude Joseph Vernet paintings entitled 'Morning', 'Midday', 'Sunset', and 'Night'- these were actually painted for Russborough in the 1750s and had remained in the house for most of the last 260 years.
Popular culture
Russborough House was used as a setting in 2011 film Haywire. Russborough House was used as a setting in 2016 film Love & Friendship, directed by Whit Stillman. It was featured in Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Castle, re-telling the story of the 1974 art heist. It was featured in the 2018 film Black47, relating to the Great Irish Famine.
