Dinner gong at Kylemore Castle
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382412)
Rockingham, Australia
April 23, 2023 7:11am CST
I have so much to say about Kylemore Castle/Abbey but I wonder if you’ll all be bored. So maybe I’ll write about bits and pieces of it for the moment rather than giving you any more of the history.
The photo shows the dinner gong with which the butler would summon the household to meals. It was also used later when the place became a school to mark the ends of the various school periods. The tusks are ivory and the gong is believed to an original artefact from the time of the first owner, Mitchell Henry.
13 people like this
14 responses
@DaddyEvil (174658)
• United States
23 Apr 23
It's interesting. Did anyone ring it while you were there?
Mom had a bell hanging on our back porch that she'd ring to call us in for dinner... We could hear it all across our farm and on the neighboring farms on both sides of ours.
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (174658)
• United States
23 Apr 23
@JudyEv 
I think I might have flicked it with a fingernail just to see how it sounds. 
And then ducked behind Vince in case anyone came running into the room.
I think I might have flicked it with a fingernail just to see how it sounds. And then ducked behind Vince in case anyone came running into the room. 3 people like this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Apr 23
@DaddyEvil I would be too worried about being caught to even go that far. I should have hung around longer. No doubt someone might have tried it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128840)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Apr 23
All I can think of when I see this is that a poor elephant was killed for those ivory tusks 
3 people like this
@moffittjc (128840)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Apr 23
@JudyEv Times were different back then. I don’t blame them. But it is unacceptable for something like that happening today.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Apr 23
@moffittjc I agree but I'm sure there is still a lot of ivory sold on the blackmarket.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51838)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
23 Apr 23
@JudyEv You could be right.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (209104)
• United States
23 Apr 23
I kind of like the idea of dinner gongs.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
28 Apr 23
A very interesting, historical artifact.
Such an artifact might be counted in the category of Antiques.
Also such genuinely made products too would be difficult to find.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
29 Apr 23
@JudyEv
Except where illegal trades are on!
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
23 Apr 23
Okay who is the photo there Judy?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Apr 23
I think it is the Duchess of Manchester. She and the Duke were the next owners of Kylemore Castle.
@RasmaSandra (98072)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
23 Apr 23
Definitely needed a gong in that house because everyone was scattered all about, I wonder if it could have been heard from the top to the very bottom,
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Apr 23
I didn't see any but we weren't given the run of the place - just the main few rooms I guess.
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Apr 23
I would have liked to have heard what it sounded like.
@LindaOHio (222728)
• United States
29 Apr 23
I wish we had a chef that would hit the gong at each meal!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 23
@LindaOHio It would just be SOOOO good!
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222728)
• United States
29 Apr 23
@JudyEv It would be marvelous. Chef, I'd like a pizza for dinner please. Chef, I'd like some pancakes for breakfast! Marvelous.
1 person likes this
