THE tiny village of Drimurla, adjacent to Cuilmore, and which bounds the famed Leg O'Mutton lake, shot into world prominence in June of 1961, when Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace of Monaco, accompanied by Prince Rainier, visited her ancestral home in the village.
The Princess had just finished a State visit to this country and confounded the sceptics, who had ruled out any hope of a visit by Her Serene Highness to her humble ancestral home and to her Mayo cousins.
Earlier in the day the Rainiers had visited Newport Parish Church and Newport House Hotel. On the three-mile journey to Drimurla she was accompanied by a cavalcade of well- wishers. Already the world press and TV cameras (there was no TV in rural Ireland at the time). They had climbed the trees surrounding the cottage to record the dream-corne-true story.
After receIving a tremendous reception, the royal couple entered the ancestral home from which the Princess's grandfather, John B. Kelly, emigrated to the U.S.A. towards the end of the last century. While in the cottage the Rainiers were treated to tea by the then owner Mrs. Ellen Moran and was greeted by neighbours.
The Royal visit to Drimurla sparked off newspaper articles all over the world as journalists tried to create new angles to the fairy-tale story. And visitors, especially Americans, flocked each summer for a see-for-themselves of the ancestral home, which became more derelict each year.
The Princess was back again in Newport in October of 1976 on a private visit and was a guest at Newport House Hotel. During her stay she visited Drimurla and finalised plans for the purchase of the derelict cottage and a number of surrounding acres of land.
With her husband, Her Serene Highness paid another visit to Newport in October of 1979. During her stay she again visited Drimurla and inspected plans drawn up by an architect for a family holiday home near the Leg O'Mutten lake.
Unfortunately, before anything could be finalised, she died some time later in a tragic car accident in Monaco. Over the years Mayo County Cpuncil has be~n toying with the idea of building a memorial to the Princess, at Drimurla, which, if it could be achieved, would bring a major tourism boost to the area.
In the meantime the property is being cared for by John Cawley, Drimurla.
Since her first visit to Newport, the Princess never lost touch with her cousin, Francie Kelly, Cuilmore, whom she always called on during each visit. Up to the time of her death, she sent him a personal Christmas card, with an embossed coloured picture of her family. After her death, the Rainier family continued the tradition, and each December a letter bearing the distinguished Monaco postmark, is delivered to the Kelly home.
One day, perhaps, there will be a memorial to the Princess at Cuilmore School.