Wogan Browne Mausoleum, Mainham: Uncover 18th-Century Power and Piety

Step beyond the graveyard walls of Mainham Church in County Kildare, and you’ll find a curious structure with an even more curious backstory. Built in 1743, this so-called mausoleum was the result of a bitter dispute between Catholic landowner Stephen Fitzwilliam Browne and the local Anglican minister. But the building is far more than a reactionary tomb. Behind its walls lies a tale of ambition, legacy, and quiet defiance — from reburied ancestors and carefully chosen marriage ties to architectural nods to banned Catholic traditions and monuments of Ireland’s recusant past.

In this talk at Clongowes Wood College, we’ll explore the deeper motives behind Browne’s "monument of obligation" — challenging the official story carved above its doorway, and revealing how this small building became a bold public statement about identity, power, and belonging in Penal-era Ireland.

Pre-visit the mausoleum at Mainham Graveyard on Saturday, August 16, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Please note: Access to the historic building involves climbing steps over a low stone wall.