Mary McShain

Mary McShain
Mary McShain
Born	Mary Horstmann; March 27, 1907; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	2 December 1998 (aged 91); Killarney House, County Kerry
Resting place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spouse(s)	John McShain (m. 1927; died 1989)
Children	1

Mary McShain (27 March 1907 – 2 December 1998) was an Irish-American landowner and benefactor.[1]

Biography

Mary McShain was born Mary Horstmann in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 27 March 1907. Her parents were Ignatius J. Horstmann and his wife Pauline. She was the fifth of six children. She attended St Leonard's Academy, Philadelphia, and Rosemont College, Rosemont. In 1927 she married John McShain, building contractor who worked on the reconstruction of the White House and the building of the Jefferson memorial, the Pentagon, and the JFK Centre for the Performing Arts. They were both interested in horse breeding and racing, establishing a stable of racehorses in 1952. They expanded this stable to Ireland in 1955, hiring first Vincent O'Brien and then John Oxx as trainers. Their greatest success was the horse Ballymoss.[1]

The McShains moved to Ireland in 1960, buying Killarney House, County Kerry and a large portion of the Kenmare estate. They gifted Innisfallen Island and the ruins of an abbey to the Irish state in 1973, bestowing guardianship of Ross Island and its castle to the state. For a nominal fee, they turned over the entire estate to the state in 1979, stipulating a life tenancy of the house and some land, with the rest of the land being incorporated into Killarney National Park.[1][2]

McShain was a Dame of Malta and a Lady of the Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulchre. She received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross in 1976. She was awarded two honorary doctorates in 1977, one from LaSalle University, Philadelphia and one from her alma mater, Rosemont College. She died at Killarney House on 2 December 1998. She was buried beside her husband in Holy Cross cemetery, Philadelphia. Her daughter, Pauline McShain, was a sister of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.[1][3] Pauline McShain died on March 8, 2019 due to complications of pneumonia.[4]

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References

Bryan, Deirdre (2009). "McShain, Mary". In McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.). Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
"US family bequeaths Killarney land to State". The Irish Times. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
Dunne, Jim (4 December 1998). "Killarney house and land donor dies at 91". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
Cook, Bonnie L. (13 March 2019). "Sister Pauline McShain, 90, educator and philanthropist". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 3 August 2020.

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[Bryan-1] Bryan, Deirdre (2009). "McShain, Mary". In McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.). Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[2] "US family bequeaths Killarney land to State". The Irish Times. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2020.

[3] Dunne, Jim (4 December 1998). "Killarney house and land donor dies at 91". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 January 2020.

[4] Cook, Bonnie L. (13 March 2019). "Sister Pauline McShain, 90, educator and philanthropist". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 3 August 2020.