[1] The house remained the seat of the St Leger family from the time of construction until the mid-20th century.

[2][3] The park, which is managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW), is open all year with free admission.

[4] The estate, together with other lands, was purchased in 1629 by Sir William St. Leger, Lord President of Munster, who moved into the 13th-century Doneraile Castle.

[citation needed] When Doneraile Court was the residence of Lord Castletown, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who had been a soldier in the American Civil War, and became a lawyer and United States Supreme Court justice, carried on an extensive correspondence with Clare, Lady Castletown.

The remaining demesne land, which now comprises Doneraile Wildlife Park, was sold to the government in 1943.