Secrets of Coolatore House laid bare

A new 12-part series of Who Lived in my House? or Cé a Chónaigh i mo Theachsa? kicks off on TG4 on Thursday January 12 at 10pm and begins with Rosemount's Coolatore House, where the legendary singer Michael Jackson came to stay.Presented by Westmeath native Manchán Magan, Cé a Chónaigh i mo Theachsa? tells the extraordinary stories of our houses and who lived in them before us.In the first episode Manchán visits Coolatore, once an ancient regal Westmeath stronghold, and explores the house once owned by the man who masterminded Clinton's cigar defence, and where Michael Jackson spent seven months while the world thought he was having a sex change in Paris.The reason most people like historic buildings isn't just their architecture, which can be replicated, it's knowing that others preceded us, and that lifetimes occurred in our homes.Cé a Chónaigh i mo Theachsa?' sets out to unlock the real stories hidden in our walls. Manchán takes us on a fascinating journey into the history of our houses. With the help of the experts, he examines the existing architectural evidence of those houses, speaks to neighbours, family members, historians, and delves into the national archives, libraries and Registry of Deeds to discover the colourful characters of the past who kept their front door keys under the mat of the same front steps a century ago or more.