COUNTRY HOUSE TOURS 71 Waterloo Road Dublin 4, IRELAND Tel (+353 1 ) 288 9355 Fax (+353 1 ) 288 9282 E-mail book@irishluxury.com

The Gardens of Ireland

A tour of Ireland's finest gardens, staying in beautiful manor houses and castles, visiting many private homes and meeting Ireland's most famous gardeners. 

Day 1
Arrive at Shannon Airport. Transfer by luxury coach to Adare - the epitome of the grand estate village, and one of the most picturesque villages in Ireland, with thatched cottages covered in climbing roses and honeysuckle. Mostly built in the 18th century, it belonged to the Earls of Dunraven, who still live in the vicinity. In the village is a magnificent Trent Jones golf course, overlooking the River Maigue, the 13th century Desmond Castle and the three 14th century abbeys. The single main street has three antique shops and a wide range of stores selling local crafts. We will stop for coffee and croissants in the charming coaching inn, The Dunraven Arms. We will the carry on towards the mountains of Killarney and the ring of Kerry.

Visit Muckross House, Killarney, a truly impressive 19th century manor with a Portland stone exterior. Here you'll see exhibits of Kerry folklife, including ancient forms of harvesting, cobbling and printing as well as such crafts as stone carving, basket weaving, pottery and weaving - to say nothing of the hand carved period furniture. The splendid 19th century subtropical gardens run down towards the lakes of Killarney, and the nature walks offer a fine example of the beauty and serenity of the area. They were laid out in honour of Queen Victoria who greatly enjoyed visiting Muckross. The rhododendrons will be at their peak during our visit. Continue on the Ring of Kerry to Kenmare, a small market town and fishing port where we pause for light lunch (not included).

Onto Seaview House at Ballylickey for dinner and the night. Seaview is a small family run 4* hotel that is still run by the O'Sullivan family who have lived in the house for 150 years.  The gardens have beautiful rhodendron.

Day 2
A leisurely start and then on to Bantry House. This palatial estate, set on the outskirts of the busy market town, was formerly the home of the Earls of Bantry and still belongs to their descendant, Egerton Shelswell White. The mansion has a fabulous display of furniture and art, much of it from the 18th century. Of interest are fireplaces from Versailles, tapestries made for Marie Antoinette, Russian icons and tile panels from Pompeii. The gardens, with their "staircase to heaven" and long terraces, are exceptional. From Bantry to Creagh. The most westerly garden in Ireland, Creagh is romantic, quiet and peaceful. Sloping down to the sea, its design is inspired by a Rousseau painting. The Regency walled garden is home to a collection of rare fowl and there is a Victorian kitchen garden. The highlights of the garden are the many wooded glens and serpentine mill pond and stream that meanders through the demesne.   After lunch we will visit Glengarriff. This is a pleasant little resort community located in a lovely wooded glen. There we visit Garinish Island, a once barren island transformed into a garden paradise 80 years ago, with plants, flowering shrubs, and trees from all over the world. During the short boat ride you might even see seals basking in the sun. Return to Ballylickey House for dinner, bed and breakfast.

Day 3
Via the lovely Lee Valley to Cork City and then on to visit Annes Grove Gardens, a Robinsonian garden of great atmosphere with many fine specimens. There are three contrasting areas within the 30 acres of pleasure grounds - the walled garden, the glen and the riverside garden.  After lunch we will follow the Blackwater valley to Lismore Castle gardens, the Irish home of the Duke of Devonshire. The lower garden provides woodland shelter for a fine collection of shrubs, including magnolias and camellias. The two gardens are delightfully linked by the staircase to the Riding House built in 1631. Tonight we stay at Richmond House. Standing in wooded parkland, Richmond House is an imposing 18th century "Landlord's House" on the edge of the village of Cappoquin. Now far more comfortable than it was in its heyday, before the invention of efficient heating and en suite bathrooms, it is an attractive place to stay. Your host here, Paul Deevy, is one of Ireland's more talented chefs and his food has a fine reputation. The village itself has a rich past - Sir Walter Raleigh lived next door at the now ruined Affane House where subsequently the old Countess of Ormonde died at the age of 120 - falling from a cherry tree! The river Blackwater, Irelands finest salmon river, flows through the village and from the village there are long walks up into the Knockmealdown Mountains. Before dinner we will visit Cappoquin Estate, the home of Sir Richard and Lady Keane which is furnished with antiques collected by their ancestors, for a tour of their interesting garden. It includes an unusual bamboo garden.

Day 4
Our first stop will be at Mount Congreve, the home of Ambrose Congreve. It is one of the finest stately homes in Ireland still in the ownership of the family who built it nearly 300 years ago. Within the 110 acre garden are dozens of examples of each of over 3,000 varieties of rhododendron, 600 camellias, 300 magnolias, and 250 types of Japanese Maple as well as half a mile of hostas. For sheer size alone, there is no private garden to rival Mount Congreve anywhere in the world. From there we travel through Waterford city, the home of the crystal factory to Thomastown where we visit Kilfane Glen.Kilfane Glen is a late 18th century romantic landscape, with an art ificial waterfall, a cottage ornee, cliff walks and a hermit's grotto all set in a narrow ravine in the hills between the valleys of the Nore and Barrow rivers. Forgotten for over a century, it was only discovered in the aftermath of storms that blew down trees and water filled the long clogged canals and waterfalls. It has been rescued from oblivion and fully restored by Ireland's leading spongeware potter, Nicholas Mosse, and offers a fascinating glimpse of the 18th century passion for gothic. We overnight at Abbey House and Belmore House, beside Mount Juliet, a beautiful 18th century country house in a magnificent setting, worth visiting for the beauty of its landscape gardens alone.  Dinner will be in the nearby village of Thomastown in an award wining restaurant.

Day 5
Via Kilkenny, an enchanting medieval city with castle, cathedral and stories of phantom witches. Kilkenny Castle is a 13th century castle which stands breathtakingly above the River Nore and has undergone a meticulous restoration. Also worthy of note is Rothe House. Now a museum, it was once the house of an Elizabethan merchant, John Rothe. Built in 1594 and preserved as it was, it gives a splendid idea of how such a merchant lived. Kilkenny is a city of narrow lanes filled with quaint and interesting shops. We will stop in Heywood Gardens, outside Abbeyleix. They combine the remnants of the Poe's 18th century landscape of long vistas, follies and ancient trees, with a unique Luteyns garden of hidden pergolas and a sunken circular garden. A pub lunch (not included) and then onto Birr Castle, home of Lord and Lady Rosse. The gardens are particularly noted for their spring flowering magnolias, cherries and crab apples. The park of the castle also contains the remains of the giant 72 inch reflecting telescope built in 1845 and the largest in the world for 3/4 of a century. Laid out around a lake and along the banks of two adjacent rivers, above one of those waterfalls, rises the early 17th century castle. The desmesne covers over 50 hectacres and contains more than 1000 different varieties and species of trees and shrubs. In the afternoon we will also visit (if there is time) a botanical garden near Tullamore, which is a plantsman's paradise. Tonight wer stay in Spinners In Birr, an 18th century townhouse in the heart of this historic town.  Dinner at leisure.

Day 6
Through the midlands of Ireland, past Jonothan Swift's Lilliput and the great spread of Lough Ennell to Butterstream. Butterstream is a new garden, developed over the last 20 years by Prince Charles' friend and garden adviser Jim Reynolds. Known as the Irish Sissinghurst, it is a series of garden rooms that run beside the stream that gives the property its name. They then open up suddenly into a great meadow garden where two classical temples face each other across a lime allee. The neighbouring city of Trim is full of historical associations. Apart from the ancient monastic remains it also has the largest Norman Castle (which was used in Mel Gibson's film Rob Roy) which was where the great Duke of Wellington was brought up.  After lunch we will visit Leixlip Castle where the Hon Desmond Guinness has created a very pretty garden within the ancient walled enclosures of his medieval home. Mr Guinness, whose ancestor founded the famous brewery, set up the Irish Georgian Society and is a well known writer. We arrive in Dublin.  To Helen Dillon's home in Sandford Road and see her magical town garden. Mrs Dillon is a great collector of plants and has travelled to some of the most unfriendly parts of the globe on botanical expeditions. She has also written several books on gardens and, with her miniature dachshund Reginald, is a popular t.v. garden show presenter. We stay at  The Georgian House Hotel on Baggot Street, between the Iveagh Gardens and St Stephens Green, in the heart of Georgian Dublin.  Dinner at leisure

Day 7
Day at leisure for those who want to shop till they drop or explore Dublin. For the dedicated gardeners there is (at no extra cost) a tour to Fernhill Gardens, a Victorian garden with an exceptional collection of trees. Then on to Powerscourt. Powerscourt gardens are a magnificent combination of the aristocratic themes of French and Italian formal gardening with an impressive arboretum and an entirely unexpected Japanese garden hidden in a valley in the 40 acres of splendour. With ornamental lakes, splendid statuary and herbaceous borders, the gardens create a stunning setting for the shell of Sir Richard Castle's imposing Palladian mansion. Lunch at leisure here and then the last visit of the day will be to Kilruddery, the home of the Earl of Meath. Here is the most extensive surviving 17th century formal French inspired garden layout remaining in Britain or Ireland. With a pair of canals, beech allees and even an open air theatre, it is a magical place to visit. The house itself is furnished with an impressive collection built up by the Brabazon family over the last four centuries. Dinner at leisure

Day 8
Day at leisure to explore Dublin.
OR
Optional visit to Malahide Castle. The history of the Talbots of Malahide stretches back virtually unbroken to 1185 when the property was granted to Robert Talbot by Prince John, Lord of Ireland. The castle is the oldest to be continually inhabited by the same family and, apart from a period during which they were evicted by Cromwell, the Talbots lived there until 1976. The castle has the only surviving original medieval great hall hung with an impressive collection of family portraits. Visit the Talbot Gardens which were created by Lord Milo Talbot between 1948 and 1973, cover an area of over 8 hectacres. The choice of plants is limited by the alkalinity of the soil which precludes the growing of rhododendrons, etc. An emphasis has been placed on the cultivation of plants from the Southern Hemisphere. Leisurely lunch in Malahide. In the afternoon, visit the National Botanical Gardens, Ireland's premier botanical and horticultural establishment. Started as a place of learning in 1795, it is not only a scientific institution but a most pleasant place to walk around; there is a large rock garden, rose garden, order beds, herb garden, pond, herbaceous borders and an incomparable range of curvilinear glasshouses built between 1843 and 1869. (Price for the option €75.00 ).
Return to the Hotel. Dinner at leisure in Dublin. Overnight in Bewleys or similar hotel.

Day 9
Depart from Dublin airport.


Your tour includes:

• 8 nights accommodation in twin or double bedded rooms with en suite bath of 3* or better quality
  
• 9 days with a luxury coach and professional guide.

• 9 full Irish breakfasts
  
• 5 dinners
• All admissions as specified
  

The total cost is €1,850.00  per person. The visits on this itinerary are all subject to availability. Should certain private houses be unavailable on the day, clients will be informed in advance and a suitable alternative found.

And our own garden guide

E-mail us for booking information.

Adams & Butler, 71 Waterloo Road, Dublin 4, IRELAND
Tel (+353-1) 2889355    From Canada & the US 1(800) 894 5712    Fax (+353-1) 288 9282

info@irishluxury.com

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