A garden is a beautiful way to reflect the story of a building. Magnificent gardens abiund in Ireland's Blue Book, each reflecting their own unique history. The incredible gardens that surround these houses, hotels and manors are enjoyed by guests and gardening enthusiasts alike, making them an ideal escape for those who want to enjoy the treasures and delights of a spectacular garden.
Cashel House, Co. Galway
Cashel House has a long history of owners who have been passionate gardeners and its 50 acres of gardens and woodland walks are full of historical riches. This wonderful country house is in the heart of Connemara and overlooks Cashel Bay. It was built for its first owner, Captain Thomas Hazell, an English landowner, in 1840. The rose hedge he is said to have given to his wife as a gift for their 40th wedding anniversary remains today. The next owner was Jim O'Mara T.D. who was a keen botanist and turned the orchard field into a walled garden. “He was extraordinary and collected stuff from all over the world. We have an enormous collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias [from him],” said Kay McEvilly, who took over the house with her husband, Dermot, in 1967. (They took it over from Lt Col and Mrs Brown Clayton, also keen gardeners). The elegant dining room overlooks the gardens and serves delicious dishes with fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden. McEvilly loves bringing guests on a tour of the gardens and sharing its history. “We bring them up to the “Secret Garden” [named by O’Maras’s children], and show them the trees. I bring them to “Mary’s Garden.” I only had one sister and we were both gardening mad. She lived in Belgium and was killed in a motor accident so I built “Mary’s Garden” and recreated her garden there. It’s magic now, there is no sorrow, there is only joy in the garden. I think that’s what gardening is really all about, something you should enjoy and let others enjoy.”
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Castle Durrow, Co. Laois
Marlfield House, Co. Wexford
Enniscoe House, Co. Mayo
The gardens at the classical Georgian Enniscoe House are hidden among the woods at the foot of Mount Nephin in County Mayo, and garden enthusiasts will adore its pastures, woodlands with lakeside walks, pleasure grounds and carefully restored Victorian garden. The Enniscoe Estate has been in the same family since the 1650s and the house dates from the 1790s. It is now run by Susan Kellett and her son DJ. “Our gardens are of great interest because there’s the ornamental side and then there’s the working organic market garden side,” said Susan. “The ornamental garden is laid out to a late Victorian/Edwardian layout.” As with all Blue Book properties, there is a huge emphasis on providing delicious food for its guests and as such, much of Enniscoe’s own organic fruit and vegetables, when in season, are used in their dishes from the community gardening scheme that operates within it. “During our restoration [of the gardens] in the 1990s, we created two books with a detailed history of the restoration itself and some of the original references from the gardeners. We also have some of the 1870s receipts from buying plants, shrubs and trees so it’s perfect for somebody interested in garden history. I hope guests who come here take away a feeling of continuity; that the people that lived in the house from the beginning thought the gardens were important, and spent time and energy [on them].”
For more information on Enniscoe House, Please click here
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