Castle Durrow | Castle Durrow Gardens

As well as being a beautiful hotel, Castle Durrow possesses one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland. Acres of lush lawns, colourful borders, green parkland, wild forests, a meandering river and plentiful orchards help make the Castle Durrow gardens heaven on earth. A haven for connoisseurs and amateurs alike, the Castle Durrow gardens are uniquely designed and restored, each area with its own identity, feel and character.

At the back of the house, follow your nose and walk up the steps into Miss Leyah's Courtyard, filled with hundreds of fragrant David Austin roses.

From here step into the walled garden, home to Sara’s Orchard and Pond, and filled with chickens, ducks and ancient apple trees. The walled garden is also home to the sunken garden which contains Olivia's Pool filled with goldfish and surrounded by ornamental pots and statues. This area is picturesque and a favourite of photographers.

For the foodie and organic enthusiasts, Tessa’s Kitchen Garden is home to a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and herbs, which are picked daily by the award-winning chef, Graham Gallagher.

Follow Lady Hannah’s meandering path by the restored ha-ha, flanked by spring, summer and autumn bulbs, towards the Victorian grotto.

Castle Durrow Tour

Visit Castle Durrow country house hotel & gardens and take a garden tour with Bart Howard the head gardener. A previous employee of Ballymaloe House, Bart has been with the Castle Durrow family for over 6 years. His outstanding knowledge and creativity make Bart a huge asset to Castle Durrow and a pleasure to have as the host of the garden tours.

The tour will take about one to one and a half hours and covers most of the 50 acres with emphasis on the beautiful South gardens, the courtyard, the walled garden with its double herbaceous border, Herb Parterre, the orchard and the vegetable garden. The restored original ha-ha and grotto will also make an appearance.

Afterwards you can enjoy tea or coffee and castle-made biscuits or, indeed, stay for lunch!

Garden tour, coffee, tea and castle-made biscuits. €8.50 per person.
Garden tour, coffee, tea, soup and sandwiches. €16.50per person

For more information, email info@castledurrow.com or contact +353(0)57 873 6555

About Castle Durrow

Built by Viscount Ashbrook in 1716, Castle Durrow rests on the banks of the river Erkina in the Irish midlands. Lovingly restored by Shelly and Peter Stokes, it is now open as one of Ireland's most popular luxury four star hotels and conveniently located about 1 hour from Dublin and 1 and a half hours from Cork. Castle Durrow is now one of Ireland’s magnificent luxury four star hotels and proudly one of Ireland’s most popular wedding venues.