Ireland: Great Houses & Gardens

Full day excursion to County Wicklow beginning with a visit to Russborough House, an architectural gem in a magnificent setting in the Wicklow mountains near the Blessington Lakes. This historic treasure house was built between 1740-1750 for Richard Leeson, the first Earl of Milltown. Russborough was bought in 1952 by Sir Alfred and Lady Beit with vast personal inherited wealth. Together, with a love and understanding of the arts and culture, they became among the most important collectors of their time. The house contains fine 18th-century French furniture, superb stucco ceilings by the Lafranchini Brothers, tapestries, carpets, porcelain, silver and much of the Beit Collection of paintings (Gainsborough, Oudry and A. Van Ostade). Today, the Alfred Beit Foundation maintains Russborough with its superlative contents – all bequeathed to the Irish Nation for the advancement of the Fine Arts in Ireland.

Continue to Powerscourt Gardens. Named by National Geographic as the third finest landscaped garden across the entire globe, Powerscourt Gardens is its own world of wonder set in a glorious valley cradled by the Wicklow Mountains and the Great Sugar Loaf – a triumph of restoration completed in 1996. Lose yourself in 47 acres of carefully curated and maintained gardens originally dating back to 1731 when the imposing house was built for the first Viscount Powerscourt. Time permitting enjoy the Japanese and Italian gardens, the herbaceous borders, the charming walled garden, the intact 18th-century statuary and the (19th[1]century) terraces linking the house to the lake.

Lunch (at your own expense) on the Terrace of Powerscourt House overlooking sweeping terraces and formal ‘French’ gardens.

Return drive to the Hotel. Optional dinner at the K Club located close to the hotel, an interesting and smart hotel with a noted collection of 20th century Irish art on view (estimated cost €100 per person).

Depart by coach to visit Killruddery House in County Wicklow – home to the Brabazon family (the Earls of Meath) since 1618. The gardens are rare examples of late 17th-century and early 18th-century French formal gardens designed by a disciple of Andre le Notre. See the impressive water features, wooded areas and distinctive outdoor ‘rooms’. The house has elegant interiors of the Regency period. Tour of the house with the Earl of Meath, a member of the Brabazon family (subject to confirmation).

Private lunch in the Orangery at Killruddery House. Drive to Charleville, a two-storey, nine-bay mansion in the Palladian style, built in 1797 to designs by Whitmore Davis for the First Viscount Monck. The house sits in its original demesne and has been lovingly maintained by its current owners Mr and Mrs Kenneth Rohan. It boasts finely proportioned rooms superbly decorated to the highest standard. The Rohans have filled the house with a superb collection of fine and decorative arts. The gardens, in full glory in May, are lovingly cared for and immaculately tended.

Return to the hotel. Dinner under own arrangements (there is a choice of restaurants at the Hotel).

Depart by coach to visit Burtown, an early Georgian villa surrounded by 12 acres of lush flower and woodland gardens with 180 acres of remaining farmland from the former 2000- acre estate. May and June are peak months for variety and colour so expect to see irises, roses, peonies and clematis. See the shrubberies, large herbaceous borders and a profuse collection of candelabra primulas, hostas, and ferns. Lunch in the famed Green Barn Restaurant overlooking the walled kitchen garden (which has been in continuous production for over 150 years).

Continue to Leixlip Castle. Built on a rock at the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water, the central part of Leixlip Castle was built soon after 1172 by Adam de Hereford, a follower of Strongbow, the Norman invader of Ireland. It has passed through many hands but was most attractively ‘georganised’ in the mid-18th century. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited homes in Ireland and has been owned by Mr Desmond Guinness and his family since 1958. Desmond Guinness was famously instrumental, almost single handedly, for saving and preserving many of Ireland’s Georgian heritage. Mrs Penny Guinness will be on hand to greet our party (subject to confirmation).

In the Front Hall see the 17th century Brussels tapestry depicting Theodotus offering the head of Pompey to Caesar. The Dining Room is furnished with Chippendale Chairs and Bavarian tapestries. The plasterwork in the Library dates from the mid-18th century and the carpet is French Savonnerie. A treat in the Drawing Room is the huge, completely fabulous 18th-century Dolls’ House (originally from Newbridge House) and drawings of the six Mitford sisters by the anglo-italian painter William Acton. The garden has an 18th-century Gothic conservatory and temple. Also see the walled vegetable garden.

Return to the hotel. Dinner under own arrangements.

Morning visit to Lodge Park and Gardens in County Kildare. Overlooking a fine stretch of the River Liffey the house was built by Hugh Henry who married his cousin, Lady Anne Leeson from Russborough. Lodge Park was completed circa 1776 and with its curved quadrants, both attached to two further pavilions by curtain walls, it is considered the most extreme example of Irish Palladian architecture. Mr and Mrs Robert Guinness bought the house 1948. Enjoy a mid-morning walk through the beautifully restored Victorian walled gardens followed by drinks and an early private buffet lunch in Lodge Park.

Transfer to Dublin Airport. Suggested flight (not included) British Airways BA 837 departing Dublin at 15.20 hrs arriving London Heathrow at 16.40 hrs.