GREAT GARDEN STAYS - TEN OF THE BEST

Many of Ireland’s most interesting gardens are open throughout the summer and, as there is no greater treat than waking up to a beautiful garden, those offering accommodation are particularly special – these lovely places may inspire you to take a few days away to see them for yourself.

Burtown House & The Green Barn
Athy Co Kildare

On the Carlow-Kildare border, just 10 minutes' drive west of Athy, Burtown House is an early Georgian villa surrounded by beautiful gardens, parkland walks and farmland. It is one of only two houses in Co Kildare to have remained in the original family, and an extraordinarily talented one at that. Latterly it was home to the late Wendy Walsh, one of Ireland’s finest botanical artists and a wonderful gardener. Her favourite specimens are established here in the gardens that her daughter Lesley, also a highly regarded painter, and her son James Fennell, the photographer (best known for the famous Vanishing Ireland series, with words by his historian friend Turtle Bunbury of nearby Lisnavagh), have extended and improved over two generations to create the memorable experience that visitors enjoy today. On arrival, modern sculptures dotted around the parkland set the informal tone for a day that will be full of surprises and, thanks to the creativity and drive of Lesley, James and his wife Joanna, Burtown is blossoming in a gloriously organic way. One of the most rewarding days out to be found anywhere in Ireland, Burtown is a member of the Carlow Gardens Trail and a must-visit when planning a trip to the Kildare/Carlow area. Accommodation is available and refreshments are served at their excellent restaurant, artisan food area and retail shop The Green Barn.


Cashel House Hotel & Gardens
Cashel Connemara Co Galway

Cashel House Hotel - Connemara County Galway IrelandThe McEvilly family have run this gracious property at the head of Cashel Bay as an hotel since 1968. The building is covered in a soft cloak of climbing plants and the gardens, which are informal and quietly secluded, are open to the public by appointment for most of the year - and also part of the Connemara Garden Trail. The gardens are over 200 years old and, with their paths and small walks covered in ‘mind your own business’ (soleirolia soleirollii) and edged with moss covered rocks, they are a delight. A fine Beech Walk leads up to the herb and vegetable gardens, and the old walled garden, now known as The Secret Garden, is planted with rare trees and shrubs from all over the world - The Irish Tree Society has listed all the rare trees in the gardens. As well as pleasing the eye, these beautiful gardens supply seasonal kitchen produce and fresh flowers for the house. What a great getaway this magical (and pet friendly) place offers, and good value too.

Castle Murray
Dunkineely Co Donegal

Cashel House Hotel - Connemara County Galway Ireland

Marguerite Howley and Peter Lawler’s beautifully located clifftop property has wonderful sea and coastal views over the ruined castle after which it is named. It is a comfortable and relaxing place to stay, with a little bar, a seaview residents’ sitting room and a large decked terrace that can be covered with an awning in a good summer. While it is set in casually pleasant gardens of its own, it would make a wonderful base for visiting members of the Donegal Garden Trail. This is a group of over 20 outstanding gardens around the county and one of the most interesting - Elizabeth Temple's Salthill Garden at Mount Charles - is close by. Although the once-famous restaurant no longer operates, Peter's delicious breakfasts and simple weekend dinners for residents are served in the seaward corner of the hotel overlooking the Atlantic and the castle (which is floodlit at night) where it used to be - and the open fire is still there, now surrounded by a comfortable seating area. A very special place - and pet friendly too.

Angler's Return
Toombeola, Roundstone, Co Galway

Angler's ReturnAlso a member of the Connemara Garden Trail, Lynn Hill’s charming and unusual house at the foot of Derradda Hill overlooks the Ballynahinch River, near Roundstone, and was built as a sporting lodge in the eighteenth century. Fishing remains a major attraction and, even if you are not a fisherperson, it’s a place to be outdoors - there are maps and information for walkers, riding and boat trips can be arranged for guests, and there is golf nearby too. But you don’t even have to leave this lovely property to enjoy time out of doors as the house is set in three acres of gardens, established in a natural style in the 19th century and inviting guests to wander over rocky outcrops and through old trees. Although perhaps best in late spring and early summer, when the air is scented with blossom (azaleas, apple blossom, bulbs blooming in a bluebell wood), the garden is lovely throughout summer and this tranquil spot makes a good base for visiting other members of the Connemara Garden Trail - and, of course, for painting holidays in this stunningly scenic area.


Marlfield House
Gorey Co Wexford

Marlfield House - Gorey County Wexford IrelandThe Bowe family’s beautiful regency period house on the Courtown Road (R742), is renowned as one of Ireland’s most luxurious small hotels. Currently run by sisters Margaret and Laura Bowe, it is surrounded by 36 acres of beautiful gardens and grounds - including an immaculate kitchen garden of herbs, vegetables and fruits that offer the main view from the newer casual dining restaurant, The Duck, and is nothing less than a work of art. The Wexford Garden Trail offers a user friendly brochure as well as online information, including a map of the county with the location, details and photos of all the gardens and nurseries featured (available in tourist offices and hotels in the area). Describing Marlfield, it says “Woodlands form the back drop to meandering paths through an extensive kitchen garden of. Long borders of shrubs and herbaceous perennials flank a yew hedge and lead to the lawns and formal gardens. The lake and wildfowl reserve form a completely separate garden to the front of the hotel and the island, reached by a wooden bridge, has beautiful specimen shrubs and trees.” The garden entrance fee (€12) includes morning coffee or afternoon tea with freshly baked scones in the hotel, and garden-themed breaks are sometimes offered.


Hunters Hotel
Newrath Bridge Rathnew Co Wicklow

Hunters hotel - County Wicklow IrelandNow running for over a quarter of a century and including lovely places in both the Garden County and adjoining counties, the former Wicklow Garden Festival is now known as Wicklow Gardens. The wide choice of member gardens ranges from famous places like Mount Usher, Powerscourt, Russborough and the National Garden Exhibition Centre to smaller but equally interesting private gardens like Hunting Brook and June Blake’s Garden (both in the Blessington area) and, of course, Hunters Hotel. A visit to this rambling old coaching inn set in lovely gardens alongside the River Vartry would be a highlight for any gardener and it’s a lovely place to be based when visiting gardens in the area. One of Ireland’s oldest coaching inns, it was built around 1720 and has been in the same family now for five generations brothers. Brothers Richard and Tom Gelletlie take pride in running the place on traditional lines, as many guests will remember their late mother, the legendary Maureen Gelletlie, doing for many years. People come here for old-fashioned comfort and food based on local and home-grown produce; the emphasis is very much on ‘old fashioned’, which is where its charm and character lie. Their famous afternoon tea is served in the riverside garden in summer, and it’s a special treat when the herbaceous borders put on their spectacular display of oriental poppies. “Many other interesting perennials are featured in box-edged borders,” states the Wicklow Gardens guide, “Trees and shrubs include magnolias, rhododendron, specimens, lirodendron, nothofagus, eucryphias, podocarpus, abutilon, fremontedendron, ginkgo, paulownia etc. The large kitchen garden provides fruit and vegetables for the hotel.” Open all year from 10am-dusk; voluntary contributions to the Irish Cancer Society are encouraged.


Carrig House Country House & Restaurant
Caragh Lake, Killorglin Co Kerry

Carrig House Country House & Restaurant - Caragh Lake Killorglin County Kerry IrelandShould an excuse ever be needed to visit Kerry, garden lovers will find they are spoilt for choice. With its dramatic beauty and a climate tempered by the gulf stream, the county - and particularly the Ring of Kerry - is renowned for its wonderful gardens, and semi tropical plants thrive here. Famous examples include Glanleam Gardens on Valentia Island, Derreen Garden near Kenmare, and Kells Bay Garden near Glenbeigh. A perfect base for exploring them would be Frank and Mary Slattery's charming and hospitable Victorian house on Caragh Lake, which is itself handsomely set in fine gardens with the lake and mountains providing a theatrical backdrop. The extensive gardens are of great interest, both for the way they interact with their magnificent setting and for plantings of rare and unusual plants from all over the world, including various species of acer, magnolia, cornus, acacia and eucryphia, which provide an ever-changing spectacle throughout the year. A laminated map is available, naming the various areas - Waterfall Garden, Rock Walk etc - and personalised tours can be arranged. Any garden lover visiting Kerry will find this a lovely place to stay - and you will eat very well here too, in a charming lakeside restaurant, which is open to non-residents.


Kilmokea Country Manor & Gardens
Great Island Campile Co Wexford

Kilmokea Country Manor & Gardens - Great Island Campile County Wexford IrelandMark and Emma Hewlett’s peaceful Georgian country house is set in seven acres of Heritage Gardens, where the rivers Barrow and Nore meet. The ‘lower garden’, dating from 1947, is now home to over 130 species of rare and tender trees and shrubs. Nearer the house, peacocks strut and formal walled gardens are designed as a series of compartments, with topiary and statuary marking the entrance to each new room: the Italian Loggia garden features a pool and stone pillars; the ‘quarter garden’ hosts a fine display of irises and roses; whilst the ‘hot’ herbaceous border is home to old-fashioned plants including the red Maltese cross lychnis. There is a large organic vegetable garden too, attractively planted in the traditional potager design. Additions that have enhanced the attraction of Kilmokea as a family destination include a Fairy Village that will delight little people visiting the woodland garden, while a small Viking settlement and a Norman Motte and Baily have been created to interest members of the family who enjoy history. They are members of the Wexford Garden Trail and The Pink Teacup Café offers daytime refreshment. Guests staying in the elegantly furnished house or newer rooms and self-catering suites in an adjoining coach house may also have dinner in the main dining room by reservation.


Ballymaloe House & Cookery School
Shanagarry Co Cork

Ballymaloe House - Shanagarry County Cork IrelandHaving achieved a worldwide reputation for its teaching excellence, it’s easy to forget that there is much more to Ballymaloe Cookery School than cookery classes. Yet, with a hundred acre organic farm as its foundation, the cookery school is just one aspect of this multi-talented team’s success story and the wonderful gardens are another, and also managed organically - “all the plants receive a generous dose of good farm yard manure early in the spring to set them up for the season”. Restoration began in 1983, shortly after the school was established, and a glance at the current list of ‘sections’ gives a sense of the importance of the gardens, with the Fruit Garden; the Potager; and the Herb Garden of particular interest to food lovers. Garden Tours are available, also gardening classes and workshops. They’re on the East Cork Heritage and Garden Trail and you can stay nearby at Ballymaloe House, of course – where there are more lovely gardens to enjoy.


Ballykine House
Clonbur Co Galway

Ballykine House - Clonbur County Galway IrelandVery comfortable accommodation and Ann Lambe’s warm hospitality make this friendly farmhouse an appealing base for a peaceful holiday. Surrounded by mature woodland, with views through clearings over water and towards distant countryside to the west, the house has the feeling of a sporting lodge and is set in well-maintained gardens. It’s a sociable house, with plenty of places indoors and out for lounging and chatting, and activities abound, with guided forest walks from the house, bikes for hire locally, angling on Lough Corrib, and an equestrian centre at nearby Ashford Castle – where the glorious gardens have recently undergone major restoration and are worth a special visit. Well placed for touring Connemara and exploring Co Mayo, the charming nearby village of Clonbur is perhaps less known than it deserves – its characterful pubs and restaurants are within walking distance of Ballykine, and so is Ashford Castle. On fine evenings guests often like to walk to the pub or restaurant of their choice and get a lift back later.


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