Captivating Castles

 Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Today we set out to visit two well-known Irish castles.  The first was Kylemore Abby, built in 1868 by Margaret and Mitchell Henry at a cost of L29,000!  What a majestic sight!   The couple built this after visiting the area on their honeymoon, and you can see why they were drawn to the beauty of the area.  Margaret died of dysentery contracted while traveling to Egypt.  She was the mother of nine children who spent time in the castle and was only 45 years old when she died. The castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1903 for L63,000, and they ran into money problems, so eventually sold to the Benedictine nuns in 1913 for L45,000!  The nuns still occupy the castle, which became Kylemore Abbey when they took over.  The nuns continue their monastic life, and have kept the castle open for visitors to experience this magical and spiritual place.

We got to tour a small part of the castle, envisioning what life was like in the early days.  Dinner must really have been something in this dining room!

The other rooms were grand and luxurious.

We took a walk around the lake to the Grotto Church, built in memory of Margaret after she died.

And then, we visited the walled garden which was stunning!  It is six acres of flowers, herbs, vegetables and trees, and a fernery. (never heard of that before!)   They include only plant varieties from the Victorian era.  It is quite a gardener's showplace, surrounded by high stone walls!

 

It looked like they were getting ready for a big reception for fans of the big football game coming up in Dublin--Notre Dame vs Navy.

From Kylemore, we drove about an hour east to Ashford Castle where we had booked a one night stay.  OMG!  This estate was established in 1715 by the Ashford family as a hunting lodge.  The estate was later purchased in 1852 by the Guinness family, and then later by a private owner who has converted it into a 5-star hotel.  What an experience!  It was impressive just driving through the gates...

And then the castle  came into view!

Wow!  We were waiting for a Disney princess to walk out, (or maybe Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey.)

Instead, we were greeted by Joe, the doorman who took care of our luggage and directed us inside.

The stone Irish wolfhounds guarded the door, adding to the elegant entry.

The rooms were unbelievable...big, and ornate, with every little added bonus, including a personal silk robe and heated towel bar!

They also left a birthday cake for Jim and brought champagne and a card for our anniversary.

As if the champagne wasn't enough, we had booked an afternoon tea.   It was fancy and good!

We enjoyed Irish Whiskey hot tea with cream, strawberry tea, scones, sandwiches, and lots of sweets!

 

The desserts were sinfully delicious, but we couldn't finish them, so they boxed them up in a pretty "take away" box, and also scooped some teas for us to take home.  

We couldn't stay up late enough to enjoy the cinema in the castle (it started at 9:30 pm and we were sound asleep by then!)  We were certainly captivated by the castles today!