Beware! This story is not for the faint of heart! The Night the Devil came to dinner at Castletown Tom Conolly of Castletown had the first pack of hunting hounds ever kept in Ireland. He had stables at Castletown and also on the Curragh and was known as...
Welcome to our Harry Potter inspired tree walk!!! JK Rowling knew her tree folklore; you find it in the Harry Potter books. Each wand is made from a tree that often reflects the qualities of the wizard! Oak Tree First up is the oak tree. This tree is on the lime...
SHOPPING FOR FASHION, 18TH CENTURY STYLE! To be transported back in time to another era, to learn about the cultural, social and political attitudes of that time is what makes period dramas so popular. For me, I was especially fascinated by the peculiarities and...
Castletown House, built in the early 18th century by William Conolly, is one of Ireland’s largest and finest Palladian houses in Ireland. Now in the hands of the OPW, thousands visit Castletown every year to see this architecture gem and learn about its history. Yet...
Catherine Sarah Dorothea Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (1773-1831) was the daughter of Edward Pakenham 2nd Baron Longford of Tullynally Castle and his wife Catherine Rowley. She was one of ten children and more commonly referred to as Kitty. At the age of...
The Honourable Georgiana Bloomfield was born on 4 Oct 1809 daughter of Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron of Oakhampton and Redwood in Co Tipperary and (Douglas) Bloomfield. Little is written about Georgiana and indeed she is much overshadowed by her namesake who married...
Marguerite Gardiner, neé Power (1789 – 1849) Countess of Blessington. This beautiful miniature is after a portrait by Thomas Lawrence. Marguerite Power was born near Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Her father was Edmund Power, a small landowner. As a child, she loved to read,...
During the 18th century, the dining room had become one of the biggest and best rooms in the grand house, with plate on the sideboard and large numbers of liveried footmen attending to individual needs and wants. Where previously in the 17th century the saloon had...
WHAT LIES BENEATH – THE GRASSY KNOLL? FRONT LAWN… Anyone familiar with Castletown Parklands might on a sunny day in the past, have sat or ‘picnicked’ on the grass front lawn between the high hedge and Castletown House (begun 1722) and looked...
Days spent entirely at home. New routines to follow, days to plan and hours to occupy? Are you finding yourself craving the routine that many of us have had to set aside temporarily? Over the past few weeks words like social distancing, isolation and cocooning have...
