Tour description: Castletown House & Parklands

The Castletown Estate is in the lovely town of Celbridge, the hometown of Arthur Guinness and the courting grounds of Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels.

Set in this illustrious history, Castletown is the most celebrated and magnificent Palladian style mansion in Ireland. The house was built in the 1720s by William Conolly, a man from humble origins in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, but who in his lifetime became an important political figure in 18th Century Ireland and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. His architectural legacy, Castletown, was re-invigorated in the mid to late 18th century by his grand-nephew Tom and his wife, Lady Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Richmond and one of the Lennox sisters. The extraordinary scale, decoration, plasterwork and collections at Castletown as presented today, continue to bring to life this unique period in Ireland’s history.

A guided tour for HNS members will explore the finest Palladian mansion in Ireland and the family who lived in it. The tour will be over two floors (the ground floor and the first floor) and last approximately an hour.

https://castletown.ie/

Accessibility

The ground floor of Castletwon House is accessible by lift for wheelchair users. The lift is small and can only take one wheelchair at a time. However, the first floor is not wheelchair accessible, as in the event of a fire alarm the lift does not function. Visitors with mobility issues will be able to use the lift to the first floor in the event of the stairs being too difficult. We will walk and stop continuously for up to one hour along internal rooms and corridors on two floors. Fold up stools will be available for anyone who needs them.

HNS delegates will then walk 12 minutes down the lime tree avenue to the gates of Castletown House to Restaurant Michelangelo, along a flat driveway. After lunch, we will walk back 12 minutes to the car park to catch our coach.

Some visitors may wish to explore the parklands after lunch on foot.