Failte Ireland - Ireland Buyers Guide 2018

On its outskirts is one of the county’s jewels – Powerscourt House and Gardens . The magnificence of the estate here really is quite something, with its grand Palladian frontage and baroque domed towers – so much so that one architecture historian described it as possessing “the massive dignity of a great Italian Renaissance villa.” Enjoy a coffee on the terrace overlooking the gardens, before stepping down the grand staircase into the world-famous gardens, complete with Japanese garden, pet cemetery and gracious statues. A perfect end to a perfect day. Allow minimum 1 ½ hours for this experience If you have more time: Take a trip to Russborough House , where you can view the famous art collection of the Beits. This delightful Palladian house has a fascinating history that takes in everything from art robberies to parties with Fred Astaire. Glendalough is famed for its two lakes and spiritual atmosphere. At the monastic village, cast your mind back to what Glendalough must have been like in its heyday – when it was a retreat for peace-seeking monks. Allow 1 ½ hours for these experiences. Dinner & overnight Wicklow DAY 4 From one grand expanse of green to another – this time into the heart of Ireland’s horse country in County Kildare. The flat pastures of The Curragh have made it world-famous for its thoroughbreds, and it’s one of the finest racing tracks in Europe – so make it to a race day if you can, or tour early in the morning and witness the spectacle of long lines of thoroughbreds training across miles of flat, rich plains. There’s still plenty of equestrian-related enjoyment to be had nearby at the Irish National Stud , where the winners of five Classics were produced and the tale of Colonel WilliamWalker is revealed. A true character, he used astrological charts to determine the futures of his foals – any born under an undesirable chart were sold. Move from horses to horticulture next at the Japanese Gardens . Designed to represent the “Life of Man”, the gardens were created by Japanese master horticulturalist Tassa Eida, and force you to adjust and adapt to a slower, more peaceful pace.Walk the tranquil woodland and wetlands of the restful St Fiachra’s Garden . Allow minimum 1 ½ hours for this experience Continue to Laois’s Emo Court Demesne . Here, listen for the echoes of the 1798 Rebellion that once permeated the stillness of these magnificent neoclassical parklands.West again, past the scenic Slieve Bloom Mountains and through the village of Kinnitty, which according to legend has the head of a princess buried beneath it. Allow 1 ½ hours for this experience Lunch in Emo Court Head for Birr Castle , where science resides with its huge Great Telescope sitting at the heart of this vast and beautiful demesne. Designed and built in the 19th century by the Third Earl of Rosse, this telescope was the largest in the world from 1845 to 1914 and was appropriately known as the “Leviathan”. Finish the day with a walk through the gardens, which bloom with roses, wisteria and 300-year-old box hedges. Allow 1 ½ hours for this experience If you have more time: Visit the Curragh Military Museum, which focusses on the area’s military history, revealing how these grounds have been used for the Jacobites and their war horses in 1686, as well as British soldiers during the First WorldWar. Dinner & Overnight Athlone 84 Strongbow and Aoife, Co.Waterford Causey Farm, Co. Meath