After reading the Squire’s Inside Scoop on the Irish Castle Hotels tours, I admit I became taken with all things “castle” in Ireland. I might go so far as to say that I morphed into a bit of a Castle Queen, but please don’t dare try to compare me to Ms. Bonham Carter, an outlandish character in a fantasy book. True, I did begin to obsess over which estates could take me away to my own fantasy space and after a quick glance at Wiki, I was shocked to find that Ireland was home to hundreds of castles, over fifty in Northern Ireland alone. I wanted to create my own fairy tale where I was the heroine, Lady C. not Lady G., so when I spotted The Irish Country House by Vendome Press while researching my upcoming trip, I decided that I would cast fate to the wind and plan to see some of the grandest of them for myself.
The cover, a nineteenth century Gothic music room bathed in sunlight, oozed warmth, beauty and old world elegance and the table of contents promised ten of the most breathtaking residences in the world. The opening technicolor spread of the parklike gardens of Kilruddery in County Wicklow followed by a sculpture gallery of life size marbles almost coming to life under the conservatory’s soaring arches gave me goose bumps. Imagine almost 200 pages like this, chronicling stately homes and castles that have survived through centuries of Irish history yet still remaining in the hands of the families that built them. According to the cover jacket notes, many of these homes and castles had never been published before; they were Ireland’s little secrets. Thumbing through the heavy photo stock pages I saw astounding photography, the next more stunning than the last, not only glamorous interior and exterior shots but intimate and detailed close-ups of family portraits, architectural details, gardens, furniture and memorabilia from days long gone.
The photography by James Fennell, who is a based in the countryside of County Kildare, literally invites you into the drawing rooms, tousled bedrooms, print-lined hallways and well trampled mudrooms. Each and every room portrays in vivid color the distinctive personalities of the owners; a red silk bell pull against green flocked floral wallpaper, an ornate giltwood mirror reflecting a ribbed vaulted ceiling accented with gilded quadrangle leafs, spectacularly carved antique chairs and a drawer filled with two-hundred-year-old love letters.
The text by the Knight of Glin, president of the Irish Georgian Society, and James Peill, a specialist on European furniture, is printed on soothing pastel pages. It tells the tales of the homes’ colorful inhabitants, both past and present. Over the years these homes have been the stage for grand romances, lavish parties, kidnappings and wars. At Tullynally in County Westmeath for example, which has the appearance of a small fortified town or a “Camelot of the Gothic Revival”, a secret door leads from the legendary library into the grand dining room.
This book invited me to fall in love with Ireland’s fascinating history and eye popping decoration with photos so gorgeous and enchanting I could almost smell the old first editions stacked high in the libraries. I closed my eyes and again imagined strolling through the huge heraldic entrance gates of Birr Castle, myself not Mary, the Countess of Rosse but Kristen, the Duchess of New Rochelle.
My trip is planned and I have The Irish Country House to thank for my itinerary. I chose the Enchanting Castles of Ireland tour from Isle Inn Tours and will be spending 6 nights in three of Ireland’s most beloved castles while seeing all the glorious sights including the Blarney Castle. Please pinch me! Do yourself a favor and see the country homes this fabulous book details. They will take your breath away and transport you to another time.
The Irish Country House
By The Knight of Glin and James Peill
www.vendomepress.com
www.isleinntours.com