With the sun shining and foot-and-mouth restrictions easing, people are impatient to get out and about. Two booklets, one from Bord Failte and the other available from Dublin Tourism, list a host of beautiful houses and gardens around the country to visit in the coming months.
Aside from well-publicised estates such as Powerscourt and Russborough Houses in Co Wicklow and Strokestown House and Famine Museum in Co Roscommon, there are several lesser-known gardens well worth a drive. Garden-lovers in particular will enjoy picking up new ideas and, in some cases, there are plants to be bought and tea shops to rest in before the journey back.
Owners of houses which qualify for Section 482 tax relief must provide public access to their houses and/or gardens for a period of 60 days in the year, including not less than 40 days between May and September and the admission price must be reasonable. Some are by appointment only, others more freely accessible.
For all-round entertainment, Powerscourt House and Gardens is difficult to beat. The house, rebuilt from a burnt-out shell by the Slazenger family, now accommodates a magnificent ballroom, craft shops and a very good restaurant overlooking the famous fountain.
Half a mile from Powerscourt, businessman Ken Rohan's Charleville House opens six days a week until the end of June, with viewing by appointment. A short walk from Charleville, the Kavanagh family is opening Ballyorney House to the public for the last two weeks of July and most of August. Not to be missed is Kilruddery, near Bray, which has one of the earliest French-style gardens in Ireland.
A little further out but just an hour or so from the city are several country houses in Meath, Kildare and Louth with interesting gardens. In Kildare, the Lyons Demesne owned by the Ryan family is open for 19 days in July and most of August. Lodge Park in Straffan has a Steam Museum for railway enthusiasts and a beautiful walled garden. Leixlip Castle, home of Desmond Guinness, opens its gates in May and September. The gardens at Coolgarrigan House, Naas, also merit a visit.
Kilfane, near Thomastown in Co Kilkenny, has woodland gardens, a waterfall and a cottage orne restored from an 18th century engraving. Also worth the trip is Ram House Gardens near Gorey in Co Wexford, which has ponds, woods and 70 varieties of clematis to enjoy. There is a wonderful Victorian garden at Ardgillan Castle near Balbriggan, which also has a tea shop and craft gallery.
A website compiled by Houses, Castles and Gardens of Ireland provides a comprehensive list of wonderful gardens to visit, at www.gardenireland.com and booklets can be picked up at Bord Failte and Dublin Tourism offices.
