NEW LIFE:Patrick Nordstrom was a successful consultant in crisis management in Germany but the chance purchase of a 12th century castle in Ireland by his father changed his life forever, OLIVIA KELLHER.
CANCER RESEARCH scientist Dr Rabbe Nordstrom bought 12th century Blackwater Castle in Castletownroche on a bit of a whim in 1991. His son Patrick admits his late father put in a bid for the property never expecting it to be accepted. However, his bid was successful and being the honourable man he was there was never a question of withdrawing it.
Patrick says his Finnish father had a Scandinavian mentality of “giving his word and sticking to it”.
“A friend of his was a real estate agent and the building was on the market. For some odd reason my father made a bid on it and after the holidays [in Ireland] they forgot about it. Then when he found out the bid had been successful it was a case of going to my mother and saying ‘Dear – I got the castle.’”
Dr Nordstrom died in 1998 and never got the opportunity to use it as a full-time holiday/retirement home or even a retreat for cancer patients as once envisaged.
Patrick, who was then based in Germany where he was employed as a business consultant, said he didn’t even think about selling the castle. Instead, he began contemplating a complete change in pace in his frenetic life.
Patrick’s family is Finnish, but he grew up in Bavaria, Germany with one younger brother, Christian. He studied business at the University of Cologne and had his own consultancy in crisis management in Germany before moving to Ireland permanently in 2004 to oversee the completion of renovation work on the castle.
However, it was a long journey from crisis management in Germany to a calmer existence in Castletownroche.
As a young man Patrick pursued a degree in law until he decided that spending his life dealing with “people who disagree” all the time was not for him.
He moved in to the business field and by his early 30s he was being head-hunted for his skills in crisis management.
He found it very rewarding to help companies in difficulty get back on track, but he admits such a field promoted his workaholic tendencies. “I was a workaholic of the worst kind. I had to learn my lesson the hard way. It was a 24/7 job. The other problem is it is not a popular job. You are the person who might have to make someone redundant.
“You are telling a CEO they need to retire and bring in someone innovative. You are hired to tell people the truth. On the one hand, it is very rewarding and, on the other, it is quite demanding.”
Patrick says his work ethic had a detrimental impact on his personal life and his first marriage fell by the wayside. When his father bought Blackwater Castle in 1991 a process of renovation work got under way which was completed only last year.
Following his father’s death Patrick flew over to Ireland on a regular basis to oversee the project and he found that participating in the manual work assisted him as he came to a life-changing decision.
Patrick had been a regular visitor to Cork over the years, and co-wrote a guidebook, Motorcycle Tours in the South of Ireland, for Mercier Press. In 2004 he gave up his job as a business consultant and made the full-time move to Ireland. Since then his life has changed dramatically.
His mother Ninna had already moved to the castle and on hearing the “obscene” prices of Irish weddings he decided to rent the facility out for marriages and corporate events.
“I felt I had to open up the gates unconditionally to the people of the area. I was shocked when I heard how much Irish weddings cost. I decided the castle could work as a blank canvas – as a value-for-money facility. I just encourage people to do their own personal unique wedding. They make it their home for the day.”
Patrick says he actively encourages couples to keep their wedding costs at the castle below €10,000. The biggest wedding they ever had was for 300, with the smallest for 25 people. He says by keeping the numbers small, couples at the castle create the opportunity to have a unique, memorable wedding rather than an identikit hotel wedding.
“Weddings have gotten out of hand in recent years in terms of cost and return.
“Now is the time to look to creating an individual, intimate and personal wedding ceremony and reception, without exorbitant cost implications.
“Couples are now looking at private venues such as Blackwater Castle where they can design their own weddings in a stylish, customised and cost-effective way.”
Couples choosing Blackwater Castle have, according to Patrick, been known to add personal artefacts and even furniture in order to personalise the venue and “own it” for the duration of the wedding.
“We encourage people to bring their own framed photographs for the piano-tops and mantelpieces, or to bring their favourite artworks to adorn the reception rooms. We’ve even had the bride’s Irish wolfhound guarding the door!” Patrick says.
He also rents out sections of the venue for accommodation. The castle can now accommodate 35 people with additional support from local BBs for larger events. University College Cork will hold summer courses there this year, and they regularly host Finnish cultural events.
Patrick is also particularly active in promoting the Blackwater Valley region, and works tirelessly in promoting The Beast of Ballyhoura, an annual event for extreme sports.
What he couldn’t have foreseen when he moved to Ireland in 2004 was how quickly he would meet the woman of his dreams. A music enthusiast, he was in Cork city for the Jazz festival in 2005 when he met Corbally-born solicitor Sheila O’Keeffe. There was no question she was the right partner for him and they married in 2008.
They now have a two and half month old baby girl Moira Sinead and have made their home in a restored coach house on the grounds of the castle.
Patrick’s two children from his first marriage, Henrick and Lisa, are also frequent visitors to Ireland. He says he could never imagine a return to his old life in Germany.
“I appreciate I have lived a privileged life and my life is out of the ordinary. However, I would say to people never allow yourself to be totally guided by your earnings. It is always good to challenge yourself.
“If your life is grounded by stress you just live for the holidays. Holidays should be a complement to your life not something you live for. Time is precious. Money isn’t everything – you can’t buy everything you want. I am a happier and better person and of more value to my children now.”
“I appreciate I have lived a privileged life and my life is out of the ordinary. However, I would say to people never allow yourself to be totally guided by your earnings. Time is precious. Money isn’t everything. I am a happier and better person and of more value to my children now