Castle Hopping & Ghosts in Ireland By R. Couri Hay
In Dublin: Brad Pitt & Nick Jonas
Ireland’s capital and largest city, Dublin, is a wonderful place to explore, with gorgeous Georgian architecture, fabulous museums and those authentic Irish pubs that have been replicated throughout the world. Brad Pitt, Nick Jonas, Paul Rudd, and NYC attorney Arthur Aidala were all at this summer’s festive Bruce Springsteen concert at Croke Park in this picturesque city.
Experience Irish history, including cultural icons like whiskey and beer, and green parks. Dublin is also a great place from which to explore other parts of Ireland, from the famous emerald countryside to storybook villages to castles. Here are some of my favorites from my recent visit.
Kilkenny Castle: The White Lady
Kilkenny Castle is considered one of the most beautiful in Ireland. It is also fully intact, having been continually inhabited since it was built in 1195 until it was turned over to the Irish people in 1967; significant because many Irish castles are merely ruins. Kilkenny has been beautifully restored and maintained through the years. Guests have also reported paranormal activity on the grounds, mainly “The White Lady” who is rumored to be Lady Margaret Butler, famous for being the paternal grandmother of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII of England. Lady Margaret was born in Kilkenny Castle, and many believe that her spirit returned to the castle after her death abroad.
Located outside of Dublin in the historic city of Kilkenny, Ireland’s medieval capital — which itself is worth exploring if you have time – Kilkenny Castle overlooks the River Nore. One of the first Norman Castles in Ireland, it was built by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, known as “Strongbow,” who married the Irish princess Aoife.
The original structure was wooden, the first stone castle on the site arrived in 1260, and three of its original towers are still a part of the present-day Kilkenny Castle. kilkennycastle.ie
Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull
In 1391 the aristocratic, powerful Butler family bought the property, and it remained in their hands for 600 years. In 1661 the Butlers’ remodeled the place in a French-inspired chateau style; the building’s new entrance created at that time is still there today.
The Butler family fortunes waxed and waned through the centuries, with marriages to wealthy women restoring the coffers here and there. In 1967 the Butlers sold the castle to a Restoration Committee for just £50, in order to protect the property from further deterioration. Rock legends Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull turned up for the handover ceremony in Kilkenny.
Its most recent Victorian-style renovation in the 19th century is what we see today. It was extensively renovated with great attention to detail, preserving and reusing as many original materials as possible. Signs at the castle point out certain elements, like carpet and wallpaper, that were replicated with great effort. I felt like I was in Downton Abbey!
An art gallery hosts exhibits of contemporary artists, and there are rotating historic exhibitions at the castle. Perk up with tea at the lovely tearoom. The 50-acre grounds, with rolling parkland, a formal rose garden, lake and walking trails are open to the public free of charge.
Kilkea Castle
I stayed nearby at Kilkea Castle, my favorite hotel in Ireland. Unlike Kilkenny Castle, this one is a renowned luxury resort, with a golf course, a world-class spa and gourmet dining. Really, you can stay in a castle. And the 180-acre estate offers all the trappings of European country life that we see in the movies: falconry, archery, tennis, equestrian facilities, off-roading and fishing, plus whiskey tastings and more.
The property is owned by Christy Cashman, a Boston-based producer, author, equestrian and actress who has appeared in more than twenty Hollywood movies, including Ted 2, American Hustle and The Golden Boys. Cashman, who has published two children’s books, recently became a first-time novelist with her debut title, The Truth About Horses.
As one of Ireland’s oldest habitable castles, Kilkea has some ghostly residents. They even offer a complimentary nighttime tour of the most haunted spots on their grounds, including the castle’s upper levels, its courtyard, and even an abandoned graveyard. The tour begins in Kilkea’s old nursery, where guests claim to have seen an apparition of a little girl playing in the hallway leading to this room. Some have reported sounds of children’s laughter and light footsteps. Although the spirit has never been identified, she is thought to be a past inhabitant of the castle. The Wizard Earl is another otherworldly occupant within the castle walls. This spirit is thought to be the 11th Earl of Kildare, Gerald FitzGerald, who dabbled in the dark arts. Guests say his spirit clamors around the room where he practiced his spells. Perched at the top of a spiral staircase in the castle’s main tower, this so-called Haunted Room has been preserved for many years and remains unused—aside from the ghost tours. The last stop on the tour is the old graveyard, the family plot for Lord Walter Fitzgerald, an antiquarian who lived in the estate at the turn of the 20th century.
YOUthink Creative Wellness
In 2022, Cashman created YOUthink Creative Wellness Retreats to provide a spiritual, creative, and physical oasis for guests, with a portion of the fees going to help a deserving teen attend one of YOUthink’s creative mentorship workshops. At the most recent wellness weekend the featured presenter was Mark Kovacs, VP of health & performance for Canyon Ranch Spa.
How did Cashman, an American mom of two, come to own an Irish castle? She’d joined a horseback riding group that made annual trips to Ireland. Shortly after meeting her now-husband, Jay Cashman, he decided to join her on a riding trip. Since she’d be spending all her time riding horses, he declared that he’d be looking for a castle while in the Emerald Isle.
Thereafter they went every year, even after marrying and having children. 20 years later, in 2012, he actually did buy Kilkea, which dates to 1180, and had been abandoned for a number of years. Renovations began in 2016 and it opened it as a resort hotel in 2018, and they’ve been upgrading it ever since. kilkeacastle.ie
Sights to See in Dublin
Irish Whiskey Museum
The Irish Whiskey Museum is based in the heart of Dublin in a historic building across from Trinity College, whose illustrious alumni include Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker and Nobel-winning playwright Samuel Beckett, to name just a few. And yes, the whiskey industry has played as big a part in Irish history as have its famous writers.
In fact, it is believed that the Irish first taught the Scots about distillation. At its peak in the 19th century, Irish whiskey dominated the world market. And the Irish tradition included not just the big names like Jameson’s exporting to the world, but hundreds of small, rural distillers catering to locals. Their whiskey was the Irish equivalent of moonshine.
Learning about this fascinating history at the Irish Whiskey Museum is, as you’d imagine, not stuffy at all, but lots of fun. The venue is full of memorabilia, and many of its exhibits are interactive; one set in a Victorian bar documents the industry’s decline on the global stage, due to wars, taxation and other factors.
The museum’s tours are also interactive, with tastings, blending, an Irish coffee master class, and a bar and retail store. Since opening in 2014 the Whiskey Museum has ranked among Dublin’s top attractions.
irishwhiskeymuseum.ie
GPO Museum
As you might expect, the GPO Museum is located in Dublin’s gorgeous, historic former General Post Office. However the name is misleading since this museum tells the story of modern Irish history, starting with the 1916 Easter Rising which took place on the premises. A bloody battle for independence from Britain, the Easter Rising played a significant role in Ireland becoming independent several years later. Although Ireland lost the battle, there was so much bloodshed and so many victims, including civilians, that the uprising helped turn public sentiment against the British. The GPO was in ruins. Today it is home to GPO Witness History, an interactive museum that brings to life the glory and horror of that violent uprising and the part this famous building played in it. The exhibit includes an original copy of the Proclamation of Independence. anpost.com
National Gallery of Ireland
The National Gallery of Ireland is Dublin’s heavyweight art museum, and the circa 1860s building emerged from a multi-year renovation in 2017 that has been rapturously received. “Dublin’s treasures breathe at last” the Guardian headline proclaimed of the revamped space.
For such a small country, the museum is on par with Europe’s finest. Yes, the big names are here, Monet, Goya, Caravaggio, Van Gogh, Vermeer, but what sets this museum apart is its collection of paintings by Irish artists from the 17th to the 20thcenturies. There’s a separate “Years Museum” dedicated to works by members of the Yeats family, including Jack B. Yeats, the 20th-century’s best-known Irish painter and the brother of writer W. B. Yeats.
Museum of Decorative Arts & History
The Museum of Decorative Arts & History, a part of the National Museum of Ireland, is fittingly housed in a magnificent 1704 onetime military barracks designed by Thomas Burgh. And the design collection is superb, featuring silver, ceramics, glassware, weaponry, furniture and folk art.
Permanent collections on display include glassworks by Alison Lowry and an extensive exhibit on Eileen Gray, one of the most influential architects and designers of the 20th-century. It includes her furniture designs and tells the story of her life. An Irishwoman who mainly practiced in Paris, it was Gray’s wish that her work would one day be brought to Ireland.
A highlight is the Curator’s Choice exhibition, a rotating display of 25 objects hand-picked by different curators, along with their account of why they were chosen.
The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions from around the world, so there’s always something new to see on any visit. nationalgallery.ie
Guinness Storehouse
Guinness Stout is not only Ireland’s most famous beer, it’s actually the country’s national drink. Its brewery, founded in 1759, has become a landmark, and is Dublin’s most popular tourist destination. No, you can’t actually enter the brewery, but the company has developed the Guinness Storehouse on the site where afficionados can immerse themselves in the wonders of this beloved dark brew. Housed in a 6-story 1904 warehouse, there’s a museum where you’ll see the brewing process, the brand’s history, with antique presses, advertising and bottle design through the years, and a history of the Guinness family.
Notably, founder Arthur Guinness may have negotiated the world’s best real estate deal: on display is the original lease for the site for the term of 9,000 years. No, that’s not a typo; there are over 8,000 years left on the lease.
Various tours are available, including tastings and lessons on pulling the perfect pint, and a behind the scenes tour of the brewery’s workings. There are four restaurants, all with bars, of course. On the top floor, the Gravity Bar offers spectacular city views – a great spot to watch the sunset. Guinness Storehouse is popular; to avoid waiting in line, booking tickets in advance online is advised. As an incentive, those with advance bookings get a free pint. guinness-storehouse.com
Phoenix Park
A 1750-acre oasis in Dublin, Phoenix Park is the place to leave the city hustle behind and immerse yourself in nature. But this park is also a top tourist destination – within its borders are the Dublin Zoo; the president of Ireland’s home, called “Áras an Uachtaráin”; and the People’s Flower Gardens, an enclosed and beautifully manicured Victorian garden. A charming herd of fallow deer roam the park.
And there is more to discover wandering this urban oasis, like Ashtown Castle, a medieval tower house, the Wellington Monument commemorating the Duke of Wellington, and the Papal Cross in honor of Pope John Paull II’s visit in 1979.
You may encounter the park’s charming herd of fallow deer and have refreshments at the Victorian Tea Room. You can also make like the locals and use the park for walking, running and biking. phoenixpark.ie