After a multi-million dollar renovation, one of Ireland’s most historic mansions is back bigger, and yes, better
I’ve always wondered what it was like to live in a castle, and a stay at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland, is probably as close as I can get to living out any romantic novel fantasies. After all, the property—once known as Adare House—did actually belong to a noble family, and we have the second Earl of Dunraven and his wife, Lady Caroline, to thank for the beautiful Neo-Gothic structure. The entire estate took about thirty years to build, and it remained the family home of the Dunravens till it was sold in the 1980s and converted into the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort.
Not too long after Irish racehorse tycoon J. P. McManus bought over the property in 2015, the hotel closed and underwent another two-year-long renovation to include an entire wing of rooms and events spaces, as well as a 18-hole championship golf course. Pains were taken to ensure the modern addition was built with the same local limestone used in the original building, so that the entire property would look cohesive as a whole.
Barely a couple of months after its re-opening, Adare Manor was awarded ‘Hotel of the Year 2018’ by Virtuoso, a global network of travel industry insiders. Given this impressive accolade, I could not wait to discover the charming property for myself.
1. First Impressions
About a 90min car ride from Cork Airport, the journey to the hotel is a scenic one, with endless rolling hills in the distance. But even after taking in all that gorgeous Irish countryside, nothing quite prepares one for the first glimpse of Adare Manor.
Cool grey limestone peeks through a shroud of green, a bubbling brook, and the ruins of a 13th Century castle, greeting guests when they first enter the estate. As the car slowly pulled up the driveway and the signature lancet arches came into view, I started to understand why this labour of love took almost three decades to complete.
Check-in is done in the Great Hall, and there’s a lot to take in, from the incredibly high ceilings to the crackling fireplace and the staircase with ravens carved into it (a nod to the raven in Dunraven). Though everything is certainly grand, there’s also a sense that you’re being warmly welcomed into someone’s home, which we are told, was precisely the brief given to the interior designers and architects.