Irish Houses, Castles, and Gardens
Ireland's history, architecture, and built landscapes
Landscaping "Link of the Month." Ireland's great houses, castles, and gardens are part of Irish history, and Ireland’s rich heritage and cultural uniqueness.
Irish gardens, interwoven with Ireland's manor houses, historic castles and ancient ruins, form pages in a garden history book. Irish gardens may derive from English and French styles, but they are distinctive, and often idiosyncratic.
An association of owners and operators of great Irish houses and gardens supports The Irish Houses, Castles, and Gardens website. This site assembles information and provides:
- up-to-date property news and details,
- information about country houses and gardens to visit, and
- an interactive map of locations in Northern Ireland and Eire.
The map, probably my favorite part of this whole website, shows:
- Gardens only,
- Houses only,
- Gardens and Houses together,
- Historical Sites, and
- Accommodations.
It is also possible to zoom in and see an enlargement of the Dublin area on this map. When the visitor passes the computer mouse over a location, a brief description and synopsis of the location appears.
Photographs at Irish Houses, Castles, and Gardens are exceptionally clear, scenic and picturesque. Photographs of Ardgillan Castle and Victorian Gardens (Balbriggan, Co. Dublin)
and Killruddery House and Gardens (Bray, Co. Wicklow) are two of my favorites. Property descriptions follow the outline used by the website, and are clear, concise and complete.
Visiting this website will not particularly help with ideas for residential landscaping, but will provide readers with a convenient and educational virtual trip to the Emerald Isle. They will:
- Get a glimpse of some of the most beautiful gardens in the world;
- Find out about Irish architecture at its finest; and
- Travel back in time.
Some additional and complementary sites about Irish gardens are:
