After spending a night at the coast near Greystones and a short coastal walk, we were looking forward to a tour through another beautiful house.
Killruddery was for centuries just a hunting lodge for the Brabazon family living in Dublin, until in 1820, when John Brabazon, 10th Earl of Meath, built a Tudor Revival mansion incorporating the original 17th century lodge. The result was a large building around a central courtyard.
In the 1950s, severe dry rot was detected, a fungus that destroys wood. To save the rest of the building, half of the house had to be demolished.
Today, the estate is owned and occupied by the 15th Earl and Countess of Meath, as well as their son Anthony Brabazon, his wife and their four children. The property is managed as a working farm with a variety of enterprises to earn the funds to maintain the estate and provide a living.
A clock tower in the forecourt houses a water clock designed and constructed by Reginald Brabazon, 13th Earl of Meath, with a pendulum powered by a jet of water.
A conservatory was built, designed by William Burn in the 1850s. We were told it was financed by the Countess, selling a tiara, a valuable heirloom.
Our next stop was at Mount Usher Gardens, which was another surprise. We had seen a couple of gardens in Ireland already, but Mount Usher was outstanding in respect of the number of old, exotic trees and the gardens along the river.
So far, we were happy we had cruised Ireland’s narrow roads without any mishap. But somewhere on the way, on a road with dense trees on both side, it had finally happened. We hit a tree trunk poking out but still hidden by the foliage. It was a strong impact and destroyed the left corner of our cabin. Edi fixed it with a special waterproof tape for now, but a general restoration of different parts of our cabin seem in order.
We will stop our house viewing for a while and are going to explore an old mill next – more soon!