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Accommodates 14 7 bedrooms 8 bathrooms Dating from 1737, this is a gracious, luxurious and enormous house in a walled estate on the outskirts of Killarney.  The owners spent several years painstakingly restoring it with careful attention to every detail  and it is gorgeous. Enter into a wide vestibule that has white walls and Moorish-style floor tiles.  Open a glass door and step into the welcoming hallway which is over 20 feet wide and extends the full depth of the house  - probably 100 feet.  Several large Oriental rugs complement the robin's egg blue walls and crisp white woodwork.  Wide-planked wood floors have the patina of many years.  Fine antiques line the walls.  At the far end of this hall, a bifurcated staircase will take you to the upper floor.

But first, on the right of the entry hall is the “small” sitting room, but that's a relative term as it's large by any standards.  It has apple green walls, a fireplace with the original red and green Kilkenny marble mantle, a large green and beige Oriental rug, a substantial sofa upholstered in gold fabric and various easy chairs.  There's a mahogany games table, a secretary and a round card table in front of a window; a TV and VCR are in a cabinet.  Tall arched windows face the extensive grounds and the woods and the mountains beyond the property.  As elsewhere in the house, there are no window coverings, just beautifully crafted moldings painted pure white.

Further down the center hall is the large yellow drawing room.  A blue print sofa sits on a rose and blue Oriental rug.  The fireplace mantle is white marble.  There is an upright piano, easy chairs, a fine, antique round table in front of a large window.  Plants, many fresh flowers, books, antiques, art and other accessories make this a splendid and very comfortable room.

Beyond the drawing room, the very large dining room has a long mahogany table that seats 10 easily and a fireplace with an ornate marble mantel.  The rich red wallpaper has a Chinese design.  Gleaming wood floors are kept bare.

A Victorian conservatory, off the dining room, was designed around a huge specimen camellia that is 180 years old, the oldest in Ireland.  Twenty feet tall and with a massive trunk, it offers a profusion of red blossoms in spring.  It's a sight to behold even when it's not in bloom, a treasure.  With its backdrop of parkland, trees and mountains, the conservatory is the perfect place for breakfast or drinks before dinner.

A hallway to the left from the main entry hall leads to a side exit and the enormous kitchen.  This kitchen was created for entertaining.  It has all of the necessities and luxuries that one could ever want.  There's an Aga stove plus a traditional stove with a gas top, four ovens and a grill. The original cooking hearth, made of rare glazed bricks, has a wood stove insert, perfect to warm the room for breakfast in cooler weather.  An easy chair is placed nearby for a cozy rest.  A large antique Irish dresser displays beautiful dishes.  A pine farm table seats 8-10.  Several windows look onto the lawns and trees.  This is a bright and cheerful room.

Off the kitchen hallway, near the side exit, is a nice bathroom with a large shower cubicle. This is good for anyone who must limit the times he or she climbs stairs in a day.  One can go upstairs from this hallway as well as the front hallway. Upstairs there are six very large bedrooms, all with king beds that can be converted to twin beds and all en suite.

The first bedroom on the left, recently renovated and redecorated, is a bright and cheery room with  light green and beige toile wallpaper and white woodwork.  Three windows look down to the magnificent green meadow and toward the mountains.  When we were last there, recently, the loveseat and some other furniture had been ordered, but not yet delivered.    The en suite bathroom has a curved glass shower stall.

The next bedroom has an antique settee upholstered in gold silk, an antique mahogany dressing table and chair.  This room, too, has been renovated and redecorated.  It has raspberry and beige toile wallpaper, white woodwork, the original fireplace that has a black marble mantle, wood floors.  There is a built-in closet that has space for folded and hanging clothes.  This room is flooded with light through the three tall windows that look onto the lawn and mountains.  The en suite bathroom is similar to, but larger than, the first bedroom's.

The corner bedroom is the largest bedroom in the house and it's where we stay.  It features the original fireplace with a stone mantle, a small sofa, an elegant antique armoire, an antique vanity table.  From tall windows on two sides, you'll be treated to fabulous views of the grounds and the woods and mountains.  The en suite bathroom is the size of many bedrooms.  There is a large, deep claw foot tub with a hand-held shower.  An Oriental rug covers the gleaming wood floors.

	FIve steps down form the main hall there is a side hall that has three more bedrooms.  The house's second stairway is here - going down to the side hall and the kitchen.   The first bedroom, on the left of the hall is slightly smaller than the others, but it's still large by most standards.  It has a comfortable easy chair, an antique chest of drawers, a luxurious armoire. Gold wallpaper is strewn with a small English style print.  Views are of the trees and the side driveway.  The en suite bathroom has a shower stall.

The next bedroom is quite large and located in a very private corner of the house.  It has beautiful red and rose wallpaper, a chaise lounge covered in rose silk, an easy chair upholstered in red cotton and an antique dressing table and chair.  An ante-room between the bedroom and the hall has a deep built-in closet.  The large en suite bathroom has a long, deep tub with hand-held shower.

A new bedroom has recently been created by the ambitious and talented owners.  It is as gracious and warm as the other bedrooms.  It has a queen bed, antique bedside tables, a chest of drawers, a dressing table and chair.   The windows look onto the broad lawns.  The en suite bathroom has a tub with shower over tub.  The walls are the same buttercup yellow as the bedroom.

The parkland grounds are gorgeous - lawns and mature trees and shrubs.  You can enjoy long walks on the property with views of the Killarney National Park.  The walled garden has flowers, organic vegetables and hens (for organic eggs). The owners raise race horses on the property.  Although you'll not be able to ride them, they do add so much to the landscape!  There is a pony there, always another soon to arrive, and the owner is delighted to introduce your children to these ponies (though we regret that it is not possible for them to ride a pony either).

Although the house is secluded and completely private, you can walk into Killarney town, a bustling, busy town with shops, authentic pubs that offer traditional Irish music, seasonal festivals, a beautiful cathedral.  Killarney is well known as a “restaurant city” so dining is excellent - if you can ever tear yourself away from this wonderful house.

Children are warmly welcomed here.  Pets are not allowed.  Cleaning and baby sitting can be arranged with advanced notice.  There are fine local cooks who will come to the house, but be cautioned that these cooks must be hired far in advance.  

The owners live in a self-contained apartment that's attached to one side of the house.  You'll not know they are there, but they will be helpful if you need them.

Shannon Airport is 89 miles.  Dublin is 185 miles.  Galway is 130 miles.  Cork is 80 miles.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:

This house is accessible to anyone who can handle a sturdy interior staircase.  There is a bathroom with a shower on the main floor, but there are no bedrooms.

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