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Castletown House

Castletown House

East Ireland | County Kildare

Castletown House is a Palladian-style mansion located in Celbridge, County Kildare. It was built by William Conolly, a Speaker of the Irish Parliament and one of the wealthiest people in Ireland at that time. Construction began in 1722, and most of the work was completed by 1729. It was the first Irish Palladian house built to correct Classical proportions, designed by a professional architect, Alessandro Galilei. In the same year, William Conolly died, not having time to enjoy it. Castletown House and 600 acres of surrounding land remained in the hands of the Connolly family until 1965 when it was sold to a developer. The future of the mansion was in doubt. Thankfully, the house with 120 acres of land was bought by Desmond Guinness from the famous family of brewers. With the help of the Irish Georgian Society, they began conservation, and in 1979 the Castletown Foundation was established to continue the restoration work. In 1994, the Castletown estate was transferred to the state, and since then, the OPW has taken charge of bringing it to its former glory. The house is famous for its staircase with brass banisters and plaster decoration, done by the Lafranchini brothers. The long gallery is considered one of the most beautiful rooms in Ireland. Its walls were painted in the Pompeian style, and the ceiling was decorated with three vast Venetian chandeliers. With no doubt, one of the most original rooms is the Print Room, created by Lady Louisa Conolly in the 1768. She collected, cut out, and arranged individual prints, frames and decorations. The prints were glued on panels of off-white painted paper, which was later attached to the walls on battens covered with cloth. The Print Room also includes the set of furniture of The Louis XVII. Nowadays, the house and its grounds are open to visitors and are a significant tourist attraction.

  • OPENING HOURS :
    • House guided tours from March to November
      • Daily: 10am - 5pm
      • Last admission: 16:30)
    • Parklands
      • Open 7 days, all year
  • TICKET PRICES :
    • House guided tours
      • Adult: €10
      • Senior: €8.00
      • Student/Child: €5
      • Family: €25
    • Parklands
      • Free admission
  • CONTACT :
  • CAR PARK :
    • Yes
  • COORDINATES :
    • 53.349154
    • -6.530293

Photos from Castletown House