Glenveagh Castle: Day 24 – Ireland 2014
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2 May 2014
After our horse riding fun yesterday, we woke up stiff and sore in the morning. We slowly creaked to life and then got on the road. We had a few incredible sites in store for the day! First on the agenda? The impressive Glenveagh National Park and its gorgeous castle.
Glenveagh National Park
Glenveagh National Park spans over 40,000 acres, but the entire reason we were visiting was to see Glenveagh Castle. Built between 1867 and 1873, Glenveagh Castle rests on the shores of Lough Veagh, nestled in the Derryveagh Mountains. Its history is a tumultuous one, shrouded in mystery and curses.
John George Adair purchased several smaller holdings of land in which to create his estate and castle. He rented the land to tenant farmers, but relations were poor from the start, and ultimately, he didn’t want them there. In March of 1861, John acquired the legal requirements to evict those on his land, and in early April, the evictions began. One by one, families were thrown out of their houses with nowhere to go. Many of these houses were then destroyed so that there was nothing for the families to try to return to. In the end, 244 people were left homeless, and the Derryveagh evictions were written into the pages of history. For a more in-depth history of John and the evictions, take a look here.
The Curse
During our tour of the castle, our guide told us of a curse placed upon the castle by one of those so cruelly evicted. As the people were being put out, one of the women reportedly cursed the castle. She claimed that no owner of the castle would ever have heirs to their names. The stolen land would never pass down from generation to generation.
The castle only had three owners, the first being John himself. Sadly, he didn’t even see the completion of his controversial castle. He died at the age of 62 while on a business trip while in America. He and his wife, Cornelia, had no children, thus starting the fulfillment of the curse.
The second owner, Prof. Arthur Kingsley Porter, purchased Glenveagh Castle in 1929. He was a professor from Harvard University that came to Ireland to study Irish culture and archaeology. He and his wife, Lucy, lived in the castle together for only 4 years. In 1933, Arthur went missing from Inishbofin Island and he has never been found. Just like John and Cornelia, he and his wife left no children.
The final private owner of the castle was Henry McIlhenny. He came into ownership in 1937 and it is he who we can thank for much of the castle restoration and the development of the gardens. However, he never married and never had children. In 1975, Henry accepted that travel between America and Ireland was too difficult and sold most of the estate to the Office of Public Works, thus forming the national park. In 1983, he left the castle, gardens, and most of the castle’s contents to the nation of Ireland. For over 100 years, the curse held. No owners of the castle had heirs upon which to leave their beloved home.
Glenveagh Castle Today
In the simplest of terms, Glenveagh Castle is stunning. It is in one of the most picturesque locations you can imagine. Beautifully restored, the castle and the grounds are pristine. Photography isn’t allowed inside the castle, but we made up for it with pictures of the gardens. Another dream feature of the house? A private pool built into the waters of the lake. Yes, please!
The interior of the castle is available to see through tour only, but we definitely recommend it. It truly is a gorgeous home, inside and out. On top of that, you get heaps of history and stories from your tour guide, something we love. Our guide was warm and friendly, sharing loads of information with us. For example, the last owner so loved The Sound of Music that those that worked in the house wore Austrian-style uniforms designed by Henry himself!
We probably spent 3 hours or so at the castle. In addition to the tour, we spent a lot of time exploring the gardens. All of the gardens are beautiful and we leisurely strolled through, making sure we took the time to sit and enjoy the surroundings. I hope you like pictures of gardens because we took A LOT!
Glenveagh Castle and Grounds
Grianan Of Aileach
Our next stop was considerably older than the first one, by 12 or 13 centuries, in fact. Built sometime in the 6th or 7th century (or even earlier as some say it is linked as far back as 1700 BC), just the walls remain of what was the seat of the Kingdom of Aileach, one of the royal sites of Ireland. When occupied, there would have been buildings within the walls. Today, it is empty inside.
We could see the ancient site of Grianan of Aileach from miles away, watching it grow high on the horizon as we approached. There is a small car park (no entrance or parking fee) and a short walk up the rest of the hill to where the fort stands. The path leads to the only entrance into the site and then trails off down the other side of the hill. This trail leads to the remains of a well or spring. The view from every angle is amazing, but there is something about standing at the water source and looking back up at Grianan of Aileach that gives you a sense of place here.
Stepping Through The Door To The Past
The inside of the fort is just as awe-inspiring as the outside. When walking through the doorway, you realize that the walls of the fort are nearly 5 meters thick (about 15 feet). If you look at the walls and terraces of the entire structure, you’ll notice that there is hardly any mortar at all. Cement along sections has been added over the years to preserve the site and keep it intact, and an iron gate was also added to the entrance at some point over the years. We were completely alone for most of our visit with only one other couple arriving as we were getting ready to depart. If you have the time to add Grianan of Aileach to your list, we highly recommend it. It’s an ancient site that still radiates the power once held there.
Walking the ancient site.
Trying To Settle In For The Evening
We left Grianan of Aileach around 5:30 so that we could get to our next campsite before dark. When we arrived, we weren’t sure where to go. The campsite gate was locked, so we inquired at the house next to it. The woman who answered the door said the owner of the campsite was away but should be back momentarily. An hour later, with the owner still nowhere in sight, we decided the whole thing felt sketchy. Instead, we drove to Letterkenny and got a hotel room for the night. Trust your gut, folks. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t stick around. There were no other campers there and people kept peeking out the windows of the house at us. It didn’t feel right. But you know what did? A nice warm hotel for the night!
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy
