Built between 1863 and 1868 in Galway, Kylemore Castle, was a 70-room private home for Mitchell Henry and his family. Mitchell was the son of a wealthy Manchester cotton merchant, and he was skilled pathologist and eye surgeon, who ended up getting involved with politics. The castle contained a ballroom with a sprung floor, a magnificent staircase, a library, a study as well as thirty-three bedrooms. For almost 10 years, Mitchell, Margaret and their nine children lived here. In 1874, while on a holiday in Egypt , Margaret contracted a fever and died, and Mitchell did not spend much time at the castle anymore. In 1903, Mitchell sold Kylemore Castle to the Duke of Manchester and his Duchess wife (‘dollar princess’ Helena Zimmerman). The couple’s lavish lifestyle was financed by Helena’s father, American businessman, Eugene Zimmerman. The royal couple is said to have been forced to sell the estate in 1920 due to gambling debts, releasing it to its current owners, the Irish Benedictine Nuns. The nuns had fleed their home in Ypres after being heavily bombed during World War I. The nuns turned Kylemore Castle into the first Irish Benedictine Abbey. Here, they opened another international boarding and day school for girls, which ran until 2010.
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What you should know:
There is a Tea House restaurant located near the Victorian Walled Garden.
There is a walking trail or a shuttle bus that can take you to / from the main house and the Walled Victorian Garden.
Public restrooms are available.
One price ticket includes parking, and self-guided tours of the abbey, grounds and walled garden.
Tours are self-guided.
Check website for days and hours of operation, as well as any special events.
Location: Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland
For more information: Kylemore Abbey