OurTrip to Castletown House, August 2017
Our
final day trip of Summer 2017 took us to Castletown House near
Maynooth in Co.Kildare.
On
arrival, two very pleasant tour guides took us room by room through
this magnificent mansion built in 1720 for William Connolly, speaker
of the Irish House of Commons. It became famous for its architectural
excellence, fine style and lavish entertainment.
We
stared in awe at the exquisite Murano glass chandeliers and
collection of classical busts and statues, paintings, silk wall
hangings and colourful wall paper. Much of the opulent interior
decoration took place under the guidance of Lady Louisa, young wife
of the second heir of Castletown, Thomas Connolly from 1760 – 1770.
In 1967
the Hon. Desmond Guinness bought the House and part of the estate and
opened the mansion to the public. The O.P.W took over the property on
behalf of the State in 1994
Leaving
all this grandeur behind, we continued on our journey, stopping off
for some retail therapy in Liffey Valley. Our day finished with a
lovely meal in”Lukers” in Shannonbridge before we headed home to
our humble abodes.
As we
come to the end of our Summer outings, it is a good time to look back
and reflect of the many trips and places we have visited since we
started off in 2002. We have visited no less than 50 places on Day
Trips, 8 City Breaks, Nineteen 4 day breaks in Ireland, 19 trips
abroad,including 5 cruises. How lucky we are to have travelled so far
and done so much during our golden years.
Once
again thanks to the organisers.
Chris O’Flynn
(P.R.O)
August 2017
