Now an abbey, home to nuns who sought refuge from the destruction of the First World War, in its 150-year history Kylemore Abbey has distinguished itself as an inspiration to beleaguered tenants, innovator in horticulture, educator of young women, host to royalty and a showplace for the charms of the Irish countryside.
We first glimpsed Western Ireland's stately structure across Pollacappul Lake through a light drizzle, perhaps a foreshadow of the sad tale we were about to hear. Walking through the grounds on a late-September afternoon, abbey guide Brid Connell spoke of Englishman Mitchell Henry's love of his bride, Margaret, and the building of Kylemore Castle as a tribute to her.
He'd enjoyed previous visits to the estate's hunting and fishing lodge and returned from Manchester to purchase the 6,070-hectare property. The castle and walled garden, built 1867-1871, was a happy home to the couple and their nine children until Margaret succumbed to dysentery on a trip to Egypt in 1874. She was 45.
Devastated, Mitchell Henry had his wife's body embalmed and returned to Kylemore. Our guide solemnly advised she was enclosed in a glass case so Mitchell could gaze upon his sleeping beauty.
Later a mausoleum was built on the grounds, where both husband and wife are buried. (Mitchell's ashes were brought from England when he died in 1910 at 84 years.)
By 1881 a Gothic-style church, described as "a cathedral in miniature" was also built by Mitchell as a memorial to Margaret.
The charming church was no doubt an added bonus for the Benedictine nuns who purchased the castle in 1920 and operated it as a girls school until recently. The Order, with centuries-old connections to Ireland, sought refuge after fleeing their monastery in war-torn Ypres, Belgium, in 1914.
Lovingly maintained by the nuns, the marble-columned church is open to visitors, as is a portion of the granite abbey. But it is in the magnificent Victorian Walled Garden where visitors will want to spend the most time.
A mile from the abbey, approached either by a pleasant woodland walk or a shuttle bus, the 2.5-hectare garden is a visual wonder.
In its heyday the Henrys noshed on its fruits and vegetables and enjoyed its multitude of flowers. Its 21 glass houses were heated by some 1,538 metres of underground hot-water pipes. Such innovation allowed the family to pick bananas from their Irish backyard.
Over the decades the garden declined but was re-opened about 10 years ago. Visitors can enter two restored glass houses and the furnished home of the head gardener.
Financial difficulties forced the sale of the castle in 1903, a few months after King Edward VII visited, and years since Henry had established himself as a local hero for transforming this piece of wild Connemara scrub into a beautiful showpiece. He is also revered for his fair treatment of the estate's tenants.
Kylemore Abbey is open year-round and has a restaurant, tea house and gift shop.
-- For more info, see kylemoreabbeytourism.ie or discoverireland.com.
The universe in a castle
