Huntington Castle and Gardens

Huntington Castle and Gardens stands in the village of Clonegal, County Carlow, close to the point where Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow meet, and marks the southern terminus of the Wicklow Way. Built in 1625 by Sir Laurence Esmonde, the castle began life as a garrison guarding the route between Dublin and Wexford, and it incorporates an earlier tower house on the site that dates back to the fifteenth century. It has remained a family home ever since and is today owned and lived in by the Durdin Robertson family.

The castle takes its name not from any title but from the Esmonde family’s own English ancestral roots; the name Huntington was in use here long before the estate later passed, through marriage in the nineteenth century, into the Durdin and Robertson lines whose descendants still occupy it. The interior is shown by guided tour, and among its more unusual features is the basement, which since 1976 has been home to the Fellowship of Isis. The castle’s photogenic character has also drawn filmmakers; it featured in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon.

The gardens were largely laid out in the seventeenth century and are among the estate’s chief attractions. The best known feature is the Yew Walk, a shaded avenue of ancient yews reckoned to be around 500 years old, alongside a lime avenue and an ornamental lake. Beside the grounds stands one of the earliest water turbine houses in Ireland, which supplied the castle with its own electricity as early as 1888.

The estate is open to visitors seasonally, with the house shown by guided tour and the grounds, woodland playground and tea rooms open to explore. Facilities include a shop and on-site accommodation, and the castle also hosts weddings and private events. As opening arrangements vary by season, it is worth checking current times and tour details on the official website (www.huntingtoncastle.com) before travelling.