Sorry, what town is this?” I ask a lady sitting on a bench, enjoying an ice cream. She peers at me suspiciously through her thick-rimmed glasses, probably suspecting that I’ve alcohol taken. I haven’t it’s not even midday but I certainly feel disorientated because around me, the stars and stripes are draped from buildings and lampposts. This morning, I crisscrossed the country to Mayo and want to double-check that I haven’t missed a turn and, somehow, ended up in America.
The owner of one of the most important historical houses in Ireland has thanked Kildare County Council for its support in the upkeep of the property. In 2022, H.
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February 13, 2021 Kylemore Abbey, looking out across Pollacappul Lake. Photograph by Zara Napier; Zara is on Instagram at @zaranapier1. Credit: Zara Napier
Thanks to the determination of the resident community of Benedictine nuns, the eight-acre garden at Kylemore Abbey Gardens in Connemara, Ireland, has been restored. Once lockdown lifts, visitors can once again enjoy a Victorian survival in an extraordinary setting. Mary Hackett paid a visit; photographs by Zara Napier.
The magnificent Kylemore Castle in Connemara in the west of Ireland was built by Manchester-born Mitchell Henry, a Harley Street eye surgeon and pathologist who became the Liberal MP for Co Galway and much-loved landlord. Intended as an elaborate tribute to his wife, Margaret, the castle sheltered the growing family until 1902, when it was bought by the 9th Duke of Manchester. It was turned into an abbey when a community of Benedictine nuns, shelled out of their Ypres conv