Built in 1712, Castle Durrow is a piece of Irish history embodied in stone.
Approximately 90 minutes from Dublin on the Dublin-Cork Road (N8), Co. Laois, the
magnificent building stands in a commanding position in the centre of Durrow
Village overlooking the beautiful River Erkina.
Set amid 30 acres of manicured gardens, woodlands, orchards
and paddocks, Castle Durrow is a unique fusion of Queen Anne, Victorian and
Georgian styles. Each room on the first floor has retained the high ceilings,
tall Georgian windows and breathtaking views of the Estate.
Durrow town was originally a Norman borough town. In the
seventeenth century the Ormonds made it part of Killkenny. It was returned to
the county in 1846 by Act of Parliament. It is a planned estate village,
developed under the patronage of the Viscounts Ashbrook. Perhaps its finest
feature is the suite of buildings around the Green under the gates and
tastefully designed modern primary school and the important "Castle" (1713-32)
one of the last large pre-Palladian houses to be built in Ireland, and which was
designed by its owner William Flower.
