Tour the Heart of Ireland

As Ardmore House B&B is located in the heart of Ireland, there is plenty to see and do in the immediate region. As an example, we have detailed 3 seperate Full Day Tours you could undertake by car from Ardmore House - CLICK HERE

Kinnitty the ideal base for touring Local attractions include the Slive Bloom Mountains. Leap Castle the most haunted castle of the O'Carroll Clan, Birr Castle Gardens and Giant Telescope, Belvedere House and Gardens. Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway, Lough Boora Nature Reserve to name but a few.

Other attractions with an hours drive are Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre, Athlone Castle, the Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny City. If you are exploring the rugged west coast of Ireland, why not stop a night or two to experience the contrast. Kinnitty is far removed from the commercialism of busy resorts like Killarney, Dingle, Galway or indeed Dublin, still retaining a charm and pace more reminiscent of Ireland of the past than that of today.

Kinnitty Castle

The first castle at Kinnitty was destroyed in 1209 and was later built by the Normans in 1213. Later the Norman's were driven out by the powerful Gaelic clan, the O'Carrolls of Eile. During the Norman period an Augustinian Abbey was established near the Castle, of which the famous High Cross and Abbey still remain on the estate.

In 1630 William O' Carroll built a new Castle in close proximity to the old Abbey. This was confiscated in 1641 by the English forces as part of the plantation of Offaly or "Kings County" as it was renamed. In 1664 the crown granted an estate, which included Kinnitty Castle, to Col. Thomas Winter as reward for military service.

The estate was sold by Col. Winter's descendants to the Bernard family in 1764. It then became known as Castle Bernard. In 1811 Lady Catherine Hutchinson, wife of Thomas Bernard, commissioned the famous Pain Brothers architects of Dromoland Castle and Adare Manor, to extend the castle to what Kinnitty Castle is today, a gem of neo gothic architecture.

In 1922 as with many stately homes in Ireland Kinnitty Castle was burned by the Republican forces. Kinnitty Castle was rebuilt in 1928, and the Bernard family lived there until 1946 when it was sold to Lord Decies who in turn sold the castle to the State in 1951. The state retained ownership of Kinnitty Castle until it was purchased by the Ryan family in 1994.