Stay at Cloontykilla Castle, Lough Key, Ireland

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Cloontykilla Castle was designed by John Nash of Buckingham Palace domain in the Gothic Revival mode in 1839. This was an era of Famine and insurrection when many of Ireland’s most beautiful buildings were built. John Nash architecturally borrowed from across the centuries installing a gothic spiral stairwell, favouring the right-handed swordsman retreating upwards. It boasts 4 towers all of different heights, to allow shooters to fire over the others head. In 1914, it was the secret Western Command headquarters of the Irish Republic Brotherhood which was the local force of rebellion. The grounds were littered with dug outs, a couple of which exist to this day. The Rockingham estate was sold to the Irish government in 1957 after the fire burned Rockingham manor house to the ground.Cloontykilla Castle fell in to a ruin state and by the time it was acquired in 1997 by Sean Simon it was in peril of collapse. With trees going through it, It was a beginning of a long journey to see it restored. Over the following years, with grants from the local council it was made safe again. Eventually receiving planning permission in 2007 to restore it and bring it back to life. The trials and tribulations of this are well documented and the castle is planned to be finished for January 2021.

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