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History
Ballyseede Castle is
located on its own thirty acres of gardens and woodland. At the
approach is an imposing entrance gateway with pillars of block
granite.
The Castle stands on its own
grounds at the end of a winding carriage drive. This elegant
Castle looks as if it were built to outlive the vices and follies
of man. It has been fought over, lived in and loved, and carries
forward its ancient grandeur to this age.
Ballyseede Castle was the chief
garrison of the legendary Fitzgerald’s, Earls of Desmond,
many of whom refused to swear allegiance to the crown, which
resulted in the infamous Geraldine Wars that continued intermittently
for three centuries and concluded with the beheading of Gerald,
16th Earl, in the Demesne of Ballyseede and whose head was exhibited
in a cage on London Bridge
Following the defeat of the
Desmoids in 1584, the Castle plus 3000 acres of land was granted
as a perpetual lease to Robert Blennerhassett, the rent being
one red rose to be presented each year on Midsummer’s Day.
This noble family and their descendants occupied Ballyseede until
1966.
Ballyseede Castle is a large
three-story block over a basement, with two curved bows on the
entrance front and another bow at the south side and a battlemented
parapet. Inside the impressive lobby, Doric columns lead to an
elegant wooden bifurcating staircase of fine oak joinery, which
is almost unique in Ireland.
There are two magnificent drawing
rooms with cornices plasterwork, adorned by marble fireplaces,
which are ideal to have afternoon tea or morning coffee. The
gracious dining room overlooks the front lawn with its ancient
oaks. Dinner is served nightly from 7pm to 9pm. In the library
bar there is a great-carved oak chimneypiece over mantle dated
1627. There is a splendid Banqueting Hall where feastings and
entertainment were carried out in a grand manner.
To continue its history the
Castle boast the ghost of Landlords past and they are known to
walk the long corridors in the basement level. On the 24th of
March each year the ghost is known to make its presence felt
as it did on that night in 1998 when the residents of the castle
vacated their rooms and were last heard of when they went to
a local bookshop and asked for a book on ghosts. They told the
shop assistant they had a frightening experience “they saw
a Spirit”. This is the first time anyone was scared of the
ghost. The past residents of the castle fondly call the ghost
Hilda.
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