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History
Adare Manor borrows it’s name from the nearby village of
Adare complete with it’s delightful thatched roof cottages,
lively pubs, and antique shops. The Manor “structurally”
as it exists today was not begun until 1832. The Second Earl
of Dunraven and his wife, Lady Caroline Wyndham, were living
in a Georgian house built in the 1720's by Valentine Quin, grandfather
of the first Earl. But Lord Dunraven, crippled with gout, was
unable to participate in the usual activities of a landed gentleman
of leisure, so Lady Caroline devised the idea of a new manor
house to give him something important to do. As it turned out,
it was a magnificent suggestion: the building of the house provided
labour for the surrounding villagers during the terrible potato
famine that devastated the country during the mid-19th century.
Though Lady Caroline went to great lengths to establish the myth
that Adare Manor was planned entirely by her husband without
an architect, it is fairly certain today that much of the design
work was completed by James Pain who, along with his brother
George Richard, had been commissioned to design numerous public
buildings and country homes. The actual construction was supervised
by James Connolly, a local mason, until his death in 1852.
The structure is a series of
visual allusions to famous Irish and English homes that the Dunravens
admired. It is replete with curious eccentricities such as the
turreted entrance tower at one corner rather than in the centre,
52 chimneys to commemorate each week of the year, 75 fireplaces
and 365 leaded glass windows. The lettered text carved into the
front of the south parapet reads: "Except the Lord build
the house, the labour is but lost that built it." The elaborate
decoration is a miracle of stonework - arches, gargoyles, chimneys
and bay windows. The interior spaces are designed on a grand
scale. One of the most renowned interior spaces is the Minstrel's
Gallery: 132 foot long, 26-1/2 foot high expanse inspired by
the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles and lined on either side with
17th Century Flemish Choir Stalls. The private rooms hardly pale
in comparison to the public rooms with elaborately decorated
stone and wood craftsmanship and sweeping views of the river.
The 840 acre estate that surrounds
the Manor House consists of sweeping parklands, cultivated gardens,
formal French gardens, magnificent mature trees, and the River
Maigue, one of Ireland’s best trout rivers. The Formal Gardens
were laid out in geometric box patterns by P.C. Hardwick in the
1850's. The assortment of trees include the magnificent Cedar
of Lebanon on the river bank (approximately 350 years old), the
180 year old Beeches, Monkey Puzzles, Cork, Aspen and Flowering
Cherry. Among the trees southwest of the Manor are Ogham Stones
which were “imported” from Kerry by Edwin, the Third
Earl of Dunraven. Ogham Stones date from the early Fifth Century
to the middle of the Seventh Century. They are mainly Christian
in context and are usually associated with old churches or early
Christian burial sites. Ogham inscriptions are in an early form
of Irish, frequently followed by Latin inscriptions and often
read from the bottom upwards. A pet cemetery is located close
to the Ogham Stones with carved memorials to the Dunraven pets.
Lord Dunraven did not live
to see his dream Manor finished in 1852 but his eldest son, the
3rd Earl of Dunraven, did. The home remained in the Dunraven
family until 1982 when Lord and Lady Dunraven sold it to an investment
consortium. In 1987, the Thomas F. Kane Family of Palm Beach
Gardens, Florida, acquired the Manor. The delicate and detailed
restoration was completed in 1988 transforming Adare Manor into
a world class home away from home. In 1989 the River Wing, indoor
swimming pool, and conference rooms were completed. The Robert
Trent Jones, Sr. golf course opened in August 1995. Stretching
7,453 yards from the championship tees, Adare Golf Club encompasses
230 acres of lush countryside. The River Maigue meanders through
the back nine creating a sense of beauty and challenge. The Spring
of 1999 saw the opening of the 18,000 square foot clubhouse.
This facility includes men’s and women’s changing rooms,
a pro shop, a bar, dining room, conference rooms, and 10 en-suite
bedrooms. The Townhouses and the luxurious Spa are located in
an elegant courtyard close to the Manor and adjacent to the Clubhouse.
Adare Manor has indeed entered a new era as Europe’s premier
vacation destination offering the finest of Irish hospitality.
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