Several of the society’s members enjoyed a very enjoyable outing to Farmleigh House and Demesne in the Phoenix Park, Dublin on Saturday 26 July 2025. Margaret, our guide for the House Tour shared her vast store of knowledge about the history and eclectic contents of this former mansion, which has been in the care of the State since 1999. The original house was built as a small Georgian residence in the late eighteenth century and purchased by Edward Cecil Guinness in 1873. He and his wife Adelaide over-saw a major extension and refurbishment during the 1880s-90s.
The house now functions as the Irish State guest house and provides accommodation for visiting dignitaries and guests of the nation. Many of the rooms visited contain important artworks, furniture, carvings, and wall hangings. The Benjamin Iveagh Library contains more than 5,000 items spanning 800 years of Irish life. In addition the Garech Browne Room features an impressive collection of his books, paintings, manuscripts and personal memorabilia.
The Farmleigh Demesne consists of both walled and sunken gardens, a very nice lake-side café and beautiful walks among huge specimen trees. In addition, Farmleigh is currently hosting an impressive exhibition of fine art print works by twenty Irish and twenty Japanese artists inspired by the Japanese ghost stories collected and translated by Irish writer Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) in his 1904 book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. Hearn is credited with introducing Japanese culture and literature to the West. All told, our visit to Farmleigh proved to be a very worthwhile way to spend a morning/afternoon.
Photo: Entrance hall of Farmleigh House. Note the photographs of visiting dignitaries on display.