Adare Manor

The Maigue runs past the lawns of Adare Manor in County Limerick, under a house that was laid out as a calendar: 365 windows, 52 chimneys, seven pillars and four towers, one for each unit of the year. The second Earl of Dunraven began it in 1832, his son finished it in 1862, and since 1988 it has been a hotel, rebuilt most recently by the racehorse owner JP McManus at a cost reckoned in the tens of millions.

History

Windham Quin, the second Earl of Dunraven, started work on a new manor house in 1832, partly as famine relief for the estate's tenants and partly, it is said, to occupy himself after gout ended his hunting. Lady Dunraven drew much of the design herself. Their son Edwin, the third Earl, completed the house in 1862 and the Dunravens lived in it until 1982, when the seventh Earl sold the estate. Thomas Kane, an American from New Jersey, converted the house and opened Adare Manor as a hotel in 1988, adding a golf course by Robert Trent Jones Senior in 1995. JP McManus bought it in 2014, closed it in 2015 and reopened it in November 2017 after a restoration and extension that added a new wing, a ballroom and a cinema. The Ryder Cup will be played on its course in 2027.

Architecture and design

The original house is Tudor Revival, begun by James and George Richard Pain and completed with contributions from A. W. N. Pugin, who designed the Great Hall ceiling and other interiors, and P. C. Hardwick. The Gallery, 132 feet long and modelled on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, with Flemish carved choir stalls and a Minton floor, is the finest room; the Great Hall, Drawing Room and the Oak Room survive with their panelling. The 2015-2017 works, by Reardon Smith Architects, built a new bedroom wing in matching stone behind the house and a stand-alone ballroom, while restoring the original rooms. The Tom Fazio redesign of the golf course opened in 2018.

Rooms and suites

Adare Manor has 104 rooms and suites across the manor house and the new wing, including the Dunraven Stateroom and other suites in the original house with their fireplaces and river views. The new wing's rooms are larger than those in the old house and were built with the same mouldings and joinery. Butler service is available throughout.

Dining

The Oak Room, the panelled restaurant in the original house, holds a Michelin star and serves a tasting menu of Irish produce. The Carriage House, a separate building by the walled garden, is the informal restaurant and serves all day. The Gallery is used for afternoon tea; the Drawing Room and the Tack Room bar serve drinks. The estate's gardens supply the kitchens.

Wellness

The spa, built in the 2017 extension, has treatment rooms, a thermal suite and an indoor pool, with La Mer as its principal product line. The 840-acre estate has a golf academy, falconry, archery, clay shooting, fishing on the Maigue and cycling.

Weddings and events

Adare Manor is one of Ireland's most sought-after wedding venues. The Ballroom, in the 2017 stand-alone building, takes large receptions and has its own foyer and terrace; civil ceremonies can be held in the Gallery or the Great Hall, and the Carriage House takes smaller parties. For meetings the hotel has boardrooms in the new wing, the Ballroom for conferences and the cinema for presentations. Exclusive use of the whole estate is sold.

Location

Adare, a village of thatched cottages on the N21, is 20 minutes by car from Limerick and 30 from Shannon Airport, which has direct flights from Britain and the United States. Dublin is about two and a half hours by road. The estate sits on the River Maigue beside the ruins of the Desmond Castle and the Franciscan friary within the village. As the leading luxury hotel in County Limerick, it anchors the Irish castle and manor circuit that runs on to Dromoland and Ashford.