The Pleasure Ground and Walled Garden

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On walking into the garden from the Castle, you see ahead two bay trees cut into the shape of domed bells; others have been clipped into large balls to complete the formal arrangement around the terrace of Liscannor slate. The architectural shapes of the bays accentuate the stone urns, busts and yew that decorate the hedges and lawns.

On the left is a huge Pinus radiate planted at the turn of the century and straight ahead is the sundial whose dial was made in Limerick, in 1765, by Charles Harrison, an instrument and clock maker. This stands on a flagged stone circle with a cobbled surround.

The baluster shaped pedestal is made of Kilkenny limestone and was moved to Glin, in 1904, from Riddlestown Park, the Blennerhassett house in Co. Limerick.

A Parrotia persica is the focal point of the garden, growing in front of the swooping ball-topped low stone wall which separates the lawns from the 'daffodil hill'. The hill is covered, as its name implies, by daffodils which were planted in the early 1900s and brought by Lady Rachel FitzGerald from the Dorrien-Smith's great garden at Tresco in the Scilly Isles.

At the beginning of January, on the top of the hill, a clump of the palest rhododendrons come into flower. In their midst is a column with a Roman urn commemorating the death of Robin Willes, brother of Madam Olda FitzGerald.

Walking round the daffodil hill, on the gravelled path, you pass a stream and continue under ancient oaks, with the Drimys winteri and Tricuspidaria on the left and Magnolia delavayi and Gunnera manicata on the right.

You continue, past the tree fern sheltered by hydrangeas and sweet chestnuts, to the lawns where a fine specimen of Corrus capitata stands next to Magnolia campbelli among other magnolias in the collection. Sophora tetraptera and Halesia monticola (the snowdrop tree) stand either side of the path which leads to the left out to the walled garden, passing by myrtles and camellias.

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In the walled garden, trees of fig, pear and plum together with clematis line the grey walls. A headless marble Andromeda is chained to her rock in a recently built rustic temple.

Apart from the old orchard enclosed by two thick fuchsia hedges, acres of vegetables and herbs are surrounded by espaliered apple trees and divided by a clipped yew walk.

Sweet peas, annuals and a herbaceous border lead the eye up the path towards the gothic hen house. The old farm yard is being restored an the original entrance to the walled garden from the yard has been reopened. Likewise, in the walled garden, a gothic door at the end of a cross walk leads to a path, through the woods, to the rustic hermitage approached by a circular group of limestone standing stones - an archaeological joke!

This wood is being planted with a collection of myrtle and other shrubs.

The vegetables and the produce from the garden are an essential source of supply for the Castle's kitchens. During World War 2, Veronica FitzGerald used the surplus from this garden to supply the Flying Boat base in Foynes.

Every substantial house in Ireland had its walled garden but there are relatively few of them surviving today.

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