Malahide Castle and Gardens

I was en route to Spain and I had a six hour layover in Dublin. I have never been to Ireland so I decided to escape the airport for a while. The coastal village of Malahide was just about a twenty minute taxi ride away. Perfect. It took me less than an hour to de-plane, go through Border Control, deposit my carry-on luggage, and get there. First stop, Malahide Castle and Gardens.

Malahide Castle was home to the Talbot family from 1185 to 1976. That’s about 800 years! It began when Henry II of England granted the land to one of his Norman knights, Sir Richard de Talbot. They lost it briefly from 1649-60 as a result of the (Oliver) Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

The last member, The Honourable Rose Talbot sold it to the Irish state soon after inheriting it from her brother, Lord Milo Talbot, who died suddenly, perhaps mysteriously, in 1973. Rose died aged 93 in 2009.

There’s a portrait of Milo and Rose as children at the foot of a grand staircase. They seem to face you, no matter where you stand.

Imagine sitting down to breakfast in the Great Hall, you and your fourteen brothers and male cousins, then going off to the Battle of the Boyne on the side of James II, only to have just one survive by nightfall. That’s what happened in 1690.

The grounds of Malahide Castle has been used for concerts since 2007. When I was there tickets for The Cure for summer 2019 went on sale … and sold out in hours!

The West Lawn features a magical Fairy Trail. Squirrels rustling in the leaves and birds chirping and fluttering through the trees really do make you think the woodlands are alive with fairies. Or maybe it’s just me. It takes a little over an hour to complete. I just ventured out for bit.

I of course loved the gardens. There’s a glasshouse of butterflies (about 20 species), a secret garden, and many flowers, shrubs, and trees across the 20 acres sampled from across the world. Most of this is due to Lord Milo Talbot who was an enthusiastic gardener and botanist.

It was only for a few hours but this visit to the former home of one of Ireland’s most important families gave me insight into some of the country’s key historical moments. I definitely need to return to Ireland for a proper visit.