Killarney House & Gardens
A Jewel in the Crown of Killarney National Park
Hailed as the jewel in the crown of Killarney, the restoration work on Killarney House and Gardens will bring the Killarney National Park right into the heart of our town and create the largest urban park in the world.
A total of €7m has been invested in the restoration of the house and formal gardens reflecting in part the style of 18th century French chateaux and 20th century Edwardian properties. Work is still continuing on the house and gardens, once home to the Earls of Kenmare.
In the 1950s, the House was bought by the McShain Family from America, which, in turn, sold the House and thousands of acres of parklands to the Irish State for a nominal sum to ensure it would forever be enjoyed by the Irish public.
Now magnificently revamped, and the Killarney House project is one of the few such to have been advanced during the economic downturn of the mid to late Noughties. The uniqueness of Killarney House and its Gardens is that they open from the centre of town to the stunning panorama of the National Park. This magnificent property is a prologue to some of the most stunning natural scenery in the world.
Access to Killarney’s newest attraction is either via a new side entrance, alongside the Monsignor O’Flaherty statue on the Mission Road, or the wonderfully restored “Golden Gates” on the Muckross Road and three centuries of garden styles will be reflected in the restoration and landscaping work.
The Gardens opened to the public in April 2016 to much local excitement, and are open every weekend. Planting and landscaping was continued throughout the year and Killarney House was officially opened to the public by Ministers Heather Humpreys and Brendan Griffin on July 3rd 2017. A Visitor Interpretive Centre shall be opened in early 2018.
On June 15th, HRH Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to Killarney, where they visited Killarney House and Gardens, Muckross and Killarney National Park.
