Duckett’s Grove, the 18th, 19th and early 20th century home of the Duckett family, was formerly at the centre of a 20,000 acre (8,093 hectares) estate that has dominated the Carlow landscape for over 300 years. Even in ruin, the surviving towers and turrets of Duckett’s Grove Walled Gardens and Pleasure Grounds form a romantic profile making it one of the most photogenic historic buildings in the country and a castle in Ireland to visit.
This part Cobden designed building is structurally intact and accessible to the public. Two Georgian kitchen gardens form part of the complex where the old paths have been revealed and the beds and borders reinstated. Its precincts have been the subject of at least two international film sets and the site is a continuous mecca for paranormal groups. Stylistically the new planting schemes echo the past yet reflect changing fashions, utilising plants and planting patterns that may have evolved over time. Open daily, daylight hours.
Facilities: Large car and coach park, toilets, wheelchair access.
How to get there: From Dublin/Waterford take exit 4 on M9 motorway. Follow signs for Castledermot then take the R418 Castledermot – Tullow road for 6km and turn right at the signed junction. From Carlow take the R726 Hacketstown Road for 10 km to Killerig Cross Roads. Turn left at this junction onto the R418 for 2.5 km, turn left again at the signed junction.
Enjoy Guided Tours (on selected days), audio tours in five languages, new storytelling panels throughout the site and a film of Duckett’s Grove. The FREE guided tour of Duckett’s Grove retrace the centuries of history in this special place. Learn about the origins of the Duckett family who first arrived here in 1695, the subsequent expansion of the estate and building of the Gothic mansion and its eventual sad demise. Discover the stories of the family who lived here and the people who worked for them. As the principal seat of one of the most prominent families in Carlow of that time, Duckett’s Grove remains an important and powerful reminder of a former period, rich in history and deep in tradition.
Tour Times :
November – March: Thursday & Friday 12 noon, 2 pm, 3 pm. Sunday 2 pm, 3 pm
April-October: Thursday & Friday 12.30 noon, 2.30 pm, 4 pm. Sunday 2.30 pm, 4 pm
GPS: 52.858748, –6.812787
Opening Times: Gardens and ruined mansion daily, 9.00 am to 8.30 pm.
Admission: Free
COVID 19
Amended Tour times
Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm
Please continue to check the HSE website https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/ for further updates and continue to monitor our social media pages
