Photo by Jack Hardy
GREENER PASTURES After a comprehensive renovation, Ireland's Adare Manor, host of the 2027 Ryder Cup, is ready to shine for a global audience. Written by Bridget Cottrell Ireland is a different kind of green. Even Johnny Cash, famously dubbed "The Man in Black," pined for the moorlands and the midlands in his gravelly bass-baritone for the song "Forty Shades of Green." I like to think that the verdancy of the Emerald Isle is Mother Nature's consolation prize for frequent rain and cloud cover, creating a beguiling beauty of a landscape renowned for scores of scenic walking and hiking routes and a passionate golf culture dating back to the mid-19th century The latter will put Ireland at the epicenter of the world golf stage when the 2027 Ryder Cup comes to Adare Manor in County Limerick from September 13-19, marking only the second time the prestigious event has been held in the country. While the lead-up no doubt will be enough to prompt golfers of all abilities to add the storied property to their travel bucket list, one would be remiss in thinking that the Adare Manor's manicured greens are the sole attraction. Current estimates put the number of castles and castle ruins in Ireland at 30,000, second only to France, which has 45,000. And, while it certainly bears all the hallmarks of a castle, Adare Manor, named after the adjacent storybook village, is actually
an opulent family manor house. It sits on an 842-acre parcel of land (just one acre shy of Central Park) with a settlement history dating back to the 12th century. Construction of the manor house commenced in 1832 under the auspices of Lady Caroline Wyndham, who was inspired by the cathedrals of Europe and passionate about Gothic architecture. Interestingly, Caroline's husband, Wyndham Henry Quinn, the second Earl of Dunraven, was a descendant of a modest landowner named Donagh Quinn, who in the 1600s laid the foundation for his family's ascent from humble beginnings to nobility. A great many of the world's castles and great estates seem to share stories of rise and ruin, and Adare Manor is no different. In 1897, Adare Manor hosted the Duke of New York, later King George V, cementing its status as one of Ireland's greatest estates. The expense of maintaining the estate weighed heavily on subsequent generations, and Adare Manor gradually fell into disrepair. In 1982, the seventh Earl, unable to afford its upkeep, sold the property to a group of investors who, five years later, sold it to Tom Kane, a stockbroker from New York City. slmag.net
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