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Is Muckross House worth visiting?

Etched against the beauty of Killarney National Park, Muckross House is definitely worth visiting whether you are looking for a romantic location or a family day out. This is a must visit when you are on your Ring of Kerry road trip.

This nineteenth century Victorian mansion stands close to the shores of Muckross Lake which is one of the world famous Killarney lakes, known for their spectacular beauty.

Muckross House was built as a family home for the Herbert family, specifically Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, the water-colourist Mary Balfour Herbert. Muckross House was the fourth house that the Herbert family occupied over a period of almost two hundred years, providing homes for successive generations. The house was designed by William Burn, the well-known Scottish architect and construction commenced in 1839 and was completed in 1843.

The original plan was that Muckross House should be a larger, more ornate, structure but the plans for a bigger servants’ wing, stable block, orangery and summer-house were altered at Mary Herbert’s request.

Currently the principal rooms are furnished in period style and really showed off the elegant lifestyle of the nineteenth century class of landowners. When observing the basement one can see in your imagination,the busy bustle of the servants as they went about their daily chores.

There was extensive work done on the gardens during the 1850s, in anticipation and preparation for Queen Victoria’s visit in 1861. The garden work continued when the Bourn Vincent family purchased the estate early in the twentieth century after which they added the Sunken Garden, Rock Garden and the Stream Garden. Today, these gardens are a sight and pleasure to behold.

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