Killruddery House & Gardens near Bray in County Wicklow has been home to the Brabazon family (the Earls of Meath) since 1618. The gardens are among the oldest in Ireland, providing the perfect destination for relaxing and leisurely walks.
Nestled between the mountains and the sea and just a stone’s throw away from Dublin, Killruddery is a great historic house of Ireland. The magnificent 800-acre estate includes flowering woodland, painterly formal 17th century gardens, a high-hedge sylvan theatre, long ponds and a walled garden. A member of HHI (Historic Houses of Ireland), Killruddery offers garden admission and house tours, however at the heart of this enterprise, the team wish to protect Killruddery’s soul and unique character as a special family home.
Today, three generations of the Brabazon family live in the 17th century house and estate, and under the stewardship of Lord and Lady Ardee, Killruddery has been transformed into a cultural highlight and visitor’s attraction in Ireland’s Ancient East.
A true celebration of the great outdoors, the authentic, bio-diverse space that makes up the estate comprises of a working farm where chemical free vegetables, fruit, cut-flowers and free-range meats are grown and produced and later available to buy in Killruddery’s Farm Shop & Garden Centre (situated in the estate’s heritage Horse Yard) or to taste on all ‘garden-to-plate’ menus in the Grain Store Restaurant and Tea Room. Killruddery Farm Market also takes place every Saturday from 10am – 4pm with a range of local food producers, organic produce and craftspeople in the Horse Yard and Grain Store Restaurant area (free parking and entry). Celebrating the seasonal bounty of the estate is an everyday affair at Killruddery.
Visitors can also look forward to an annual programme of events which includes everything from falconry, beekeeping and botanical workshops, to outdoor concerts and children’s events.
Killruddery House & Gardens is one of Ireland’s Ancient East top attractions and is perfect for a family outing within easy reach of Dublin. For more information on Killruddery, visit www.killruddery.com or visit their online shop on store.killruddery.com .