Adare Manor’s imposing
19th-century manor house might appear a bit stuffy to a first-time visitor. The
60-bedroom stone structure is fronted by formal French gardens and projects a
decided be-on-your-best-behavior air that’s underscored by the sight of a
stern-looking doorman decked out in tails, vest and top hat. Then you remember:
You’re in Ireland, where the natives never take
themselves too seriously.
The doorman turned out to
be a jovial Dubliner, John, who immediately put me at ease with wide-eyed
stories of the rich and famous who have found refuge at this 840-acre County Limerick estate. “Bill Clinton slept
here,” John informed me, pausing slightly to set up his well-rehearsed punch
line. “Just don’t ask me who with!”
Indeed, Bill and Hillary
did stay at Adare, as have Gwyneth Paltrow, John Travolta and golf buddies Tiger
Woods and Mark O’Meara. Surely they were impressed by the manor’s sheer expanse
and attention to detail.
Begun in 1832 by the
Second Earl of Dunraven and his wife, Lady Caroline Wyndham, the structure
contains 52 chimneys (one for each week of the year), 75 fireplaces and 365
leaded glass windows. Elaborate arches, turrets and gargoyles distinguish the
exterior stonework; inside, the cavernous lobby is broken up by massive columns
and finely crafted wooden staircases. Carved into the south parapet is an
inscription from Psalm 127: “Except the Lord build the house, then labour is but
lost that built it.”
The home remained in the
God-fearing Dunraven family until 1982, when it was sold to an investment
consortium. Five years later, the Thomas Kane family of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, acquired the property and began
converting it into a world-class vacation spot for the sporting set. The
conveniently located resort—it’s less than 40 minutes from Shannon International Airport—offers a spa, fine dining,
fishing, an equestrian center and a 10-year-old Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf course.
Pristine conditioning,
rock-walled streams, and fairways lined with mature hardwoods signal Jones’
7,138-yard parkland layout as more American than Irish in flavor. But to a
golfer who had spent the previous seven days battling stiff winds and rain
squalls along southwest Ireland’s exposed links courses, it
was a welcome respite.
