Shankill Castle, Paulstown
Shankill Castle, Paulstown
Shankill Castle and Gardens is set in parkland near Paulstown on the Carlow/Kilkenny border. Visitors are invited to walk in the grounds and gardens, and there are guided tours of the house.
Shankill Castle started as a Bulter tower-house near the ruins of an old church. Peter Alyward bought the lands from his wife's family in 1708, and it was rebuilt and set in a formal landscape with a vista to the front and canal to the rear. In the 19th century, it was enlarged and castellated, serpentine bays added to the canal and an unusual polyhedral sundial given pride of place on a sunken lawn. Other additions were a gothic porch bearing the Alyward crest and a conservatory. The stable-yard and the castellated entrance to the demesne are attributed to Daniel Robertson.
The interior preserves much of its 18th century character and features including a Georgian staircase, Gothic plasterwork and a Victorian drawing room. Since 1991 Shankill Castle is home and studio to the artist Elizabeth Cope, whose paintings are on display.
In the garden there are remnants of 18th century lime alles, 19th century laurel lawns. There are some Victorian favourites such as the now gigantic Sequoias and 20th century, self-sown ash trees. The moated garden, once a rose garden then forgotten and planted with Sitka spruces is now a spring garden, and the graveyard blooms all year round. The walled garden has a apple arch under-planted with red tulips and some antique goblet-shaped pear trees trained against a mellow brick wall.
Around Shankill Castle Gardens there are 3 significant trees which are included in the Tree Register of Ireland, compiled by the Tree Council of Ireland. These include a Common Lime, a Wellingtonia Giant Sequoia and two Monterey Cypress.
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