Plunkett House

About this property

The wonderful Plunkett House lies northwest of Dublin and is set among the beautiful scenic hills of north Co Meath. This incredible estate has been in the same family since the 17th century and comes with a fascinating history. Plunkett House is beautifully presented with lavish furnishings, opulent decor and very stylish accessories. The house sleeps up to seventeen guests in nine gorgeous bedrooms and is the perfect abode to bring the generations together, to party with your favourite friends or for a special celebration such as a wedding.

Plunkett House enjoys sensational entertainment spaces including a living room and library, a very fine drawing room with sumptuous sofas, a piano, gorgeous fire and double doors that open to the front patio. There is a grand dining area and a fabulous kitchen with an Aga as well as an electric oven. The Sun Room comes with a fantastic flagged floor and very pretty garden views. There are many other rooms, all perfect for large groups. You can always find a quiet space here for a pot of tea and a quiet read of the Sunday newspapers. The rooms are all decorated with artistic flair and gorgeous colour tones. Each room is unique and many have wonderful quirky features.

There are four excellent double rooms, all with beautifully dressed beds and cloud-like mattresses, two wonderful twin rooms and one single. The five bathrooms come with gorgeous toiletries and very fluffy towels. The views from the bedrooms are phenomenal. It is such a lovely place to wake up.

The house sits in two hundred acres of parkland and gardens, a place of croquet hoops, afternoon teas and champagne on Irish lawns. There is a private tennis court and a lake, wonderful walking trails and within the grounds, a fabulous coffee shop with plenty of treats and healthy options, the ruins of St. Oliver Plunkett Church and even an enchanting Fairy Trail that the little ones in your group will adore. The 17th-century St. Oliver Plunkett Church remains intact, bearing witness to its rich history. Within the estate, you can also find the Tower House where Plunkett’s family resided before Oliver Cromwell claimed the estate in 1641, reportedly causing damage to the church roof. There is a wide range of different walks on offer which will take you over a range of different vistas including woodland, lakes and ponds, rolling hills and curated landscape gardens. There is a magnificent yew walk, foundations of a longhouse and a walled garden from which a canal and a parterre have been relocated in replica. The yew walk trees are exceptional. In the 19th century these earlier elements were enveloped in a comprehensive development of parkland, watergardens, specimen trees, follies, rockeries, woodwalks and magnificent vistas. The central area of approximately six acres now includes a lime avenue, extensive lawns and terraces, magnificent herbaceous border and physic border. The main gardens are open to the public from 10am-5pm but there are private outdoor areas exclusive to guests next to the house.

The house is situated in the middle of the beautiful rolling drumlins of north County Meath next to the prehistoric passage graves of international renown. The area around is one of the unknown delights on the doorstep of Dublin. The surrounding landscape is atmospheric and serene, with rolling parklands, forests and ring forts.

The property is 3 miles from the thriving market town of Oldcastle and is within easy reach of the Kells, Navan and Cavan towns. Dublin City and International Airport is approximately 50 miles away and the new M3 motorway, when completed, will offer even swifter journey times to the city.

In a landscape of inspiring beauty and intriguing history, the cairns form the largest complex of passage graves in Ireland. The Cairns are megalithic structures originally built about 4000 BC as burial chambers. The cairns are in two groups. Carnbane West is about 15 cairns, including Cairn L which is roofed and contains superb symbolic carvings in good condition. This group is some 2 km walk from the car park on gently sloping ground. Carnbane East includes Cairn T, also roofed and with excellent engravings, and is a shorter but steeper walk.

Also within the estate is an adventure course that can be hired. It includes:
- Adult and junior obstacle courses with zip wire and climbing wall
- Mind games and brain teasers
- Raft building on the lake
- Archery
- Camp craft and bush survival overnight

Guests can experience exhilaration and excitement. The estate can provide a tailor made package to suit individual and group needs. This service is ideal for corporate days, sports clubs, schools, youth groups, hen and stag parties and family fun.
- full DAY: €50 PER adult, half DAY: €30 PER adult
- full DAY: €40 PER child (under 12), half DAY: €25 PER child
- overnight FOR camp craft & bush survival: €50 A head

Accommodation

The property sleeps up to 17 and is made up of the 4 double room, 4 twin rooms and 1 single room.
Main House
- Library/Living Room: solid fuel stove with a stock of firewood and a flat screen TV
- Drawing Room: fine formal room with comfortable couches, a piano, solid fuel stove with stock of firewood, double doors opening onto the front patio and a large dining table and chairs perfect for large group meals
- Kitchen: domestic sized kitchen complete with large AGA stove, electric cooker, crockery, utensils and fridge
- Sun Room: fine room with flagged floor and glazed roof. Large double doors to garden and carpark
- Hall with pantry and guest WC.
- Office.
- Living Room.
- Utility/Boot Room.
- Five bathrooms with bathtub/shower rooms
- Four double bedrooms
- Four twin rooms
- Single room

Exterior
- Tennis Court with rackets
- Sun Patio at front of house
- Café on estate with historical grounds & gardens
Outside the house sits within 200 acres of parkland and grounds. There is a lake and a tennis court for your use. Generations of the family have been creating the gardens since 1660. The result is a stunning garden comprising water, trees, vistas and archaeology rather than flowerbeds. A host of enchanting features are displayed in a setting steeped in atmosphere and history. Within the gardens stand a mediæval moote and St. Oliver Plunkett's family church and Tower House.
The surviving 17th century features include a magnificent yew walk, foundations of a longhouse and a walled garden from which a canal and a parterre have been relocated in replica. The yew walk trees are exceptional, of remarkable form and girth. Other trees are mound-planted, leaving the root system exposed as an extension of the impressive contorted trunks.
In the 19th century these earlier elements were enveloped in a comprehensive development of parkland, watergardens, specimen trees, follies, rockeries, woodwalks and magnificent vistas. The central area of approximately six acres now includes a lime avenue, extensive lawns and terraces, magnificent herbaceous border and physic border. Don't miss the grotesque rockery and grotto, the Rootery, Hellfire garden, watermill, fountain, and symbolic statues and sculptures.
The main gardens are open to the public from 10am-5pm but there are private outdoor areas exclusive to guests next to the house.