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Kilmurry House, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I couldn't resist celebrating St. Patrick's Day with an Irish estate. Kilmurry is a Georgian manor house set on 20 acres of parkland in County Kilkenny. The original Kilmurry house dates back to 1690 and was expanded in the early 1800s. The home has nine bedrooms and its reception rooms include a ballroom and dining room. It features original woodwork , ornate plasterwork and the fireplace in the dining room was hand carved by a former resident of the home. The home's classic beauty is surrounded by mature trees down a tree-lined avenue and there are formal and walled gardens as well as two paddocks of seven acres each. This home is listed at 3.5 million euros.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Kilmurry House

Tags: country kilkenny, CountryKilkenny, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, ireland, kilmurry house, KilmurryHouse

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Ireland's Hotel Discounts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

This might be a great time to enjoy a luxurious getaway in Ireland. The Times Online reports that rooms at many of the nation's five-star establishments are going empty prompting some good deals. The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation told an Oireachtas tourism committee this month that as many as 20,000 of the country's 50,000 hotel beds are vacant at any one time.

The Shelbourne in Dublin reopened last year after an expensive renovation with rooms that started at €315 a night. Now the luxury hotel is one of several luxury hotels in Ireland offering guests free nights as it attempts to ride out the recession. customers who spend two weekend nights at the Shelbourne earn a free third night, with rates starting at €229 a night per person double occupancy. The Four Seasons in Dublin is also offering a third night free with any two night stay between December and April, and rates starting at €225. At the Ritz-Carlton in Powerscourt, Co Wicklow, American Express cardholders who stay three nights in a row get the fourth night for free. The hotel was offering rooms for between €450 and €500 a night but now rates run at €275 for a weekend night and €215 midweek and the hotel is offering value-added packages.

Overall rates in Ireland are at a six-year low and it is believes that hotel occupancy will continue to drop as the global recession continues. The timing is unfortunate, Ireland's recent tourism boom led to the addition of at least 8,000 new rooms overall in 2007 but now many of those hotels are struggling to pay the costs of rapid expansion leading to the discounted rates which will likely be in place for a while.

Tags: hotels, ireland

Plans For U2 Tower Put On Hold

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

The latest architectural project to be shelved due to the economic crisis is the planned U2 Tower in Dublin, Ireland. The tower which has been in the planning stages for several years, was to have been the tallest building in Ireland. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority has said they are still committed to the project and are just putting it on hold until monetary conditions improve. The tower was supposed to have a recording studio for U2 at the top of the building as well as 180 apartments priced at over one million euros each, a price that now seems unreasonable as Ireland faces recession.

Tags: dublin, ireland, tower, u2

Ireland's Kinnitty Castle For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Here's a sign of a slumping real estate market, even historic castles in Ireland are getting the price chop. A listing for Kinnitty Castle in Offaly, Ireland touts its $9 million price cut. The castle's historic roots date back to the 10th century. it is located on an ancient druidic ceremonial ground and the castle went through several different building stages. It was burned down in 1922 but rebuilt in 1928. It was sold to The State in 1951 but then the Ryan family bought it in 1994 and turned it into a hotel. Kinnitty Castle has been restored with three reception rooms, grand drawing room, large library and 37 bedrooms. It has been used for weddings and events (over 1400 couples have married here in the past 14 years) but could also be converted back into a private residence. It is being sold fully furnished. The 61 acre grounds include gardens, stables, paddocks forests and a river. Yours for $18 million.

Tags: castle for sale, ireland, kinnitty castle, KinnittyCastle

Luxury On Display At The K Club This Weekend

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events

The global economic crisis may be troubling minds everywhere but those attending the Luxury Collection exhibition this weekend at the K Club in County Kildare, Ireland might do best to put it out of their minds for at least a little while. From now until Sunday, the golf resort will be home to a variety of luxury exhibits including the first Bugatti Veyron on show in Ireland. Art experts from Sotheby's will value paintings, international property developers will be showcasing the latest villas and vacation spots and a collection of 1920s and 1930s vintage jewels will be displayed. The K Club website has a full list of the events planned.

[via Herald.ie]

Tags: ireland, k club, KClub, kildare, luxury

John Christopher Irish Jewelry

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Inspired by the beautiful rolling hills and heritage of Ireland, John Christopher Condron has created the John Christopher collection of luxury jewelry. Based in Dublin Ireland, Condron has been working with jewelry since he was just out of high school. His tastes lean towards strong lines that keep things simple and classic with lots of sparkling diamonds set in shiny golds and silvers. The Irish influences can be seen in the most subtle of places -- for example the gold brush stroke appearance of the "New Aristocrats" pieces represents furrows found in fields in the Irish countryside. They're fairly hefty looking designs that appear fashionable without being terribly trendy or looking too hard to 'make a statement.'

Gallery: John Christopher Jewelry

Timeless Trinity

New Aristocrats

Illuminations

Night Lights

Aran Islands

Tags: christopher, condron, ireland, irish, jewelry, john christopher, john christopher condron, JohnChristopher, JohnChristopherCondron

Damien Hirst Painting Sells For Just �200

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Do you think a serious art collector would recognize the work of Damien Hirst if it was presented, unsigned and anonymous, at an art auction? Apparently, at least one would. Film producer Allan Maloney managed to snap up Hirst's Spin for a mere £200 at an anonymous auction at the Flatlake Arts and Literary Festival in Ireland.

Festival organizer Kevin Allen came up with the idea of offering up Hirst's painting of concentric circles alongside 41 other anonymous works. In attendance were some of Ireland's most prestigious art dealers and media types - they knew there was a Hirst on the block, but didn't know which one it was. The other pieces were deliberately misleading, painted in Hirst's style. In trying to guess which one was 'the one', buyers paid up to £5,000 for works they mistook as being Hirst's, including a sculpture entitled Two Rats in a Drainpipe, made by some A-level students in London.

Hirst donated the painting, which he created for his 'Spin' series, hoping it would go to someone who really liked it. I wonder how he feels about the fact that Maloney immediately offered up the painting for auction again, selling it for £95,000 to Irish gallery owner Kevin Spillane.

Tags: allan maloney, AllanMaloney, art, art auction, ArtAuction, artist, auction, damien hirst, DamienHirst, flatlake arts, FlatlakeArts, ireland, kevin allen, kevin spillane, KevinAllen, KevinSpillane, spin, spin series, SpinSeries

Capella Castlematryr Set To Open

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The next Capella resort is set to open next week in Ireland. Capella Castlemartyr is a 17th Century country manor house set on 220 acres that include the ruins of a thousand-year-old castle. There are 109 guest rooms and suites ranging from 500 to 3,000 square feet with the largest being a two-bedroom Presidential Suite. Amenties include the two handsome Irish Setters who love to go for walks, a bar with a fireplace and a grand piano, a fine dining room and an Auriga spa that includes ten treatment rooms, an ozone-treated swimming pool and a Pilates studio. The first nine holes of the 18-hole links-style gofl course will be open this month with the remaining nine set to be completed next spring. Rates start at 425 euros a night.

The first Capella resort opened in Austria several months ago.

Tags: capella castlematryr, CapellaCastlematryr, ireland, resort, travel, vacation

Nakheel Sells "Ireland" To Irish Consortium

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I've been following the development of "The World," Nakheel's Earth-shaped development in Dubai for a few years. The ambitious project to create islands representing the land masses of the world off the coast of Dubai has been steadily proceeding. Now comes the news that Nakheel has sold the island of Ireland to an Irish business consortium. Ireland sold for AED 142 million (around $38 million). The consortium will turn the island into "Ireland in the Sun" a resort with homes, restaurants and leisure opportunities with an Irish theme. Sometimes this whole project seems like a huge and luxurious version of Epcot Center.

Now that the world is reaching completion, interest in the project seems to be accelerating. Several celebrities have been rumored to have bought in to the project and last fall, race car driver Michael Schumacher was gifted with his own island. The islands are 92% reclaimed and construction should finish up by the end of 2008.

Tags: dubai, ireland, nakheel, the world, TheWorld

Ireland's Tallest Building To Be Home To Apartments

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Windsor House in Belfast, Ireland isn't the prettiest building I have ever seen but it is, for now, the tallest building in Ireland. It will also now be home to luxury apartments. Building company P Elliott, has bought Belfast's Windsor House for around 44 million euros with the plan to turn it into fancy apartments. The building has a prime location in the city business district. Both Dublin and Ireland are becoming home to more and more high-rise complexes and costs have soared in both cities.

Tags: apartments, belfast, ireland, towers, windsor house, WindsorHouse

U2 Tower Planned For Dublin

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

u2tower

The band U2 is behind a plan to build the tallest tower in Ireland. The Irish Times reports that the plans for the U2 Tower on Dublin's south Docklands has been lodged with the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. The twisting tower will be 130 meters (427 feet) tall and will be topped by a recording suite for U2 in a penthouse to replace U2's existing studios which are set to be demolished. The project is expected to be completed in the next couple of years and will contain 182 one, two and three bedroom apartments which should sell at prices starting around 1 million euros. The tower twists as it rises so that the last floor is rotated 45 degrees from the first floor. The project has been the source of some controversy and the project has been repeatedly delayed but hopefully it will proceed as planned now.

Tags: condo, dublin, ireland, real estate, tower, u2

Michael Jackson In Retreat At Irish Castle

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Celebrity Shopping

luggala

Last time we followed Michael Jackson around he was traveling around Dubai and Bahrain. Now it is being reported that he has been enjoying a different landscape entirely, he has been holed up at Luggala Castle. The seven-bedroom castle has been the setting for many films. Michael Jackson has been spendhappy as usual. The beautiful Irish home costs 30,000 euros a week to rent and Jackson has already been there several months.

Tags: celebrity, ireland, luggala, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, travel

The Merchant Hotel's Pricey Cocktail

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

Another very expensive cocktail is vying for the title of the world's most expensive drink. CNN reports that the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, ireland says their $1,410 Mai Tai may make it into the record books. The hotel reports that it has already sold two of the drinks since they began to offer it two weeks ago. The drink is made from an extremely rare bottle of Wray and Nephew Rum. Only six of the 17-year-old bottles were created. Unlike other fancy drinks which boast gold bits or diamonds, this one earns its price based strictly on ingredients and the fact that when the bottle is gone the drink will no longer be available.

Tags: belfast, cocktail, expensive, ireland, merchant hotel, MerchantHotel

Galgorm Resort To Open New Spa

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Another venerable resort will soon have a spa, it seems that hotels that once relied on their charm and location alone now have to also have spas in order to lure guests. Up for it's spa moment is the Galgorm Resort in Northern Ireland. The resort is a classic residence which has been converted into a resort. The new spa is part of a multi-million dollar renovation of the property. The spa will have eleven treatment rooms including five individual climate rooms, a hydropool, mud bath, hammam and a couples suite. There will also be an outdoor hot tub with views of the waterfall. The spa will be available to hotel guests but will also be a day spa offering passes to use the infinity hydrotherapy pool and other amenities. The spa will be open at the beginning of next year.

Tags: galgorm, ireland, spa

Merchant Hotel Opens For Business

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

We first heard about this hotel last summer and now it is finally open for business. The Merchant Hotel in Belfast, Ireland has transformed the former headquarters of the Ulster Bank, on Waring Street into a luxury boutique hotel of 21 bedrooms and five suites. It took two years to restore the property and the company behind the project, Beannchor spent more than £400,000 on antiques and artwork. Rooms cost from £220 to £600 for the grand suite. Rooms have air-conditioning and flat-screen televisions. Each bedroom is named after a different Irish writer. There is also a commercial gallery in the hotel lobby, showcasing the work of Northern Ireland's best artists. Guests can also hire the hotel's Bentley Arnage.

Tags: belfast, ireland, luxury hotel, merchant hotel, MerchantHotel, new hotel, travel, vacation

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