Today we visited Powerscourt House in the wilds of Wicklow with a group of eight people. It was a full day bespoke tour and we enjoyed all the pleasures of this wonderful destination.
We began with a tour of the Dublin Wicklow mountains passing through lush valleys and mountain bogs. The lambs were tiny and the gorse was bright yellow. The Sugarloaf Mountain rose majestically among the peaks and hills.
On we travelled to visit a new distillery which dates to 2018. The name is Fercullen which derives from the old name for the valleys of Wicklow and the various Gaelic Irish tribes including the O’Tooles and the O’Byrnes. We tasted three different whiskies of varying ages and there were bespoke foods to accompany each whiskey.
After this we had a tasty lunch in the distillery and explored the history of whiskey making in the region and visited the barrels of the golden uisce beatha, Irish for whiskey
Many have been bought by whiskey enthusiasts and they invest for 3 to 20 years for investment, presents, saving for a special future date and to leave a legacy.
We continued on foot to the main house of Powerscourt which is a fine Palladian mansion designed by the famous architect Richard Cassels who also designed Leinster House. The house suffered a devastating fire in the early 1970’s after the owners had carried out extensive renovations. However, after the flames subsided a medieval castle was discovered within the Georgian Mansion.
The gardens are beautiful and a very popular place for Dubliners to visit within easy reach of the City. There are a range of gardens to explore from Japanese to water gardens, to terraces and everything in between.
For a wet day the Avoca Emporium is a great spot for garnering gifts.