EXPLORING IRELAND
WITH ACCLAIMED DESIGNER CARLETON VARNEY
ALIMERICK, Ireland fter a string of mishaps — including watching my car rolling toward a precipice after forgetting to put it in park — I start to wonder if I’ve accidentally stepped on a fairy.
Nowhere else but Ireland would that thought be seriously entertained, which is part of the charm of the place.
When I explain my bad luck, the pub patrons of Kilkornan House ask: “Have you walked across a field?” “Have you come across a fairy fort?” They are serious.
“I don’t necessarily believe in them, but if I am out hunting and see a fairy fort I get out of the area,” says one man.“You could have angered a gypsy,” says another.The island is imbued with an ages-old belief in the wee folk and the power of a curse. It’s what makes the Irish so enchanting.
Maureen Delaney, who runs Kilkornan House, is a friend of Carleton Varney, American interior decorator and president of the international design firm Dorothy Draper & Co. He is known for his extravagant and fearless use of color at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, the Grand Hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac Island and The Colony in Palm Beach, Fla., among others. He offered Ms. Delaney some suggestions on sprucing up her pub. So she added bold green and white stripes against red walls.“She’s an old friend and a great cook,” said Mr. Varney, who suggested I stop at Ms. Delaney’s pub for a pint.
The designer has become very familiar with the west coast of Ireland since the 1960s, when he bought Shannongrove, which he calls an 18th-century Queen Anne Dutch Palladianstyle manor house. He has lovingly restored and rejuvenated the property by just completing a 1,200-square-foot conversion of the old stables into a kitchen that is nearly the size of some nearby cottages.
“It’s really great, especially for entertaining,” he says.Mr. Varney seems to know everyone and had some excellent suggestions for experiencing the west coast and driving the scenic Wild Atlantic Way. That’s why the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh chose him as tour guide for a trip, “Carleton Varney’s Ireland: Private Places, Friendly Faces,” on July 2129.Here are some of his recommendations for places to visit, eat and stay once you land at Shannon Airport.
Adare
For an authentic Irish country house with an award-winning menu, Mr. Varney suggested The Mustard Seed in Ballingarry, also in County Limerick. It’s listed in Ireland’s Blue Book, an invaluable source for planning a road
trip. The restaurant is just a 10-minute drive from the village of Adare on the River Maigue. Adare is famous for its 19th-century thatched cottages, many of which have been transformed into alluring shops and restaurants. It is what you imagine an Irish village looks like. If you want to stay in town, the Dunraven Arms or Adare Manor, former home of Lord Dunraven, are right there.
Rathkeale
Rathkeale is a town you would not associate with the Ireland of your imagination. A short drive from Ballingarry and The Mustard Seed, this town is home to the Travellers. It is easy to spot a Travellers’ home because it’s a very new house with a large RV parked in the driveway. They live in the RVs and use the houses for elaborate weddings or simply as a symbol of their success. Travellers are associated with dubious business dealings, and there is tension between their communities and other Irishmen. It’s a drive-through kind of town.
County Limerick
In Limerick City, Mr. Varney recommended a trip to the Hunt Museum, famous for its ancient artifacts, and a stop at The Locke Bar and Restaurant owned by his friend Jackie Costello.
“Jackie was a flight attendant when it was a great honor and then she became the face of Lancome,” he says.
“The bar attracts visitors for the authentic Irish dancing and music, and locals for the food and atmosphere,” Ms. Costello says.
A pint of Guinness and a tipple of Jameson may soon have you doing an Irish jig, but be careful where you step. (Remember the fairies!) The potted shrimp appetizer is Mr. Varney’s favorite menu item.
Western gardens
Michelina and George Stacpoole, who run an antiques and clothing store in Adare, have a lovely home filled with antiques, paintings, books and all sorts of interesting trinkets.
“I enjoy cooking,” said Mrs. Stacpoole, who was a fashion designer known for her jersey knits.
She and her husband occasionally open their home to friends of Mr. Varney for a luncheon and tour of the gardens. Another favorite garden is Knockpatrick, run by Tim O’Brien and his wife, Helen. These three acres of floral paradise have been cultivated for nearly a century.
Foynes
Mr. Varney loves to take visitors to the Flying Boats Museum, whose patron, the late Irish actress Maureen O’Hara, was married to the last flying boat pilot, Charles F. Blair Jr. A new wing is being built to house her collection of memorabilia that was donated by her grandson, Conor Fitzsimons. Stop for a view of Foynes Harbor, where giant seaplanes once landed with passengers from New York. They were the first commercial trans-Atlantic flights.
Southern stops
Seventy-five kilometers (nearly 47 miles) from Shannongrove is Longueville House, Mr. Varney’s favorite stop for tea. Built about 1720, this manor house on 500 acres is run by William and Aisling O’Callaghan. The front yard is filled with sheep and offers sweeping views of County Cork’s Blackwater Valley below.
Mr. O’Callaghan’s mother, Jean, helps at Longueville House, which makes its own craft cider and apple brandy. Guests enjoy afternoon tea in front of a large open fireplace in the main sitting room. It’s just 25 miles from Blarney Castle and the famous Blarney Stone.
Heading north
The famous Cliffs of Moher in County Clare are 98 kilometers ( nearly 61 miles) north of Adare. Dramatic, dangerous and mesmerizing, the cliffs and the cliff walk are a natural wonder. Another is The Burren, a barren rocky landscape inland.
“If you go to The Burren, Gregans Castle is where you should stay,” says Mr. Varney. Gregans Castle is not a castle at all, but an 18th-century manor house and luxury hotel. It’s listed in the Blue Book.
An hour’s drive north lands you in Galway City on the River Corrib. Galway is a popular shopping and eating destination with a large pedestrian-only center. It’s also the home of Thomas Dillon Jewelers, the oldest jeweler in Ireland, since 1750. Thomas Dillon handmakes the original Claddagh ring.
Purchasing a gold leprechaun charm there seemed to do the trick and ended my bad luck. There were no more mishaps with the little fellow’s help.
County Mayo
That included not running into the random livestock that pop up on Ireland’s rural roads and country lanes. The landscape began to change — with higher mountains and wider valleys — as I drove from County Galway to County Mayo, where John Wayne and Ms. O’Hara filmed “The Quiet Man.” Two stops worth the distraction include Killary Fjord and Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Gardens, built for Benedictine nuns in 1920.
Connemara Carpets is where all of Mr. Varney’s carpets for hotels and residences are loomed. When he is visiting, he stays at Cashel House Hotel on Cashel Bay. Built in 1850, its service and cozy, country charm make for an authentic Irish experience.
Owner Kay McEvilly, now in her 80s, stops at every table during dinner to greet her guests. Fly fishing, hiking and horseback riding are popular activities here.
Down the road is Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, a registered Irish manor house that caters to fly fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts. If you go for a hike there or anywhere in Ireland, a friendly word of warning: Watch your step.
“The wee folk can be ferocious,” a pub tender says.
The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh trip “Carleton Varney’s Ireland” runs July 21-29. An optional prelude to County Cork is July 19-22. An optional postlude to Northern Ireland on the Belmond Grand Hibernian Train is July 29-31. Cost for the main trip starts at $8,999 per person. The prelude trip starts at $1,599 and the postlude trip at $ 3,899. Information: www.carnegiemuseums.org/ travel, 412- 578- 2618 or travel@carnegiemuseums.
Patricia Sheridan: psheridan@post-gazette.com, 412263-2613, Twitter: @pasheridan.