Ireland has always been considered a tasty morsel for neighboring states. Of course, among the Irish themselves, this interest from the outside caused the most contradictory feelings. Not that they (the Irish) were unfriendly to overseas guests. But just in case, they erected powerful castles-fortresses on the outskirts of their country. Today you can count literally thousands of such structures. True, most of them have long been turned into ruins, but some of them are perfectly preserved and have been restored. We will tell you about one of these castles, now turned into a luxurious five-star hotel.
Overseas guest
Ashford Castle is distinguished primarily by the fact that it was built not by a native Irishman to protect against enemies, but, in fact, by the "enemy" - Anglonor Mandean William de Burgh - to protect against the Irish. Around the 12th century, he entered this blessed country without an invitation and captured the whole kingdom of Connacht (now a province of Ireland). And in order not to give it back, he erected a powerful stone castle in the center (Connacht was small - what country, such kingdoms).
With the former masters of the kingdom - the O'Connor clan - de Burgh dealt with comparatively mercifully. Having thoroughly patted them in battles and thereby making them understand who was in charge, he allowed the remnants of the once powerful clan to vegetate on the outskirts of their former possessions - in the Abbey of Kong. This abbey is famous for the fact that the last Irish king, Roderick O'Connor, died there, and for a long time one of the country's sacred relics, the Kong Cross, was kept there. It is a weighty 11th-century oak, gilded product that was usually carried in front of ceremonial processions. According to legends, inside the Kong Cross, in turn, a chip from the very cross on which Jesus was crucified is immured. How this splinter got from the Arabian Peninsula to Ireland is a mystery. The cross is now in a museum in Dublin.
So, the O'Connors sit quietly in the abbey, praying on the cross and cursing the invader, while the invader strengthens the castle and gradually acquires Irish habits. After a while, de Burgh felt so Irish that he even, as they say, sent his homeland - England - away, and for the rest of his life he and his descendants defended the kingdom that became native from the encroachments of Foggy Albion.
England tried to take offense at de Burgh for such a betrayal, but did not have time - the newly made Irishman, trying to perpetuate himself in numerous descendants who were ready to defend Ashford and its environs in the future, overdid it in this field and died in the chambers of the castle from a disease that was considered in all centuries indecent.
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Pirate Queen
The descendants did not disappoint. For 350 years they behaved so defiantly that even England recognized the Burgs (by the 16th century they began to be called Burkes) the "autonomous rulers" of Connaught and left them alone for a while.
Taking advantage of the respite, the Burqi were strengthening their only stronghold in the kingdom - Ashford Castle: they built more and more towers, built up the walls and decorated the halls with things that were not obtained in the most honest way, but who cares at that time?
At the end of the 16th century, Ashford and its environs were ruled by the widow of one of the Burks, Lady Granual, nicknamed the "Queen of the Pirates". It is clear that such a nickname will not appear from scratch. Granual and her son were so actively enriching themselves at the expense of the English crown that they were alarmed in London and decided to audit Ashford and the entire kingdom as a whole.
The audit for the "queen" and her team ended sadly. Burki lost their castle forever, and many lost their heads. Richard Bingham, appointed by England as governor of Connaught, entered Ashford as a winner and immediately built a small "castle in a castle" inside it, apparently assuming that he would not stay here for a long time, and therefore he did not need large chambers.
Brewer's hideout
And so it happened. Soon Bingham was replaced by Baron Oranmore Brown - a connoisseur of everything elegant, mostly French. It was thanks to the baron that the castle was additionally adorned with a building in the style of a French chateau - gabled roofs, nice but defensively useless turrets, large windows and other architectural excesses.
In 1852, the next owner of Ashford was Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, the grandson of the creator of the famous beer brand. Sir Benjamin's grandfather worked not for fear, but for conscience, and therefore the grandson - at that time the richest man in Ireland - did not even bargain. He paid for the castle as requested, immediately attached two large additional wings to it and filled the basements with products of his grandfather's production.
To be fair, it should be noted that Sir Benjamin was very sensitive to both his acquisition and its history. Thanks to him, archaeological excavations were carefully but accurately carried out on the territory of the castle, and all interesting finds went to Irish museums. No, perhaps the most interesting thing Guinness left in his now castle, but, in any case, guests could visit it and freely admire the artifacts telling about the distant past of Ireland.
In addition to excavations, Sir Benjamin significantly increased the size of the estate, built many new roads and planted thousands of trees - a very generous and enthusiastic man.
Sir Benjamin's son, Arthur, followed his father, plus he turned out to be an avid gardener. Thanks to him, the forests that surrounded the castle have turned into lush gardens and parks. He also seriously renovated a dilapidated wing built in the Burk era, and launched several steamers along the river adjacent to the castle. At first glance, steamers are just a whim of the owner, but in fact they have proven to be very useful. Thanks to the river communication that appeared, the area began to settle down much more actively and, as a result, began to bring additional profit to the owner of the estate.
The way to the hotel
In 1970, the Guinness parted with the castle - it was acquired by a certain Noel Haggard, who immediately turned the castle into a first-class hotel. Rooms at the Ashford Hotel were booked months in advance. And not only because the hotel itself was really chic, but also because its owner offered his clients such exotic entertainment for most of them as hunting and fishing.
One of the regular customers - American multimillionaire John Mulcahy - was so delighted with the Ashford Hotel that one day he bought it and doubled the living space, let's say. He added a golf course, in short, did everything so that the once formidable for its neighbors building received the title of "the best hotel in Ireland and Britain."
Ashford Castle has not looked gloomy for a long time, and the spirit of indomitability of the Irish boozoters has completely disappeared from its huge halls. Now it is a chic five-star hotel where the richest people in the world seek to relax. They have great rooms, great views and excellent cuisine. For those who are tired of admiring the views, filling their stomachs and playing golf, there is an exciting entertainment: travel through the numerous corridors, cellars, towers and secret passages of the castle, preferably with a map or a guide - so as not to get lost. The previous owners of Ashford erected so many interconnected buildings, and the current owners made so much effort to preserve them, that as a result, the castle turned into a huge labyrinth.