Huntington Castle

Huntington was built in 1625 by Laurence Esmonde on the site of a Franciscan foundation and an earlier castle, guarding a river crossing, and the same family - Esmonde, then Durdin-Robertson - has lived in it ever since; the current generation still does, which shows in the tour. The gardens include a yew walk planted around 1680, a lime avenue and a French parterre. The unusual part is underneath. In 1976 Olivia Robertson and her brother Lawrence, then living in the house, founded the Fellowship of Isis in the basement, a syncretic religious organisation devoted to the divine feminine that now claims members in many countries; the temple they made in the old cellars, with shrines to goddesses from numerous traditions, is part of the guided tour and is still in use. The combination of a family home, a yew walk from the 1680s and an active goddess temple in the basement is not something you find elsewhere.

What you actually see

• The basement temple - the Fellowship of Isis shrines, founded here in 1976.
• The yew walk - planted around 1680, one of the oldest in Ireland.
• The lived-in house - the same family since 1625, still resident.
• The gardens - lime avenue, parterre and river walks.

When to go

May to September; opening is seasonal and the house is guided tour only at set times. The gardens can be visited separately. Two hours covers both.

Honest expectations

Seasonal, guided tour only, and it is a private family home - parts are not shown and the tour depends on who is available. The temple is an active religious space, not a curiosity, and is presented as such.

Nearby

Bunclody is south; Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs are east.