Irish National Stud

Colonel William Hall-Walker, a Scottish brewing heir, set up a stud at Tully in 1900 and ran it on principles that were eccentric even then: he cast horoscopes for every foal and sold or kept animals on what the charts said, and built the boxes with lantern roofs so the stars could influence the horses directly. It worked well enough that he bred multiple Classic winners. He gave the stud to the British state in 1915 and it passed to Ireland in 1943. It is a working operation - stallions stand here and foals are born from February - and the tour goes through the yards. Hall-Walker also commissioned Tassa Eida, a Japanese gardener, with his son Minoru, to build a Japanese garden between 1906 and 1910 laid out as the journey of a life from birth to the afterlife; it is among the finest in Europe. A separate Saint Fiachra's Garden of woodland and water was added in 1999.

What you actually see

• The Japanese Gardens - built by Tassa Eida from 1906, laid out as a life's journey.
• The working yards - stallions, mares and foals from February onward.
• The astrology story - lantern-roofed boxes built to let the stars in.
• Saint Fiachra's Garden - the 1999 woodland and water garden.

When to go

February to July to see foals; April to September for the gardens at their best. It is a working farm, so parts close around foaling and covering.

Honest expectations

A working stud - access to yards depends on the day's operations and can be restricted. Stallions are shown at set times only. Ticketed as a full attraction. The Japanese Gardens can be busy with coach parties.

Nearby

Kildare town and its round tower are two kilometres away; the Curragh is east.