Every now and then, it’s quite nice to imagine yourself in the middle of nowhere. A place to switch off, lose your bearings, and let your imagination run wild. If you ask anyone where Ballyfin Demesne is, the answer ‘in the middle of nowhere’ is spot on. Ballyfin is an estate covering almost 250 hectares in the heart of Ireland, in County Laois, a couple of hours from Dublin Airport. Within its grounds are woods, meadows, even an artificial lake, an ancient tower and one of the country’s most elegant country houses.
The story
The story begins long before the grand mansion that now dominates the estate. In the ancient lands of the O’More family, castles, families and generations came and went, until, in the nineteenth century, Sir Charles Coote decided to build a villa befitting his rank. He entrusted the project to Richard Morrison and his son William, who, over the course of six years, built a magnificent building right on the lakeshore, surrounded by a vast park featuring fountains and small temples. But Ballyfin’s fortunes changed once again in 1928, when the estate was sold to the Patriziani brothers and, for over sixty years, served as a boys’ boarding school. When Frederick and Kay Krehbiel, philanthropists from Chicago, purchased it in 2001, the house was in dire need of a complete refurbishment. Thus began a nine-year restoration project, carried out with patience and meticulous attention to detail, which today allows Ballyfin to be experienced as an uninterrupted narrative of architecture, art and landscape.
A bit like *Downton Abbey*, a bit like Buckingham Palace
From the outside, Ballyfin appears both austere and monumental. The façade, 13 bays long, is in the neoclassical style. The two-storey portico is supported by four Ionic columns. The triangular pediment is unadorned apart from the coat of arms and a cornice of laurel wreaths. It is a magnificence without ostentation, which offers only a glimpse of what lies beyond the threshold. And it is inside that the magic begins. You step into another dimension without even realising it. A bit like *Downton Abbey*, a bit like Buckingham Palace – in any case, something extraordinary. The floors creak; the intricate patterns of the parquet are the same as those at Windsor Castle, and beneath a carpet you discover a mosaic from Pompeii. And the fireplaces… How many fireplaces are there? At least one in every room, all lit and crackling, creating a warm atmosphere. It feels like you’re in an aristocratic home – in fact, the aristocratic home of your dreams – certainly not a hotel. And in an instant, you feel right at home. Breakfast is served on blue and white Transferware porcelain. Everything is neat and tidy, freshly prepared and served by waiters in traditional uniform. ‘Ballyfin Full Irish, please.’ And in come the fresh eggs, cooked to order, with sausages, bacon, black and white pudding, tomatoes and mushrooms. The day begins with plenty of energy. And you’ll need it.
Nel cuore dell’Irlanda a Ballyfin Demesne
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Wearing period costume whilst playing clay pigeon shooting
The new owners, the Krehbiels, have always loved opera, and they bought a stock of stage costumes and accessories from the Civic Opera House in Chicago, their home town. They had them sent to Ballyfin and set up two large dressing rooms, where guests can have fun trying on corsets, crinolines, feathered hats and veils for the ladies, and waistcoats, frock coats and top hats for the lords. Dressed as they were in the nineteenth century, the experience of stepping into the shoes of the Irish nobility is all the more authentic. Outside, a carriage is waiting to take them to the clay pigeon shooting hut. An ancient sport, very common in these parts. Inside the hut there are hand warmers (it gets freezing at times) and a buffet with hot drinks and homemade shortbread. In the space of an hour, the weather has changed four times: sunshine and a blue sky with little white clouds, wind and rustling leaves, heavy rain, and finally snow. At lunchtime it feels like summer; it’s warm in the greenhouse in the garden. It’s lovely to be outside for the falconry lesson with four birds of prey of different sizes, mostly just there to be stroked and cuddled. The adventure into Irish traditions continues with ancient sports, such as Gaelic football and hurling, a fast-paced team game played with sticks and a ball.
A black-tie dinner in a long dress
Then comes tea time, a spell in the library that isn’t even long enough to read the titles of the 5,000 rare and antique books it houses. At dinner, black-tie attire and long dresses are welcome; the Michelin-starred menu is served on a table lit by candelabra, beneath a sparkling crystal chandelier. And who could ever forget that caviar with Jerusalem artichoke cream and onion jelly? Then, retreat to the bedroom: a four-poster bed, English tapestries and a crackling fire. From the window, all you can see is countryside and woodland. Is there a village nearby? It doesn’t matter! That seclusion is sacrosanct. A break from the noise, the concrete, the daily grind. A fantasy to be lived out as the protagonists.