{"id":61774,"date":"2025-09-13T14:17:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T14:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/61774\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T14:17:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T14:17:15","slug":"blackwater-birr-and-glin-owners-share-their-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/61774\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackwater, Birr and Glin owners share their stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Banquets, candlelight, turrets, and princesses \u2014 castles are the epitome of romance and fairytales. But they can also mean draughty rooms, leaky roofs, inadequate heating, and endless costly maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be an idealistic lunatic to take on a castle,\u201d laughs Patrick Nordstrom, the owner and custodian of Blackwater Castle in North Cork. \u201cBut you also need to be very realistic and have a strong concept of how it will work for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what is it really like to own and live in a castle? To find out, we spoke to three passionate owners: Patrick in Blackwater Castle, Alicia Clements of Birr Castle, Co Offaly, and Catherine FitzGerald of Glin Castle, Co Limerick.<\/p>\n

The romance is real. Both Blackwater and Birr Castle are associated with actual princesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blackwater was connected to the Baron and Baroness of Fermoy, Princess Diana\u2019s maternal grandparents, while Birr Castle\u2019s Earl of Rosse is the half-brother of Lord Snowdon, who was married to Princess Margaret.<\/p>\n

But science, astronomy, and engineering are not what you would normally associate with castles, which is what makes Birr Castle unique.<\/p>\n

Alicia Clements is the daughter of the current Earl of Rosse \u2014 Brendan Parsons \u2014 and it was while she was studying engineering that she decided to delve into her family\u2019s illustrious scientific past.<\/p>\n

\" Alicia Clements, daughter of the Earl of Rosse at Birr Castle. Pic. Brian Arthur<\/p>\n

Her ancestor, the third Earl Charles Parsons, built the world\u2019s largest telescope \u2014 the Great Leviathan \u2014 in the early 1840s; it remained the biggest until 1914.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His wife Mary, the Countess of Rosse, was a pioneering photographer. Together, they made Birr Castle a centre for scientific discovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was writing a paper on the British engineer James Naysmith,\u201d Alicia remembers. \u201cHe had visited Birr and I discovered his letters in the castle\u2019s attic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alicia failed her paper because she couldn\u2019t prove the letters\u2019 authenticity. It was then she realised she needed to put her ancestors\u2019 scientific breakthroughs on the map.<\/p>\n

Today Birr Castle is not only home to a wonderful interactive Science Centre, along with the restored Leviathan telescope but it continues to be a site for astronomy research, hosting Trinity College Dublin\u2019s state-of-the-art radio telescope project I-LOFAR.<\/p>\n

All of this, along with the castle\u2019s beautifully restored gardens and a giant treehouse, has made Birr Castle the Midlands\u2019 biggest tourist attraction (and Birr\u2019s County Arms Hotel is a great place to stay if you\u2019re visiting).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a far cry from when Alicia\u2019s father Brendan inherited the castle and the title back in 1979. \u201cThe castle was falling down,\u201d she remembers, \u201cand the garden was a beautiful, wild, unexplored wilderness. But he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first step was to restore the telescope, supported by the renowned astronomer Patrick Moore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brendan and his wife Alison, the Countess of Rosse, are passionate gardeners and set about transforming the 120-acre demesne.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father is very proud of the castle and adores sharing his knowledge with everyone,\u201d says Alicia.<\/p>\n

Today the Earl and his wife still live in a wing of the castle along with one of Alicia\u2019s two brothers, whose family occupies another wing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe castle has evolved over the past 200 years,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt was built for armies of servants and so inhabiting the whole castle can be uncomfortable by today\u2019s standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Alicia Clements at Birr Castle. Pic. Brian Arthur<\/p>\n

BACK FROM THE BRINK<\/p>\n

It was also in the 1970s when Catherine FitzGerald\u2019s father Desmond, the 29th and final Knight of Glin, moved back to Glin Castle from London.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Home to the FitzGerald family and the hereditary Knights of Glin for 800 years, Glin Castle had been uninhabited for at least 15 years.<\/p>\n

Desmond and wife Olda brought their castle back from the brink, starting with restoring the farm.<\/p>\n

A curator at the V&A museum in London, Ireland\u2019s representative for Christie\u2019s, and president of the Irish Georgian Society, Desmond set about tracking down the castle\u2019s china, antiques, and paintings that had been sold throughout the decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always remember him being up a ladder moving paintings and finding artefacts,\u201d remembers Catherine. \u201cHe was completely passionate about restoring the castle and the gardens.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But from the beginning, Glin Castle had to earn its keep.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father had studied at Harvard and knew a lot of Americans so they decided to rent the castle out to families. My parents placed an ad in the New Yorker and friends of his, as well as former professors, would come and rent it for three months at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GlinGlin Castle, Co Limerick.<\/p>\n

Desmond, Olda, and their three daughters would live in one of the wings but during the winter, the family had Glin back to themselves again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the most magical place to grow up,\u201d recalls Catherine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe attics were like the Old Curiosity Shop, full of old trunks, ball gowns, and dusty driving goggles. We ran between ancient Killarney oaks, the remnants of an old Gaelic forest. At Christmas our grandmother would visit and we\u2019d take out the silver tea service.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1993 Glin Castle was turned into a family-run hotel but the financial crash had a devastating effect and in 2008 Desmond and Olda were forced to close the business and sell off many of their valuable antiques.<\/p>\n

Three years later, Desmond died of throat cancer. The painful decision was made to sell Glin Castle; it stayed on the market for two years until Catherine and her husband, the actor Dominic West, intervened.<\/p>\n

Catherine had trained as a landscape designer and has put her heart and soul into the grounds of Glin Castle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve actually gone back to my parents\u2019 original vision for the castle and it\u2019s available for private hire,\u201d she explains. Built in the 1780s, it\u2019s now a beautifully restored, comfortable, and luxurious home with fires burning in the grates and softly lit, colourful
interiors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t respond well to lots of people,\u201d explains Catherine. \u201cIt\u2019s a delicate, intimate space so 50 people is the max. It\u2019s very happy with about 30 people. We also host a lot of corporate retreats and golf groups because we\u2019re close to Ballybunion, Adare Manor, Dingle, and Lahinch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Blackwater Castle’s Patrick Nordstrom. Picture Dan Linehan<\/p>\n

THE VISION<\/p>\n

Giving people the opportunity to become king and queen of their own castle is also Patrick Nordstrom\u2019s way of keeping Blackwater Castle alive.<\/p>\n

Unlike Alicia and Catherine, Patrick\u2019s family have not lived here for centuries. His parents were from Finland and Patrick and his brother were raised in Munich.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His father, Dr Robbie Nordstrom, was a pioneering surgeon and innovator. He and his wife Ninna decided to buy Blackwater Castle in North Cork in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father\u2019s vision was to turn the castle into a centre for independent cancer research,\u201d says Patrick.<\/p>\n

Robbie Nordstrom died suddenly of an aneurysm in 1998 at the age of 56. \u201cOur family didn\u2019t have deep pockets or a viable plan for the castle,\u201d remembers Patrick, who was working as a business analyst in Germany.<\/p>\n

Using his skills, he set about creating a future for Blackwater. In 2004 he moved into the castle permanently. Today his 85-year-old mother Ninna still lives in the castle\u2019s gate lodge.<\/p>\n

Dating back to Norman times and with the 12th century tower still intact, Blackwater Castle was the seat of the Roche family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing I did was to rebuild the main roof and put in double glazing,\u201d says Patrick. \u201cRestoring the courtyard was the biggest job, both the yard and the outbuildings. We couldn\u2019t afford to do it quickly so a local stonemason worked on it for 16 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Blackwater Castle’s Patrick Nordstrom: \u201cThe castle and its buildings sleep 70 and we encourage wedding couples to treat it like a hotel and save on costs. We actually had one couple who made a profit on their wedding!\u201d Picture Dan Linehan<\/p>\n

During the course of the restoration, Patrick believes they discovered the ruins of an old fortified town. \u201cIt has all the indications of it, I just need to pay for archaeological evidence,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

Blackwater opened its doors as a B&B in 2005 and Patrick has carved a niche for offering a blank canvas for private gatherings and weddings.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery event here is completely unique,\u201d he says. \u201cThe castle and its buildings sleep 70 and we encourage wedding couples to treat it like a hotel and save on costs. We actually had one couple who made a profit on their wedding!\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick met Sheila O\u2019Keeffe, his wife and soulmate, in Ireland. A solicitor and talented debater, she was his partner in all of their castle endeavours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their daughter Moya is now 16 but when she was six months old, Sheila was diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite being given only a few months to live, with medical trials, courage, and tenacity, Sheila defied all the odds and died shortly after Moya\u2019s 14th birthday.<\/p>\n

Patrick\u2019s enthusiasm for Blackwater remains undimmed. He\u2019s currently exploring how to create their own electricity from a water wheel on the castle\u2019s river, saving \u20ac20,000 annually on bills.<\/p>\n

But he is aware he is a custodian of the castle and his long-term plan is to find a worthy successor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very open to chatting with interested people,\u201d he reveals, \u201cbut it\u2019s important to me that I find the right person who has the same values. Blackwater needs vision, discipline, and a financial background definitely helps.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CatherineCatherine Fitzgerald, Glin Castle<\/p>\n

GIVING BACK<\/p>\n

Catherine FitzGgerald also feels the responsibility of being chateline of Glin Castle and believes it\u2019s important to give back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Glin Castle hosts regular public open days in conjunction with the town of Glin where people can come and enjoy its beautiful grounds as well as garden tours.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are recognising that the castle\u2019s history and the biodiversity of the gardens are what is precious and worth preserving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her four children adore the castle but she\u2019s unsure what the future holds. \u201cMy youngest is passionate about conservation, the gardens and insects so we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Alicia Clements, daughter of the Earl of Rosse at Birr Castle. Pic: Brian Arthur<\/p>\n

Legacy is also a big issue for Alicia Clements. She created the Giant\u2019s Grove project, planting over 1,000 redwood trees which will make Birr Castle the world\u2019s biggest centre for redwood trees outside of California.<\/p>\n

But the castle potentially has a secure future with the news last April that the Government has added the castle and demesne to Ireland\u2019s tentative list of Unesco World Heritage properties.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a 10-year project to achieve it but we\u2019re absolutely delighted,\u201d says Alicia. \u201cIt would be a real validation of what we\u2019ve achieved here over the last 50 years. It would have been so much easier to sell up and live in a cosy bungalow. But we\u2019ve preserved and showcased our unique scientific and botanic history.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father has compared the castle to a ship that\u2019s on a voyage. People can get on and off for different parts of the journey but I would say I\u2019m definitely in the engine room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Birr Castle is currently hosting the Historic Rosse Drawings art exhibition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Banquets, candlelight, turrets, and princesses \u2014 castles are the epitome of romance and fairytales. But they can also…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61775,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[18,117,19,2902,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-61774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-insight","12":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}