Your tour will take you west of the city through the Liffey Valley the the village of Leixlip on County Kildare. In Irish, Leixlip means ‘Salmon Leap’, this village like Dublin City was established by the Vikings.
Leixlip Castle was built soon after 1172 at the meeting of the Rye Water and the River Liffey by a Norman Invader to Ireland.
The Castle has had a connection with the Guinness Family for over three hundred years – The Archbishop of Cashel, who died in 1752 is buried in the aisle of nearby Leixlip Church, he left £100 to Richard Guinness which enabled him to establish a brewery between the Main St. and the Liffey in Leixlip, a plaque marks the spot. In 1759 Richard’s son, Arthur Guinness moved the brewery to Dublin – and began distilling his famous black porter!
His descendant, Hon. Desmond Guinness bought the Castle in 1958 and has lived here since. He has only recently opened his home to private tours and he operates some of the tours himself.
He or one of the family will bring you around the main reception rooms and guest bedrooms of the Castle. You will hear the fascinating history of this family and see the stunning paintings and wall hangings displayed around the house.
Journey time to Leixlip – 40 minutes from City Centre
Total Time – 4 hours.
This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2015 at 3:06 pm
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