Two women tell what life is like in historic homes

Ballybur Castle

For Mhairi Gray, in Co Kilkenny, and Sonja Bergin, in Co Tipperary, it’s everyday life.

Mhairi owns and manages Ballybur Castle just outside the city of Kilkenny. His parents bought it in the 70s and spent years renovating it and raising their family there. It was an idyllic childhood for Mhairi and her brothers, and she remembers summers spent climbing piles of old slates and jumping over beams, as her father rebuilt the old fort.

Mhairi’s father Frank was an engineer and his mother an artist, and between them recreated the castle which was first built in 1588 for the powerful Comerford family.

When they took it, it had no roof – according to local legend, Cromwell blew it up with a cannon at the end of Ballybur Lane.

“There was a ruin when they took it. There was no water, no heat, no windows, none of that.

Frank passed away in 2019, and while Mhairi got things done for a while, she made the difficult decision to put the chateau up for sale during the pandemic.

“When dad died we took some time off but were open again all summer and then Covid came the following March. Until then almost all of our business was US customers, with a trickle from the EU and UK, and then some very, very odd Irish customers. So when the pandemic hit, our business was more or less swept away by it right away.

“When it’s gone [up] for sale, it would probably have ended up being bought by Americans for a second home. They may have been here for maybe two months out of the year and you just can’t do that with a place like this. He would fall.

“The upkeep of a place like this is huge, only the general upkeep is huge. We had to keep everything going during Covid even without guests.

“You have to keep it warm if you don’t want it to crumble. You need to brush it every two years because the stone absorbs moisture and then it comes out in the summer. When it dries, everything flakes off.

“You even have to think about the enamel of the bathtub. There is so much lime in the water in the area, and you need to get [it] re-enamelled each year. It really never ends.

In the end, fate intervened and Mhairi, who was never quite sure whether to sell the place where she grew up, found a local investor this year. She is able to keep the castle that means so much to her and work on plans that will grow the business. It’s a wonderful place to stay, and she’s worked on small weddings and events, and is thrilled with what she and her new business partner will be able to do.

The black castle

Another woman who knows all about the hard work of restoring the castle is Sonja Bergin, who owns The Black Castle in Co Tipperary with her husband Kevin.

From Melbourne, Australia, Sonja and Kevin found Tallaun Castle, known locally as the Black Castle for years and dating back to 1570.

“We were living in a beautiful, old thatched cottage, but wanted to live in a more peaceful rural location with countryside views, when we saw an advert for a small tower house for sale.

“We didn’t realize you could actually buy them, and although we didn’t pursue it at the time, it planted the idea. A few years later, by chance, we saw another one at sell, which we fell in love with. We were outbid and therefore missed out, but that was the start of our quest for the castle.

“We bought survey maps from the Ordinances – this was before Google Maps – and circled all the ‘castles’ that seemed to be well located. We checked their condition in a series of books we had by a fascinating man called Mike Salter, and started traveling all over Ireland.

“It took us another two and a half years to find The Black Castle, and it wasn’t even for sale. A friend of ours had mentioned before that he really liked it, but we hadn’t done the Tipp North yet. After seeing the castle for the first time, it was love at first sight, but then it took almost a year longer to buy it.”

When Sonja and Kevin took it over, The Black Castle needed everything, it was a massive job.

“It was a roofless, floorless, damp and dark space. All the windows under the vault were blocked and it was raining inside. The top floor was open to the elements, like a romantic but forgotten roof garden and neglected.

“The condition of the tower wasn’t too bad considering it hadn’t been inhabited for over 350 years, the top was missing and there were large gaps in the interior and exterior walls, but overall it was manageable We were lucky that a lot of the original cut stone was still in place and in some places you can still see the marks of the stonemasons on the lower windows.

“Right after we bought the chateau, the recession hit, so we couldn’t do anything with it for almost six years. Once we bit the bullet, the first step was to get planning permission, which was a very expensive and slow process. Once we had that, before work could start we had to restore the existing access and then also get a track to the castle.

“The next task was to scaffold the tower. Initially we had contractors for the heavy lifting, but our funds ran out, and after that my husband Kevin did most of the work, including repointing the entire exterior of the chateau, which took him about eight months.

“Once the roof of the castle was redone, work inside could begin. Our budget was tiny at this point so Kevin, sometimes helped by our very talented friend Peter, did the rest of the masonry. Two excellent carpenters also helped us insert the floors. »

Initially, almost all American visitors booked to stay at the castle, but Sonja says they are getting more and more Irish guests, which they love.

Many tourists find the Black Castle through Celtic Castles, where Roger Masterson has listed some of the most unusual places to stay in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and France for nearly 25 years. They are also listed on Host Unusual and Airbnb. The Black Castle isn’t open to guests all the time, but that helps keep some of the magic going.

“We open a very limited number of warm weather nights each year which helps fund maintenance, and we’ve met some fantastic people and had great feedback so we hope people enjoy staying as much as we like to host.

“From restoration work, furnishings, and with only fire or candlelight, we try to offer the closest thing to an authentic 16th century experience in the Great Hall, it’s not the cup of everyone’s tea, but this is truly unique.”

Although Sonja says owning a castle is a ‘labor of love’ and ‘not for the faint-hearted’, the couple’s only regret is that they didn’t do it sooner and were able to install an elevator!

The best castles in Ireland to stay

If you like the idea of ​​living in a castle but aren’t sure you’re ready for the interview, why not book a short break instead?

Castle Hotels

Ashford Castle, Mayo, www.ashfordcastle.com

Dromoland Castle, Claire, www.dromoland.ie

Leslie Castle, Monaghan, www.castleleslie.com

Cabra Castle, Cavan, www.cabracastle, com

Waterford Castle, Waterford, waterfordcastlerresort.com

Lough Eske Castle, Donegal, lougheskecastlehotel.com

Vacation home

Cloghan Castle, Galway, www.cloghancastle.ie

Wilton Castle, Wexford, www.wiltoncastleireland.com

The Black Castle, Tipperary, www.celticcastles.com

Ballybur Castle, Kilkenny, www.ballyburcastle.com

Springfield Castle, Limerick, www.springfieldcastle.com

Townshend Castle, Liege www.castle-townshend.com

Blackwater Castle, Liege www.blackwatercastle.com