Ghosts of Springfield Castle

We left County Clare in the dust and arrived in County Limerick a bit after sun down but made our way to Broadford without too many directional mishaps. We couldn’t miss the impressive entrance gates to Springfield Castle, even in the dark. The straight, long, tree-line driveway up to the Castle was a little eerie. The trees hovered over the gravel drive protecting us from the night fog and drizzle.

There were turn-offs along the driveway, but we sensed that we needed to continue on. Finally! We saw the silhouette of the Castle, back-lit in the distance, and knew we were correct. We were greeted with another gateway into the parking area. A big ornate fountain was gurgling water as we drove on the gravels crushing beneath the cars. The outside lights were on and the key was in the door waiting for our arrival, all prearranged with our hostess, Karen.

Impressive bronze dogs.

We opened the front door to the East Tower, found the inside lights and gasped! Wow!!! Black and white tile floor and a dazzling chandelier illuminated the bronze dogs! Everyone scurried through the enormous accommodations oohing and aahing. We picked our bedrooms and unpacked the cars. We were all getting hungry again, as usual. We spread out the provisions we found in Kilfenora, opened the wines and made our way down through the game room and onto a small conversation pit outside, just below the actual tower. The night was warm enough to enjoy the evening outside, and especially the array of conversations, from saving the world to reminiscing about the experiences we had in Ireland thus far.

I’ve led several of these types of trips to Italy, France, Spain, Amsterdam and other places, taking a handful of people with me. In France and Spain especially, I found apartments or self-catering accommodations. The camaraderie of the evenings, sharing wine and cheese and reminiscing about the day is one of the best parts of the trips. I travel extensively alone, but I had much rather share the experiences with friends, new and old.

The pictures I’ve posted of Springfield Castle do NOT, in any way, justify the grandeur of the place. The scale is so hard to photograph. Even with people in the pictures, you can’t imagine how large and spacious the rooms are. Here’s a small notation about the history of the Castle from their website, www.springfieldcastle.com:

Springfield Castle, the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Muskerry, whose motto Forti et fideli nihil dificile which means ‘nothing is difficult to the strong and faithful‘ underlies over 700 years of family history.
In their day, they were patrons to Irish poets and musicians. (I was especially intrigued to read this.)

As you enter the impressive gateway to Springfield Castle a plaque on the wall commemorates Daithi O’Bruadair, a classical Irish poet of the seventeenth century who lived at the castle with his patrons, the Fitzgerald family, recording their lives (and general events). He described Springfield, or Gort na Tiobrad as it was called in its Irish form during the time of the Fitzgeralds, as “a mansion abounding in poetry, prizes and people” .

I was so glad we had rented the East Tower and not the Castle. We took a tour of the Castle on our last day and learned so much more history of the family and Ireland from Karen. She is the daughter to Betty whose brother presently owns the property. The Castle is ornate and stately, but a little more worn. It sleeps a bigger party too. The Tower is more newly renovated and even though we had a kink or two in the plumbing, all went really well. Karen was “Johnny-on-the-spot” to correct anything. The tower under renovation will be for parties, dinners, and entertaining, especially weddings.

The day trips were great from this vantage point and we all enjoyed getting back each evening to enjoy one more facet, one more nook and cranny of a spectacular place. There were so many nooks and crannies in fact that I actually missed the very big billiard table in a room next to the East Tower. I wouldn’t have known about it if Barbara had not mentioned it on the flight home.

And! I missed the spirit! Rob and Harriet had their water to turn on full blast without them assisting. There were other small incidences as well. I’m about to decide that it was O’Bruadair, the poet, who has followed me home and is helping me blog about the trip. I’ve never been so possessed to write! After a trip to Italy and Brazil within a few months of each other, I felt possessed to paint and went on a tirade, really adding to my portfolio. This time, I’m on a tirade to write.

Off to bed to dream perchance of seven days as kings, queens and princesses!