THE LANDMARK Trust, which restores old buildings and rents them out as holiday lets, is to open its properties to the public on Sunday.
Visitors will be able to see what it is like to stay inside buildings that are too “quirky” to be habitable on a permanent basis any more, such as restored lighthouses.
Irish Landmark Trust marketing manager Julie Lynch said the purpose of the open day was to show people the trust’s work.
Loop Head Lighthouse in Kilbaha, Co Clare, has views as far away as Kerry Head and up the coast to the Cliffs of Moher, to the north. The cost for five people staying for a week in October is €770.
Wicklow Head Lighthouse at Dunbar Head has metre-thick walls. The distinctive octagonal stone tower has long been redundant as a lighthouse, but it has been in use for self-catering since being restored by The Landmark Trust in 1996. It costs from €599 for a weekend stay.
The Galley Head Lightkeepers’ Cottages in Co Cork come with a warning that they are situated on the edge of a cliff. A three-night stay for eight people booked for between September 17th-20th costs €1,353.
The Merrion Mews and Stables, behind the Merrion Hotel in Dublin city centre, remains a working stable for the mounted unit of An Garda Síochána.
Given its location, it is popular with foreign guests. It costs €400 for a two-night stay next month.
One of the trust’s most distinctive properties is gothic Batty Langley’s Lodge in the grounds of Castletown House in Co Kildare. It was acquired by the Office of Public Works in 2007 and restored by the trust. It accommodates only two people. and a weekend break costs €350.
The Schoolhouse at Annaghmore, Collooney, Co Sligo; Clomantagh Castle in Freshford, Co Kilkenny; Salterbridge in Cappoquin, Co Waterford – a restored pavilion lodge; and Termon House in Dungloe, Co Donegal, which is right on the Atlantic coast, will also be opening their doors.
The restored No 25 Eustace Street, a Georgian townhouse in Temple Bar, has a piano for any musicians to play this weekend.
