Duckett’s Grove Historic House and Walled Gardens

2.30 p.m. tour – Monday 27^th October – Sunday 2^nd November daily

Take a guided tour with Danny McDaid and trace the remarkable story of the Duckett family, who first settled here in 1695. Over generations, their wealth and influence grew, growing the estate to some 20,000 acres and enabling them to commission the celebrated architect Thomas Cobden to design the grand Gothic Revival mansion that still dominates the landscape today. Walk around the ruins of this once-splendid house and hear how it became the centrepiece of family life and society – a place for entertainment, social occasion and for the display of the Ducketts’ wealth and influence.

Explore the beautifully restored walled gardens and pleasure grounds, once alive with rare plants and exotic fruits. Today, they offer a peaceful retreat and a glimpse into the grandeur of estate life in centuries past. The tour also tells of decline: the fortunes of the family faded in the early 20th century, leaving the house abandoned and the estate broken up, until its recent refurbishment.

Danny’s knowledge brings this history vividly to life, guiding visitors through the story of this extraordinary family, from their initial rise to their eventual decline, and the mark they left on Carlow. During Halloween Danny provides a short overview of the ghostly legends and eerie tales that surround Duckett’s Grove. For the full “ghostly” experience check out Danny’s guided tour at 4 pm. Daily.

4 p.m. Ghosts in the Garden – Dare to Uncover the Haunted Stories of Duckett’s Grove Monday 27^th October – Sunday 2^nd November daily

This Samhain, step into the ruins of Duckett’s Grove for a special guided “haunted” tour with Danny McDaid with stories of strange sounds, ghostly figures and unexplained happenings. Hear about the folklore, legends and eerie accounts connected with the house and grounds, alongside the history of the family who lived here for over three centuries. Learn about the US paranormal team from Destination Truth who captured unexplained light anomalies, strange figures and deep hollow sounds echoing through the decaying mansion when they filmed here in 2011. Danny will weave history with haunting, sharing stories of the so-called banshee—said to curse the house following a tragic accident—and sightings of shadowy figures, spectral servants and the ghost of William Duckett riding through the grounds. A perfect way to discover Samhain’s spirit, uncovering the eerie echoes of the past.