Overview
Glanleam House stands on the north shore of Valentia Island, warmed by the North Atlantic Current and screened by its own windbreaks. The garden grows plants that would not survive a normal Irish winter: tree ferns, Chilean myrtle and palms from the southern hemisphere, all outdoors and unheated. The University of Galway’s estate record identifies the house as a former home of the Knight of Kerry, and the architectural inventory records the house and an early nineteenth-century walled garden.
Glanleam is privately managed. There is no open public access, so contact the operator about any arranged visit or stay, follow their arrival instructions and enter only with permission. Leave the grounds and shoreline approaches undisturbed.
History
The estate began as a linen mill built around 1775. In the following decades Sir Peter George Fitzgerald, the 19th Knight of Kerry, converted it into a Georgian L-plan house and, recognising how sheltered the site was, began importing tender plants from South America, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Japan to plant out from the 1830s. That planting is the backbone of the garden.
The estate then declined for decades until Meta Kreissig bought it in 1975. Working with her daughter Jessica, she restored the house and rebuilt the garden, adding a fairy garden and a healing well. The house keeps its original slate chimneypieces and a large library.
Gardens and grounds
The garden is known for specimens usually kept behind glass in Ireland. The best known is the Chilean myrtle Luma apiculata ‘Glanleam Gold’, a variegated form first found here and named for the estate, alongside New Zealand tree ferns that give the garden its jungly feel. Giant ferns and the Killarney fern survive as leftovers of the Victorian fern craze.
Beyond the specimen planting there is a walled kitchen garden laid out in radial beds, as well as the fairy garden and the healing well. The garden paths are naturalistic and uneven, so the site is not suited to buggies or wheelchairs.
Accommodation
The house has been run as a bed and breakfast, with self-catering cottages on the estate, including a Gardener’s Cottage, an Estate Manager’s House and a Boathouse said to be around 250 years old. Availability, dates and prices change, so ask the operator directly about stays and do not assume rooms or garden visits are on offer.
Walks and nearby attractions
Valentia is small and easy to link together. The Valentia Island lighthouse at Cromwell Point and the Kerry Cliffs are a short drive away, and the Bray Head loop walk climbs to a wartime lookout tower with views out to the Skelligs. Skellig Michael itself is visible on clear days, with boat tours running from Portmagee.
Practical information
Visiting: the property is privately managed, so check directly about any accommodation or garden visit, and do not enter without permission. Opening dates, prices and parking are for the operator to confirm.
Getting there: Valentia links to the mainland by the Maurice O’Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee, and by a seasonal car ferry between Reenard Point and Knightstown. Check the ferry operator for current sailings.
Accessibility: the garden paths are naturalistic and uneven, with no dedicated wheelchair access.
Booking: ask the operator how to book any stay or arranged visit, and allow plenty of notice in high summer.