Castle Durrow, Georgian country house in County Laois, Ireland

Castle Durrow is a Georgian country house in County Laois built across three floors using grey and blue cut limestone. The mansion sits on expansive grounds with formal gardens and woodland that surround the structure.

Colonel William Flower built the house between 1712 and 1716 as a family home, and in 1733 he became Baron Castle Durrow. The Flower family owned the estate until 1922, when they sold it and moved to England. The Bank of Ireland then took ownership, but the parish of Durrow bought the house in 1929 and converted it into St Fintan's College and Convent, a school that operated until 1987.

The formal gardens display 18th-century design principles with structured pathways and geometric patterns that frame the grounds. Visitors can walk through these classical arrangements today and experience the traditional landscaping of that era.

The property operates as a hotel offering overnight stays and dining experiences that can be booked online in advance. Advance reservations are recommended to ensure access to the rooms and grounds during your visit.

The Bank of Ireland took over the estate in 1922, but it was the parish of Durrow that bought the house itself for £1,800 and converted it in 1929 into St Fintan's College and Convent, a school that ran until 1987. The house then stood until Peter and Shelley Stokes bought it in 1998.