Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Ireland / Kilkenny / Mount Juliet Estate
Mount Juliet Estate
Kilkenny, Ireland · Autograph Collection · High Luxury
Built between 1768 and 1771 by the Earl of Carrick, who named the Georgian estate after his wife Juliet, Mount Juliet's grounds later hosted the WGC-American Express Championship twice and three Irish Opens on a course Jack Nicklaus designed in 1991. The estate's Michelin-starred restaurant, Lady Helen, sits inside the original 18th-century house. A brief run as a Conrad Hilton property (2002-2009) preceded a return to independent ownership under Ireland's Tetrarch Group in 2014.
- 124 rooms
- Opened 1771
- Neighborhood: Ireland/Thomastown
About Mount Juliet Estate
- Oliver Cromwell seized Walton's Grove and Ballylinch in 1653 before the Carrick house went up on the Nore.
- Shell's Wonderful World of Golf filmed Tom Watson against Fred Couples here in 1997.
- Sotheby's auctioned the original contents in 1986 and 1987, just before the Killeen Group turned the estate into a hotel, stud, and golf course.
- An equestrian centre, indoor pool, and archery sit on the 1,500-acre grounds beside the Nicklaus parkland.
History
The land was Walton's Grove, a Norman Walton holding, until Oliver Cromwell seized it in 1653, together with Ballylinch, and granted it to a supporter. Somerset Butler, 1st Earl of Carrick, built the Georgian house on a hill above the River Nore between 1768 and 1771 and named the 1,500-acre Kilkenny estate for his wife Juliet.
From the early 1900s the McCalmonts owned it, including Hugh and his son Dermot, who inherited from cousin Harry McCalmont and renovated in 1905-06. Sotheby's auctioned the original contents in 1986 and 1987. The Killeen Group bought the estate in 1987 and developed hotel, stud, golf, and houses. Jack Nicklaus's par-72 course opened in 1991, hosted the Irish Open in 1993, 1994, and 1995, Shell's Wonderful World of Golf in 1997 (Tom Watson versus Fred Couples), and the WGC-American Express Championship in 2002 and 2004.
Conrad (Hilton) flagged the hotel, spa, and stud from 2002 until late 2009. Ireland's Tetrarch Group bought the estate in 2014. Lady Helen, a Michelin-starred restaurant, still occupies the original Georgian house. The hotel now operates as an Autograph Collection house.
The setting
6 km from Kells Priory. 19 km from Kilkenny.
Restaurants and bars
- Lady Helen — Restaurant · Irish · One MICHELIN Star
- Saddle Bar — Bar
Experiences
- Savour Kilkenny Winemaker's Dinner — An evening of fine wine and seasonal dining at Lady Helen Restaurant.
- Design Your Own Glass Pumpkin Workshop — During a Halloween stay, guests create their own glass pumpkin at Jerpoint Glass to take home.
- Your Halloween Break — Seasonal activities, family fun and autumnal experiences during a Halloween stay.
- Design Your Own Snowflake Decoration Workshop — Guests create a glass snowflake at Jerpoint Glass to add to festive decorations.
- Christmas Lighting Ceremony — Ceremony at The Manor at 5:00pm in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, with festive performances and complimentary refreshments.
- Toptracer Golf Experience — Play the estate on screen in Toptracer's covered bays, with family lessons with a PGA Professional, November to March.
Amenities
- Archery range
- Equestrian centre
- Cricket club
- Fishing on the River Nore
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Sauna
- Fitness center
- Kids' club
- Tennis
- Golf course
- Fine dining
Open Mount Juliet Estate in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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