"An easy day trip from Dublin (about a 20-minute drive), this site offers a 45-minute guided tour and access to an expansive 260-acre garden. The picturesque 1.1-mile Fairy Trail winds through the West Lawn woodlands, and the property is open year-round; the castle was originally presented to Richard Talbot as a gift from King Henry II in 1185. Its Great Hall, dating to 1475, exemplifies a traditional Gaelic feasting room and houses a rare collection of Jacobite portraits on loan from the National Gallery of Ireland." - Patricia Doherty Patricia Doherty Patricia Doherty is a writer who specializes in covering destinations, resorts, and cruises for Travel + Leisure and other publications. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines