A Kerry fairytale

This development is a testament to the Liebherr family’s loyalty to the kingdom, writes Siobhan Cronin

The magnificent Arts and Crafts-style house Ard na Sidhe is named after the tree-covered knoll it nestles beside — the hill of the fairies. And the 18-bedroomed hotel on the Ring of Kerry is indeed part of a fairytale — one which has its roots in nearby Killarney in the late 1950s.

It is part of the impressive three-hotel portfolio of the Liebherr family who established a crane factory in the town in 1958. Hans Liebherr fell in love with the area and within a few years had invested heavily in the town and its environs — purchasing Ard Na Sidhe from the Hobson family who emigrated to Africa.

Liebherr’s almost infatuation with Kerry has resulted in the family’s continued investment in the county, including their commitment to and the upgrading of Ard Na Sidhe’s sisters, The Europe and Dunloe Castle hotels.

But it’s the almost €2 million injection into the Caragh Lake property that is the latest testament to the Liebherr family’s loyalty to Kerry — especially in the current tough environment for the hotel industry.

James Howley of Dublin-based Howley Hayes architects admitted it was a dream project.

He says the origin of a lot of the furniture has yet to be authenticated but hopes are high there may be a link with Russborough — one of Ireland’s best-known period homes.

“The first owner, Lady Gordon, was one of the Leeson family who owned Russborough,” he said, adding that some of the items found pre-dated the construction of Ard na Sidhe, so they may well have originated in the Co Wicklow mansion.

The English-Elizabethan home was built around 1913 by a contractor from Killorglin, using local workmen with Irish materials, except for the Westmoreland roof slates. James Howley returned to Westmoreland in the Lake District for the stone used in the entrance hall. The lobby was also opened up to more light with a remodelled staircase and the removal of linen closets and a wash-room.

James also insisted all the furniture and fittings, even down to table lamps (by Tony Caplin in Wales) and waste-paper baskets (by Norbert Platz in west Cork), be lovingly hand-crafted. The windows were sent to Sussex for restoration by Fabco and where new floors needed replacement, Woodworkers of Dublin provided the European Oak timbers. The oak and pine floors were refurbished and moved to the bedrooms.

The owners were delighted to discover that a lot of Lady Gordon’s original furniture had been purchased with the house, and was located in the basement of Dunloe Castle. At this point art historian Claudia Kinmonth was brought on board. The author of Irish Rural Interiors in Art was engaged to advise on the extensive furniture collection and artworks and catalogue the 250-plus items, many of which were earmarked for restoration and which grace the stunning interiors of the Elizabethan house today.

“I never worked with anybody so appreciative and so interested in a project,” Claudia said of Isolde Liebherr, who was back in Kerry for the recent reopening of the house. “She kept coming back to see how things were going,” the historian recalled of Hans Liebherr’s daughter, who now runs the multinational crane company of over 30,000 employees.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to see it today,” Isolde Liebherr told the Irish Examiner, after inspecting the completed renovation work last week. “It’s a very special place for me. We used to play here as children,” she said, pointing to the lake shore and recalling many happy memories at the house.

James Howley oversaw the design of ten new beds in three separate designs, with matching robes. They were made to suit the style of the interior furnishings, and even the curtain and bed linen fabric was supplied to order by renowned archive fabric and wallpaper designer Morris and Co in Britain. The curtains were made by the Fabulous Fabric company in Cork and carpets were supplied by Munster Carpets and laid by Rugs by Design. Dublin-based Fionnuala Hayes was the interior designer on the project.

Although Ard na Sidhe is an 18-bed hotel, there are 10 rooms in the main house and the remaining eight are in a separate ‘garden house’ which has not yet been renovated.