Barrow House

Nestling on the shore of stunning Barrow Harbour with views of the glorious Slieve Mish Mountains, Barrow House in Co. Kerry has a rich history of ownership from knights to noblemen and smugglers. 

Built in around 1715, it possibly incorporates the fabric of an earlier house from during or after the Cromwellian period (1649-57). The sublime Georgian front elevation of Barrow House was added as part of the structural rebuild and enlargement work carried out at some point before 1760, while a second sympathetic addition was made at the rear towards the end of the 1800s. The house has changed little over the years. In fact, its still-visible four-feet thick internal walls, two gable end chimney stacks, original interior features, handcrafted ceiling mouldings and sash windows with antique glass exude the restrained, rational elegance typical of a noble dwelling. 

Alongside is a detached seven-bay single- and two-storey former boathouse, c. 1800, on a U-shaped plan. Barrow’s lands were originally part of the 6,000 acres granted by Elizabeth 1 in 1587 to Sir Edward Denny for his loyalty following the Desmond Rebellion. Nearby are the ruins of an ancient church referred to in Papal documents 1302-07 as “Ecclesia of Barun” or the Church of Barun (Barrow). 

Over the centuries, the house and the estate were passed on through marriage or by sale to different owners, including the notorious smuggler, John Collis. The smuggling of wines and tobacco was prevalent in Kerry during the 17th and 18th centuries in particular and Barrow Harbour was a natural rendezvous with its caves and narrow inlets. In the first half of the 20th century, the Knights of Kerry, the Fitzgerald family, affectionately referred to Barrow House as their summerhouse.  In more recent years, it was purchased by an American, Maureen Erde, who published a popular account of running it as a golfers’ guesthouse entitled “Help me, I’m an Irish Inn Keeper”. After she sold it in 1999, the house was restored as a resort estate, flourishing for some years before enduring a period of neglect and abandonment. Barrow House’s current owner, Daragh McDonagh, purchased it in 2016 and has lovingly restored it to welcome guests.