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Welcome to the Heart of Heritage

Breathing new life into old worlds

We’re waiting to welcome you to Fota House, Strokestown Park, and Johnstown Castle – some of Ireland’s most prestigious great houses and gardens – as well as to the National Famine Museum and the Irish Agricultural Museum, all managed and cared for by the Irish Heritage Trust.

Step into Ireland’s past

Connect with the heart of heritage, culture and natural beauty as you explore some of Ireland’s finest historic houses.

Discover exquisite collections on compelling tours that reveal hidden histories and the very different lives of the Irish gentry, their staff, and tenants.

Visit Ireland’s Heritage Houses

A woman, man and 3 children walk into a grand room in a Regency House with pale blue walls and period arts hanging on the walls.

Out of focus n the background are stone steps leading to an archway with closed iron gates, in the foreground the focus in on flowering beds in the walled garden at Johnstown Castle

Explore our Heritage Landscapes

Our historic gardens and woodlands, first planted hundreds of years ago, are waiting to be explored and enjoyed.

Sustainably and sensitively managed, they feature glittering glasshouses where exotic plants once grew as well as walled, ornamental, and kitchen gardens – all restored to their former glory. You’ll find collections of rare plants and trees, wild meadows, lakes and rivers just waiting to be discovered.

Discover our Historic Gardens

Visit our Captivating Museums

Step into Ireland’s story through inspiring museum experiences, where heritage, culture and collections bring the past to life across our remarkable historic properties.

Gain unique insights into Irish history across our nationally accredited museums and collections. Connect with intriguing aspects of Ireland’s past, from its tragic famine story to its rich agricultural traditions.

Learn about our Museums

Irish Agricultural Museum, Johnstown Castle, Wexford
National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park. Roscommon
The Nursery at Fota House, Cork

Discover Our Heritage Properties

Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens
Strokestown Park | The National Famine Museum
Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens

Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens, Co. Cork

Fota House is one of Ireland’s great Regency houses and home to a nationally significant collection of paintings and a beautifully restored arboretum and gardens.

Once the home of the Smith-Barry family, Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens has been welcoming visitors for more than 200 years.

Tour the house, roam the grounds and find your curiosity on your next visit to Fota House.

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Strokestown Park | The National Famine Museum, Co. Roscommon

Take a guided tour of Strokestown Park’s Palladian mansion – a kind of time capsule that reflects the authentic details of life in the Irish country house in centuries past, for gentry and servants alike. Wander the charming walled gardens, colourful pleasure gardens, and wilder woodlands.

Explore the intimate and intriguing links between dramatically different Irish lives at the immersive National Famine Museum.

Discover a place that brings compelling stories from the Great Irish Famine powerfully to life for visitors of all ages.

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Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens, Co. Wexford

Explore a fairytale gothic-revival Irish castle and its gorgeous 120-acre estate and formal gardens, also home to the Irish Agricultural Museum.

Discover a history that dates back more than 800 years. Roam painstakingly restored rooms, where features including crystal chandeliers, exquisite wood panelling, and Gothic arched windows.

Learn what life was like ‘below stairs’ for the castle’s staff, and step inside Johnstown’s remarkable 86-metre servants’ subterranean passageway.

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Lend Your Support

The Irish Heritage Trust is a registered charity. We rely on the generosity of members, visitors, volunteers and donors to allow us care for these remarkable properties and keep them open for all to enjoy.

Get Involved