Alas, Glin Castle is allowing only sightseeing groups of 10 or more to visit these days—so unless you want to belly up to the cash register and check in as a paying guest or diner, cross this treasury of Irish decorative arts off your list. Set in a fantastical neo-Gothic crenellated structure on the banks of the Shannon, the mansion—home to the FitzGerald family for centuries—is famous for its exceptional collection of Irish 18th-century antiques, many bristling with that uniquely virile Irish touch. The house was largely expanded between 1820 and 1836 into a full-fledged Irish Gothic Xanadu by the 25th knight, who added castellations and pepper-pot towers, which look like gigantic chess pieces.
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