Farmleigh (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Farmleigh was formerly one of the Dublin residences of the Guinness brewing family. It is situated in the civil parish of Castleknock on an elevated position above the River Liffey to the north-west of the Phoenix Park. The estate of 78 acres (32 ha) consists of extensive private gardens with stands of mature cypress, pine and oak trees, a boating pond, walled garden, sunken garden, out offices and a herd of rare native Kerry cattle. It was purchased from the 4th Earl of Iveagh in 1999 for ¬29.2 million. A state body - the Office of Public Works (OPW) - spent in the region of ¬23 restoring the house, gardens and curvilinear glasshouses, bringing the total cost to the state to ¬52.2 million. Farmleigh was opened to the public in July 2001. It is now the official Irish State Guest House.