Cabinteely House & Park

Cabinteely Park is situated in Cabinteely just of the N11 dual carriageway in South Co. Dublin. The area of Cabinteely Park is about 45 hectares. It was created during the development of the balance of the estate lands for housing in the 1970’s by Park Developments Ltd. Being the portion of the lands that immediately surrounds Cabinteely House, it contains many of the landscape features associated with such extensive properties of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

These include the substantial boundary wall, gate lodges, ornate iron entrance gates, walled garden, circuitous approach road to the house, ha-ha ditch and informal groups of trees as well as continuous boundary tree planting containing a high proportion of beech. Lakes or ponds were also used to accentuate the topography. The Cabinteely water feature shown in earlier maps no longer exists.

This reflects the 18th century fashion for the 'English Landscape Style'. This involved a rejection of the earlier very formal approach in favour of what was perceived to be a more natural 'picturesque' interpretation of the landscape. It involved ground shaping and planting of tree groups at strategic places to create depth and perspective. The function of the ha-ha ditch has been lost due to hedgegrowth.

Originally the plan for the house formed three sides of a square with two main drawing rooms on the first floor and is most unusual in Ireland. The square was completed in the late 19th century with a single storey balustrade Italianate entrance range, and all the main windows were embellished with elaborate pedimented architraves giving the house a Victorian aspect. The old entrance front facing southeast is surmounted by urns and composed of nine bays. The main door leads into a hall with a handsome sandstone chimneypiece. An elegant staircase leads up to a long vaulted gallery out of which open two very handsome coved drawing rooms complete with neo-classical cornices and friezes.

In recent decades tree growth had obscured the views from the house over Dublin Bay. These views have now been restored and a formal 18th century style garden is also being developed to the east of the house.

Mr. Joe McGrath, of political and Irish Hospitals Sweepstake fame, was the last private owner of Cabinteely House. He bought the property in 1933 and it remained with the McGrath family until 1984 when the former Dublin County Council acquired it. Its restoration has continued apace since.

It is intended to preserve the former buildings and courtyards and convert them for cultural and museum purposes. At the time of writing, a building and a courtyard have been adapted to accommodate a horticultural training course run by FÁS, which leads to a City & Guilds qualification. A former cow byre with grain loft has been converted to the "Grainstore Youth Arts Centre" which was opened for use on 2nd November 1999.