Day Tour with Pat Murray of two Guinness family houses

Pat Murray guides a day tour of two houses connected to the Guinness family, starting at Leixlip Castle in County Kildare. The Guinness family’s wealth built and shaped some of Ireland’s most significant domestic architecture, and a guided tour with Pat Murray, a guide with a track record on this kind of material, is a different experience from a self-guided visit.

Leixlip Castle is one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland, on a rock above the confluence of the Liffey and the Rye. The Guinness family owned it for several decades in the 20th century. The full tour covers two properties, giving the day a scope that puts individual houses in the context of a broader story about wealth, philanthropy, and taste in 19th and 20th century Ireland.

What to expect

9:30am Saturday at Leixlip Castle. The tour runs for a full day, which means transport between properties is part of the logistics. Check the Eventbrite page for the second property on the itinerary, whether transport is included, and what the full day schedule looks like.

This suits anyone interested in Irish social history, architectural heritage, or the specific story of the Guinness family’s influence on Irish public and private life.

Getting there

Leixlip is accessible from Dublin by train (Maynooth line from Connolly or Heuston) and by bus (route 66 from Wellington Quay). The castle is a short walk from Leixlip station. Tickets on Eventbrite.