Muckross House, Gardens & Traditional Farms

About the museum

Muckross House was built between 1839 and 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife Mary Balfour Herbert, a watercolour painter, to a design by the architect William Burn. It was the fourth house the family had lived in at Muckross over almost two centuries. In the 1850s the Herberts laid out extensive gardens in preparation for a visit by Queen Victoria, which took place in 1861.

In 1899 the estate was bought by Lord Ardilaun of the Guinness family, who let it as a shooting and fishing lodge. William Bowers Bourn leased it in 1910 and later bought it as a wedding present for his daughter Maud and her husband Arthur Rose Vincent. Between 1911 and 1932 the family invested heavily in improvements, including the Sunken Garden of 1915. In 1932 the property passed to the Irish nation as a gift and became part of what is now Killarney National Park.

Today the principal rooms are furnished in period style to show how a landowning family lived in the nineteenth century, while the basement shows the work of the household staff. Next to the house, Muckross Traditional Farms recreate rural life in the 1930s and 1940s, when horses still did most of the farm work, with three working farms, a labourer's cottage, a forge, a carpenter's workshop and a period schoolhouse. The walled garden centre houses a restaurant and craft workshops.

Highlights

• Period-furnished rooms of a Victorian mansion
• Servants' basement showing life below stairs
• Traditional Farms recreating the 1930s and 1940s
• Gardens and Killarney National Park on the doorstep
• Craft workshops: pottery, weaving and bookbinding

Permanent exhibitions

• Muckross House: period rooms and servants' basement – The main rooms of the 1840s mansion are furnished in period style to show the lifestyle of the landowning class, and the basement shows how the household staff worked.
• Muckross Traditional Farms – Three working farms with animals, poultry and machinery, together with a labourer's cottage, a blacksmith's forge, a carpenter's workshop and a rural schoolhouse of about 1910, recreating life in the 1930s and 1940s.

Operated by

Trustees of Muckross House (Killarney) CLG

Admission & discounts

Prices for 2026. Individual visitors do not need to book in advance; tickets are bought on arrival at reception. Entry to the gardens and Killarney National Park is free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A courtesy wheelchair is available inside the house on request. The house has many steps and stairs with handrails, and the historic buildings may limit access in places. Only guide dogs are allowed in the house.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Playground / play area

The Traditional Farms have a petting area, a woodland playground with swings and slides and a sheltered picnic area. Family tickets are available. Buggies are not allowed inside the house.

Getting there & parking

On the N71 Kenmare road about 6 km (3.6 miles) from Killarney town centre. Vehicles enter through the large gate on the right just past Muckross Park Hotel. Walkers, cyclists and jaunting cars can use other signposted entrances on the N71, most of them closer to town. Kerry Airport is 15 km (9 miles) from the town.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Garden Restaurant and Muckross Craft Shop in the Walled Garden Centre, with craft workshops for pottery, weaving and bookbinding.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Gala dinners on the house lawns (up to 300 guests, glass-sided marquee); the Schoolhouse for conferences and evenings (160 to 190 guests); the Traditional Farms with a farmhouse for 50 guests or a marquee for up to 900. Guided or tailored house tours for groups of up to 45 guests.

Plan your visit