Vandeleur Walled Garden and Visitor Centre

About the museum

Vandeleur Walled Garden lies about a kilometre from Kilrush on the Killimer Road, in 170 hectares of native woodland that once belonged to the grounds of Kilrush House. The Vandeleur family settled in Kilrush in the middle of the seventeenth century, lived in a large house with stables and a walled garden, and laid out the streetscape of the town. They were also landlords to many local families, and their name is linked to the mass evictions that began in the Famine years of the 1840s and continued into the Land War of the 1880s.

The visitor centre in the restored stable courtyard looks at both sides of that legacy. It tells the story of the family, of the people who resisted rack rents and eviction, and of Kilrush as a once-prosperous shipping town at the mouth of the Shannon. A permanent Legacy Exhibition room shows the Vandeleur-Phelps fireplace, commissioned in 1864 as a wedding gift, and the butterfly collection of the naturalist Frank O’Connor, who recorded the birds, butterflies and habitats of West Clare.

The walled garden itself was uncovered and restored from the early 1980s. A woodland café, a garden centre, walking trails and a glasshouse for events complete the site.

Highlights

• Visitor centre on the Vandeleur family and the evictions of the Famine and Land War years
• Legacy Exhibition with the Vandeleur-Phelps fireplace of 1864
• Butterfly collection of the naturalist Frank O’Connor
• Restored walled garden and woodland trails
• Café, garden centre and gift shop

Permanent exhibitions

• Visitor centre – the Vandeleur story – The history of the Vandeleur family, the town of Kilrush and the Famine-era evictions, told through stories of local people.
• The Legacy Exhibition – A permanent exhibition room with the Vandeleur-Phelps fireplace of 1864 and the butterfly collection of Frank O’Connor.

Admission & discounts

The ticket includes the interpretive visitor centre and the walled garden. Tickets can be booked online. The Local Access Pass is sold at reception.

Accessibility

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

The garden is level with wide gravel paths. The summer house and café are wheelchair accessible and there is an accessible restroom.

Kids & families

Children under 5 are free; the site runs seasonal family events such as a Halloween experience and Santa visits.

Getting there & parking

The site is about 1 km from Kilrush on the N67 Killimer Road, 8 km from the Killimer–Tarbert car ferry and 14 km from Kilkee.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Brambles Woodland Café on site and a garden centre selling plants. Conference rooms for up to 80 people are available.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 80 guests.

Meeting rooms for up to 80 people, the Glasshouse venue, weddings and parties are offered.

Plan your visit