Travel Reference
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Gardens of Powerscourt
A mile above the village of Enniskerry, the Gardens of Powerscourt cover several thou-
sand acres within the 16,000-acre estate. The dreamy driveway alone is amile long.While
the mansion's interior, only partially restored after a 1974 fire, isn't much, its meticu-
lously kept aristocratic gardens are Ireland's best. The house was commissioned in the
1730s by Richard Wingfield, first viscount of Powerscourt. The gardens, created during
the Victorian era (1858-1875), are called “the grand finale of Europe's formal gardening
tradition...probably the last garden of its size and quality ever to be created.” I'll buy that.
Upon entry, you'll get a flier laying out 40-minute and one-hour walks. The “one-hour”
walk takes 30 minutes at a slow amble. With the impressive summit of the Great Sugar
Loaf Mountain as a backdrop, and a fine Japanese garden, Italian garden, and goofy pet
cemetery along the way, this attraction provides the scenic greenery I hoped to find in the
