Beaulieu House and Garden
About
Beaulieu sits downriver from the town on the Louth bank, a red-brick and stone house of the later 17th century that is one of the earliest unfortified houses in Ireland and has stayed in the same family line since it was built. It is not a museum and it is not open on a turnstile. Small groups can book historic house tours in May and June, and again during National Heritage Week, which runs from 15 to 23 August in 2026. Beaulieu advertises its own Heritage Week tour window as 17 to 23 August, narrower than the national week, with tours at 1pm and 3pm and the garden free to walk from 1pm to 4:30pm on those days. The rest of the year the estate works as a venue: weddings, the deconsecrated 1800s church of St Brigid's hired out for recitals and rehearsals through the summer, children's forest camps in the woods in July and August, and the Vantastival music festival on the grounds. If your dates line up, book ahead by email; if they do not, this is one to admire from the road.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓One of the earliest unfortified houses in Ireland, still in the same family line
- ✓Formal gardens, free to walk during Heritage Week
- ✓St Brigid's, the deconsecrated estate church, used for recitals and hire
- ✓A member of the Boyne Valley Garden Trail
Tips
- →House tours are bookable in May and June, and during Beaulieu's own Heritage Week window in the second half of August, at 1pm and 3pm. That window is narrower than National Heritage Week itself, so check the estate's dates for the current year. Booking is advised.
- →Tickets go through the estate's Eventbrite page; enquiries by email to beaulieu.house.garden@gmail.com.
- →Dogs on leads are welcome in the garden during Heritage Week.
- →Outside those windows the house is not open to casual callers, so do not turn up unannounced.
Best Season
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