Please see our subscription terms and conditions
', The castle is set far off the beaten track so there is no traffic noise or light pollution. flipPayConfig = Object.assign(flipPayConfig, { Sean Simon hasnt stopped dreaming even though he has already achieved a lifetime of experiences that most of us can only allude to. }); return item; event: '_trackEvent', if (Object.keys(selectedPrice).length === 0) { document.getElementById('welcome_banner_wrapper').style.display = "block"; _id: purchase.price_id, } else { : getPricesByBadge(); }; const purchasedProduct = { }; } if (leafletTag) { element.classList.add('fp-prevent-html-replace'); if (!! if (badges.indexOf('home-delivery') > -1) { } setSubscribeButtonColour(node); } const domain = '.independent.ie'; window.dataLayer[0].user.premiumArticleViews = premiumArticleViews; } meteredAccess: purchase.metered_paywall, const fireAddToCartEvent = function () { let premium_content_redirect_url = 'https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/'; Seans dream almost came crashing down around him when in 2008 when Ulster Bank (which is effectively a Scottish bank) effectively pulled the plug on him and left him seriously struggling to finish the projects and ultimately his dream. if (document.cookie.indexOf('guid') > -1) { if (addToCartFiredAfterRegistration === false) { const getSubscriptionStatus = function (purchase) { badgeMap[tabPrefix + '-annual-prices-tab-trigger'] = 'annual'; const listenForGigyaEvents = function () { previouslySelectedPriceId = null; It was built\u00a0on what was once the sprawling 3,000 acre Rockingham demesne and estate that was bought by the famous British architect John Nash, who designed Buckingham Palace.He\u00a0fell in love and vowed to become rich one day and buy it\u00a0and the crumbling 14th century McDermott\u0026amp;rsquo;s Castle nearby that sits majestically on Castle Island \u2013\u00a0also known as \u0026amp;ldquo;The Rock\u0026amp;rdquo; \u2013\u00a0its own tiny island in the middle of Lough Key.Following his success as an actor in London\u0026amp;rsquo;s West End where he had\u00a0lead roles in hit productions of \u00a0and played Elvis Presley in \u00a0as well as appearing alongside Gabriel Byrne in\u00a0\u00a0and other films, he had the means to buy both properties from Coillte.Asked at the time \u2013 now 25 years ago \u2013 why be bought it, he simply replied: \u0026amp;ldquo;Because it\u0026amp;rsquo;s a castle and I love it.\u0026amp;rdquo; It is a love that has not faded.This year will not only mark a decade since his restoration of Cloontykilla Castle, which was one of the most watched episodes of Channel 4\u0026amp;rsquo;s \u00a0programme, it also heralds the start of a new investment fund that he launched on January 1.He hopes the fund\u00a0will enable him to protect\u00a0McDermott\u0026amp;rsquo;s Castle from further decay and eventually restore it and put the finishing touches on his decades-long restoration of Cloontykilla Castle.He almost lost both properties following the 2008 property crash when Ulster Bank\u00a0sold on his\u00a0loan to Seaconview, a vulture fund, that sought to auction off the property. This gave him further impetus to follow his dreams as he fully understood that if life is likely to be too short then it needed to be lived to the fullest. showOrderSummary(node, previouslySelectedPriceId); window.dataLayer.push(ecommerceTransactionEvent); fireAddToCartEvent(); meteredAccess: purchase.metered_paywall, window.dataLayer.push({ document.getElementById('discover_more_banner').href = onboarding_article; } purchase: { let homeDeliveryButtonCheck = false; return; }); id: purchase.id } const welcomeBanner = document.querySelector('.welcome1'); premium_content_redirect_url: premium_content_redirect_url, vars.article.wallVisible = ! didomi.getUserConsentStatusForPurpose('cookies')) { subscriptionStatus: purchase.granted_by_purchase.sku_code, Heres what the experts say, Monday to Friday burglars are terrorising rural elderly for a few hundred euro while posing as plain-clothes garda, Former inter-county GAA player convicted of sneaky assault on veteran journalist Ray Managh, I am having significant trouble with it Tony Buckley becomes fourth ex-rugby player to sue IRFU over concussion, Today FM DJ Declan Pierce reveals he suffered a brain haemorrhage in emotional post, Dublin Airport drone solution not as simple as some may seek to make out, Department of Transport says, It doesnt make sense that Electric Ireland customers cant use 200 credit as they see fit, whether off future or older bills, says Senator, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor who fell from grace, dies weeks after brain aneurysm, If you take aggression out of Shelbourne versus Bohemians, I dont know where we are, How bad are the pics?: WhatsApps show UK health secretary Matt Hancocks reaction after CCTV leak of kiss with aide, Sligo based company enters the home care market, Watch: 'I understand fans are furious' - All Blacks star Ardie Savea in hot water over throat-slitting gesture, Kerry FC boss Billy Dennehy admits to mixed emotions as win over Treaty United just eludes the fledgling club, Ladies lunch gone wrong as they brawl with bouncers in Belfast, Prince Harry makes first TV appearance since South park controversy, Wexford home listed for sale for 350,000 has been utterly transformed, Comedian Emma Doran discusses her hilarious experience of the 'silent ride' on RTE's Late Late show, For the good of our kids Family consider leaving the country due to three-year waiting list for autism therapies. window.dataLayer.push({ const updateMeterStatsCookie = function (didomi, accessObject) { if ((!priceId || document.cookie.indexOf('guid') === -1) && !isHomeDelivery && homeDeliveryButtonCheck) { return allPrices.concat(item); The heavy duty timber joists have swelled and bowed. const getCookie = key => { const item = { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; Lovely views of the lake when we left the trail finally found the hidden castle that once appeared on Grand Designs. ? price.position = index; window.showNonSubscriberElements = true; !fpblock) { The only caveat is that they share the same passion for restoring Irelands castles to their former glory and not destroying them by modernising them or turning them into Disneyland-like creations. const badgeMap = {}; Sean says that even donating $1 will help as "Every $1 will put another brick in the wall" Sean continues " Come on you Irish Americans! userWall = 'paywall'; fireProductClickEvent(function () { fireProductClickEvent(null); }; FB.XFBML.parse(socialEmbed); node.setAttribute('hidden', ''); brand: 'INM', But they and a letterbox at the entrance to the sprawling estate are the only hints that we are in the year 2022 and not centuries earlier.The castle is set far off the beaten track so there is no traffic noise or light pollution. }); International Irish Coffee Day: The history and recipe of Irish coffee. products: products.map(function (product) { return bundle_info; 'false' : 'true'; callback: function (user) { Privately owned Castle offering luxury accommodation on an exclusive hire basis. event: '_trackEvent', The letter from the priest worked as Simon was sacked, but in his determination, he decided to head to the bright lights of London rather than face a slagging from his schoolmates and took the well-worn emigrant route but with a formulated plan for success already jolting around in his head. With trees going through it, It was a beginning of a long journey to see it restored. subscriptionStatus: 'Whitelist', } evt.which : evt.keyCode; }; }, for (const key in prices) { !selectedPrice.badges && selectedPrice.badges !== Object(selectedPrice.badges)) { return 'home-delivery'; document.cookie = 'subscriptionwall_meter_stats=' + meterStatsCookieData + ';path=/;domain=' + cookieDomain + ';max-age='+oneMonthInSeconds; } attributeFilter: ['class'], return { }; } eventAction: 'auth', ['gallery', 'lightbox'].forEach(function (namespace) { return '' 0 : 1; if (typeof bundleExpires[priceId] != "undefined") { } }); badgeToFilterBy = 'monthly'; placeholder_prices: Object.keys(price).indexOf('placeholder_prices') > -1 user: { Sean Simon fell in love with the ruins of Cloontyhuga Castle as he played there as a boy. successful_upgrade_redirect_url = 'https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/premium/'; const latestFlipPayLoadTime = parseInt(localStorage.getItem('subscriptionwall.latest-load') || '0'); node.removeAttribute('hidden'); return Object.keys(purchase).indexOf('coupon_code') > -1;