Drawn in through the ancient trees by dappled sunlight and the sound of slowly dripping water, most visitors find this a spot of seclusion and peace.
4. * The Sylvan Theatre *
The Sylvan Theatre is laid out in a classical style with grassy rows of seats cut into a nearly five-foot-high bank that is surrounded by a sweet bay laurel, Laurus nobilis. hedge. As if reminding visitors of the amphitheatre's function, there are two moss-covered and acid-rain etched stone faces - comedy and tragedy - lying amid the grass and English daisies, Bellis perennis, on one of the tiers.
The tenth Earl of Meath wrote that ...acting had constantly taken place in this Sylvan Theatre, both in his, and his father's time, private theatricals being then much in vogue...
And, Sir Walter Scott, during his stay at Killruddery, was intrigued enough by the idea of a Sylvan Theatre to include it in his novel St. Ronan's Well (1824).
Dramas which lend themselves to an outdoor setting, such as Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream, are even now regularly performed here during the summer months.
The entrance of The Sylvan Theatre, flanked by classical statues probably placed there by the 10th Earl, faces a wide lawn shaded by ancient trees. Though visitors might be tempted to linger here, usually the sound of a fountain and the scent of roses and lavender tempt them before long to stroll across the lawn toward the 19th century garden designs comissioned most probably by the 11th Earl.
Part I of Ireland's Oldest Garden is a description of Killruddery House and Gardens near the seaside town of Bray in County Wicklow, Ireland. Seeing these gardens is like having a garden history book open wide to pages devoted to the 17th through early 19th centuries. Killruddery Gardens, which date from the 1680's, are thought to be Ireland's oldest surviving formal gardens. Included in the description are some of the the cultural, social and even political pressures on Ireland's Norman - Anglo - Irish landed gentry which led to building gardens such as Killruddery.
Part III of Ireland's Oldest Garden will continue this virtual exploration by highlighting 19th century features such as the Elizabethan-Revival lavender and rose gardens, ornamental octagonal dairy and Victorian statues.
Future restoration plans for Killruddery and garden visiting and touring in Ireland will also be discussed.
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