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CATHERINE FITZGERALD MAY live in a castle, but the chatelaine of Glin Castle in Co. Limerick is surprisingly down-to-earth. Ahead of The Festival of Gardens and Nature, Ruth O’Connor speaks to her about colour, kick-ass ancestors and great design.
When I speak to Catherine FitzGerald, chatelaine of her ancestral home Glin Castle in Co. Limerick, she is busy preparing for the Festival of Gardens and Nature taking place in Co. Laois next month. As a landscape architect, the festival she runs with Minnie Preston is now in its second year and promises to be an inspiring weekend of talks and workshops. But more on that later.
As per the style of this column I ask Catherine about her favourite room in her, erm, castle and am surprised by the answer. With the exquisite furniture and artworks to be found in Glin Castle, it is the kitchen, with its vernacular furniture and homely atmosphere which she chooses.
“I really do love the kitchen which is painted bright yellow. It has Irish country furniture – which my parents collected over the years - the beautiful pine dresser and painted Gothic-style press in the corner painted Mexican blue. There are lots of graphic posters from the 1930s, crockery above the dressers and plates on the walls,” she says.
There is the cupboard whose glass panes feature different shapes, the mugs hanging on hooks and the huge cabinet that came from an old chemist shop complete with the labels of the herbs that would have been used in the 19th Century; there’s a blue Aga, curtains made out of check Kerry Woollen Mills blankets, an old deal table and sugán chairs.
“I have so many memories of this being the family kitchen as a child, so many visitors from the world of art, architecture and history, always someone coming and going,” says Catherine. “It’s a warm space filled with quirky things that we love. I love the colours and the vernacular furniture – it’s perfect for family life and is a bit of a retreat from the theatre of the grander rooms upstairs.”
And they are grand.
“We never did discover who designed the house, but when you enter, there’s a central hall with columns and beautiful plasterwork. Built in the classical style in the 18th Century, there is very good circulation which means it’s perfect for entertaining,” Catherine explains.
“There is beautiful plasterwork with a light touch from the 1780s and the double flying staircase gives you the impression that you are being lifted up to the half landing looking out a Venetian window with fabulous plasterwork in pale blue, red and green. You can sit on the window ledge and look out over the garden. Built in a time when design had reached a crescendo everything is really well thought out.”
The drawing room features six bow windows which are characteristic of the other big houses along the Shannon estuary – designed to make the most of the stunning river views and brilliant light. “In the drawing room there is a beautiful curve at one end of the room (which is painted pale pink) as well as beautiful light coming from all the windows,” says Catherine.
One of Catherine’s favourite things in the castle is a portrait of one of her ancestors – Celinda Blennerhasset – wearing a tricorn hat like a highway man and a blue dress reminiscent of a riding habit. “She has a very knowing look and I feel like she’s speaking to me through the centuries,” says Catherine with a grin.
“She was the only female member of the Limerick Hell Fire Club – they were meant to be practising the dark arts though I’m sure they were just playing cards and getting drunk. It is also framed in a beautiful gilded frame with flowers, peas, bunches of corn – the frame itself is like a garden carved in wood.”
Speaking of gardens, they have been a passion for Catherine from an early age, privileged as she was to spend time in such magnificent surroundings as a child. “The garden really got into my bones as a child,” she says. “Apart from the more formal aspects it is quite a natural garden with winding paths and different exotic trees and shrubs. I could get lost in the woods and hide in little grottos about the place – all of this has inspired my idea of what a garden should be – a place filled with invitation and surprise.”
“I like gardens in which you come around a corner and there’s another scene and nothing is visible all at once. Some once said that a garden should be about invitation, mystery and surprise. Obviously there are amazing set piece formal gardens in which you take in a fabulous vista in one swoop but to me a real garden is one which has the spirit of the gardener in it – a place where all the senses are engaged.”
While most of us can only dream of living in a castle with such magnificent gardens, Catherine is keen to stress that a lot can be achieved in a more modest space: “In some ways a smaller garden is fantastic because every inch counts and you can really think about it and garden it really well,” she says.
“When it comes to paths, for example, you can start at one side and wind the path around, planting in between so that you’re hiding parts of the garden. Even in a small space you can create the illusion of a ‘lost part’ at the end.”
She also recommends concentrating less on summer planting and more on year-round interest and colour: “Try to think of succession from January onwards. We are so lucky in Ireland with the climate – early Spring is one of the most wonderful times of year,” she says. “Similarly you can keep your garden going into the Autumn and Winter by choosing beautiful grasses or plants with striking seed heads – even Japanese maples can look beautiful well into November.”
When it comes to the use of colour in her home in London, Catherine says that she and actor husband Dominic West both love colour.
“I’ve always done the hall and stairs in bright orange and colour features in the other rooms too,” she says. “I love woven textiles with depth and lots of colours that sing off each other. I love layering things and people really respond to it – minimal, perfect homes are all good and well, but do people breathe a sigh of relief when they collapse onto the sofa in a house like that?”
“I love hanging plates on the walls, having lots of collectibles, and things from my travels all around. That said, I do think things look better with other things of a similar vibe – if you have everything jumbled up it doesn’t quite work.”
If decorating a space from scratch she advises to think about what you want to achieve in terms of colour and texture in order to achieve a sense of deliberateness and cohesion. “I love how Ben Pentreath uses colour. I like having echoes of colour throughout the house – again that idea of cohesion,” she says. “It’s the same in the garden – one of everything you like doesn’t work – you want a roll of repetition around the garden in order to feel harmony. The best designers are great editors. You want the eye to rest.”
When it comes to garden design there will be plenty of food for thought at the upcoming Festival of Gardens and Nature that she has created with Minnie Preston. The festival will feature forward-thinking chefs, artists, designers, ecologists, writers and musicians but mostly gardeners speaking on topics such as ecology, planting, design and biodiversity.
“A lot of young people are coming to this festival as well as older people – they’re interested in this because it’s their future,’ says mum of four Catherine FitzGerald. “It’s also a wonderful weekend out – it’s relaxed, you can meet the speakers, there are plant stalls and homewares… it’s an immersive experience that is food for the mind and for the soul.”
Catherine FitzGerald and Minnie Preston are the founders of the Festival of Gardens and Nature taking place for the second time in Co. Laois on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of May 2025. With a focus on creativity, sustainability and the natural world, the impressive line-up of guests includes Nigel Slater, Diarmuid Gavin, Darina Allen, Tom Stuart-Smith, Sean Ronayne and Dominic West to name but a few. Featuring a unique blend of expert talks, interactive experiences and hands-on workshops, find out more about the event at festivalofgardensandnature.com and on Instagram at @festival_of_gardens_and_nature.
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