One of the beautiful bedrooms of Gurtenard House
It is rare that I covet someone else’s life or possessions or that I am jealous of what others are doing, but on rare occasions I hear of an adventure someone has embarked on and I think “man, I wish that was me.” Kathy Walsh is that person for me. Emily and I had the pleasure of making friends with Kathy the first week we were in Listowel and we can’t seem to stop stalking her due to our overwhelming interest in this new chapter of her life she has started. Pull up a seat and let us tell you about Kathy and make you a little jealous as well.
Kathy had a long time career at a college in Chicago, but like many of us, got to a point in life and thought “is this all there is?” After her first visit to Ireland she was hooked on the island and would return whenever time and budget allowed. Finally that voice in her head became louder and she knew she wanted a dramatic third chapter in her life and she also knew that she wanted that chapter to be written in Ireland. In her words, “If I was going to have the adventure, it was time to start doing it.”
Kathy knew if she took early retirement and followed this dream she was going to have a game plan. Where would she live? How would she support herself? How fast could she get this chapter started? With her professional and social experience strongly influencing her decision, Kathy decided to commit herself to finding a unique property and make it into a Bed and Breakfast. Where and when remained to be seen.
Being a free spirit, she went into this adventure open minded and started looking at possible properties all over Ireland and just like Goldie Locks, none were just right. Being of Irish descent, Kathy was an active member of the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago and, through a friend there, she was tipped off to a property that was becoming available in the small town of Listowel in County Kerry. So, on her next trip over, she arranged to view The Gurtenard House and it was NERVOUS love at first sight. A gorgeous Georgian beauty that was said to have been started in 1815, it had the bones of a show place but it needed a whole new ball gown and I mean all the way to the knickers! Kathy returned to the states, but the house remained on her mind. Through the support of family and friends she came up with a plan and a vision so back to Ireland she went to see if the Gurtenard House could be her third chapter. In 2014, she said the stars all aligned, the time and price became right and she was the new owner of what she hopes will become a landmark in the town she loves.
For the last year Kathy has started major renovations to the 5 bedroom estate. She is dedicated to bringing it back to its once previous beauty while maintaining its historical integrity. As Kathy speaks of the town of Listowel, she becomes noticeably moved by all of the support she has been receiving during this process. The people here have been extremely generous to her and they have freely given their time and support to help her restore the house to what it once was. She sees this as a town project and desires to make this a hub of town activity.
The property is nestled in a back road that is just off town square, making it the perfect location for visitors to enjoy all that Listowel has to offer. St. Johns, Listowel Castle, shops and restaurants are literally steps away. The home itself is worth drooling over with its 14 foot ceiling, carved moldings and large, but inviting common rooms. Each of the five guest rooms has its own en suite, and are decorated in a simple elegance. Parts of the home are still being redressed but, wanting to make it perfect, she has vowed to do it right and not rush the process. Local friends and artists have overwhelmed her with offers to come help with decorative finishes and grand wall murals. I love when Kathy told me that she never saw this project ending, she will always be working to make it the most enchanting and memorable place her guests can visit. It blew us away so much that we booked a room for Emily’s brother who arrives on Thursday! Clearly we are not the only one who have succumbed to Gurtenard House’s allure because people who stayed last year for the Listowel races booked rooms for this year before they left!
In the very near future, the unflappable Ms. Walsh hopes to host large events and weddings, plus has visions of making the Gurtenard House a cultural and art destination as well. We have no doubt it will be all and more than what she dreams of. After leaving her from our last visit, Emily could not stop talking about how much we envied what Kathy had been brave enough to do. There was no retiring and sitting around reading all day, heck no, there was a grand adventure she had to be a part of!
Well done, Kathy! We look forward to returning and staying with you!
For more information, look here: http://www.gurtenardhouse.com/
exciraanddelira 