Flying into Dublin or travelling from the city and heading to Rathsallagh House in County Kildare? Your chauffeur will meet you in the arrivals hall or at your Dublin City address, load up your luggage, and get you there in about an hour. No queuing for taxis, no figuring out bus connections - just a smooth, private door-to-door run through the Kildare countryside.
The return leg is easy to arrange. Book the same transfer for your departure date and let the operator know your pick-up time and location at Rathsallagh.
Rathsallagh House sits in the rolling farmland of south Kildare, near the village of Dunlavin. The house was converted from Queen Anne stables in the early 20th century and the country house character is very intact - open fires, a walled garden, a golf course on the grounds, and that particular quiet that comes from being well away from main roads. It’s the kind of place where you arrive and immediately slow down.
Kildare is horse country in the most serious sense. The Irish National Stud is about 30 kilometres north of Rathsallagh near Kildare town, and the Curragh racecourse - one of Ireland’s five Classic flat race venues - is a short drive away. The famous Japanese Gardens at the National Stud are open to visitors year-round and are among the finest of their kind in Europe. If you’re a racing fan, ask at Rathsallagh about what meetings are on during your stay.
The drive from Dublin takes you southwest through County Kildare on the M7 before cutting off onto the quieter local roads toward Dunlavin. The landscape is flat and open through the Curragh plain - this is the stretch of unfenced common land where racehorses train in the early mornings - before the ground starts to fold and rise as you approach the Wicklow foothills near Dunlavin. It’s a pleasant transition from city to proper countryside.
The area around Rathsallagh is good walking country. The Wicklow Way long-distance trail runs through the hills a few kilometres to the east, and there are forest walks in Brusselstown Ring and along the Blessington Lakes just to the north. The town of Blessington itself, with Poulaphouca Reservoir stretched out below it, is worth a short detour if you’re in the area and want coffee and a walk along the water.