The Castle Drawing Room
The Castle Drawing Room is a showcase for the superb restoration of Lisheen Castle from an atmospheric ruin into an elegant manor house.
The restoration was a five-year labour of love by the Everard family, with Mrs Everard personally overseeing the interior design – expertly balancing historical authenticity with the personality and warmth of a real family home.
The vaulted ceilings of the drawing room were rebuilt at a height of 20 feet, with architects and specialist builders using the original ceiling supports in the castle walls to ensure authenticity. The ceilings were painstakingly hand-painted with murals of Irish flora, fauna and bird life by a talented local artist.
Period-style fireplaces were commissioned and handmade in Italian marble by Morrisseys of Dublin who were also responsible for impressive handmade fireplaces in The Shelbourne Hotel Dublin. 14-foot-high mirrors were made to order from the designs of Mrs Everard, while the floor coverings were made in India to a colour scheme chosen to reflect the ceiling murals.
Zane Everard, one of the sons of the Everard family, now operates the castle. He is a trained architect who specialises in the restoration of historic buildings – a career choice that was no doubt influenced by his early involvement in such a momentous restoration project.
