The Restoration

According to biographer Maureen Goldthorpe,

"What Michael Flatley has achieved with Castlehyde can only be described as "heroic". The attention to detail in the restoration is exquisite, and it's that attention to detail that makes the house the Beauty that she is. Michael is legendary in his passion for perfection, and Castlehyde is not a cold perfection - it is warm and inviting, an intoxicating place that you want to return to, time and time again...’

‘That's "the delicate dance" that Michael has choreographed here. He has created one of the finest stately houses in the world, and yet it feels first and foremost, "a home".  Castlehyde is also an elegant waltz through the grand Palladian landscape of architectural design.  It has been a real labour of love restoring it to its former splendour - and it shows - because it's got Michael's heart, his soul, his passion pirouetting gracefully through every part of it."

Flatley's friend and world-renowned architect, Peter Inston, admitted he has never handled a project of such magnificence in 20 years of work for the world's rich and famous.

'I've worked for the King of Qatar and other royals but I've never seen anyone take such a hands-on interest in restoring a property as Michael has," said Inston. Peter stressed that, in his opinion, Castlehyde Mansion will be regarded as the finest restoration project in Ireland and, quite probably Europe, for decades to come.

"The point is that everything in this house is original. We've saved absolutely everything we could. We've repaired and restored the original floors, windows, ceilings and slates. In the basement, we even stripped out the original bricks, numbered them, repaired the flood damage and then replaced the bricks exactly as they were,"

he added.

“Because the basement is located at the foot of the cliffs and was prone to flooding, exacerbated by the nearby river, the entire sub-structure had to be water-proofed. That water-proofing program alone cost almost 25 per cent of the original purchase price of the house.”

"I don't think any private individual has ever undertaken a restoration project of this scale or cost,"

Peter Inston admitted.

Because it is located near Castlehyde's cliffs, it was decided to build it of reinforced steel complete with a toughened concrete roof - to protect the priceless vehicles housed inside.

Peter Murphy, Architect to Michael Flatley, said,

"Castle Hyde is one of those incredible jobs where fate has brought together a magnificent house with a visionary man determined to restore it to its former glory".