Rathfarnham Castle

25/05/2026

Tune in to Oliver Callan on RTÉ Radio 1 tomorrow (Tuesday 26 May) and listen out for Oliver's interview with artist Pamela de Brí whose show Ar an Imeall/On the Edge runs in the Castle until 28th June.

Imeall/On the Edge is part of a larger project exploring and documenting the islands and seeking to record, celebrate, respect and remember the individual world that each island is and was to those that lived and still live on it. Having researched the history, landscape, demographics, and topography of the islands over the last few years, the artist has painted them, as seen from the mainland, trying to capture their essence.

Image: Árainn - Inishmore

23/05/2026

Open today and daily until 28 June, Imeall/On the Edge, an exhibition of paintings of Ireland's offshore islands by Pamela de Brí.

Imeall/On the Edge is part of a larger project exploring and documenting the islands and seeking to record, celebrate, respect and remember the individual world that each island is and was to those that lived and still live on it. Having researched the history, landscape, demographics, and topography of the islands over the last few years, the artist has painted them, as seen from the mainland, trying to capture their essence.

22/05/2026

Please note that due to an event taking place in the Castle on Saturday afternoon, 23 May, some areas of the Castle may be closed to the public from 2.30pm on. Normal access resumes on Sunday 24 May. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Image: David Davison

15/05/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us in the Castle yesterday for the opening of Imeall/On the Edge, a beautiful exhibition of paintings of Ireland's offshore islands by Pamela de Brí. The exhibition was opened by Clare Tuffy, former manager of Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site.

Imeall/On the Edge is part of a larger project exploring and documenting the islands and seeking to record, celebrate, respect and remember the individual world that each island is and was to those that lived and still live on it. Having researched the history, landscape, demographics, and topography of the islands over the last few years, the artist has painted them, as seen from the mainland, trying to capture their essence.

Daily until 28th June. Admission free.

12/05/2026

This Saturday 16 May is National Drawing Day, and to encourage you to explore your artistic side, we're inviting you to sketch and draw in the elegant and historic surroundings of the Castle. Admission will be free for the day, and the only fee we'll ask from you is to have a go at drawing a picture during your visit! The Castle is full of inspiring architectural details, so you may well create a masterpiece!

11/05/2026

'Ar an Imeall'/'On the Edge' an exhibition of paintings of Ireland's offshore islands by Pamela de Brí is now OPEN. The exhibition is part of a larger project exploring and documenting the islands and seeking to record, celebrate, respect and remember the individual world that each island is and was to those that lived and still live on it. Having researched the history, landscape, demographics, and topography of the islands over the last few years, the artist has painted them, as seen from the mainland, trying to capture their essence.

Daily until 28th June. Admission free.

07/05/2026

A small number of tickets for this event has become available. Tickets are €15 and available from Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1985736000833

We've just released some extra tickets for this very special event, taking place on Thursday 7 May at 8pm - Royal Irish Academy of Music: Academy Artists in Concert, a concert of diverse musical pieces by a selection of high-performance students from the Royal Irish Academy of Music

This special concert, set in the magnificent surroundings of Rathfarnham Castle, offers a vivid glimpse of that spirit, and an invitation to experience the artistry, care, and high performance that shape Academy students. Expect an evening of compelling music-making, full of energy and individuality, bringing audiences closer to the artists the RIAM lifts to their highest potential, and to the futures they help to shape.

The programme will include:

Yuxiao Wang, viola
JS Bach: Prelude for Suite No 2 for Solo Cello, BWV 1008

Iris de Mot Diez, soprano saxophone; Brian Clinton, alto saxophone; Matei Balasca, tenor saxophone; and Michael Healy, baritone saxophone
Gabriel Pierné: Introduction et Variations Sur Une Ronde Populaire
Bill Whelan arr. Ryoya: Riverdance
Pedro Itturalde: Valse and Kritis from Suite Hellenique
Jean Matita: Chinese Rag

Sonic Quartet featuring Maxim Novojilov, violin; Julia Antolec, violin; Yuxiao Wang, viola; and Yangbin Jin, cello
Max Novojilov: Inland Empire
Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op 10

Doors open at 7.30pm and the performances run from 8pm to 9.30pm. Tickets are €15 from https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1985736000833

Photo: Mark Stedman

06/05/2026

We are thrilled to announce our next exhibition opening to the public on Tuesday 12th May.

Pamela de Brí's exhibition Ar an Imeall/On the Edge, is an exhibition of up to 50 oil paintings of Ireland’s offshore islands. The exhibition is part of a larger project exploring and documenting the islands and seeking to record, celebrate, respect and remember the individual world that each island is and was to those that lived and still live on it. Having researched the history, landscape, demographics, and topography of the islands over the last few years, the artist has painted them, as seen from the mainland, trying to capture their essence.

As the artist develops the project, she is looking at ways to go deeper into these investigations of moments of life on the islands, memories, imagined memory, struggles to stay, the devastation of leaving, the reality of living in isolation. This is not just a project consisting of paintings of islands, it also focuses on island people, their stories, the voices of current and past inhabitants, folklore, songs, poems and traditions.

Daily 12th May - 29th June. Admission free.

05/05/2026

Tomorrow is the first Wednesday of the month, and you can enjoy FREE admission to Rathfarnham Castle and to a whole range of OPW-managed Heritage sites.

We're open from 9.30am with last admissions at 4.45pm. Take a guided tour with one of our expert guides, or enoy a leisurely self-guided tour at your own pace! Now sounds like a very good way to spend a Wednesday!