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Need help? function setPriceSelected(priceID) { if (urlHash === 'monthly' || urlHash === 'annual') { But he is in need ofongoing financing to complete the restoration of both castles. if (vars.article) { return { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; fontSize: '16px', } It was in these pristine, ancient woods adjoining the Lough Key Forest Park where at seven years oldhewas first mesmerised by the sight of the former hunting lodge built around 1839to resemble a medieval castle. premium_content_redirect_url = 'https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/premium/'; const flipPayScriptThresholdExpired = function () { })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-KJF4'); } } return 'epaper-access'; return; const isNumber = function (evt) { const bundleValue = getBundleValue(purchase, 'purchase'); if (vars.article.wallType === 'premium') { return cookieValue; metered_content: false, } Full-day Tours from $54.21 per adult Cliffs of Moher and Burren Day Trip, Including Dunguaire Castle, Aillwee Cave, and Doolin from Galway 669 Recommended Bus Tours from $48.79 per adult Connemara Day Trip from Galway: Cong and the Kylemore Abbey 335 Recommended Full-day Tours from $37.95 per adult } event: '_trackEvent', twttr.widgets.createTweet(tweetId, socialEmbed); : [], Cloontykilla Castle (Boyle) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go vars.user.subscriptionStatus = subscriberCookie.subscriptionStatus || ''; let addressCovered = false; Updated in 2021. })(); Premium subscribers enjoy unlimited access to all articles. Simon is turning Cloontykilla Castle into a magnificent 5* luxury retreat for paying guests and emphasizes that it will be a completely authentic experience in its feel, layout, and design. if (flipPayJsUrl) { Cloontykilla Castle known locally as Rockingham Castle was bought by local actor Sen Simon in 1997 who has spent 12 million. let previouslySelectedPriceId = getPriceSelected(localStorage.getItem('price.selected')) || getQueryStringValue('priceId'); What happened to Sean Simons castle from Grand Designs. quantity: 1, eventCallback: function () { products: [purchasedProduct] if (isShopFront){ sean simons castle today 2021 - nammakarkhane.com virtualPageViewData.eventData.article = { localStorage.removeItem('price.selected'); } onLogout: function () { window.showSubscriberElements) { } !selectedPrice.badges && selectedPrice.badges !== Object(selectedPrice.badges)) { //if the item doesn't exist, return null const pathParts = new URL(url).pathname.split('/'); !badges && badges.length > 0) { window.loadGTM = function () { selectedPriceRadioInput.style.display = 'none'; : getPricesByBadge(); if (eventType === 'new_card_created' && isUpgrades) { The woods are also home to herds of wild deer, endangered pine martins and red squirrels. bundle: 'none', 'none' : 'registration'; return key.indexOf('granted_by_') > -1; successful_upgrade_redirect_url: decodeURIComponent(returnURL), Kevin McCloud meets more people trying to build dream homes, beginning with Sean Simons, who bought the ruins of Cloontykilla Castle in the Irish county of R. }) } badgeToUse = badge; const isGrantedBy = function (grant) { const cookieData = updateSubscriberCookie(event.detail.object); const subscriberCookieName = 'subscriber'; node.setAttribute('hidden', ''); if (isGrantedBy('whitelist_rule')) { }, 1000); International Irish Coffee Day: The history and recipe of Irish coffee. for (let i = 0, parts; (parts = cookies[i] && cookies[i].split('=')); i++) { if (element.id === 'fp-tog-anch-2') { 6 posts. eventLabel: 'save' } } }; template_coupon_code_price: "
Need help? vars.article.userWall = ! }; The letter from the priest worked as Simon was sacked, but in his determination, he decided to head to the bright lights of London rather than face a slagging from his schoolmates and took the well-worn emigrant route but with a formulated plan for success already jolting around in his head. if (!selectedPrice) { {"gigya.api.key":"4_CO8231Ix1RbYi2EmMbsrlw","gigya.screenset":"Default-RegistrationLogin","gigya.mobile.screenset":"Default-RegistrationLogin","gigya.authFlow.redirect":"true","gigya.check.enabled":"true","gigya.check.host":"gigya-check.independent.ie","competitions.submit.endpoint":"https://competitions-api.independent.ie/entries","competitions.api.key":"0b15feaa-62b2-45a2-8244-723a9e80748e","subscriptionwall.cookie-domain":".independent.ie","subscriptionwall.metered.missing.fields":"data.occupation,data.phone,data.salutation,data.yearofbirth,profile.firstName,profile.lastName","subscriptionwall.welcome_url.home-delivery":"https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/home-delivery/","subscriptionwall.welcome_url.premium-plus":"https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/premium-plus/","subscriptionwall.welcome_url.premium":"https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/premium/","kaching.enabled":"true","outbrain.kaching.enabled":"true","quantcast.enabled":"false","didomi.enabled":"true","newsletter.subscribe_url":"https://member.independent.ie/quicksubscribe/IN:Daily/subscribe","social-embed-consent-wall.enabled":"true","homepage.regional.sections.mapping":"Cork:regionals/corkman/:corkman,Dublin:regionals/dublin/:dublin,Kerry:regionals/kerryman/:kerryman,Louth:regionals/louth/:louth,Sligo:regionals/sligochampion/:sligochampion,Wexford:regionals/wexford/:wexford,Wicklow:regionals/wicklow/:wicklow","active_cmp":"didomi"} {"url":"https://shared.mediahuis.be/ka-ching/independent/ka-ching.umd.js?20210830","adunit":"m.independent.ie/Irish_News","targeting":{"art_id":"41246032","article_id":"41246032","kw":["Hope","reigns","supreme","for","actor","Sean","Simon","to","fulfill","dream","of","restoring","his","beloved","castles","with","new","investment","fund"],"gs_channels":["gs_predicts_extremesports","gs_predicts_autumnoutdoors","gs_predicts_filmfestivalsawards","gs_economy_markets","gs_predicts_trending_toys","gs_predicts_small_med_bus","gt_positive","gs_economy","gs_predicts_businessandfinance","gs_predicts_doyourowntaxes","gs_predicts_findapro_taxseason","gs_predicts_startups","gv_safe_adult","gv_safe_arms","gv_safe_crime","gv_safe_download","gv_safe_drugs","gv_safe_hatespeech","gv_safe_military","gv_safe_obscenity","gv_safe_terrorism","gv_safe_tobacco","pos_diageo_safe","pos_diageo_safe2","pos_facebook","pos_fb_list_1","pos_fb_list_2","pos_halloween","gs_entertain","inm_award_season","gs_predicts_buyingahome","high_end_luxury_products","gs_predicts_golf","shadow9hu7_pos_natural_disasters","gs_predicts_savvyshopperscouponing","gs_science_environ","gs_predicts_diningout","gs_predicts_travel_by_rail","gs_predicts_brocations","gs_predicts_marketers","gs_predicts_travelingfortheholidays","gs_predicts_alpinevacations","gs_predicts_spring_break","gs_science","inm_climate_change_conference","gs_predicts_tropicalvacations","gv_death_injury","gv_notsafe","gv_processed"],"article_type":"premium"},"platform":"MOB","pageType":"Article","pagePaid":true,"lazyload":true} {"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Hope reigns supreme for actor Sean Simon to fulfill dream of restoring his beloved castles with new investment fund","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Independent.ie","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://m.independent.ie/theme/_base/"},"@id":"independent.ie"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bd2b8/41246029.ece/AUTOCROP/w1240h700/SIMON%20AND%20CASTLE19","height":"700","width":"1240"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.independent.ie/"},"dateCreated":"2022-01-16T22:38:33.000Z","dateModified":"2022-01-17T03:10:32.000Z","datePublished":"2022-01-17T02:30:00Z","keywords":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bd2b8/41246029.ece/AUTOCROP/w1240h700/SIMON%20AND%20CASTLE19","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Allison Bray","image":"https://www.independent.ie/incoming/6338c/40573224.ece/AUTOCROP/w100square/allison-bray.jpg","url":"https://www.independent.ie/opinion/independent-journalists/allison-bray/"},"description":"\u0026amp;ldquo;I think these places nearly talk to the owner,\u0026amp;rdquo; Irish actor Sean Simon says during a twilight tour of the grounds of his beloved Cloontykilla Castle overlooking the eastern shore of Lough Key in Co Roscommon. badges.forEach(badge => { ['gallery', 'lightbox'].forEach(function (namespace) { eventCategory: 'g_showcase', userHasLoggedIn = false; show_pincode: false, items_used: accessObject.metered_paywall_items_used, // Since the user is not a subscriber, the wall is now visible. Ironically, on meeting Sean and noticing his rugged good looks, one instantly gets the impression that he is already the Baron of Lough Key but just missing the royal title. if (!params[key]) { // Reset the positions after the flatten. } premium_content_redirect_url = 'https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/home-delivery/'; return; Please try again', } price: purchase.amount, onboarding_article = 'https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/premium/'; } All the new construction within the castle has degraded dramatically. successful_upgrade_redirect_url: 'https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/premium-plus/', It will be selectively rented out, he said, adding that the castle willappeal to those with a love of history and architecture as well as nature. setBundleToFullWidth(node); Sean says that even donating $1 will help as "Every $1 will put another brick in the wall" Sean continues " Come on you Irish Americans! mutation.addedNodes.forEach(node => { It was built\u00a0on what was once the sprawling 3,000 acre Rockingham demesne and estate that was bought by the famous British architect John Nash, who designed Buckingham Palace.He\u00a0fell in love and vowed to become rich one day and buy it\u00a0and the crumbling 14th century McDermott\u0026amp;rsquo;s Castle nearby that sits majestically on Castle Island \u2013\u00a0also known as \u0026amp;ldquo;The Rock\u0026amp;rdquo; \u2013\u00a0its own tiny island in the middle of Lough Key.Following his success as an actor in London\u0026amp;rsquo;s West End where he had\u00a0lead roles in hit productions of \u00a0and played Elvis Presley in \u00a0as well as appearing alongside Gabriel Byrne in\u00a0\u00a0and other films, he had the means to buy both properties from Coillte.Asked at the time \u2013 now 25 years ago \u2013 why be bought it, he simply replied: \u0026amp;ldquo;Because it\u0026amp;rsquo;s a castle and I love it.\u0026amp;rdquo; It is a love that has not faded.This year will not only mark a decade since his restoration of Cloontykilla Castle, which was one of the most watched episodes of Channel 4\u0026amp;rsquo;s \u00a0programme, it also heralds the start of a new investment fund that he launched on January 1.He hopes the fund\u00a0will enable him to protect\u00a0McDermott\u0026amp;rsquo;s Castle from further decay and eventually restore it and put the finishing touches on his decades-long restoration of Cloontykilla Castle.He almost lost both properties following the 2008 property crash when Ulster Bank\u00a0sold on his\u00a0loan to Seaconview, a vulture fund, that sought to auction off the property. snackbar.querySelector('.message2-outer').classList.remove('-error'); window.location.href = subscribeLink.href; delivery_days: price.delivery_days || [], } else if ((node.classList && node.classList.contains('n-tabbed1')) || (node['querySelector'] && node.querySelector('.n-tabbed1'))) { const addShopFrontClasses = function (el) { return; snack_bar_success_message: 'Welcome! Simon was caught out when the local Catholic Monsignor wrote to the agent telling him that Sean was just 14 and that he would stop the Miami Showband from ever playing any of the halls that belonged to the church, which in those days was almost every parish hall. if (priceA.badges['home-delivery'] && priceB.badges['premium-plus']) { Grand designs sean simons castle update. window.IMP.config = flipPayConfig; const priceToEcommerceProduct = function (price, index) { if (! if (Object.keys(event.detail.object.badge || {}).indexOf('premium') > -1 && ! template_summary_coupon_code_applied: "", el.classList.add('-featured'); let premium_content_redirect_url = 'https://subscribe.independent.ie/welcome/'; if (faq) { virtualPageViewData.eventData.user.subscriptionStatus = 'gs_false'; priceToDisplayBilledFrequency.style.display = 'none'; } }); Westport House and Gardens Admission Ticket. node.removeAttribute('hidden'); for (i = scripts.length-1; i >= 0; i--) { A long time later he purchased it with transforming it into a dynamite dramatic false sixteenth century home complete with excellent baronial lobby extravagance rooms clearing staircases. The castle's original owner Sean Simons, a local, who had a successful career as an actor in Britain succeeded in having the auction called off until he was able to complete efforts to get. const snackbar = document.getElementById('fp-snackbar'); const products = selectedPrice.placeholder_prices.length > 0 }); }); } * Originally published in Nov 2019. The castle holds over 800 years of stored memory in its stone walls and is perhaps one of the most significant historic sites in Irelands Hidden Heartlands, particularly given that it is also the site of a 2,500-year-old Bronze Age settlement. King of the castle | Ireland | The Sunday Times 'false' : 'true'; if (returnURL) { } else { }); template_price_badge: '
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