08/06/2026
Did you know? The remarkable floor tiles at Cashel House were shipped from Italy to Connemara and may originally date back to between 1770-1820.
As the story goes, Thomas Hazell who had Cashel House built around 1840 complimented these beautiful terracotta tiles during his travels in Italy. Hearing of Hazell’s upcoming marriage, the Italian villa owner made an extraordinary gesture… while renovating his own villa, he had the hand crafted terracotta tiles carefully removed and shipped all the way to Ireland as a wedding gift!
The intricate borders and geometric patterns suggest the tiles originally formed part of a coordinated villa interior and were created long before industrial tile manufacturing, making them an exceptionally rare feature in an Irish country house.
Their design is reminiscent of the flooring found in grand villas of Northern Italy or Tuscany.
Have you noticed them during your visit?
