Hidden in a shruberry lies Curraghmore biggest gem - the shell house
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The Shell House

Hidden in a shrubbery near the main House at Curraghmore, is the most enchanting location, created by Catherine Countess of Tyrone with ‘her proper’ hands in 1754.
Visit the shell house
A labour of 261 days to create a unique and intricate design
The Countess of Tyrone worked personally on this project
The decoration of the folly took her 261 days to complete and the intricate patterns of shells from all over the world still glow with colour above a statue of the Countess by John van Nost.
Unique exemplars of shells decorate this unique location in Waterford
It took Lady Catherine 261 to finish the Shell House
An unique location in County Waterford

A Labour of Love

Records show that Lady Catherine herself charged Captains of ships sailing to and from the important Georgian Harbour at Waterford to collect and return shells to her from all over the World. A recent scientific examination of the shells which adorn the walls identified many exotic and rare varieties from far-flung regions of the World’s oceans.
Visit the shell house

What Our Visitors Have Said

The Japanese Gardens originally laid out by Caroline, Lady Waterford are currently under maintenance
bernadette48ireland, Jun. 2022
My husband and I visited Curraghmore House today and ...
met the nicest guide, Evelyn, she has fantastic knowledge and loves her job. We were very lucky to be the only visitors for the afternoon tour, so we had a very personal tour. We were both so impressed with the house, gardens and of course the Shell House. The rooms we visited in the main house are simply breath taking, there is so much to see, from beautiful furniture, portraits, paintings and delph. We would highly recommend a visit. I have already recommended it to family and friends. Also the bluebells on the driveway were spectacular. A wonderful place and we hope to return to spend more time in the gardens.
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hdn68307, Jun. 2022
Great off the beaten path to visit.
Great history...
and stories.
Shell house is amazing, sculptures, gardens, tea house, tower, and curses.
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Bart P, Aug. 2019
Our local tour guide (having met our cruise ship) sugge...
sted this outstanding tour. It was a fairly long drive (about an hour and a half), but it was worth every minute. The house itself was extremely interesting, and the ground and “shell house” outstanding. Probably best of all was one of the best guides we’ve ever had: Evelyn. It’s located off the beaten track, and I suppose a little hard to find without some help. But what a special find.
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