Built around 1790, this seven-bay, two-storey country house incorporated remnants of a much older structure; the medieval castle of Killinure that once belonged to George Fitzgerald, 16th Earl of Kildare. The original castle appears on the Down Survey maps from 1653-9, where it’s noted that “on the Landes of Killenure Standes a Castle”. By 1837, only a small portion of the medieval castle remained, occupying what was described as a “bold and picturesque eminence” overlooking Inner Lake, adjacent to the newer house.

The Georgian house itself is an impressive structure, featuring a projecting Doric porch at its centre and full-height three-bay bow windows at either end of the south-facing front façade. Its elevated position offers commanding views over Killinure Bay, some 350 metres to the south-southeast at the southern end of Lough Ree. The location wasn’t chosen by chance; it sits within a landscape rich with historical sites, including Bunowen church and graveyard about a kilometre to the southeast, and Bunowen Castle 1.7 kilometres to the east-northeast.

Today, Killinure House has evolved with the times, serving as both a hotel and golf clubhouse with modern extensions to the rear and sides. The original main entrance to the north has fallen out of use, replaced by a modern entrance to the northeast, whilst the grounds have been transformed into a golf course. Despite these changes, the building remains a tangible link to centuries of Irish history, from its medieval foundations through its Georgian reimagining to its current incarnation as a leisure destination.