Burtown House Summer Flowers

Summer Flowers in Burtown House, Athy.


Burtown House is one of my favourite places to visit, so beautiful always and owners and staff are so welcoming. We visited there last Sunday and here's a little glimpse of how it looks right now...

Burtown House Entrance Gate

Field of buttercups

Burtown House, sculpture, stone

Everything is a lot different and more colourful compared to my last visit there when we went to see the snowdrops. Flowers are in full bloom and the beautiful scent of roses wafts through the air as you walk through the gardens.

Purple Vinca Flower

Foxgloves Flower Bed

Rose Burtown House

Burtown House Rose

Flowers & Stone Bench

It was kind of tricky taking pictures as it was windy but still a lovely day and the restaurant was full to the brim but there were seats and prettily laid tables outside..

Picnic Table, plates

Close by is a table where you can purchase plants grown and propagated at Burtown House, such a gorgeous selection!

Plants for sale Burtown House

Primula Stone Wall


Although I love Burtown House and hesitate to critique, I did have one gripe on this occasion. Our daughter Iseult has severe food allergies, not of the runny nose/upset tummy variety but full blown anaphylaxis which can lead to death. Naturally enough, eating out can be a bit fraught and we rely on the care and attention of servers, chefs, managers and anyone else involved to keep her safe. We have had wonderful experiences in restaurants but I have to say, this wasn't one of them. 

We bring this allergy card with us everywhere, I think it's pretty clear and self-explanatory and is very useful as it can be handed directly to people and passed in to the chef.

yellowcross.co.uk allergy card

We handed over the card as well as asking carefully about the dish we were selecting - hummus was included so we asked for that to be left out and also explained about the bread because it can often contain sesame or traces of same.
Unfortunately, when Izzy's dish came out, the bread was obviously not suitable at all and on closer inspection I could see actual sesame seeds which could have been fatal had she eaten them.
Now the staff were very obliging and we changed plates, got different bread and sorted it out but it would make me very wary of eating there with Izzy again. 
It was fine for myself and Mark and they were super busy but the inconvenience of waiting wouldn't bother me as they're so lovely - this, however is a very different story and some training in relation to food allergies wouldn't go amiss!

Apart from that, it was a lovely day and the gardens are always worth a visit and if you don't have any serious food allergies, the food really is fab.

Here are some more of the beautiful sights, I particularly loved the poppies, so delicate looking, like silk almost.

Pink delicate flower

Pink Foxglove

Pink Flower Bud Burtown

Pink flower group

Pink Poppies

Red Poppy Burtown

Poppy seed head bare

Yellow flower curling petal

Single pink poppy

Iron Bench & Flowers

Light Pink Rose

Purple flower

Group of red poppies



The gardens are open during the Spring and Summer from April 1st - September 29th, 10.00 a.m - 5.30 p.m. Thursday - Sunday and Bank Holidays.








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2 Comments
  • Una Halpin
    Una Halpin 26 June 2015 at 00:26

    Lovely photos Cliona. I haven't made it to Burtown yet. Formal gardens aren't really my thing, but I drive past it regularly an I am planning to visit at some stage. Not so good about the sesame seeds. It was lucky that it was something you could see on the outside and not an invisible ingredient.

    • Cliona Kelliher
      Cliona Kelliher 26 June 2015 at 09:03

      Thanks Una, it really is pretty and definitely worth a visit. Yes, we usually know when people aren't listening about the allergies but you're right, no way we could know if it was invisible, we just have to trust - not always easy!

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