THE GROUNDS

	Farran house is situated on a southern facing slope of the Bride valley, over-looking the medieval castle and abbey of Kilcrea, both of which can be seen from the guest bedrooms. Of the original Clarke estate of 5664 acres there are 12 remaining acres of gardens surrounding the house
	At the turn of the last century the Clarke family owned Farran House, they spared no expense to create a paradise at their home. A stream was diverted to run through the beech woodland area, water was in turn piped from this stream to form a mini cascade through the rock gardenn another area there is a fountain and a network of paths through an ornamental garden.
	There is also a large walled garden with a tea-house complete with its own fire-place. The wooded area is a mixture of rare rhododendrons and magnificent beech and oak trees. In the 1930s it took an army of 8 gardeners to tend to all of this.
	Today the gardens have matured and have a less formal atmosphere but they still remain spectacular.