The Gardens at Glanleam: AKA Magical Fairy Land

The Gardens at Glanleam: Valentia Island, Ireland

Walking through the gardens at Glanleam made me feel as if I were in a real life fairy tale land. There were many magnificent sights to behold and in the two weeks I spent there I often got lost for hours exploring the different trails on the property. Although the whole island is beautiful, the Glanleam property in particular is quite wonderful in a way that is different from the surrounding area. The Glanleam Gardens are what is considered "subtropical," which is not characteristic of the rest of the island. Because of all the plants in the area it almost seems like you are in a tropical rainforest. This is where the history of the property is interesting for me. The Glanleam property was built in 1820 and originally belonged to Peter Fitzgerald, the 19th knight of Kerry. Peter noted the mild and wet climate on the island and decided to bring in many exotic plants from elsewhere in the world. These tropical plants thrived on the island, thus creating the historic gardens.