Muckamore WI ladies took a trip to the beautiful Killymoon castle, which sits in picturesque surroundings overlooking the Ballinderry River on the outskirts of Cookstown.
They thoroughly appreciated a tour of Killymoon Castle and a step back in time, visiting the many rooms after climbing the magnificent cantilever style staircase to admire the hallway with all its arches and coves.
The original castle had been built in 1671. A fire had destroyed the castle and the replacement was designed by John Nash, a famous architect.
It has been sold many times over the years and then, in 1922, John Coulter bought Killymoon Castle.
It remains the home of the Coulter family today and is in the very capable hands of Godfrey and Dorothy Coulter.
Mrs Coulter, her husband and family members have put a lot of work and capital into the interior of the castle after having a completely new roof added.
As the saying goes, “there is no castle so strong that it cannot be overthrown by money”.
Sourcing items to fit in with the period of the castle had proved quite difficult.
Tour guides Clarke Hill and owner Dorothy Coulter were very knowledgeable and interesting, giving the ladies many laughs when explaining the problems they had when rebuilding some of the rooms.
The Coulter family was delighted to have won a Heritage Angel Award for the Best Maintenance of a Historic Building.
One of Muckamore WI ladies, Dorothy Coulter, was delighted to meet her namesake – Dorothy Coulter, the owner of Killymoon.
A beautiful savoury supper was served to the members in the mirrored ballroom overlooking the well-maintained gardens, followed by homemade sandwiches, cream scones, cakes, pastries and dessert.
A delightful venue to visit to be entertained on the castle tour.
Mrs Coulter and her team have made many special events and group tours memorable over the years.
Nothing was too much trouble for Dorothy Coulter and her band of workers.
Muckamore WI President Elizabeth Gray thanked Dorothy for the evening, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Competition for the evening was won by Ruth Wilson, 2nd Eva Hailton, and 3rd Dorothy McIlwaine. Birthday Girl was Joan Gray.
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