Ayesha Castle Killiney

This castle got its name from Ayesha, the goddess in H Rider Haggard's fantasy novel She who carried the eternal flame and was forever youthful. It was purchased by Enya, an internally renowned Celtic singer in 1997. It is a splendid, six-bedroomed Victorian castle on Victoria Road in the charming seaside village of Killiney, located south of Dublin.

From the roof of its crenellated turret, if offers truly spectacular views down the Irish coastline as far as Wales. Ayesha was built in 1840 to commemorate Queen Victoria's accession to the throne and is surrounded by three-and-a-half acres of manicured gardens, threaded with sylvan walks. A secret tunnel at the bottom of the garden grants access to Killiney beach.