Dominic West on wife Catherine FitzGerald: 'I love that side of her, which I didn't really know in college'

ON THE banks of the Shannon Estuary, a pastel-perfect carpet of bluebells paves the way to Glin Castle, where a “lovely couple” tied the knot in 2010.

That’s how west Limerick locals describe the celebrated actor Dominic West and his wife Catherine FitzGerald, heiress of the romantic castellated mansion, probably best known as the seat of the Knights of Glin.

Glin Castle has been many things in its 800-year history. Once a place bubbling with stories of warriors and creatures lurking in the nearby waters, it is now very much a serene haven which has welcomed the likes of Seamus Heaney, Mick Jagger, and Taylor Swift - who spent Christmas of 2018 relaxing at the estate.

Whatever about castles and fairytales, Dominic and Catherine’s story is not your plain old boy-meets-girl tale.

The pair first crossed paths in Trinity College, Dublin; he was studying English and drama, she was studying English and art history.

On the roof of Dominic’s flat in Dublin’s Mountjoy Square, the pair bonded over their love of literature.

After college, Dominic hitch-hiked his way across Ireland. When he eventually made it to Catherine’s part of the country, it was she who picked him up. That’s when he walked through the gates of Glin Castle for the first time - and attended a rather tumultuous 21st birthday party. 

Then and there, Dominic fell under the spell of the castle - and, needless to say, Catherine.

It's a first visit he recalls as if it was yesterday.

“When I graduated, I decided to walk around the coast of Ireland,” Dominic starts out.

 “I set off from Dublin and got as far as Donegal, then started hitch-hiking and walking.”

Catherine chimes in: “He was walking from Foynes and I met him on the road. He met all these amazing people who invited him into their houses. He had been in college four years and hadn’t actually explored.”

“Along came a car with Catherine,” Dominic continues, “her beautiful sisters and mother in it. Thank goodness they picked me up!”

The actor, best known for his roles in The Crown, and The Wire, recalls receiving the invitation to Catherine's 21st birthday party. In black and white, she had sketched an image of the castle with watercolour.

“The whole thing was like a fairytale,” he recalls of his arrival at the grounds of the castle. “I feel that as much today as I did back then. You have this ancient drive with these vast and old vines, lots of rooks cooing in the trees.”

The party was “okay”, he notes, “except all her other boyfriends turned up”.

“So I was slightly outnumbered and left quite promptly the following day. I had a lot of competition,” he laughs. “It took me 25 years to win.”

In Glin Castle, the pair give guests a warm welcome.

“We're not dealing with five-star hotels, that’s not us. We're giving a traditional Irish welcome in a country house. It’s family-owned, it’s not corporate,” Catherine points out.

“The family portraits, the furniture, nothing’s gone out of the house. Every room tells a story.”

When Catherine talks about the history of the castle, it almost sounds like she has lived through it itself.  Over a stone chimney, the builder of the house, Colonel John FitzGerald, points at his cannon as he keeps an eye on guests. In the library, a concealed secret door hides behind a mahogany bookcase.

At Christmas - their favourite time of the year - she decorates all the picture frames in the entrance hall with holly.

“Christmas is amazing here,” she smiles. “We have the whole family here. We decorate the tree and I cook with my brother-in-law. We invite all our local friends for drinks on St Stephen's Day.”

Dominic offers more detail: “The perfect Christmas Day starts with a dip, pretty much the whole village jumps off Glin Pier. We all run freezing back.”

Father Tom Crawford, Glin’s parish priest, is always there to welcome them.

“He is retired now, but he used to be there with a bottle of whiskey for us when we came out. We would all have a nip.”

After which, they head off to do the Knight’s Walk. Once you’re at the peak, there is quite the panoramic view over the “majestic” Shannon.

“Then back for a few more pints of Guinness, I've been a fervent admirer. I remember my first,” Dominic exclaims. “My cousin said, ‘You've got to have your first Guinness bought for you by an Irishman’ - and he did. From that first sip, I was hooked.”

After Catherine's father Desmond died in 2011 - the last heir to one of Ireland’s oldest hereditary titles - the family made the painful decision to sell Glin Castle. With Dominic, Catherine purchased it and took it on as a project. “We really feel Glin is a special place,” she remarks. “We’re doing what we can to showcase this part of west Limerick.”

The couple are, Catherine says, “really passionate about protecting this special oasis”.

“Each year we try to do a little project, we’re really fighting for the preservation of this estate.”

In 2027, Limerick will play host to the Ryder Cup in Adare - a major fillip for the region's growth and prosperity.

“Something like the Ryder Cup could be really good for us,” Catherine insists. “If we do well, we can restore the lodge, maybe open a café.”

Desmond FitzGerald worked with the Irish Georgian Society to promote Ireland’s heritage. Now, as a member of the society, Catherine is walking in her father’s footsteps.

“We have a huge array of decorative objects from the 18th century,” she explains. “We had this long tradition of fighting for conservation, that's what I'm really interested in.”

As a child, she used to roam around the estate with her sisters Nesta and Honor. Often, they could be found playing in the stream where a bathing lodge is now located nearby.

“Some of my earliest memories are of going down to that lodge. We used to jump up onto the turrets. We were kind of left to our own devices and went roaming around,” she fondly recalls.

In the attic, treasures were left behind through the decades.

“We played up there making elaborate shops with old photographic equipment, coats and goggles - all sorts of strange objects. We would be roaming around, getting lost. That’s where my love of gardens comes from.”

It's a love she has put into practice through her extensive work as a landscape designer.

There were many reasons which led Dominic West to fall in love with Catherine FitzGerald, but what sustained his fascination with her is her adoration of plants.  

“There's nothing better than seeing someone doing something they're passionate about,” he remarks. “That's all that matters in life, finding those things that you're passionate about.

“I love watching her gardening, I love that side of her, which I didn't really know in college. I fell in love with her for lots of reasons, but I think what has sustained my fascination is her love of plants. That’s where her genius is - in what she creates.”

They often wander into Limerick city - one of Dominic's favourite stop-off points for essential supplies. “There’s a wonderful wine shop. It’s not that my entire life is run by booze, but this is a really good shop,” he laughs.

With the Limerick hurlers enjoying All-Ireland success in recent years, the question must be asked  if Dominic West - who has played characters as diverse as Prince Charles and Baltimore Police detective Jimmy McNulty - has ever tried his hand at hurling?

“I haven't, but my boys are really good,” he says of Senan and Francis. “They play Gaelic football and have done a bit of hurling at Glin GAA.

 “I’m ashamed to say, but I can't believe I've gotten so old without seeing a game. I'm always dying to go. How come Limerick's winning every time?” he ponders aloud.  

You can’t talk about Limerick GAA without mentioning JP McManus, particularly after his recent donation of €1 million to each GAA county board in Ireland.

“I think he's a marvellous man,” says Dominic. “What he's done for Limerick is so amazing. I haven't actually met him, but met his wife at the Limerick Racecourse, she’s a wonderful woman.”

At the large wooden table in their family home which happens to be a castle, this reporter shares a photograph taken years ago. Standing next to Dominic, a little boy proudly wears a soccer jersey as he holds tightly onto his Jack Russell.

His family gave a puppy to Catherine's mother, Olda. Sadly, the pup named Sooty recently passed away. Rumour has it, he had a barking personality.

“Oh, that makes me feel old,” Catherine says, looking down at the picture. “That little boy is all grown up now.”

Dominic adds: “Sooty had a great life, he was a real hit with the kids. I wasn't so keen on him because he kept barking at me, but he was a central part of the family.”

Not unlike Dominic after college, Sooty once wandered around the country.

 “Amazingly, he did an excursion, went on sabbatical. He went missing for a couple of months. But then, I was on the Knight's Walk with my daughter and there was Sooty, running up the hill. He came home and my kids were over the moon.”

Even though the family lives in England for part of the year, they too always find their way back to Glin.

“I just love that drive to Glin along the Shannon,” says Dominic. “It feels like coming home, like we're amongst friends.”