The largest private collection of paintings by Jack B Yeats

The original house here was built in 1832 by Hugh Barber, owner of the wine firm ‘Barber and Guestier’. Its design was unsurprisingly based on a French chateau. During its construction, Barber purchased Barberstown Castle to live in while Straffan House was being built. Over the years it has been owned by a number of famous people including film producer Kevin Mc Clory, property developer Patrick Gallagher and property magnate Alan Ferguson. It was purchased in 1988 by The Jefferson Smurfit Group and transformed into the present K Club Hotel. One of its greatest assets is the room dedicated to Ireland’s greatest painter, Jack B Yeats (1871-1957). The ‘Yeats Room’ is widely regarded as his most complete collection in private ownership. The hotel complex contains two premier golf courses, both designed by Arnold Palmer, and was the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup.