A new portico and extension create a richly varied restoration of a popular Irish venue

Drumhalla House in County Donegal, Ireland, has been an established event venue for decades, having originally opened back in 1990, and today it is a familiar and integral part of the community. Once arranged as three separate houses, the entire structure has, over the years, been reimagined as a single space, covering 626 sq m.

Tour Drumhalla House, its new portico and architectural features

Now, the venue has been expanded and overhauled, thanks to a 140 sq m extension created by Pasparakis Friel Architects. The rural studio, based nearby in Rathmullan, was tasked with creating a stronger connection between the historic house, its impressive grounds, and the landscape beyond.

The most obvious architectural intervention is a new timber post and beam colonnade that flanks the garden façade. Another colonnade structure serves as a new portico, a covered entrance beyond which is a grand reception area that serves as an orientation point for the various parts of the venue.

According to the architects, ‘the portico acts as a transitional space between the outdoors and the interior. From here, the house unfolds as a sequence of interconnected rooms designed for gathering and celebration: the drawing room alive with conversation, the bar softly illuminated in the evening, and the games room offering a more playful, animated retreat.’

The garden room is a more substantial intervention, a place for receptions and gatherings, beyond which is a dedicated wedding hall. The ground floor plan also accommodates important secluded spaces like a dressing room. Throughout the project, Pasparakis Friel has created a clear distinction between old and new, never relying on pastiche but also restoring and amplifying original features to create character and drama.

This is best seen in the colour and material strategy, which switches between light tones for daytime-focused spaces like the Dressing Room and Drawing Room. These are contrasted with areas intended for use during the evening (like the Library and Games Room), where the palette becomes richer and deeper and more intimate.

Likewise, the new architectural interventions are sympathetically inserted into the historic fabric, with the addition of new glazed openings that are in keeping with the rhythm and pace of the façade design as well as alignments to distant views. ‘These additions amplify the theatre inherent in social gatherings, enhancing the drama of arrival, encounter, and celebration,’ say the architects.

The refurbishment also extended to Drumhalla’s first-floor accommodation, where bedrooms have been given individual identities inspired by an overall sense of the Donegal landscape. Themes include Highlands, Coast, and Sky, tying in with the studio’s sense of place, driven by its rural location and interaction with local materials, crafts and artists.

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‘Whether restoring a historic building or designing a new home, we create spaces that feel grounded, thoughtful, and enduring,’ Pasparakis Friel writes. ‘Our architecture is quiet but purposeful – tactile, responsive, and attuned to landscape and life.’ At Drumhalla House, these values are deployed to create a richly inviting space for the community and other visitors.

PasparakisFriel.com
DrumhallaHouse.ie