"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." So starts Daphne DuMaurier’s novel, Rebecca, a tale in which the setting, a fictional estate called Manderley, plays as large a role as the characters themselves.

After staying at Mount Juliet, I believe I may have found Manderley–or at very least, I’ll now recognize it next time I pick up my own well-worn copy.

Mount Juliet is a 1,500 acre Georgian estate located in Co Kilkenny. Along with a hotel and golf course, they offer an equestrian center with instruction and treks, foxhound breeding and hunt base, fishing, private residences, Ballylinch Stud, and a small racehorse sales prep and training progam.

Resort host Eamon led the group on a tour of the estate. Horses figure large, particularly The Tetrarch. Winner of every race he ran at Royal Ascot, the stud was founded when he retired from the track at age three. The dapple gray’s final resting place can be seen in the stud yard, and a bar in the hotel bears his name