DJ Kellett completed the 12 Week Certificate Course in 1998 and later returned home to Enniscoe House in North Mayo, where he now works alongside his mother, Susan, in the running of the historic family house and estate.
Set among mature woodland on the shores of Lough Conn, Enniscoe has been in DJ’s family since the 1650s. The present Georgian house dates largely from the 1790s and today welcomes guests to stay, with six bedrooms in the main house as well as self-catering accommodation in the restored courtyard buildings. Enniscoe has been a member of Ireland’s Blue Book since 1984.
The estate extends well beyond the house itself. Its restored Victorian walled gardens include a certified organic garden producing fruit and vegetables, some of which make their way into the food served at Enniscoe. Woodland and lakeside walks lead through the grounds towards Lough Conn, while the old farmyard is home to the North Mayo Heritage Centre, an agricultural museum and family history research centre.
In 2021, the Kellett family began a partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to support conservation and biodiversity across the estate. As part of the partnership, Enniscoe’s grasslands became home to rare native breeds including Irish Moiled cattle and Cladoir sheep. The Connemara ponies grazing in front of the house are descendants of ponies gifted to the State by President Erskine Childers in the 1970s.
Today, DJ is helping to carry Enniscoe into its next chapter, continuing his family’s long connection with this remarkable corner of North Mayo while bringing together hospitality, food, farming, heritage and conservation.
