Aileen Plunket

Aileen Sibell Mary Plunket
Born	1904 Anglo-Irish
Died	1999
Occupation	Socialite
Known for	Member of the Guinness Golden Girls; management and interior design of Luttrellstown Castle

Aileen Sibell Mary Plunket (born Guinness; 1904–1999) was an Anglo-Irish socialite, recognized as one of the "Guinness Golden Girls" along with her siblings Maureen and Oonagh.

Life

Plunket was among the three daughters of Ernest Guinness and Marie Clothilde Russell (1880–1953), members of the prominent and wealthy Guinness lineage. Her childhood was spent at Glenmaroon in Chapelizod, close to Dublin. In 1923, she and her sisters set out on a global voyage aboard their father’s tall-masted yacht, Fantome II. Each sister entered into advantageous marriages; after wedding Brinsley Sheridan Plunket, her father acquired Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin as a residence for her.

For more than fifty years, Plunket managed the interior transformation of Luttrellstown Castle in collaboration with designer Felix Harbord, significantly improving areas such as the dining room. She organized notable social gatherings there, which were well-known for their extensive bar facilities.

Her first marriage ended in divorce in 1940, and her former husband passed away during World War II shortly thereafter. In 1956, she wed interior decorator Valerian Stux-Rybar, though their union concluded in 1965. After her father’s passing and the resulting inheritance taxes, Plunket reduced her expenditures and sold Luttrellstown Castle in 1983. She subsequently lived at Elveden Hall and in London until her death on 31 March 1999.