B&B Castle Hotels in Ireland – 2026
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightOne of only two castle hotels within the city of Dublin, Fitzpatrick Castle has a lovely setting overlooking Dublin Bay in the quiet, prosperous south side suburb of Killiney. The present structure dates back to the 18th century and the construction of a relatively modest manor house, named Mount Malpas, later Killiney Castle, At various points in the 19th century it then received more castle-like embellishments to resemble more closely… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightCompare it to others in: 5 Star Castle Hotels, B&B Castle Hotels, Castle & Spa Hotels, and Family Friendly Castle StaysBetween Donegal Town and the wilds of the Blue Stack Mountains, in Ireland’s much underrated northwest, lies the 5 star Lough Eske Castle. The only castle hotel in Co. Donegal, it was once the seat of the infamous O’Donnell Clan and boasts a tremendous amount of local and national history. It also has an idyllic lakeside setting, 43 acres of private gardens and woodland, top-rate spa facilities, a choice of… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Over €300 per NightConsistently rated as one of Ireland’s best luxury hotels, the first thing to recommend about the four-star Ballynahich Castle in Galway is its superb location. It has 350 acres of peaceful, mature woodland that sit below the Twelve Bens Mountains like a green oasis in what is very much the heart of Connemara, one of Ireland’s most beautiful natural landscapes. It will also impress with extremely high levels of service,… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightRight outside Clifden, Connemara, this homely, welcoming Irish castle hotel can be a great base for exploring the region. Abbeyglen sits a wooded hillside overlooking Clifden Bay and with The Twelve Bens Mountains in the background it feels rural, but is yet only a five minute walk from the centre of the town (uphill on your way back though – be warned!) It’s a four star hotel in a Victorian-era castle… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightJust outside the town of Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland’s only castle hotel is the 4-star Ballyseede Castle. It has a history dating back to the 16th century and pleasingly blends many modern comforts with historical grandeur. It also has award-winning food, beautiful grounds, and a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere throughout. Ballyseede Castle at a Glance Castle: 4-star castle hotel with a history dating back to the 16th century, blending modern comforts with historical… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Over €300 per NightCompare it to others in: 5 Star Castle Hotels, B&B Castle Hotels, Castle & Spa Hotels, Family Friendly Castle Stays, and Dog/Pet Friendly Castle StaysThe most renowned of all Ireland’s castle hotels, 5-star Ashford Castle in Co. Galway, is an extremely impressive property, with an extravagant setting, an imposing exterior, and very lavish interiors. Those factors combined with a great range of modern facilities, great food, and high levels of service, make Ashford Castle a consistent choice for lists of the best hotels in Ireland, and indeed in Europe. Ashford Castle at a Glance… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Over €300 per NightCompare it to others in: 5 Star Castle Hotels, B&B Castle Hotels, Castle & Spa Hotels, Family Friendly Castle Stays, and Dog/Pet Friendly Castle StaysIn County Clare, near Shannon Airport and the Cliffs of Moher, the 5 star Dromoland Castle is very much one of Ireland’s best castle hotels, and best hotels in general, it can be said. It has history too of course, a full thousand years of it, though the present castle structure is 19th century Gothic Revival. It was very closely associated with the O’Brien clan, direct descendants of Ireland’s most famous… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightThe nearest castle hotel to the centre of Ireland’s capital, Dublin, the 4-star Clontarf Castle has luxury accommodation in what is now a blend of 12th-century castle site, 18th-century manor house, and 21st-century hotel. It takes a lot of good design to get the balance right and Clontarf Castle manages it, with the first sight of the very Celtic Tiger-looking glass entrance foyer somehow managing to not look incongruous against… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightA very grand 4-star castle hotel in County Cavan, Ireland, Cabra Castle is a lovely sight both inside and out. It is a place where luxury and old-world elegance are complimented by friendly staff, good food and drink, and the acres of ancient woodland of the surrounding Dun A Ri Forest Park. Cabra Castle at a Glance Castle: A grand 4-star castle hotel with beautifully elegant interiors, period fittings and… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightCompare it to others in: 5 Star Castle Hotels, B&B Castle Hotels, Castle & Spa Hotels, and Family Friendly Castle StaysCastlemartyr Castle Resort has 5-star accommodation near Midleton, East Cork, adjacent to the ruins of the 800-year-old castle that bears its name. The centrepiece building is the 18th-century manor house, but most of the 103 rooms and suites are in two adjacent modern wings. Castlemartyr Castle Resort at a Glance Castle: An 18th-century manor house beside the ruins of the 800-year-old castle that gives the resort its name. Accommodation: 103… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightCompare it to others in: B&B Castle Hotels, Family Friendly Castle Stays, and Self Catering Castle StaysIreland’s oldest still inhabited castle is the imposing, 12th-century era, Kilkea Castle, in Kildare, near Dublin. Now a castle hotel, it is one of the finest in the country. It has an abundance of historical character and is surrounded by a 180-acre estate which includes some beautifully tended gardens, much wild parkland and woodland, and even its own 18-hole golf course. Kilkea Castle at a Glance Castle: A 12th-century castle… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightCompare it to others in: B&B Castle HotelsBarberstown Castle in County Kildare, not far from Dublin, has 1000 years of Irish history to its name, and is now a highly rated 4 star castle hotel. The building does include a 13th-century castle, which you can explore (and arrange private dining in the old castle dining hall) but the 55 rooms & suites are all in the adjacent Elizabethan and Georgian manor houses. The hotel has been careful… > Read More
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Guide Price (Minimum): Between €150 & €300 per NightIn the foothills of County Offaly’s Slieve Bloom Mountains, the 4 star Kinnity Castle Hotel is surrounded by 650 acres of parkland. and has over seven centuries of Irish history to its name. As is the case with the vast majority of castle hotels, the current building was built much later, in this case the early 18th century on the site of the previous castle. The interior design is generally… > Read More
Ireland’s Castle Hotels – A Brief History:
The castles of Ireland are famously numerous – it is a country which has seen a lot of conflict and its castles have borne witness to much of it.
Castle building was not a native Irish tradition though defensive hill-forts, a rudimentary precursor to the castle you could say, were numerous in the country before the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasions.
Norman Era:
The Normans were technologically superior to the Gaelic Irish and their mastery of castle building would become a major factor in their military successes.Though the native Irish did also adopt castle building themselves in the following centuries the vast majority of old fortress castles in Ireland are of Anglo-Norman origin.
And the vast majority of these were built in the first two hundred years after Strongbow and the Normans first landed.The Decline of the Castle:
These castles all saw plenty of military conflict in their time but soon began to lose their importance for two reasons – the first being that by the 17th century advances in cannon technology lead to them being seen as vulnerable.The second was that after the Elizabethan and Cromwellian conquests of Ireland the English had almost complete control and so large defensive forts became less necessary.
Victorian Era
Most castles were then either converted into aristocratic stately homes/manor houses, replaced by them or deserted and left to fall into ruin.Most present day Irish castle hotels therefore are actually more examples of Victorian or Georgian Neo-Gothic castle follies, Baronial manor houses and the like. Most will have castle like features but only for aesthetic purposes.
Some will even display a mix of various styles, having been added to and updated over the centuries, and may also include some contemporary structures.
Our Castle Hotel Choices:
The castle hotels we list in Ireland include medieval defensive castles, Neo-Gothic follies, and Georgian/Victorian era palaces, and they all have lots of individual history to tell.Most are family-friendly, many are pet friendly, some have both B&B and self-catering accommodation, and a few are 5 Star luxury castles with a whole range of top hotel features like spa facilities, swimming pool, golf course, etc.
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