Just 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 grandeur.
- Accommodation: Rooms and suites are available in the castle itself and in a nearby lodge; castle rooms include beautifully furnished suites and superior rooms, while the lodge is more modern and B&B-like.
- Dining: Two restaurants and a bar, with award-winning food at the O’Connell restaurant and breakfast at the Stone Room restaurant.
- Setting: Beautiful grounds with lawns, gardens, and 30 acres of native deciduous woodland with walking trails.
- Best For: A relaxing castle stay in North Kerry, with access to the attractions and activities of the surrounding area.
The Rooms:
It has a choice of rooms and suites both in the castle itself and in the nearby lodge. Be aware when booking which is which as the lodge accommodation, though pleasant, is a quite different experience.
It is near the estate entrance; the site of the old gatehouse and is more of an upscale, modern, B&B, though guests do have access to the main building, the castle, throughout the day.
The rooms and suites in the castle are quite lovely, a step ahead really, with the beautifully furnished suites and superior rooms particularly being the height of comfort and space.
You may find some of the standard double rooms (all are double, no twin rooms) quite small, or let’s say cosy, but they also are nicely furnished and apart from the size should not disappoint in any other way.
Check out all the details on the booking page here.
Facilities & Things to Do:
There are two restaurants and a bar at Ballyseede, along with a couple of old-style, elegant lounges where you’ll find a fireplace and a piano.
The food, as mentioned before, is a particular highlight, award-winning in fact, with the O’Connell restaurant open for evening meals and the Stone Room restaurant serving up the excellent breakfast.
The O’Connell is a fairly grand-looking room but the atmosphere is generally relaxed, children are welcome, and there is no dress code as such, though smart casual might be at least expected.
It tends to close quite early though when the evening’s entertaining usually moves on to Pappy’s Bar, a cosy, cheery pub with an open fire, good food (but only until 8pm) and a welcoming atmosphere.
The Location:
Even tourists with only a casual acquaintance with Ireland will probably have heard of County Kerry. It probably pips Galway and Cork as Ireland’s most visited rural county.
Ballyseede Castle is just outside the town of Tralee, North Kerry’s main urban centre, and a typical stopping off point on the way up from around Killarney and the south to the Dingle Peninsula.
Tralee is also somewhat well known for the Rose of Tralee Festival, which has been adding a bit of slightly dubious glamour to the town every August since 1959.
Tralee isn’t known for keeping tourists in town for as long as the more popular places in Kerry, the likes of Killarney, Dingle, or Killorglin.
That being said it is a lively, friendly town with some good pubs, restaurants, and shopping, and it has some nice countryside around it.
Some History
Castle hotels in Ireland tend to have a strong association with one or two historically powerful clans, where the fate of the castle and the families that inhabited it are also strongly associated with the politics of the time.
Ballyseede, being no different, has had its ups and downs over the centuries, and two surnames will forever be associated with it; Fitzgerald and Blennerhassett.
The original castle was more of a fortress than what we see today. It was built by perhaps 16th century Munster’s most powerful family, the Fitzgeralds, in the mid part of that century and would soon bear witness to their demise during the unsuccessful Desmond Rebellions.
This was when the head of the Fitzgeralds, the 16th Earl of Desmond, rose up against English control of the region.
The Earl’s name was Gerald Fitzgerald and he would meet his demise at Ballyseede itself when he was beheaded after being captured on the run in the Stack Mountains outside Tralee.
This was 1583, and with the capture and execution of its leader the rebellion was now effectively over.
Keen to make an example out of the rebel Earl, Queen Elizabeth I ordered that his head be sent to London and kept on display in a cage on London Bridge.
Guest Reviews:
“We were excited to stay in a castle in Ireland, and were not disappointed! This castle is beautiful, romantic, well maintained and decorated, and located in a breathtaking, scenic, and secluded area. The grounds are gorgeous! The atrium area is stunning. We loved our time here and wished we could have stayed longer!…”
Read all reviews & check prices & availability here
Our Verdict
Ballyseede Castle is more about atmosphere and character than any extensive resort-style facilities.
For the full historic experience, we’d choose a room or suite in the castle itself, where the accommodation is more atmospheric and the building’s character comes into play.
The property combines its historical grandeur with a relaxed atmosphere, award-winning food, elegant lounges, an cosy, open-fire pub, and peaceful woodland grounds.
It’s a nicely unassuming place but a compromise is that facilities are relatively limited compared with larger castle hotels, with no spa or sports activities etc.
Prices factor that in though, and you can have historic grandeur, good food, and a quietly atmospheric base for exploring Kerry, at relatively reasonable rates.
