Cabra Castle Hotel, Co. Cavan

A very grand 4 star Castle Hotel near Dublin Airport, Ireland, Cabra Castle is a beautiful sight both inside and out, and a place where luxury and old world elegance is complimented by friendly, hospitable staff, good food and drink and the acres of ancient woodland of the surrounding Dun A Ri Forest Park.

THE ACCOMMODATION:

In the castle itself there is a choice of old style luxury double/twin bedrooms, while outside in the grounds there are the cottage or courtyard rooms, which though more modern looking on the outside, on the inside they are also very nicely finished and furnished in traditional style. Check your options on the booking page here.

FACILITIES & THINGS TO DO:  

All guests have access to the castle itself, and it is a truly magnificent property. You can explore the old corridors, the various drawing rooms, the wonderful gardens outside, and of course the Courtyard Restaurant and Derby Bar. The interiors are beautifully elegant, full of period fittings and furniture that lend a distinctly old world atmosphere.

Being a place of historical interest, the castle also sees a number of day visitors and is open to the gaze of the admiring public between the hours of eleven and four in the afternoon.

The bar is open all day, serves light meals and snacks, and has a good selection of drinks. It has a nice outdoor terrace too, overlooking the gardens, while the restaurant, on the first floor, opens at 19:00 and has an extensive, award winning menu with much locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, as well as a comprehensive wine list.

There are tennis courts outside and a 9 hole golf course, and the castle grounds have plenty of paths and nature trails that lead on into the Dun A Ri Forest Park. Once part of the original Cabra Estate, Dun A Ri is now a national park and a place of ancient woodlands and quiet soltitude.

There are also other activities to be enjoyed in the local area including archery, clay pigeon shooting, horse riding and fishing, just ask at reception for advice and to arrange reservations.

THE LOCATION:

Cabra Castle Hotel is about one hour from Dublin City, and even less from the airport, near the town of Kingscourt Co. Cavan, and bordering the counties of Meath and Monaghan. This area is one of farmland, lakes and woodlands, which includes of course the aforementioned Dun A Ri Forest Park. The park covers nearly 600 acres and, as well as being a place of great natural beauty, it has a wealth of history relating to the local area and to the Cabra Castle and Estate itself.

Within the park there is Cromwell’s Bridge which, though dating all the way back to the first Norman conquest of Ireland, was named as such due to fact that Oliver Cromwell and his troops had crossed the bridge on their way to defeat the O’Reillys, the original owners of the Cabra Estate.

There are also the ruins of Fleming’s Castle in Dun A Ree, which records show was constructed in 1607 by a Gerald Fleming, but which is also believed to have been the site of an earlier castle built by the famous Hugh De Lacy in the 12th century. Another nice little spot to rest your feet in the woods is what locals call the Wishing Well, likely to have been the site of a holy well and a place of pilgrimage in much earlier times.

To get to Cabra Castle Hotel from Dublin, first of all ignore any signs you may see for Cavan Town, which is quite a bit away from the hotel, and take the M1 as far as Ardee, Co.Louth, then the N2 to Carrickmacross Co. Monaghan and then the R179 towards Kingscourt Co. Cavan, but turning off to the left about 3km before Kingscourt.

From Belfast take the A1 down through Newry to Dundalk, from there take the R179 from Dundalk to Carrickmacross and from there take the R179 towards Kingscourt, but turning off, as mentioned above, around 3km outside the town.

SOME HISTORY:

The name Cabra Castle can refer to the castle hotel you see today or to the ruins of a nearby earlier castle, both of which formed part of the Cabra Estate. The original castle was believed to have been built in the late 1500s/early 1600s by the O’Reilly clan who owned a huge amount of land in the area, including the Cabra Estate, before it was confiscated during Oliver Cromwell’s notorious conquest of Ireland in the mid 17th century and the original castle destroyed.

Most of the estate was then granted to a Cromwell ally, Colonel Thomas Hooch, a Donegal man and descendent of English Protestant settlers who themselves were granted land during the Plantation of Ulster. Thomas married an Elizabeth Mervyn with whom he had one daughter, also called Elizabeth who would then be the sole heir to the Cabra Estate.

In 1686 she was to marry Joseph Pratt from another family of English settlers, granted land in nearby Jaradice Co.Meath, and Cabra was from then on to become synonymous with the Pratt surname, with their son, Mervyn Pratt, being the first to have the estate under his name upon the death of his grandfather Thomas Hooch.

The site of the castle hotel wasn’t actually part of today’s Cabra Estate or the Pratt lands until 1813. It had, since the 17th century, belonged to the Foster family and was the site of an earlier round tower castle, known as Cormy Castle, which had also been destroyed in Cromwellian times. In 1808 Henry Foster set about restoring the castle, though in the end the project became more building a new castle from scratch inspired by, and on the same site as, the old.

The castle was a very impressive sight, built in a rather unusual for the time, Neo-Norman style, but it proved to be costly work for the already cash strapped Fosters and not long after completion, in 1813, they were forced to sell both their new castle and the 400 acres of land surrounding it.

WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY:

“We could not have asked for a better stay at Cabra Castle. The castle and grounds are absolutely stunning; we felt so relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed our time there….”

“Hotel is absolutely gorgeous, and the grounds are beautiful and well kept. Everything was very clean and the staff was so helpful and friendly! We had an absolutely incredible experience! The restaurant was delicious as well….”

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Location Category:

Castle Hotels in Ireland

Castle Hotels near Dublin