Castles to Caddies

Written by Bridget Williams

Perhaps I was subjected to one too many knights in shining armor tales at bedtime as a youngster, but I feel fairly confident in my assertation that I’m not alone when it comes to having developed a girlhood fascination with castles and the romanticized notions of life within their stone walls. Learning the true realities of medieval life – leprosy, dysentery, the plague, a lack of indoor plumbing, and having to consume mead on a regular basis, among other maladies – certainly tarnished a bit of the shine I took to castle living, but not enough to entirely dissuade my interest.

My own teenage daughter was not immune from such musings, which served as the impetus for a recent trip to The Emerald Isle focused on the Counties Clare, Galway, and May in the west of the country. En route from place to place, we traveled roadways in the bucolic countryside that seemed snug even for our micro rental car and had us wondering more often than not if we were lost, but with scenery so picturesque, we hardly minded a few errant wrong turns.

The karst landscape of the Burren region is home to 70% of Ireland's wildflower species. Photo by Bridget Williams.

Dromoland

After a few days of visiting castles, we were ready to live like royalty by checking into one, and Dromoland, a 16th-century baronial castle located in Newmarket-on-Fergus, proved to fit the bill quite nicely. Literally minutes from a major thoroughfare and less than a 20-minute drive from Shannon Airport, once you pass through the gateway you are enveloped by 450 acres of lush, rolling hills. An 18-hole championship parkland golf course is laid out on either side of the narrow lane leading to the stoic limestone castle, complete with four castellated turrets. The castle is strategically positioned atop a knoll that provides a “wow” moment the frst time it comes into view.

As the ancestral home of the O’Briens, Barons of Inchiquin, one of the few native Gaelic families of royal blood, the richly appointed interiors of Dromoland Castle befit their noble legacy. Portraits of ancestors are hung along paneled corridors; windows are dressed with lavish tasseled drapery; and, light emanating from sparkling crystal chandeliers dances across coats of armor and gold cornices.

Noted interior designer Dorothy Draper was retained when the property was renovated in 1962 to emerge as a luxury hotel; the guest rooms were refreshed two decades later by Draper’s protégé, Carleton Varney. Each category among the 85 guest rooms and 14 suites has been recently refurbished with touches such as bespoke, 19th-century Empire-style and Louis XV-style furnishings and specially commissioned fabrics by Manuel Canovas, Colefax & Fowler, and Pierre Frey.

My favorite room was The Cocktail Bar, an octagon-shaped space that was the former study of Lord Inchiquin, and where we would retreat each evening to claim a corner table near the fre to enjoy a pint and a sing-along of Irish ballads. Red and gold foil damask wallpaper accentuated the soaring height of the room’s ceiling; dark wood bookcases not utilized to highlight spirits for the bar housed a whimsical collection of Toby jugs. A pack of Stafordshire spaniel figures sat obediently from individual halfround shelves scattered around the room.

The Cocktail Bar at Dromoland Castle.

Dromoland’s fine dining option, the Earl of Tomond, was awarded a Michelin star in 1995 under Head Chef Jean Baptiste Molinari. Current Executive Chef David McCann has taken great pains to ensure that the culinary delights revealed when the polished silver domes presented to the table are lifted in unison are truly worthy of such pageantry. À la carte, five-course table d’hôte, and vegetarian menus are available.

More casual dining from noon to late evening is offered at the Fig Tree Restaurant, located in the Golf & Country Club building and just a short walk from the castle. Both the facilities and menu were revamped in 2012. Traditional daily tea is served from 3:00-5:00 in the Drawing Room. For the active or romantically inclined, a special picnic basket can be prepared for a day outing or a relaxing lunchtime stroll to a secluded spot on the grounds.

A full complement of indoor and outdoor activities makes Dromoland a year-round destination. Opened in 2007, The Spa at Dromoland features an outdoor hydra spa sheltered by a gazebo and ornamental courtyard, six luxury treatment rooms, and two product ranges, Pevonia Botanica and Voya, the latter of which is an organic seaweed beauty product manufacturer based on Ireland's Atlantic coast.

Dromoland’s 18-hole championship golf course was re-designed by Irish golfing legend J.B. Carr and American Ron Kirby. The affiliated Golf Academy boasts 10 fully automated driving bays, putting greens, and a bunker, including a riveted face-links-style bunker, modeled on the famous “Road Hole” bunker on the 17th at St. Andrews.

Lake Dromoland is well-stocked with trout, perch, and other coarse fish, and guests may fish from the banks or on one of the estate’s small boats. Two all-weather tennis courts, a dedicated shooting range, archery instruction, horseback riding, falconry “Hawk Walks,” complimentary mountain bikes for use on the estate, an indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room, and fitness facility, and ample acreage for hiking, walking and jogging ensure there’s always plenty to do.

Easy day trips from both Dromoland include hiking the spectacular pathways that snake along the precipitous edges of the Cliffs of Moher (cliffsofmoher.ie); visiting Bunratty Castle and Folk Park where you can stroll through a village constructed to resemble life in Ireland a century ago, followed by dining Medieval style in the 15th century Bunratty Castle (shannonheritage.com/BunrattyCastleAndFolkPark); marveling at the lunar-like landscape found in The Burren National Park (burrennationalpark.ie); and, simply wandering through charming towns sprinkled throughout the countryside and popping into a local pub where hospitality flows as freely as the Guinness on tap. We were particularly fond of Morrissey’s Seafood Bar & Grill in Doonbeg (morrisseysdoonbeg.ie) and The Locke Bar in Limerick, which had excellent traditional Irish music (lockebar.com). Further afield but still reachable in a day is Blarney Castle. While kissing the famed Blarney Stone is a must, the gardens that surround the 600-year-old castle are quite exquisite and worth a leisurely stroll (blarneycastle.ie).

The Clifs of Moher. Photo by Bridget Williams.

For more information or reservations at Dromoland Castle, visit dromoland.ie.

Ashford Castle

Five star Ashford Castle is surrounded by 350 acres on the shores of Lough Corrib in County Mayo.

Nudging the bar even higher on luxury lodging in Ireland is Ashford Castle. While the presence of a friendly ghost purported to make herself known from time to time in the oldest section of Ashford Castle is debatable, what is absolutely irrefutable is the property’s rich legacy, preserved and enhanced under the tutelage of Bea Tollman, founder, and president of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, who, after acquiring the property and saving it from a pedestrian fate, set upon a meticulous and ambitious renovation and restoration project during which no expense was spared.

Positioned prominently on the shores of Lough Corrib, the second-largest lake in Ireland, the oldest section of Ashford Castle dates to 1228. Subsequent owners, including Lord and Lady Ardilaun of the Guinness family (whose legendary love story is fairy tale worthy), expanded the existing structure in a neo-Gothic style and extended the estate to an eventual 26,000 acres (it stands today at a more manageable 350 acres).

Billiard Room at Ashford Castle.

The property opened as a hotel in the early 1940s; when John Mulcahy acquired the property in 1970, he nearly doubled its size with the addition of a new wing. Red Carnation purchased the property out of receivership in 2013. “We haven’t seen an investment of this scale in both the property and the local community since the legendary benevolence of the Guinness family in the 1800s,” said General Manager Niall Rochford, who was named Hospitality Manager of the Year 2013 by "The Irish Times". “The Tollman family wants to preserve and enhance the story of Ashford, and the sense of style, time, and place they have created is truly wonderful.”

The heart of hospitality beats strong at Ashford, where children of long-time employees often follow in their parent’s footsteps generation after generation and pridefully regard the castle as their home away from home. I have to say, in all my years of traveling, I’ve yet to stay at a property whose staff are so fully in sync with and vested in a company’s ethos as those at Ashford. Tollman maintains an intensive personal level of involvement in each of Red Carnation’s 17 four- and five-star boutique hotels around the globe that is dually admirable and mind-boggling, leaving me to wonder if she ever sleeps! This is worth mentioning quite simply for the fact that happy employees create optimal guest experiences at even the most mundane level of interaction.

Stateroom 326 in Ashford Castle.

Bea Tollman and her daughter Toni headed up the design team that created uniquely opulent environs in each of the castle’s 68 guestrooms and 14 staterooms; Ashford is the only property of its size in Ireland to boast completely individualized guestrooms. The final renovations will be unveiled when the property reopens on March 28 after a winter hiatus. Even in her 80s, Bea logs some 300,000 travel miles annually and is constantly acquiring antiques and art for her company’s hotels, sometimes squirreling pieces away in storage until the “perfect” opportunity presents itself.

The Presidential Suite at Ashford Castle.

I had the privilege of lodging in stateroom 326, which overlooks the lake and formal garden and is resplendent in a predominant palette of regal red and royal blue, with upholstered silk walls (a design hallmark of Red Carnation properties); a flush mount ceiling draped bed with a scalloped crown and tassel trim that matches the drapery; Venetian mirrors; a blue Murano chandelier; original oil portraits; a spacious bath with a one-ton marble soaking tub, an Empire-style crystal chandelier, iridescent wallpaper and a walk-in shower so spacious, it brings a concert hall setting to singing in the shower; and, the latest in high-tech in-room amenities.

Common areas of the hotel have been refreshed as well, with windows added and doorways widened to allow more light into rooms that had previously seemed slightly somber. “The Tollmans have maintained what should be and removed what’s not important, and that has added to the high-level experience,” said Paula Carroll, who heads up Ashford’s sales and marketing department.

Recently added amenities include a posh 32-seat cinema, children’s game room, a billiard room, and a pair of outdoor roof terraces, one of which will serve fine cigars, some of which will be exclusive to Ashford. Future plans include transforming the recently rediscovered escape tunnel into a wine cellar with private dining rooms and creating a secluded lakefront honeymoon suite from an old boathouse on the grounds. Further in the offing, pending regulatory approval, is a renovation and expansion of the on-site spa to include an indoor ozone-filtrated pool and state-of-the-art fitness center.

George V. dining room at Ashford Castle.

The affable and seemingly omnipresent Robert Bowe heads up the restaurant and wine program and will gladly spin a good castle ghost yarn if you inquire. For breakfast each morning in the George V Dining Room, so named to commemorate a visit by the then Prince of Wales, scrambled eggs with shaved black truffle seemed ideally suited for the elegant environs, illuminated by nine grand Waterford chandeliers. Dinner is a formal affair, where a seasonal menu highlights the best local meat, fish, and produce. The intimate Connaught Room, considered one of the finest in the castle, provides dinner service from May through September. Cullens at the Dungeon Bar and the seasonal Cullens at the Cottage offer more casual fare. You can immerse yourself in the art of appreciating fine and rare Irish whiskeys at the Prince of Wales Cocktail Bar or survey the rapidly changing skies over the lake from a plethora of windows in the Drawing Room, which makes daily afternoon tea quite a treat (the Irish Whiskey Cream tea blended just for Ashford is a must-try).

Activities on property include fishing for brown trout and Atlantic salmon in Lough Corrib, considered one of the best fisheries in Europe for both species; falconry lessons at the School of Falconry (Ireland’s frst); indoor archery; tennis; cruising the lake aboard the M.V. Lady Ardilaun; jogging/walking an extensive network of routes from 20 minutes to two hours in duration that traverse everything from mossy forested paths to winding country roads; golfing the onsite nine-hole, par 35 parkland course designed by Irish golf architect Eddie Hackett (five notable courses are located within close proximity of the castle); choosing from a dozen available horses to ride at the equestrian center; and, shooting sporting clays at a designated range with expert coaching from Tom Clesham, who has literally grown up on property (his parents operate the equestrian center).

Ashford Castle is home to Ireland's frst School of Falconry. Photo by Bridget Williams.

Just outside the castle gates is the village of Cong. Founded in 623AD as a monastery, today the tiny hamlet is a postcard-perfect assemblage of tidy buildings housing a number of restaurants and shops. The village served as the backdrop for John Ford’s 1951 film “The Quiet Man,” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. The movie is screened daily in Ashford Castle’s cinema.

Myriad day trips abound throughout the Connemara region (connemara.ie/en/), whose raw and rugged beauty proved to be infinitely intriguing. The area is distinguished by some 7,000 miles of dry stone walls that scale over and around the steep hillsides and contain herds of sheep whose wooly coats sport bright painted markings to signify their ownership. During our visit, the weather seemed to change on a dime and subtle shifts in sunlight caused the mood of the steep hills, bogs, lakes, and golden beaches of the Atlantic shoreline to seesaw between ethereal and eerie.

Noteworthy places to visit include Kylemore Abbey (kylemoreabbeytourism.ie), a monument to love and loss that is now home to a group of Benedictine nuns and the largest Victorian walled garden in all of Ireland; the town of Westport (destinationwestport.com), a small community with a large number of fine restaurants and pubs and recently named the best town to live in Ireland; Joyce Country Sheepdogs (joycecountrysheepdogs.ie) where a sheepdog demonstration provides a glimpse of a rapidly disappearing way of life; and Burke’s Bar and Restaurant in the village of Clonbur (burkesclonbur.com) for an authentic Irish pub experience.

For more information or reservations at Ashford Castle visit ashfordcastle.com.