A half-dozen castles in Ireland offer a true taste of the royal treatment–luxurious lodging and great, green golf
It’s tough to top a dream golf trip to Ireland, unless it’s one where you get to live like royalty. If your name doesn’t appear in Burke’s Peerage—for 200 years the ultimate guide to nobility in the British Isles—don’t fret. Ireland offers dozens of castles that double as hotels, including a sixsome that feature on-site golf.
WEST OF IRELAND
The most exceptional Irish golf castles are in the West, in and around Shannon. Topping the list for its one-two punch of superior golf and elite lodging is Adare Manor, which, owing to its vast dimensions and striking architecture, is castle-like in all but name.
Set on the River Maigue in the village of Adare, County Limerick, Adare Manor enjoys a conveniently accessible location 35 minutes from Shannon Airport. Its history dates to the 13th century, but it didn’t assume its present form until the mid-1850s, when the second and third Earls of Dunraven transformed it into the neo-Gothic, Tudor Revival masterpiece it is today. The handsome, imposing gray-stone exterior belongs to a “calendar house,” replete with 365 leaded-glass windows, 52 chimneys, seven stone pillars, and four towers.
Yet, it’s Adare Manor’s interior that soars, starting in The Gallery, a space inspired by the Versailles House of Mirrors. Adare’s version extends 132 feet and 26-½ feet from floor to ceiling and is bracketed by 17th-century Flemish choir stalls. American Thomas Kane purchased and rehabbed the property in 1987 and established a 62-room luxury hotel in 1988.
Kane hired Robert Trent Jones Sr. to drape a muscular parkland course on the property in 1995. The respected layout played host to the 2007 and 2008 Irish Opens, the former won by native son Padraig Harrington and the latter going to Englishman Richard Finch, who memorably tumbled into the river at the par-five 72nd hole and still managed to win.
Adare Manor ascended to the loftiest perch in resort golf after ownership transferred to J.P. McManus in 2014. The Irish billionaire entrepreneur and racehorse owner refurbished the hotel, added a West Wing with 42 rooms, and established the Oak Room restaurant, which has earned a Michelin star for its locally sourced specialties. McManus also commissioned Tom Fazio to reimagine the golf course as the Augusta National of Ireland—at least in appearance and conditioning. Fazio and associate Tom Marzolf sand-capped the entire course, propped up 14 of the 18 greens (while installing SubAir systems under them all), and eliminated traditional rough. The result is unparalleled firm and fast conditions for an Irish parkland course. At 7,509 yards, par 72, its stern challenge is balanced beautifully by risk/reward tests such as the drivable 347-yard par-four 15th and the reachable 585-yard par-five 18th (provided you, and your ball, don’t find the River Maigue). The Golf Course at Adare Manor will prove a compelling layout for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
A mere 35 minutes north of Adare is a property with every bit the lodging eminence if not quite the golf chops—Dromoland Castle. Located in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, a scant eight miles from Shannon Airport, Dromoland excels as both a castle and a hotel with 97 guestrooms, including 14 suites. It also wows in the history department: It was home to the powerful O’Brien clan for 900 years, descendants of the 11th-century Irish High King, Brian Boru. Most of the lodging component dates to the 19th century, though there’s been a castle here for nearly six centuries. Besides golf, the amenity offerings include falconry, clay shooting, archery, and fishing for trout and perch in Dromoland Lough.
Originally designed in 1961 by the little-remembered Brooke Wigginton, Dromoland’s golf course landed an extreme and extremely popular makeover from Ron Kirby and Joe Carr in 2002 that stretched it nearly 600 yards—to 6,824 yards, par 72. In the process, they took full advantage of the undulating, wooded terrain and rerouted holes to bring the water more dramatically in play. The 563-yard par-five closer illuminates the course’s virtues perfectly with Dromoland Lough in play off the tee, a lone sycamore patrolling the left-center of the landing area, and the castle beyond.
In nine centuries, perhaps the most noteworthy match-play duel at Dromoland occurred on Easter Weekend 1964, which pitted Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison. On holiday with their then-significant others, the two found swords on suits of armor in the castle and took to the garden for a mirth-filled bout with the cameras rolling.
Possibly the most beloved castle/lodging/golf experience in all Ireland sits 90 minutes north of Dromoland in the town of Cong, County Mayo—Ashford Castle. Rory McIlroy could have chosen any destination in the world for his April 2017 wedding to Erica Stoll; the fact that they held it here speaks volumes to the charm, character, and quality of this 83-room hotel, six of which are suites.
Dating to 1228, Ashford Castle is nestled between the Cong River and Lough Corrib on 350 sylvan acres. Picture a storybook Irish castle and it is realized in Ashford, with its lakeside setting, imposing stone towers, and interiors featuring richly carved oak-paneled ceilings and walls, massive crystal chandeliers, and a grand inglenook fireplace. A French Chateau section added in 1715 and two Victorian extensions in 1852 by “new” owner Sir Benjamin Guinness shaped the final version. In 1939, Noel Huggard introduced the hotel component, intending it to be a destination retreat for outdoor pursuits.
Ashford Castle and its neighboring village of Cong burst into international prominence in 1952 when The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, did boffo box office with many scenes incorporating Ashford and Cong. That spotlight ushered in a parade of celebrities that has yet to abate.
To be sure, the McIlroys didn’t pick Ashford for the golf. At 2,996 pastoral yards, par 35, the 1973 Eddie Hackett creation was designed to delight, not discourage. Bereft of rough, the course soothes with gentle undulations, mature trees, and the occasional tester. Nonetheless, its sweet simplicity can entice even the best, as it did in 1994 for Tom Watson and Lee Trevino. On a short trip here to relax ahead of the Open Championship at Turnberry in Scotland, the two made an impulsive decision to snag two trolleys and head to the first tee. Helping matters then—as now—is that golf is free to Ashford Castle hotel guests.
EAST OF IRELAND
Unique to this breed is Waterford Castle in County Waterford. Yes, that Waterford, home to the House of Waterford where you can see the world-famous crystal being brought to life and buy a piece or two. Waterford Castle Hotel & Golf Resort dazzles in its own right, plunked down on a 310-acre island three miles east of the city, some 90 miles south of Dublin Airport. The River Suir surrounds the property, which is accessible only by a complimentary two-minute car-ferry ride.
Home to the Fitzgerald clan for eight centuries, Waterford Castle dates to the 1500s, with several expansions in the 1800s making it the living museum it is today. Inside are antique furniture and tapestries, Elizabethan oak paneling, and a colossal stone fireplace. The castle houses just 19 guestrooms and suites, each individually decorated. Waterford Castle also offers 45 comfortable, self-catering lodge rooms, but it’s not the same as sleeping in a castle.
Don’t sleep on the Waterford Castle Golf Club course, either. Designed in 1992 by Irish professional Des Smyth, a two-time Ryder Cupper, and fellow pro Declan Branigan, the flattish, 6,814-yard, par-72 layout mostly asks the right questions but is never a beatdown. The 205-yard par-three 16th that runs alongside a sailboat filled estuary will linger long in memory.
One hour north of Waterford is Kilkea Castle Hotel & Golf Resort in Castledermot, County Kildare. Kilkea was another Fitzgerald stronghold; this branch became the Earls of Kildare, with a castle first established here in 1180. The castle has 11 guestrooms, but worth the splurge is the Fitzgerald Suite, high atop the Round Tower, which offers 360-degree views. Carriage and Lodge rooms bring the overall room count to 140.
Kilkea’s 28-year-old, 6,652-yard, par-70 track is an attractive, playable parklander peppered with several memorable holes. The 187-yard par-three 16th calls for a shot over a slender arm of the River Griese and the 424-yard par-four 18th concludes so close to the castle you can practically touch it.
Closest to Dublin is the acclaimed Luttrellstown Castle Resort in Castleknock, County Dublin, a 25-minute drive west of the city. Its secluded magnificence and proximity to Dublin have attracted many famous folks to the 15th-century dwelling, among them Queen Victoria, Princess Grace (Grace Kelly) of Monaco, and Ronald Reagan. But perhaps nothing could top its hosting the “wedding of the century” in 1999, when Spice Girl Victoria Adams married football star David Beckham.
Golf royalty Gene Sarazen, then 91, remarked during a 1993 pre-opening tour of the Luttrellstown Castle Resort golf course that “This is one of the finest parkland courses I have ever seen.” Squire, you would hardly recognize the place. Originally a Nicholas Bielenberg creation, the course was reimagined in 2007 by Donald Steel and his partner Tom Mackenzie, following the 2006 purchase of the resort by J.P. McManus and John Magnier. Today’s version stretches 7,347 yards and ranks among Ireland’s greatest inland tests. Even with its links-like firm and fast fairways, revetted bunkers, and gathering slopes, its profusion of superb specimen trees, oaks, limes, and beeches among them, undeniably stamps it as parkland. Alas, golf at Luttrellstown is private unless you’re a castle guest in one of the 20 bedrooms—and all the rooms must be reserved by one party. If you’ve got a special group, book at Luttrellstown, where it will be just you, your friends, and your castle. Now, that’s the royal treatment.
