Ashford Castle

Yet another Covid break! 

Friday 13th (unlucky for some) and we finally arrived at Ashford Castle. We had been trying for months to visit but multiple lockdowns in Dublin prevented us travelling outside the county! 

Ashford Castle Hotel were  most accommodating and booked us in at short notice - success on the 4th attempt!! 

We arrived and our reservation was checked at the gate and the bridge!! Valet parking, an efficient check-in at reception and we were escorted on a tour of the Castle 

                  The Minstrel Gallery

 


                   Afternoon Tea Lounge

as we wound our way to our room. Our bags arrived shortly thereafter. 

The room

had three windows with views of the magnificent gardens and Lough Corrib. 

The room is very luxurious with silk wallpaper and curtains. If I were to make one criticism it is that the room is a little small. 

The history of the Castle is most interesting. It spans 8 centuries since its foundation in 1228.  It was built by the Anglo Norman family, the De Burgos, who

ousted the native O’ Connors of Connaught. Each subsequent owner added to the Castle so its varied architectural styles reflects its history. 

In 1589, the De Burgos, were defeated by a force sent  by Elizabeth 1 and subsequently the Castle was used as a British fortress, with fortified enclaves added. 

In 1715 the Ashford Estate was acquired by the Oranmore and Browne families They built a house modelled on the style of a French chateau, which is now the centre of the Castle. It was used as a shooting lodge and holiday residence. 

The Castle later fell into disrepair until it was purchased by the Guinness family in1852. The estate was enlarged to encompass 26,000 acres. Two extensions were added and in addition the land was cultivated to give local  employment in the years after the Great Famine 1845-1848, as the Guinness family were anxious to alleviate the resultant poverty. 

In 1868, the Castle was bequeathed to Lord Ardilaun, son of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, who had originally purchased the estate. Lord and Lady Ardilaun planted almost 1 million trees to line walks and avenues and unify the estate. Their most notable additions were the George V restaurant

( built to honour the visit to the Castle of the King) and the West wing of the Castle. Gates and lodges were also constructed 

In 1939, it is acquired by Noel Huggard and becomes a first class hotel. Purchasing the contents enabled the early establishment of the hotel. The dinner Ardilaun  gold service dishes and  cutlery are on display in the Castle today. 

In 1951 with the filming of The Quiet Man, the  hotel hosted many of the cast, where many of the film’s scenes were located in the Castle grounds. 

John A. Mulcahy bought the Castle in 1971and further extended the Castle, purchasing 11 identical chandeliers at a cost of €11,000 purchased from Waterford Glass 

1975 saw the Chuck  Feeney and the Tony O’Reilly consortium buy the Castle. 

In 2008, it was purchased by a Galway developer until in 2013, it came into the hands of  Mr and Mrs Stanley and Mrs Tallman, who reputedly spent €47 million upgrading it to make it one of the most luxurious resorts now trading as The Red Carnation Hotel Collection 

Quitting the hotel, we adjourned to Mrs Tea’s  Boutique and Bakery on the Castle grounds., where we had a light lunch. Afterwards, we commenced with a walk along the terraced gardens 

passing the Carpet Garden  with  tennis courts to the rear. 

From thence to the Tallman fountain 

On to the Walled Garden, the. Irish School of Falconry and the Quiet Man House

and from there to the Ashford School House 

We returned to the Castle by the shores of Lough Corrib. 

Luckily the rain held off though once or twice, it threatened!!! 

We had chosen Cullen’s at the Cottage for dinner tonight. There are four restaurants and it’s grounds - one closed as it is too small to enable social distancing - the George V, the Dungeon and in the Castle grounds tonight’s choice. 

The restaurant was quiet as is the hotel.  I suspect that the hotel isn’t fully open as two thirds of their tourists normally come from North America and there are very few Americans here st present. Most of the guests are from the Republic with a small number from UK and N. Ireland. 

We dined on oysters, scallops and Tomahawk lamb chops. I had never before seen such an unusual presentation

dessert  and coffee served with Valrhona chocolates - delicious !! 

A very packed schedule from our arrival at 15:00 hrs until we retired at 23:30, closing time at the Castle due to Covid restrictions!!