Ireland and its country houses
Luxury hotels in Ireland
7 hotels
Ireland keeps its luxury in country houses. From the Georgian squares of Dublin to the castles and country houses of the west: a Regency demesne in the Midlands an hour from Dublin, a neo-Gothic manor at Adare, a medieval castle on Lough Corrib, two waterside houses at Kenmare at the foot of the Ring of Kerry and a Palladian palace beside the Rock of Cashel — with four Georgian townhouses opposite Government Buildings for the capital itself. We list seven houses in five regions: Dublin; Adare and the Shannon; Kerry with Kenmare and Killarney; the Midlands of Ballyfin and Cashel; and Connemara and Mayo. A touring destination, hours apart from end to end, with a concierge behind every stay.
“Because the Regency house was restored to its period outside and reinvented within, with rooms and suites in the main house and the Gardener's Cottage for two, twin dining rooms fed by the walled gardens, the Cellar bar, the 1848 Conservatory behind a secret door in the Library and a sunlit indoor pool — an hour from Dublin in its own parkland.”
From our editors · Ballyfin Demesne
The neighborhoods
Dublin
The Georgian capital, with its squares and townhouses south of the Liffey. Government Buildings and the National Gallery stand a step from Merrion Square, and the airport is half an hour north.
Adare & the Shannon
The thatched village of Adare on the River Maigue, with its manor and its golf course. It lies in County Limerick, half an hour from Shannon Airport and under three hours from Dublin.
Kerry: Kenmare & Killarney
The south-west at its greenest: Kenmare on its bay at the foot of the Ring of Kerry and the Beara peninsula. The Sheen falls lie at its edge, and Killarney and its lakes are half an hour north.
The Midlands: Ballyfin & Cashel
The country between Dublin and the south-west, where Ballyfin and Cashel each lie an hour or two from the capital. The Slieve Bloom foothills stand behind Ballyfin in County Laois, and the Rock of Cashel rises over Tipperary.
Connemara & Mayo
The west: Cong on the shore of Lough Corrib between Galway and Mayo, with the bogs and mountains of Connemara beyond. Galway city is forty-five minutes away and Knock Airport under an hour.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Ireland?
Two. The five-star hotels we list in Ireland are Ballyfin Demesne, the Regency house in its parkland in County Laois, and Adare Manor, the neo-Gothic manor on the River Maigue in County Limerick. Five more houses hold four-star standing: Sheen Falls Lodge and Park Hotel Kenmare on the water at Kenmare, Cashel Palace beside the Rock of Cashel, Ashford Castle on Lough Corrib and The Merrion in Georgian Dublin. Each has its own page, reachable from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Ireland should I stay in?
Dublin for the Georgian city, its galleries and a single base with the airport half an hour away; the Midlands for a country house within an hour or two of the capital — Ballyfin in its parkland, Cashel under its Rock; Adare and the Shannon for the manor, the golf and the thatched village, half an hour from Shannon Airport; Kerry for Kenmare's bay, the Sheen falls and the Ring of Kerry, with Killarney's lakes half an hour on; and Connemara and Mayo for the castle on Lough Corrib and the west. Most guests pair two: the capital with one country house, or Kerry with the west.
When is the best time to visit Ireland?
May to September for the long days and the gardens, with June to August the busiest months, when the castles and the Kerry houses fill with weddings and golf; April and October are mild and quieter; November to March is green, wet and quiet, and the country houses are at their coziest with the fires lit. Pack for rain in any month.
How do I get to Ireland — and do I need a visa?
Dublin Airport takes direct flights from North America, the Gulf and every major European city and is half an hour from The Merrion, about an hour from Ballyfin and under three hours from Adare; Shannon Airport is half an hour from Adare; Kerry Airport is about an hour from Kenmare; and Knock, in the west, is under an hour from Cong. Ireland is not in the Schengen area: citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile enter without a visa for short stays, and others should check the Irish immigration service before booking. A car or the hotel's transfer is needed for every house outside Dublin.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
