afterwards, renewed, relaxed and ready for anything. for ready and relaxed renewed, afterwards,

Spend time with us in our subterranean sanctuary and you’ll drift away away drift you’ll and sanctuary subterranean our in us with time Spend

and rest in pure tranquillity. pure in rest and

pedicure rooms and an Outdoor Jacuzzi, we invite you to recharge, recover recover recharge, to you invite we Jacuzzi, Outdoor an and rooms pedicure

and spirit. With six treatment rooms, two dedicated manicure and and manicure dedicated two rooms, treatment six With spirit. and

uses Elemis products designed to relax, revitalise and restore your body body your restore and revitalise relax, to designed products Elemis uses

delivered with expertise and care. Each of our carefully selected offerings offerings selected carefully our of Each care. and expertise with delivered

Offering pampering and relaxation, you’ll find hands-on treatments treatments hands-on find you’ll relaxation, and pampering Offering

Web: www.dromoland.ie surrender to the pleasures of our soothing and luxurious treatments. luxurious and soothing our of pleasures the to surrender

stresses of modern life, our team of skilled therapists invite you to to you invite therapists skilled of team our life, modern of stresses Email: [email protected]

and serene escapism within 16th century castle walls. Away from the the from Away walls. castle century 16th within escapism serene and

indulgence for the weary traveller, our tranquil sanctuary offers intimate intimate offers sanctuary tranquil our traveller, weary the for indulgence

USA: 1800 346 7007 346 1800

A visit to The Spa at Dromoland Castle is like stopping time. The ultimate ultimate The time. stopping like is Castle Dromoland at Spa The to visit A

Fax: +353 61 363 355 355 363 61 +353

Tel: +353 61 368 144 144 368 61 +353 THE SPA AT DROMOLAND DROMOLAND AT SPA THE

Newmarket - On - Fergus, Co. Clare, Ireland. Clare, Co. Fergus, - On - Newmarket

DROMOLAND CASTLE & COUNTRY ESTATE COUNTRY & CASTLE DROMOLAND you’ll love! you’ll furnishings, don’t be surprised if you linger longer than you intended! you than longer linger you if surprised be don’t furnishings,

alongside the prettiest china. An unmissable five-star indulgence we know know we indulgence five-star unmissable An china. prettiest the alongside beautiful antiques, hunting mounts, ancestral portraits and the comfiest of of comfiest the and portraits ancestral mounts, hunting antiques, beautiful

loose-leaf teas from around the world are served in sparkling silver teapots, teapots, silver sparkling in served are world the around from teas loose-leaf casual evening meal, afternoon tea or cocktail and a snack. Surrounded by by Surrounded snack. a and cocktail or tea afternoon meal, evening casual

tea brack and the sweetest confections. Of course, our specially selected selected specially our course, Of confections. sweetest the and brack tea coffee and scones or a light lunch. Relax here after a day’s activities with a a with activities day’s a after here Relax lunch. light a or scones and coffee

with clotted cream and homemade jams, delicate pastries, our signature signature our pastries, delicate jams, homemade and cream clotted with or cosy armchair and settle in for a morning’s reading, replenished by by replenished reading, morning’s a for in settle and armchair cosy or

prettiest selection of treats: scrumptious finger sandwiches, warm scones scones warm sandwiches, finger scrumptious treats: of selection prettiest captures the essence of Dromoland’s magic. Sink into a deep fire-side sofa sofa fire-side deep a into Sink magic. Dromoland’s of essence the captures

staff, Mrs White’s Afternoon Tea, is a feast fit for royalty. You’ll enjoy the the enjoy You’ll royalty. for fit feast a is Tea, Afternoon White’s Mrs staff, One of the most beloved spots in the Castle, the impressive Gallery Gallery impressive the Castle, the in spots beloved most the of One

The Gallery Gallery The this fun and indulgent ritual. Named for a long-standing member of our our of member long-standing a for Named ritual. indulgent and fun this

A long-standing tradition at Dromoland Castle, we aim to impress with with impress to aim we Castle, Dromoland at tradition long-standing A

Mrs White’s Afternoon Tea Afternoon White’s Mrs

in Ireland, but nowhere quite like The Earl of Thomond. of Earl The like quite nowhere but Ireland, in

chandeliers and sweeping views of the estate, there are many restaurants restaurants many are there estate, the of views sweeping and chandeliers

an authentic taste of Ireland surrounded by Venetian silk, sparkling sparkling silk, Venetian by surrounded Ireland of taste authentic an

casual dinner. No matter what the weather, expect a warm welcome. welcome. warm a expect weather, the what matter No dinner. casual pairings, impeccable service and a dash of Dromoland magic. Offering Offering magic. Dromoland of dash a and service impeccable pairings,

and buzzy, The Fig Tree is the ideal spot for a light lunch, post-golf snack or or snack post-golf lunch, light a for spot ideal the is Tree Fig The buzzy, and Prepare to be dazzled by exquisite local flavours, imaginative wine wine imaginative flavours, local exquisite by dazzled be to Prepare

big-flavoured crowd-pleasers using outstanding Irish ingredients. Relaxed Relaxed ingredients. Irish outstanding using crowd-pleasers big-flavoured . . results heavenly with land and sea from produce Irish outstanding

to steaks and salads, fish and chips to chowder, our delicious menu offers offers menu delicious our chowder, to chips and fish salads, and steaks to Head Chef David McCann marries classical techniques with the most most the with techniques classical marries McCann David Chef Head

analysing their games over delicious food and drinks. From sandwiches sandwiches From drinks. and food delicious over games their analysing relaxed, a meal here will be a highlight of your stay with us. Executive Executive us. with stay your of highlight a be will here meal a relaxed,

welcoming, you’ll find golfers, locals and hotel guests relaxing, chatting and and chatting relaxing, guests hotel and locals golfers, find you’ll welcoming, in culinary circles for its panache, its elegance, its innovation. Delightfully Delightfully innovation. its elegance, its panache, its for circles culinary in

Restaurant in the Golf & Country Club is always buzzing. Lively and and Lively buzzing. always is Club Country & Golf the in Restaurant Dromoland Castle’s flagship restaurant, the Earl of Thomond, is celebrated celebrated is Thomond, of Earl the restaurant, flagship Castle’s Dromoland

Earl of Thomond Restaurant Restaurant Thomond of Earl Bright and sunny in summer, comfy and cosy in winter, The Fig Tree Tree Fig The winter, in cosy and comfy summer, in sunny and Bright

The Figtree Restaurant Restaurant Figtree The

service – is at the heart of everything we do at Dromoland Castle. This is Irish country living at its very best. very its at living country Irish is This Castle. Dromoland at do we everything of heart the at is – service

No matter how you dine, when you dine, or where you dine, creative Irish cuisine – underpinned by impeccable impeccable by underpinned – cuisine Irish creative dine, you where or dine, you when dine, you how matter No HISTORY CASTLE THE AT DINING Conor O’Brien of Lemanagh 1651 Castle was killed in battle by the Cromwellian army. His widow Marie Rua or Red Mary O’Brien agreed with General Ireton as a mark of good faith to marry an officer in the Cromwellian army in order to save the family estate. She married Cornet John Cooper thus preserving the Estates for her eldest son Sir Donough O’Brien.

Brian Boru ruled Dromoland Castle Although the family’s Lord Inchiquin sold the Castle, 1002-1014 Ireland as High King 1803-1864 was the birthplace 1922-1940 good reputation 1962 along with some 330 acres of from his throne in Killaloe. and boyhood home of William Smith O’Brien, saved the castle during the revolution, the surrounding land, and the hunting and M.P. Despite his aristocratic background, later loss of income after the forced sale of the fishing rights to Mr. Bernard McDonough, an Smith O’Brien fought militantly for the rights tenant farms made the castle and the 2,000+ American industrialist, whose grandparents of oppressed Irish Catholic peasant farmers acre estate increasingly difficult for the were born in Ireland. Conor O’Brien, the 18th and led the Young Irelanders rebellion Inchiquins to keep. After the death of the 15th Baron, and his family live in Thomond House against the British authorities in 1848. He was Baron of Inchiquin in 1929, Dromoland was and continue to farm and run part of the sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered, supported mainly by the personal wealth of estate as a sporting and leisure estate. The later exiled instead to Tasmania for his role his widow, Lady Ethel Inchiquin, an heiress, pedigree of the Dromoland O’Briens is kept The second castle/ in the revolt. He returned to Ireland in 1856; whose portrait, painted by Herbert Draper, in a vault at Lloyds in London and is 36 feet 1700-1730 house at Dromoland there is a statue of him in O’Connell Street, hangs near the staircase in the Castle’s hall. in length. was built; it was more residential in Dublin. He died in 1864. appearance with a design of the Queen Anne period. The Queen Anne Court, the charming quadrangle of 29 guestrooms, is a century older than the rest of today’s Castle. It was Donough O’Brien, a son of Brian rebuilt inside and redecorated in 1963 when 1014 Boru, controlled Dromoland when the castle was redesigned as a hotel. it was a defensive stronghold. It was similar in structure to Bunratty Castle, which was also an O’Brien stronghold at that time. For the next 900 years a branch of the O’Brien’s lived and ruled from Dromoland Castle.

Dromoland Castle, Lord The Castle underwent major 1880-1921 The wealth of the 1927 Inchiquin’s historic seat in 1962 renovations to transform the Barons of Inchiquin Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, was one ancestral home into a luxury hotel. When dwindled after a series of Land Acts started in of the few big houses to escape destruction the castle was officially reopened as a Resort the 1880’s. During this time, landlords were during what they call ‘The Troubles’ in Hotel, visitors who remembered it from compelled to sell their tenanted farmlands, Ireland. This was lucky, because it is one of the days of the Inchiquins marvelled at the thus the Inchiquins lost their main source Sir Edward O’Brien, the 2nd the show places in the South. Lord Inchiquin preservation of its stately, warm and cheerful 1730 of income. They still considered themselves is a Senator of the Irish Free State and was baronial country house atmosphere. The Baronet, was revered as a famous fortunate as their castle had survived the racehorse owner and trainer. He built the elected in 1921. The Hon. Donough O’Brien is public rooms on the main floor of the castle troubled times of Ireland’s revolutionary war his son and heir, and Mrs Donough O’Brien look very much the same now as when Lord Turret on the hill opposite the entrance to against Britain. The homes of many landlords Dromoland Estate, from where he would was the Hon. Anne Thesiger, and is a daughter Inchiquin’s family lived there, although the in Ireland were left in ruins during the Irish to Lord Chelmsford, a former Viceroy of India. Lord’s octagonal shaped study, under the The chief of the Clan O’Brien, observe his horses’ race. He once gambled the Republican Army’s war against the British 1543 estate on a horse race; mercifully, Sean Buis The Hon. Griselda O’Brien is a daughter of round tower, is now a pleasant cocktail bar, Murrough, 57th King of Thomond forces in 1920 and 1922. Lord and Lady Lord Inchiquin and is with her and his library is now part of the dining room. was forced to surrender his royalty to King Henry won the race and saved the estate. Sean Buis is buried under the Temple, 100 yards from cousin, Lady Katherine Phipps, Lord and Lady VII, thus becoming the Baron of Inchiquin and Normanby’s elder daughter. First Earl of Thomond. Records show that the the old entrance to the Castle. Castle was rebuilt during this period.

1921 The IRA leaders in Dublin marked A consortium of mainly Irish Dromoland Castle for destruction. 1987 American investors purchased However, the sabotage orders were reversed The present After Lady Ethel’s the castle and estate. Through their continued at the last minute at the urgent request of 1800-1836 main building of 1940-1962 death, her eldest investment and management, the castle has local IRA leaders in County Clare, who argued Sir Donough O’Brien moved Dromoland Castle, with its high Gothic-styled son, Sir Donough O’Brien, the 16th Baron of enjoyed a worldwide reputation for excellence that the Inchiquin Lords had been fair and 1650 the most powerful branch of grey stone walls, was rebuilt and redesigned Inchiquin and his wife, Lady Anne, daughter and is regarded as one of the great resorts in benevolent in dealing with their tenant the O’Briens to Dromoland in the late 17th by the Pain brothers, famous architects of of Viscount Chelmford, a Viceroy of India, Europe. farmers. Sir Lucius O’Brien, the 13th Baron Century. He was an astute man and managed that period. The Castle was built by the then managed to maintain Dromoland Castle as of Inchiquin (brother of Sir William Smith to avoid declaring for either King James II or Lord of Dromoland, Sir Edward O’Brien, 4th a traditional ancestral home for more than O’Brien), was remembered respectfully by the King William. He was at that time reputed to Baronet, at great expense. The cost of cutting twenty years. Lord Inchiquin tried to make people of County Clare for his relief work in be the richest man in Ireland. and hauling its stone from a nearby quarry on the estate self-supporting as a dairy farm, but the famine years of 1840’s. the Dromoland Estate alone was more than by 1948 was so financially hard pressed that 80,000, a huge amount in Georgian times. he began to take in tourists as paying guests.

*Many of these photos are by kind permission of Conor O’Brien, 18th Baron Inchiquin*