Social & Personal Weddings* Circulation: 13889 Friday, 1 August 2014 Area of Clip: 524500mm² Page: 122,123, Page 1 of 12 PERFECT WEDDING VENUES Alexandra McKeever profiles some of Ireland’s most romantic wedding venues DUNBOYNE CASTLE HOTEL & SPA Nestled on 21 acres in the historic heart by Executive Chef John Nagle, awarded of Meath, yet just 18 km from Dublin 2 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence city centre, Dunboyne Castle Hotel & in The Ivy restaurant in 2013 and 2014. Spa is an ideal choice for celebrating the The grounds are a stunning backdrop for wedding you’ve always dreamed of. timeless wedding photographs and the A dedicated wedding coordinator is at Synolda Suite, the award-winning bridal your service and the choice of the Drawing suite in the original Georgian house Room, with its ornate ceilings, for an with its four-poster bed and deep soaker intimate gathering or the impressive Tara bathtub, is the perfect haven at the end Suite for a larger occasion, meaning your of your special day at Dunboyne Castle special day will be perfectly tailored to Hotel & Spa. your own personal requirements. Seoid Spa, with its luxurious thermal Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa, suite and fabulous Voya and Aromatherapy Dunboyne, Co. Meath. Associates treatments is a wonderful Tel: 01 8013500 place to settle pre-wedding nerves, while Web: www.dunboynecastlehotel.com offering the peace and relaxation needed after your big day of celebrations! Wedding packages include a menu created HOTEL WESTPORT Located in a private woodland setting, just Courtesy and Care Award 2013/ 2014, an off the Newport Road yet only minutes AA Rosette for Culinary Excellence and from Westport town centre, the four star 2012 Hotel Bar of the Year. Hotel Westport is the ideal location to host No wedding is too small, civil ceremonies your wedding. and civil partnerships included, with Make full use of their dedicated gardens experience of catering for larger weddings and features, such as the authentic a speciality. The hotel hosts a number of cut stone bridge which straddles the wedding showcases throughout the year Carrowbeg River, a gem in the heart of but will always have someone to welcome Westport. Weddings at Hotel Westport you and see first-hand why Hotel Westport are provided with a private entrance and has earned so many national, independently patio to enjoy pre-wedding drinks which judged awards in recent years and an then leads into the newly refurbished Cara enviable reputation for their weddings. Suite, featuring a fully licensed bar. A wall of windows allows the room to be bathed Hotel Westport, in natural sunlight allowing great views Newport Road, over the gardens and woodland. Westport, Co. Mayo. With over 40 years’ experience, the Tel: 098 25122 hotel has recently been awarded the AA Web: www.hotelwestport.ie Social & Personal Weddings* Circulation: 13889 Friday, 1 August 2014 Area of Clip: 524500mm² Page: 122,123, Page 2 of 12 LOUGH ESKE CASTLE A five star castle hotel, Lough Eske the Year 2012, plus wedding coordinator Castle is located on a secluded lakeside of the year 2012 by Ireland’s largest estate just outside Donegal town. With a wedding website; Weddingsonline. rich history dating back to the 1400s, the ie. The Castle was awarded one of top castle is associated with the O’Donnell three luxury hotels in Ireland by Conde clan who were the founding fathers of Nast readers Poll 2013, while RSVP Donegal, in the north-west region of Magazine named Spa Solis for Best Body Ireland. An historic building, Lough Treatment Award 2013. 2014 Gold List Eske Castle is set in a storybook location award winner from Conde Nast Traveler delivering superior hospitality and magazine. comfort. It is the ideal place for those who simply want to relax and unwind. The unique castle has a well deserved Lough Eske Castle, reputation for the wedding couple who Lough Eske, want a WOW venue for their special day Donegal Town, and for those who want to explore the Co. Donegal. great outdoors and the many attractions Tel: 074 9743163 of this beautiful region. Lough Eske Web: www.solishotels.com/ Castle was voted Wedding Venue of the lougheskecastle Year 2010 & 2011 and Castle Venue of CASTLEMARTYR RESORT Nestled in the East Cork countryside, with a special wedding rate available for Castlemartyr Resort sits within a 220 your guests. acre estate surrounded by rivers, lake and Their experienced wedding team takes woodlands. Here you can enjoy all the pride in offering a personalised service luxury and space of a country wedding and challenges themselves to exceed the with the convenience of being situated 20 expectations for you and your guests. The minutes from Cork City. resort is offering a special all inclusive The Resort enjoys the unusual contrast January — March package for €75 per of old world style in the Manor House person. and 13th Century Castle, to the contemporary new style of the Capel Suite, which holds up to 220 guests for a Castlemartyr Resort, wedding. The Capel Suite features ceiling Castlemartyr, to floor windows, and magnificent Co. Cork. drapes which close over in the evening Tel: 021 4219000 time to offer a completely different look Web: www.castlemartyrresort.ie for your evening reception. Email: [email protected] Castlemartyr offers 103 luxurious guestrooms and suites. Each room overlooks the estate’s lush parklands Social & Personal Weddings* Circulation: 13889 Friday, 1 August 2014 Area of Clip: 524500mm² Page: 122,123, Page 3 of 12 KILRONAN CASTLE Kilronan Castle is a stunning venue around Lough Meelagh to find the perfect for luxury wedding celebrations, backdrop against which to set your boasting an ultra-romantic setting and timeless pictures. breathtaking views, matched by creative The lawns provide a breathtaking setting menus and impeccable service. This for a champagne or drinks reception on a will truly be the luxury-castle wedding summer’s day, and the castle’s backdrop is day you have dreamed of. Every bride equally spectacular for a winter wedding. wants her wedding to be as memorable Perfect for a grand affair, the Grand and magical as it possibly can be and at Ballroom in Kilronan can cater for 320 Kilronan Castle, the setting couldn’t be people while providing exquisite decor more perfect. that sets a tone of opulence underneath Tucked away from the rest of the world, magnificent chandeliers. the 200-year-old castle is an entirely unique location on the shores of Lough Kilronan Castle Estate & Spa, Meelagh, situated between the beautiful Ballyfarnon, villages of Keadue and Ballyfarnon, in Co. Roscommon. Roscommon. Tel: 071 9618000 Your day can be as relaxed as you want Web: www.kilronancastle.ie it to be, with the entire castle estate at Email: [email protected] your disposal. You can wander across the open lawns and woodland pathways THE K CLUB The K Club is one of the most stunning The resort can cater for large and lavish locations in the country to host a wedding. weddings or more intimate affairs, from Your special day deserves a special venue just 14 people in the Pantheon Suite and this AA Hotel of the Year 2010/2011 right up to 3SO guests in the Legacy really has it all. Located in the pretty Suite. Facilities include a Resort Spa, village of Straffan, Co. Kildare, and on two championship golf courses, fishing the banks of the River Liffey, the hotel on the River Liffey, lots of dining options is surrounded by SS0 acres of mature and fun outdoor activities for adults and woods, parkland and magnificent formal children. Exclusive and truly romantic gardens - perfect for your wedding wedding packages are available now for photographs. spring weddings. Dating back to 1832, Ireland’s first AA Five Red Star property is the original home of classic Irish hospitality and The Kildare Hotel, Spa & Country offers a host of opulent facilities to Club, make wedding dreams come true. The Straffan, original house, Straffan House, has been Co. Kildare. sympathetically restored to its former Tel: 01 6017200 glory and now boasts 69 bedrooms and Web: www.kclub.ie suites which are individually appointed to Email: [email protected] the highest standard. Social & Personal Weddings* Circulation: 13889 Friday, 1 August 2014 Area of Clip: 524500mm² Page: 122,123, Page 4 of 12 LOUGH RYNN Lough Rynn, one of Ireland’s most ideal backdrop to your top table. luxurious castle hotels, sits majestically The Baronial Hall is the main arrival on the shore of Lough Rynn, surrounded reception room and is worthy of its by over 300 acres of breathtaking scenery. name. It features a bay window with The estate prides itself as having the uninterrupted views of Lough Rynn; west of Ireland’s largest and most unique relax by a roaring fire in the hearth of walled gardens, which lead down to the enormous Inglenook fireplace, itself the shores of the Lough. This is an ideal a renowned architectural feature of the backdrop for wedding pictures. castle. The lawns provide a breathtaking One step inside Lough Rynn and you setting for a champagne or drinks are at home. With a warm and friendly reception on a summer’s day, and the atmosphere, they will see to your every castle’s backdrop is equally spectacular need; everything has been designed with for a winter wedding. one’s desires in mind. The commitment is Wedding packages from €!65pp. to provide the highest level of comfort and service where guests can enjoy old world Lough Rynn Castle Estate & elegance with modern-day comforts. Gardens, Mohill, For wedding celebrations, the Banqueting Co. Leitrim. Suite can accommodate from 90 to 320 Tel: 071 9632700 guests; the floor-to-ceiling glass wall Web: www.loughrynn.ie looks out over the woodlands and is the Email: [email protected] MOUNT JULIET Mount Juliet is a fabulous backdrop for year-round wedding venue.