Places to Stay on the Island of Ireland
Whether it's a friendly B&B, a quirky hostel or something more unusual that you're after, Ireland has you covered. Special thanks go to Ireland's Blue Book (irelands-blue-book.ie) and B&B Ireland (bandbireland.com), and to all the locations used:
Delphi Lodge, Newforge House, Hayfield Manor Hotel, Butler House, Marlfield house, Gort na Mona, Lawcus Farm Guesthouse, Park Hotel Kenmare, Shelbourne Hotel, The Merchant Hotel, Castle Leslie, Ashford Castle, Bellinter House, The Dean Dublin, Monart Spa Hotel, Ard na Sidhe Country House, Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, The Dylan Hotel, Cnoc Suain, Donegal Thatched Cottages, Belle Isle, Generator Hostel, Ballyvolane House, Clissmann Horse Caravans, Finn Lough Resort, Teapot Lane, Clare Island Lighthouse and Ballygally Castle!
Discover more at ireland.com
Connemara, Sky Road, Kylemore Abbey, Ireland
Connemara, Ireland features the Sky Road scenic drive and Kylemore Abbey, set amid beautiful green hills lined with stone walls in the west of Ireland. It is a region of coastal views, rolling farmlands, open meadows, winding country roads, and the big attraction, Kylemore Abbey, which is one of Ireland’s great castles that was a former private estate, then a girl’s school operated by Benedictine nuns.
Kylemore Abbey has become the most popular visitor attraction in the west of Ireland, famous for its beautiful mansion on the lake and extensive gardens all around -- certainly one of the most beautiful sites you’ll ever see.
The Abbey is easily reached on a day-trip from Galway city, which makes an ideal home base for exploring the majestic beauties of this area. You’ll find that Galway is a great town for strolling along its pedestrian main street with many shops and restaurants, including numerous pubs with live Irish music on offer. There are many fine hotels in Galway in a variety of price ranges to give you a good place to rest.
It’s just a quick look at Galway for now, which we show more of in our other Irish movies, then we’ll take you on a spectacular drive through Connemara and around the famous Sky Road, with some of the best views in Ireland, on our way to Kylemore Abbey, the main star of this show.
You’ll see that getting there is half the fun, driving north from Galway through the scenic grandeur of Connemara, passing through the villages of Moycullen and Oughterard, then stopping at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel.
That Sky Road scenic loop follows the famous coastal route west of the town of Clifden, with miles of stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and shoreline communities. We did quite a bit of stopping and getting out of the van while driving through Connemara to enjoy the landscape, take a good look at and snap some pictures, and stop for some shopping at a traditional Irish gift shop.
Kylemore Abbey is one of the great highlights of Ireland. It was a former private mansion. And then it was a Benedictine Abbey, and became a private school for girls, and now it’s a major tourist attraction as you can see because it's so beautiful here on the lake. There is also a large flower garden, two places to eat, and lovely walking paths to explore the extensive grounds and stroll along the lakeshore. It really is a wonderful spot to see in Ireland.
Probably the best part of the visit is simply looking at the Abbey across the beautiful lake. But you also get to go inside and tour the former mansion, and explore the surrounding property.
The Catholic girl school was operated by Benedictine nuns and it was open from 1923 until it closed in 2010. There's still an order of Benedictine nuns who live here and operate the facilities. We had a chance to speak with Sister Magdalena, one of the nuns who tells us about the Abbey.
You could walk from the Abbey to the gardens, but it is about half a mile. And so they provide a shuttle bus to bring you from the Abbey over to the garden. You can walk around and then take the bus back again.
As described on their excellent website, the Victorian Walled Garden is an oasis of splendor in the wild Connemara Countryside. First developed in the early days of the Castle during the late 1800s it once boasted 21 heated glass houses and a work force of 40 gardeners. One of the last walled gardens built during the Victorian period in Ireland.
In earlier years the garden fell into decline and became completely overgrown, with brambles and trees hiding all traces of it’s former glory. The Benedictine nuns began an extensive program of restoration in 1995 and in the year 2000 the Garden was opened to the public. The Garden is divided in two by a beautiful mountain stream that runs through a small shaded fernery, an important feature of any Victorian Garden.
We then finish with a music video showing more of the scenic landscapes of Connemara and the Sky Road.
10 Must See Castles in Ireland
The picturesque country of Ireland contains many castles situated in its vast countryside. Ranging from medieval ruins, to hotels.
Most of these castles were not built to be royal residences so are more modest in their appearance, they were mostly built during the country’s Norman rule, and were designed primarily to act as defensive fortresses.
1. BUNRATTY CASTLE
Bunratty Castle, located in County Clare, is a large 15th century castle and is hailed as a one of Ireland’s popular tourist attractions.
The MacNamara family constructed the vast structure that still stands to this day back in 1425 but the initial settlement is thought to date back to the time of the Vikings. Today the castle is run by Shannon Heritage and is fully open to the public.
2. MALAHIDE CASTLE
Malahide Castle resides in County Dublin in the beautiful seaside town of Malahide. Some of the castle’s structures date as far back as the 12th century.
The castle boasts a decorated history as it has survived after attacks during the Battle of the Boyne and in the 1920s James Boswell’s private papers were discovered at the estate.
3. TRIM CASTLE
Trim Castle is a Norman fortress located in Trim, County Meath on the River Boyne.
The castle was built in the 12th century during the Norman rule and is said to have acted as the centre of Norman administration for the Lordship of Meath. The castle is also the largest Norman castles to have been constructed in Ireland. Trim Castle is referred to in the poem “The Song of Dermot and the Earl”.
4. BLARNEY CASTLE
Blarney Castle resides in Blarney near Cork and was built in the 15th century, with some of the older structures dating as far back as the 13th century.
Blarney Castle is one of the most famous castles Ireland has to offer due to it being the home of the Blarney Stone, the giver of eloquence in exchange for a kiss. As well as this, it is one of Ireland’s most visually attractive castles.
5. ROSS CASTLE
Ross Castle is in County Kerry and is the ancestral home of the O’Donoghue clan.The castle was built in the 15th century and resides next to the lake at Killarney.
Ross Castle was one of the last castles to surrender to Oliver Cromwell’s Roundheads during the Irish Confederate Wars. The interior of the castle is currently in ruin however; the exterior of the castle is a handsome tourist attraction.
6. PARKES CASTLE
Parkes Castle is situated near Leitrim in County Leitrim and the existing structure was completed in the early 17th century.
During the 20th century the castle underwent extensive restoration works and is now a hidden gem that stands as not only a tourist attraction but also a place in which to stay.
7. KILKENNY CASTLE
This 13th century castle resides in County Kilkenny.
Kilkenny Castle stands as a reminder of the Norman rule in Ireland during the 13th century and would have been used as a defensive fortress during the time.
8. DONEGAL CASTLE
Donegal Castle is one that is unlike others in Ireland in terms of its appearance, it is located in County Donegal on the River Esque.
The castle consists of buildings that date back to the 15th century and for the last two hundred years most of the buildings were in a state of ruin until a restoration project in the 1990s.
9. DUBLIN CASTLE
Dublin Castle sits in the heart of Ireland’s capital city and served as the centre of the British government in the country for centuries.
The castle has a checkered past, it was originally built as a defensive fortress during Dublin’s Norman rule, but later came to function as a royal residence. Today the castle is home to both a museum and the Chester Beatty Library.
10. BIRR CASTLE
Birr Castle is described as a large castle situated in the town of Birr in County Offaly.
The castle has been referred to as “One of the seven wonders of Ireland”. The site has been resided over since the late 12th century but the castle that stands today was constructed in the 17th century.
Information Source & Images Credit:
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Music Credit:
Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
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Top 10 most popular castle in Ireland
Hotels -
Top 10 most popular castle in Ireland: Dublin Castle, Blackrock Castle, Lismore Castle, Manderley Castle, Ross Castle, Ashford Castle, Charlevilsky castle, Edinburgh castle
Bushmills Inn, Co. Antrim, Ireland, hotel room tour
The Bushmills Inn is a charming 17th century lodge in the heart of Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast. Here I share a look inside one of the luxury four star hotel's rooms
Filmed with GoPro Hero4 Silver. Adventures All Around stayed as a guest of Visit Ireland and the Bushmills Inn and travelled with British Airways.
Ballygally Castle Hotel with its Haunted Rooms - NI
This haunted hotel is possibly one of the most haunted places in the world or at least in UK and it has a very scary story - this part of the hotel is closed to guests staying - but you can visit the tower where the ghost room is and see how the story unfolded. The haunted building has not been touched in the recent upgrades of the hotel - leaving the ghost room as it was.
The haunted hotel is an attraction for ghost hunters and guests have told of ghost screams. The hotel itself is in a beautiful sea side location and it is a fabulous hotel - thankfully the haunted room is slightly separated from the rest of the hotel. You have to go up a round tower to the top and into the tiny rooms and you get a feeling for what it was like to be locked in there. If tempted - do check out this Haunted Hotel in the UK (Ballygally just outside Belfast - Northern Ireland).
For those who might not be well aware of Ballygally Hotel - of the Haunted Hotel as it might be referred to - it is an old castle that has been turned to a hotel and is located in the village of Ballygally in county Antrim, Northern Ireland, and even though it is more known as a hotel, people still visit it - or the tower - in order to check those haunted rooms which are found there and which are separated from the hotel itself.
There are different things that make this castle a different experience - that's of course apart from experiencing the feeling of the ghosts :-) - such as its location; Ballygally Castle overlooks the sea on the Ballygally Bay. The castle is strongly Scots influenced in style featuring corbelled cylindrical tourelles with conical roofs on top. The castle was built with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets; the walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets and a water stream used to ran through the outer hall to provide water in the case of siege.
This is one of the different and rare experiences that we have been through while visiting a castle or a hotel, but actually a lot of people agree on the fact that it is one place which they love to visit for the idea of being referred to as haunted and for the fact that the visit paid for it is actually different - not just an old thing to watch and go through.
Since it is now used as a hotel, the Ballygally Castle is one of the oldest 17th century buildings in Northern Ireland that is still used until these days as a residence and is also believed to be one of the best haunted places in Ulster.
The Haunted Castle; a lot of people are asking why it has been given that name. Being considered a haunted place goes back to the ghosts which are believed to be living in the place with the most active of them all is known as Lady Isobel Shaw who used to knock on the doors of the rooms and disappear - yes, it would be scary to be staying at a room like that - this lady was reported to die after throwing herself from the window when her husband locked her in the room and left her starving. Another famous ghost in this castle is called Madame Nixon who used to live in the castle in the 19th century and who could be heard walking around the place in her silk dress.
The question we keep asking ourselves is is it possible that people could think about booking a room in this hotel or castle if they know that it is known as the haunted hotel and is believed to have ghosts living in it? and we never knew whether the answer would end up being a yes or else will be a no.
There are different stories reported about this hotel which are related to guests seeing ghosts or feeling them and running to the lobby in fright and those which are related to finding rooms in a mess after getting them prepared for guests. The most important thing to mention and the one thing we consider the most important is the small room in the corner turret of the castle which is known as the Ghost Room and which is closed and not part of the hotel.
It is interesting to get to this castle - or hotel - and reach the room through this tower to see those pictures and stories written on the wall about the history of the place when it comes to those stories related to the ghosts, but we didn't try to sleep in the hotel to tell you about any other kind of experience there!
There are other different trips we have made to Ballygally before which will be considered close to the Ballygally Hotel - the Haunted Hotel - which include the Ballygally and Ballintoy trip ( We have also visited this hotel before to check one of the doors that appeared in the Game of Thrones movie ( and we also enjoyed the Ballygally Beach which is near the castle (
Are you up to such an experience with some ghosts in it?
Some of the best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. A travel blog/vlog of the hidden treasures that are on our doorstep.
Exploring 9 Days In Ireland
Explore beautiful Ireland with me! I have been to Ireland twice and I love it. The weather maybe cold and rainy but the people are warm and welcoming. It is a beautiful country with a fascinating history and entertaining folklore. The best way to describe it is by saying, Ireland is everything you think it is and so much more. When thinking of Ireland, images of green grassy rolling hills, covered with sheep, pubs filled with people singing classic Irish tunes and leprechaun's playing tricks to keep their pot of gold safe may come to mind. Ireland has all of those things and more! It maybe small in size but it has a lot of things to do, beautiful nature to see and beer to drink. If you haven't been to Ireland yet, you must go. Experiencing Ireland should be on everyone's bucket list.
Find out more about what to do in Ireland on my blog
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Tour of a Spectacular Castle in Scotland!
Take a step back in time and watch Sorelle Amore, THIRDHOME's Best Job On The Planet winner, give a tour of a castle in Scotland.
This luxurious home is just one of 9,000+ that you can visit when you are a member of THIRDHOME. THIRDHOME is the exclusive luxury property and travel club that enables second home owners to exchange time in their home for stays in spectacular destinations around the world.
Want to learn more? Visit
Staying at Inverlochy Castle Hotel & Resort
Lovely visit and dinner at Inverlochy Castle Hotel & Resort in Fort William, Scotland.
Hillsborough Fort Co Down
A remarkable place of vast proportions.
It's an Artillery fort built in 1650 by Colonel Arthur Hill - the Hill family built the village of Hillsborough starting with the fort. Remodelled in the 18th Century for feasts and entertainment.
Hillsborough Fort lies just outside the village of Hillsborough in County Down. Set in the beautiful Hillsborough Forest Park and built on the site of the old Magennes stronghold, the Fort was founded in 1630 by Peter Hill and completed around 1650 by Colonel Arthur Hill.
Certainly one of the Historic Houses of Northern Ireland, the Fort consists of a square enclosed by an earthen rampart with outer stone facing. The stone facing rises above the rampart level to form a parapet wall. It was constituted a Royal Fort by Charles II.
William of Orange spent several nights at the Fort on his way South to the Boyne in 1690.
The building’s historic significance is still marked in the 21st Century by the “Hillsborough Old Guard”, a local society which keeps the tradition of the fort alive through re-enactments and events. There is an official Bugler of the Hillsborough Fort Guard (historically the keepers of the Fort) who plays at ceremonial events.
Whilst Adults will ‘get’ the history of the location, kids will love the freedom they can experience in the vast grounds in front of the fort, making it a great family attraction in Northern Ireland. Despite the impression that the location is far from the rest of civilisation, the fort is just metres away from the pleasant centre of Hillsborough, with its restaurants, shops and cafés, and of course, Hillsborough Castle, the official Royal Residence in Northern Ireland.