Hello there, and Happy New Year! The garden is not showing a lot of color at the moment, so I thought it would be a perfect time to talk about our stay at Ashford Castle. Ashford Castel is more than 800 years old. While having been updated and restored through the years, the most recent refurbishment took place when the Red Carnation Hotels took over in 2013. We were very lucky with the timing of our trip in the fall, as there were no national travel restrictions and we were allowed to travel the two and a half hour drive across the country to Cong, County Mayo. My husband had organized everything as a special birthday treat to me, which had me feeling like a well loved princess!
I must say that from the moment we entered the grounds, there was a feeling of wonderment and awe. The grounds are beautiful. The castle is beautiful. The experience was beautiful. It was, simply stated, absolutely fabulous.
O.K., so what made it fabulous in my eyes? The grounds. We were able to roam the spacious grounds, admiring the gardens as well as walking the trails along the lake for hours. Luck was definitely on our side, as the weather was dry for most of our visit, so we were able to truly enjoy the outdoors.
What else did I love? I loved the grandeur of the castle. Every room felt special, and yet inviting. The staff played their part in making us feel welcome and at home, too. We decided to have a look around the area, too, and left the grounds to go hiking. It wasn’t too far from the castle: ‘Sean Bóthar’ (the old road) between Clonbur and Corr na Móna, Co. Galway. It was lovely to get out and stretch our legs. And what better way to follow up a hike than with a spa treatment back at the castle! Due to Covid-19 restrictions, my husband and I were the only ones allowed to use the recovery room and the pool after our spa treatments, which was quite peaceful. The atmosphere was so relaxing. It was simply perfect to just enjoy being present in the moment. I also found the decorative wall at the pool to have stunning ceramic work. 🙂
Every moment was enjoyable, honestly. We loved the food, the wine, the desserts. It was all delicious! Our two night stay went much too quickly. But before we left, my husband insisted that I watch The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. It was filmed in the area in 1952 and essentially ‘put Ireland on the map’, as they say. The hotel has it on demand on tv, so sure enough, we watched it! Still not my favorite movie, but at least now I can say I’ve seen it!
Celebrating our birthdays has become such a treat. Having lost my sister years ago when she was just 35, I make sure to always celebrate our birthdays, because it is such a privilege to do so. Especially given the year we’ve had with the pandemic and not being able to travel as usual, it was wonderful to get away to such a beautiful part of the country and enjoy such a time at such a regal castle.
I very much look forward to when we will return again!
I hope you enjoy the pictures!
In Peace, Dana
Ashford Castle – (view of Tollman garden) what I noted here was the beautiful repeat of plantings throughout the gardensView of the Tollman Garden, from our bedroom. This, and the other gardens, were laid out by the Guinness family in the nineteenth century, are said to be among the finest of the many beautiful country house gardens to be found in Ireland. The circular pond, which measures eleven meters, was added in 1996. It was a perfect sunny day when we arrived!The forecast was for rain, so we were delighted to enjoy an afternoon of sun!Eagle with fish. Good time to mention their falconry school which is the oldest in the country!Since 2013, when the castle was bought by Red Carnation Hotels, it has undergone major refurbishmentI enjoy the peacefulness of gardensThe fountain was a surprise and a delight to seeA lovely enclosed living pathwaymore gardens at Ashford castleMore garden art – this time a rabbit in the kitchen garden!Even at the end of September, the garden was still lovelyI enjoyed seeing the plantings I never pass on the opportunity to capture RudbeckiasThere were plenty of seats in the garden!Here’s another place to rest and enjoy the moment.Beautiful view of Lough Corrib My husband was a good sport about having his picture taken!Lovely view of the lake behind us!But did I get enough pictures of the garden?The tremendous, old trees were stunning.O.K., confession time: I walked up and touched these roses. Yes I did. They were too perfect to be real, right? Wrong. They were 100% real. I might have taken several pictures of said roses… I suppose when the castle is 800 years old, you’re bound to see a suit of armour?Unfortunately, there was very little ‘hanging about’ due to Covid-19.We were happy enough meandering around the castle, though!I love old artwork. And archways. And walls. Did I mention that all of the walls were covered in fabric? Each wall was more lovely than the next. This chandelier was my favorite. It is made of Murano glass.A very comfortable room with a beautiful view of the garden and lake.Yes, this is how I spent a lot of the time!This was on our hike: ‘Sean Bóthar’ (the old road) between Clonbur and Corr na Móna, Co. GalwayThere were a lot of winding hills and rock walls on our hike.I could really say this about any part of Ireland, but this part of the country is beautiful! The difference it makes when the sun peeks through even for a few minutes!I seem to have a connection with animals 🙂 Nah, they were hopeful for apples!It is very common to see gorse while hiking. But don’t get too close as it is quite thorny!The ornate ceramic wall at the pool was beautiful.Perfect timing for pampering after our hike!Cullen’s at the Cottage, is a restaurant in a traditional thatched cottage on the ground of Ashford castle. The food here is delicious, too!This is the beautiful garden at the front of Cullen’s at the Cottage (the traditional thatched cottage) which is just a stone’s throw from the castleJust a photo at the front entrance of the castle 🙂 There was even a bit of a surprise when the staff sang ‘Happy Birthday’! (I think we had the restaurant to ourselves at this stage!)I did indeed screen shot the movie! Proof that I watched The Quiet Man 🙂 Statue in honor of The Quiet Man
We certainly had a lovely time. The sun didn’t hang around as much as we would have preferred, but at least it was dry for most of our visit.
The main entranceLeaving the castle behind us…
I hope you have enjoyed the tour. Please do stop by again! As always, keep well and stay safe. 🙂
Mom in the Garden 
Enjoying Ashford Castle in all its decadent splendor
What a birthday treat, Dana! Well deserved! Thanks so much for the wonderful photos of such a beautiful palace/garden!
Thank you so much, Fabio! I was very appreciative of such a wonderful treat! I’m glad you enjoyed the photos 🙂
Thanks much, Dana! 🙂
Definitely on my bucket list. Looks fabulous Dana.
Absolutely worth it, Louise. It was such a wonderful experience that still makes me smile just thinking about it! 🙂