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Ballaghmore Castle 1480 Celtic castle - perfect for family holidays. Only one and a half hours from Dublin yet set in beautiful peaceful countryside rich with activities and amenities. The castle is rented exclusively to your family group giving you the peace and privacy of the whole castle for the duration of your stay. Set in thirty acres of private grounds the castle offers sleeping accommodation for up to twenty family members over two floors of shared sleeping accommodation. The castle includes shower, bathroom and four WCs.The spectacular banqueting hall with its long tables, minstrels' alcove and roaring log fire forms the centre for gatherings in the castle. Off the Banqueting hall is a well equipped self-catering kitchen including large oven, microwave, dishwasher, fridge, washing machine and dryer. In addition, the fabulous Great Hall at the top of the castle also offers its cosy open fire, comfortable arm chairs and fun areas for table-tennis, snooker and games. On the ground floor of the castle is the generous flag-stoned basement that is ideal as a bar area if you are having a party whether inside or outside of the castle. The main entrance to the castle leads you to the beautiful mature and natural garden, ponds, woodlands and covered barbecue area with its long banqueting table for all the family. Adjacent to the castle is the owner's Manor House B&B which offers additional accommodation if required for those needing their own bedroom such as parents with babies and older members of the family (the B&B is offered at a separate cost). The Castle is positioned in the centre of its own land with a long grass lined avenue, surrounding paddocks and plenty of space to relax and for children to play. The countryside, small towns and villages within the locality of Ballaghmore Castle are rich with amenities including fishing, golf, horse riding, hiking, sightseeing, ancient heritage sites, eating out, shopping and pubs. A holiday at Ballaghmore Castle is a rare, unique and thrilling experience. The castle has been restored and maintained as close as is possible to its original and thus to stay here gives you a true experience of castle living.
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I was thrown a surprise stag weekend at Ballaghmore castle last week, it was fantastic from start to finish and I couldn’t recommend the place more. The building itself is over 500 years old, it’s as authentic and impressive as it gets, huge fires to keep it warm and lots of hidden rooms and nooks. Facilities in the building include two kitchen areas, hot showers bathrooms. Outside there’s an area for bbq an fire. The owner is a lovely lady named grace, she’s very passionate about the restoration of the castle and can give you all the information and history of it. They live in the house next door but give you complete privacy and let us set up a large speaker system inside and outside etc no hassle. Incredible stay and we’ll definitely be back!
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We organised a hen weekend at the Castle for our friend and 17 other hens. When organising the weekend the owner Grace was always easily contactable and extremely helpful. She was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the Castle and its history. We had to ourselves for the weekend. We had an absolutely fabulous time with a medieval banquet on Friday night which was very atmospheric with a roaring fire( fuel provided). On Saturday morning we played croquet on the grounds ( croquet set provided and left out on the grass) we played music and sports on the front lawn. In the afternoon we used the Grand Hall to have a dance class . To finish off our wonderful weekend we had a BBQ ( fuel provided). We ate this outside under the full moon and in the shadow of the castle. The castle speaks for itself with its unadulterated beauty and really makes for a special and unique place to stay. It was an absolute pleasure and a privilege to have such an experience. I know it is a weekend that the bride and the other girls will not forget in a hurry. Would definitely recommend!
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Date of stay: August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This castle was such an incredible experience. To be able to actually go inside and feel a true castle experience was truly amazing! Grace has kept the feeling as true to its roots while making it an amazing adventure for those who wish to stay for a weekend getaway.
Amazing Grace....your host...will not disappoint. She is so knowledgeable and will give you the best and most enlightening, educational tour.
One of my favorite parts of our journey!
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Myself and my husband were lucky to visit this wonderful castle steeped in history. We met with the lovely and very knowledgeable Grace, owner and restorer of this beautiful castle. It was the most enjoyable experience we have encountered in a long time. Grace is a truly lovely person and the castle was a pleasure to visit. I would highly recommend a visit.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stopped by the castle and expected to be let in to wander around by ourselves. Instead, we were given a tour by Grace, a warm and extremely knowledgeable historian. We had an incredible time listening and walking through the renovated castle owned by her. She was extremely charming and we really enjoyed the experience and time we spent at Ballaghmore Castle. We recommend visiting and taking in the vast amount of information Grace possesses. We learned a lot and will always remember our afternoon spent there.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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I was here for a stag with a bunch of 20 a couple of weeks ago. The castle is the perfect venue for a big party and Grace is the perfect host. The place is steeped in history and it's truly a unique experience.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â Good local pub nearby
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Large group booking. All squashed into 2 rooms!!!!! Shared with mice, bats , spiders. Not a clean place. Damp. Minimal cooking facilities. Plenty of storage. One only functioning bathroom. Instructed not to flush often . !!! Owner eventually let us use her bathroom !!!! Avoid ballaghmore castle. Fire hazard as only one stairwell in and out.
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Date of stay: June 2014Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
one particular tourism website (i'm not saying who they'll only sue me for suggesting they supply false information) described it as "lovingly restored and welcomes visitors" - wrong!
i do not claim to be an expert but i have had many opportunities to stay in a range of digs worldwide from five star hotels down to a campsite in the himalayas with no water facilities - i have always been able to find the unique charms of any accomodation i have stayed at no matter how basic the facilities were but have to admit would sta longer in some than others!
the castle is in an amazing location in the middle of nowhere - ideal for a hen party! the deal was €2000 for the weekend - self catering- bring your own towels.
it certainly has the potential to beautiful and a very refreshing change from the "run of the mill hotel" rooms and the bedrooms did indeed have amazing character. unfortunately it is clearly not being offered the care and attention that would allow it to meet its potential. the carpets looked like they hadn't seen a vaccum cleaner (or a carpet beater) since the place was first built and the rest of the fixtures and fittings met similar standards of cleanliness.
i understand that it is difficult to avoid damp, spiders and insects in such an old building but really someone should have removed at least some of the cobwebs, dead woodlice and dust.(maybe they were kept to create an atmosphere and i just didn't get it?)
i was told that there was sufficient space for twenty people. it was not made clear to me that this meant that one or two of us would be sleeping on an air matress in the bathroom.
during the course of the weekend, three of the four lavatories backed up - see my note below and you'll understand that we definately did not use too much toilet paper!
most of these shortcomings would have been forgivable had it not been for the owner of this establishment. i note that i am not allowed to make personal insults so lets just stick to the facts.
one of the bridemaids arrived on the friday with a group of her friends. she was made to purchase fuel for the fire and was told that she "may need to purchase additional toilet paper"
when i arrived at the castle, she greeted me by shouting that i had parked in the wrong place. i tried to explain that i had a lady who required special assistance in the car and would move as soon as i had seen her to the door - for some reason this just incurred more shouting.
this shouting continued every time someone arrived to drop a guest to the castle. i have no problem with being informed that i am in the wrong car park - but there's really no need to shout.
the next morning as we were clearing up and clearly making efforts to "leave the place as we found it" as requested, she decided to shout some more - she even shouted at some gentleman who had come to pick up some of the hens and had nothing to do with the party whatsoever.
if we were her employees, there are laws that protect against this type of treatment. i cannot understand how she can justify treating paying guests this way and i do not think that this castle "welcomes visitors" - quite the opposite in fact.
it is very unfortunate that such a place exists in a country that is deservedly world famous for its hospitality.
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Date of stay: August 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed with 3 friends in Ballaghmore Castle GUEST HOUSE as opposed to the actual castle but by the looks of the terrible review of the castle that I just read - there's not much difference between the two!
On arrival we were greeted by the 'odd' owner and told that this was the oldest house in Borris-in-Ossory...which was not a surprise considering how dirty and damp it was.
There were cob webs EVERYWHERE including directly over the heads of the beds. The bathroom (if weren't lucky enough to stay in the room with the 'en suite') was so damp that you'd feel dirty after a shower in there.
We were told that the price was €60 per person for the night - to be honest if somebody paid ME €60 to stay there again I wouldn't go back. My skin is still crawling from the night I spent there and I will not forget it in a hurry.
Avoid at all costs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Date of stay: June 2009
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stopped by the castle to enquire about bringing tourist groups to tour the castle, as I am involved in the tourism industry. When I arrived the owner was not at home so I waited. Within a few minutes she arrived back and without any apparent reason and before i could explain my reason for being there she launched a verbal assault on me about some obscure subject matter. I had no idea what she was ranting about. I can only assume she thought I was someone else or she is clearly not well. I was dumb-founded and quickly made my escape. So be warned and stay away! You will NOT get an Irish welcome or even common civility at Ballaghmore Castle!
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Date of stay: April 2014Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ballaghmore_Castle, Owner at Ballaghmore Castle
Responded 20 Aug 2014
Sorry tour operator but Grace did ask you please telephone to make an appointment as she was not able to see you there and then.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Borris-in-Ossory area.
LOCATION
IrelandProvince of LeinsterCounty LaoisBorris-in-Ossory
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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