If you’re the traveler on the lookout for something different and looking to take an imaginary step back in time, when royalty slept in palatial suites far from the rest of the world, then look no further than Ballynahinch Castle.
Growing up, we all dreamed of living in a castle at one point or another and roaming around the grounds like royalty. What if I told you you could make your childhood dream come true? Ireland is home to a number of these accommodations, but only one offers the beauty of the rural countryside accompanied by activities like fly fishing, walks and hikes around the castle grounds, guided boat tours, and woodcock and clay shooting—Ballynahinch Castle. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect place for a couples or guys/girls weekend getaway? I think so.
Before even stepping foot on the 700 acre estate, we drove by a beautiful horse stable with only one singular horse in the field. A white horse stood a few feet from us, staring at us in the car, as the sunset behind him. It almost felt ominous, like something you’d see in a movie!
Soon we came within sight of the romantic estate, its picturesque castle facing the river with a backdrop of the Twelve Bens delightfully framing the estate. Ballynahinch, pronounced Baile na hlnse, means ‘household of the Island.’ It was given the name because of its position atop of the lake. The castle was built in the 1756 and was home to the Ferocious O’Flaherty clan. The property has strong literary ties and has served as an inspiration to many writers and poets who have stayed at the property. Ballynahinch Castle was eventually purchased by a Maharajah in 1924 and has been owned by his family ever since. It had a been a beautiful sunny day and we had just drove in from Clifden. When we finally parked in front of the castle’s main entrance, we were amazed at the beauty of the castle with it’s huge elongated windows.
Me about to enter Ballynahinch Castle 
The reception
The reception sitting area 
Christmas decor abound!
We stayed in a Luxury Room in the main house. I walked towards our main table in our private sitting area. A small sofa couch faced the river with our own private fireplace. Behind the sofa was our king sized bed with white crisp linens, a pillow top mattress, and accent pillows. There was a welcome note on the table in our sitting area accompanied by complimentary bottled water and some welcome delicious welcome sweets. A perfect pick-me-up before we explored the castle.
As soon as I hung my clothes in the spacious walk-in closet of our bedroom, I wandered around the room dying with the curiosity to see all of it. French doors opened up to a vanity and walk-in closet, followed by another set of French doors that opened up to the bathroom with a separate rainfall shower and bath tub. Pink and blue pastel wallpaper with vine patterns decor the wall.
I walked to the end of the room. The room featured large windows with stunning views of the river and woodlands below. The Luxury Rooms below us had access to the riverside gardens through French doors. Patrick through himself on the sofa couch in the sitting area as I played around with the iPod docking station and radio. The sun was setting so we decided to go explore some of the castle grounds before it got dark.
The staff had a whole den full of rain coats, rain boots, and umbrellas for guests. Pat and I didn’t think we needed any of it since it wasn’t raining. We now know why they were there! We made our way across the river to get a better view of Ballynahinch Castle. Little did we know that the majority of the walkway was on the water. At one point, the walkway was covered in water so deep, that we couldn’t go any further. The rain boots would have come in handy now! We now knew for tomorrow, rain boots were a must. Not because of the rain, but because of the occasional walkways that would be submersed by the river.
It was beginning to get dark and I was starting to get scared, what if an animal came out and attacked us?! Patrick continued to insist that there were no dangerous animals in the area. I told him they had hunting excursions on property so there must be some sort of animal on the premises. To reassure me, we ended up walking back to the castle. Later on, we had ourselves a laugh. Patrick looked up what the most “dangerous” animal on the estate was…it was a a fox and a mallard. I was scared for nothing, I was afraid of a simple duck! We burst out into laughter.
The view of Ballynahinch Castle from the other side of the river
That night, we indulged in dinner at the Fisherman’s Pub and Ranji Room, which only uses local products and fresh caught fish. More to come on my dining experience in my upcoming articles! After dinner, we decided to explore the inside of the castle. It was Christmas time and decorations were abound. In the halls, on the staircases, Christmas trees and lights in every room, Garland that wraps every fireplace and staircase in the building. It felt like I was at Hogwarts. I just kept hearing that song play in my head by John Williams, “Double Trouble.”
Fishing poles for those who want to go fly-fishing 
We spent the majority of the night in the living room area sipping Irish Whiskey and playing board games. The living room was off-white with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and big comfortable sofas facing the fireplace. The room was wrapped in windows and a a grand piano was placed in the corner. We found a stack of board games placed on the table and decided to play a round of an Irish board game. This was our favorite part of the night. Music, games, whiskey, a warm crackling fire, all while in a castle. It was beyond charming.
The living room and music room area
Pat playing the Irish Board Game
That night not only did we dine like royalty, we slept like ones too. The next morning we woke up bright and early. We were determined to explore the 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of river and lakeside paths that the estate owns. We made our way to the Owenmore Restaurant were breakfast was being served. A large French door led to the breakfast area. It was enclosed by glass walls on all sides. Another French door extended to the porch that wrapped around the perimeter of the castle facing the vast expanse of the river. It was a rainy and cold winter day so we enjoyed breakfast indoors instead of out on the wrap around porch. I read the morning paper while enjoying our yogurt, pastries, and eggs Benedict with bacon. There was a Christmas ham out on the breakfast buffet table Pat and I just couldn’t resist. It was so good! We daydreamed about cutting ourselves off a whole piece and taking it with us on our walk for lunch!
Me reading the paper
We went back to our room and geared up for our walk. Not without stopping by the den and grabbing some rain boots and jackets before heading out. The property features terraced gardens, a labyrinth garden, tennis courts, and the 10 kilometers of river and lakeside paths. It was perfect for a romantic, quiet, and reflective stroll through nature. We followed the walking map and made our way around the entire estate. We spent a good 2 hours of our morning if not more, exploring the area. In the summer, there are bikes for hire, fly-fishing for salmon on the famous Ballynahinch River, Equestrian programs, tennis courts, and more. You could spend an entire week here just drinking Teeling Whiskey and enjoying all the activities the property has to offer.
The den Me exploring the castle grounds
After our walk, we packed up our bags and gave a Christmas goodbye to the fairytale Ballynahinch castle in the rural countryside of Connemara. For no more than you’d pay for an ordinary room in a standard hotel, you can experience a castle as it once was with modern necessities and outdoor activities in all its glory. Offers start at €220.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Ballynahinch Castle. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.
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