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Ballynahinch Castle

pretty window

We really didn’t want to leave the luxury of the Princess Grace Suite at The Shelbourne, but that’s what we had to do on Wednesday morning.

ireland drive

We loaded up the rental car and began our drive across the center of Ireland, from Dublin, on the east coast, to Ballynahinch Castle on the west coast. It’s about a 4-hour drive, though we took a little longer, stopping in the center of the country, in the town of Athlone.

castle walls

There, we toured the medieval Athlone Castle along the Shannon River.

chess

While the boys played “lawn” chess on the top level of the castle, I was more focused on what was in the background.

Ss Peter and Paul Church

I visited the beautiful Church of Saints Peter and Paul.

inside church

Beautiful, inside and out.

It began to rain, so back in the car, we went.

Ballynahinch Castle

We followed the road markers to our destination, turning down the dense tree-lined lanes until the castle rose out of nowhere in front of us.

entrance

hedge

Ballynahinch Castle was built in about 1684 and has been used as a hotel since 1946.

Owenmore River

It sits on the edge of the Owenmore River.

bridge

The grounds are stunningly gorgeous!

roots

Happily, when we booked the rooms, months ago, we made reservations for dinner in the dining room of the castle.

beef

The food was outstanding!

frogs

With only a couple of California wines on the extensive wine list, we were beyond excited to find that one of the two was from our favorite winery in Napa, Frog’s Leap!

lady

To end the night on a perfect note, I found our dinner order nailed to the order board. The young woman who served us referred to me as “Lady” instead of “Mum” while listing Dave and Connor as “Dad” and “Son.”  I noticed other orders had “Lady” and “Gentleman” on them.  I don’t know why, but I thought that was really sweet.

castle tops

secret door

After exploring more around the grounds, we’ll be off to find more Irish treasures.

clear waters

Stay tuned…


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4 comments

1 Al Otter { 07.18.14 at 7:47 AM }

Those pictures and comments are beautiful, Linda–as I have now come to expect…

2 Sheila { 07.18.14 at 8:51 AM }

Beautiful

3 Raechel Rosen { 07.18.14 at 1:15 PM }

Looks amazing, I now want to add Ireland to my must visit list!

4 Tram Mai { 07.18.14 at 4:47 PM }

Love following your adventures!!! I hope you’re enjoying your castle quarters as much as your princess room! 😉

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