Castle hotels and castles to visit near Dublin

Base yourself in a castle hotel and spend your days in older ones. The routes between them are short, so you can sleep behind battlements and still see the state rooms, keeps and gardens that shaped the country.

This guide covers five castle hotels and three castles to visit, spread across Dublin, Kildare and Meath. Some are full hotels with restaurants and golf, others are private castles booked whole. Each has a long history, and each sits within reach of the next, so you can link them without long drives.

Dublin city castle stayClontarf Castle

Clontarf Castle occupies the site of a castle built in 1172 by the Norman Hugh de Lacy, close to where the Battle of Clontarf was fought in 1014. The present building is a Victorian reconstruction from 1837, designed by William Vitruvius Morrison, and it became a 4-star hotel in the 1990s after a spell as a cabaret venue.

Original 12th-century castle walls remain visible inside. Fahrenheit Restaurant won a 2025 award for Luxury Hotel Restaurant of the Year, and there is also Knights Bar & Terrace and the Indigo Lounge. You can walk the coast towards Howth and Malahide, or hire bikes through a Moby Move partnership. The castle also hosts weddings and conferences.

Dublin castle private hireLuttrellstown Castle

Luttrellstown Castle in Castleknock has had only seven owners across 600 years. The Luttrell family held it for over 300 years until 1811, when the bookseller Luke White bought it. David and Victoria Beckham married here in 1999. It is a genuine castle, and accommodation is booked as a whole: you take the entire 20-bedroom property.

The estate covers 567 acres of private parkland, with a championship 18-hole golf course designed by MacKenzie and Steel. Rugged Lane Restaurant and The Club Bar serve guests, and there is a modern alpine-style clubhouse plus the Gardener's Cottage for extra accommodation. Woodland walks cross the grounds, and weddings and corporate retreats are hosted here.

Kildare medieval castle hotelBarberstown Castle

Barberstown Castle was built in 1288 by Nicholas Barby and is one of Ireland's oldest continuously inhabited castles. Elizabethan and Victorian wings were added over the centuries. Eric Clapton owned it from 1979 to 1987 and hosted late-night sessions in the Castle Keep. It opened as a guesthouse in 1971 and is now a 4-star hotel.

There are 58 bedrooms plus two lodges and a Presidential Suite. The Barton Rooms Restaurant took a 2025 Good Food Ireland award as hotel restaurant of the year, and the Garden Suite & Bar opens onto the gardens. The Haggard Pub offers casual food, the medieval Castle Keep can be booked for private dining, and the banquet hall seats 280. The 30-acre gardens include a notable Weeping Willow.

Kildare castle and golf resortKilkea Castle

Kilkea Castle dates to 1180, when Hugh de Lacy had it raised for Sir Walter de Riddlesford. The keep you see now is mostly 15th-century, and for roughly seven centuries the castle was the main seat of the FitzGerald Earls of Kildare. The last Earl sold it in 1963, and it has run as a hotel since. It counts among Ireland's oldest continuously inhabited castles.

There are 140 bedrooms across the Castle, Castle Courtyard and The Lodges. The estate has an 18-hole championship golf course, a spa, tennis courts and a fine dining restaurant, set in 180 acres of landscaped gardens and ancient woodland with a river running through. Equestrian excursions are available, and historical tours take in the Haunted Tower and FitzGerald details.

Meath private castle staySlane Castle

Slane Castle overlooks the River Boyne and is the home of the Conyngham family. It is known internationally as a rock concert venue, having hosted U2, the Rolling Stones and Guns N' Roses among others. It is a working private castle rather than a full hotel, with a first-floor Castle Suite taken as a whole for overnight stays and private dining.

The 230-acre grounds include ancient demesne woodlands and walks along the River Boyne valley. Private dining is arranged in the Gandon Room, and whiskey tastings take place at Browne's Bar. Slane Distillery is a short walk across the courtyard. The castle also offers whole-castle hire for larger gatherings, with access to the reception rooms and ballroom.

Dublin state castle visitDublin Castle

Dublin Castle rose from 1204, when King John ordered work to begin on the site of a Viking settlement. For more than 700 years it was the seat of English and British rule in Ireland. Most of what you see today was rebuilt in the 18th century, but the medieval Record Tower survives from the earlier fortress.

The Chapel Royal and the State Apartments are open to visitors, and the State Apartments are used for presidential inaugurations. The complex also holds museums and the Chester Beatty Library. It is a short distance from Clontarf Castle, making it an easy addition to a stay in the city.

Dublin tower house visitMalahide Castle

Malahide Castle was home to the Talbot family for almost 800 years, from 1185 to 1976, making it one of Ireland's oldest castles. It began as a Norman tower house and was extended over the centuries. The demesne covers 260 acres, and the castle is now run by Fingal County Council.

You can tour period-furnished rooms, including the Oak Room and the Gothic Great Hall, and see the Talbot family portrait collection. The Talbot Botanic Gardens have Victorian conservatories and plants from the southern hemisphere. Woodland trails cross the parkland. Clontarf Castle is the nearest castle hotel.

Meath Anglo-Norman visitTrim Castle

Work on Trim Castle began under Hugh de Lacy in 1173 and was finished in the early 13th century. It is Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle, and its keep is a striking 20-sided cruciform tower. Curtain walls and gatehouses survive, and the castle appeared in the film Braveheart.

Office of Public Works guided tours take you through the keep and the grounds. You can climb the keep for views over the River Boyne valley, and examine the great hall and undercroft. Barberstown Castle is the nearest castle hotel, making Trim a straightforward day visit from Kildare.

Before you bookA few practical notes

• Book Luttrellstown and Slane as whole-property or suite stays, since neither operates as a conventional room-by-room hotel.
• Check opening days and tour times for Dublin Castle, Malahide Castle and Trim Castle before setting out, as access varies.
• Barberstown and Kilkea both have golf courses and gardens, so allow time on site rather than treating them as beds only.
• Clontarf Castle is inside Dublin, which makes it a practical base for visiting Dublin Castle and Malahide Castle by day.