“A True Gem”
My husband and I stayed here with 2 other couples for a weekend.
You have to go to the owners house first ( it’s right outside the town of Adare) and then Mary hops in her car and takes you down the road a mile or so to the Castle. You would never find it on your own it’s way back off the road .
The castle is beautiful very authentic right down to the granite winding staircase to the second and 3rd floors. The rooms are very well decorated, I felt like a queen in my very large bedroom ! We had a lovely roaring fire in the living room the night before we left, which was already laid for us. We only needed to light it and add wood as needed. Mary stocks the refrigerator with eggs, bread, bacon, tea, coffee, everything you need for breakfast and more. That was wonderful! Even a bottle of red & white wine. What could be better! We went to the Blue door for lunch! very good! Pat Collins Pub for a dinner delicious food & pub atmosphere. And don’t leave town for a special meal at 1826, a little pricey but well worth it!
All located in town 5-8 min away. I wish we could have stayed longer! This would be a great place to take your family. The grounds are beautiful, the castle is huge and good location to do day trips! We hope to come back again. FYI Mary is always available if you need anything. She even got us on the golf course the first day! Defiantly if you golf go play the local Adare Manor course it’s inexpensive and beautiful. We also cooked breakfast on the large outdoor grill what fun! Not for people that can’t climb stairs remember it is a castle!
“Royalty revisited”
In the middle of the green fields of greater Adare sits Fanningstown castle. It served as our base for this New Years trip to Ireland. We had five adults and four children. There was plenty of room for everyone. There is some bathroom sharing but the parents, kids and grand parents were able to work things out. The owner Mary is uber gracious. She was very helpful via emails prior to arrival and stayed low key during our stay. There was food waiting for us in the fridge and pantry. Also a couple of bottles of wine. During our stay it took some time to get used to the heating system. Keeping the heat on too long makes for a too toasty feel. There is a timer in the kitchen that works well when you und stand it to keep just the right temp. Get to know that fist thing if you stay in winter. There’s also an appealing small fireplace in the main room that will likely be ready for you to light up when you are ready. We contributed a box of fire starters that should be ready for the rest of any fires you want. There is a TV in the library / game room but frankly we never watched it. Chatting and playing games with the kids in front of the fire was more our style.
Fanningstown is off of the last rotary before Adare coming from limerick. It’s a bit tricky to find, especially as you are getting used to left side driving. First left off the rotary and then about 4 miles to a unmarked turn between hedges and .2 miles to the castle. Mary will come and meet you to lead you in if you have trouble. Once you know the way coming and goings won’t be a problem. However we often did overshoot the final turn into the drive.
Adare is several miles down the road . There are half a dozen pubs / clippers to try. We liked Aunty Lena’s best. There are also two small grocers in town where you can stock up on provisions. We also had one meal out at the pub in the Woodlands hotel that is a short drive from Fanningstown. You will pass it on the way in. The pub is called Timmy Macs. There are several restaurants in Adare but other than the Adare Manor we passed.
We used the castle as our base for day trips to the rinG of Kerry, Dingle and cliffs of Moher. Each are is about 1 1/2 hours ride from Adare. Limerick is about 20 minutes away and Shannon about 30 minutes. There is a toll on the way to and from the airport so you’ll need some change. (1.90 euro). If you have a rental car you’ll need to fuel up in the town of Shannon there are no fuel stations on the main road to the airport and car rental drop off.
There was wifi but it really only worked in the kitchen. The walls are too thick for it to work much beyond that room. Its fine for email checking but not streaming. This is not a handicapped accessible facility. The proprietor, Mary, was kind enough to find a hat I left behind. She went down to the pub where I left it and made arrangements to send it to me.
Enjoy your stay at the castle. It’s a unique place and very comfortable and lots of fun for a group.
“Memories for a Lifetime”
I cannot say enough about this wonderful, magical place! We chose Fanningstown because it was nearby my father’s farm and we wanted our children to experience life in a castle. We had no idea just how wonderful this experience would be! The owners are lovely and very responsive to every need. The castle is old, yet updated and has all of the modern amenities that we were used to. Mary met us on the first day and made us feel welcome in her home. The grounds are beautiful and our children enjoyed the cattle and horse just down the road. A trip of a lifetime for us and staying at Fanningstown helped make it extra special. We look forward to our next stay! Thank you! =) Eileen and family
“Wonderful Castle for our Wedding”
We hired Fanningstown Castle for our Wedding. It was so much better than we imagined. 10 of us stayed in the Castle for the week and I also hired Fanningstown House for another 10 people to stay in which is a 2 minute drive away and can be seen over the field from the Castle.
The setting is 2nd to none and we dressed it to make it look a little more like a wedding with rose tree’s by the doors and lanterns etc.
The rooms are all very spacious and very comfortable. All you can hear is bird song and cows. It was idyllic.
Mary and Dave were both more than helpful with plenty of emails prior to arrival to carrying our bags in for us. There was fresh bread, milk, eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit juice as well as 2 bottles of wine and a basket of logs. Plus wine!
Adare was only a short drive in and we preferred to take the back road passed the ‘thatch pub’ which is within walking distance of the Castle on the lane almost opposite the entrance driveway. This meant missing all the queuing traffic going into Adare from the motorway.
We were very sad to leave and hope to return to celebrate an anniversary or two.
We couldn’t fault it.
“Living like Royalty”
In a beautiful land like Ireland, where castle ruins abound, who doesn’t want to stay in their own castle – especially one that comes with its own ghost? 🙂 We utilized Fanningstown Castle as our central location while in Ireland for a week. It was a great central location (didn’t drive more than 1.45 hours to any particular location) and staying at the castle was wonderful! Our hosts (Mary and David) were so gracious in that there was food in the refrigerator and cupboards, along with fresh bread and a bottle of wine! We got a little turned around in trying to find the place so David came to us and led us to the castle.
The castle itself was so nice and HUGE! We had 9 people and there was plenty of space for all. The young adults (especially my daughter) were so excited to be staying in their very own castle. The only drawback was dragging a 50 pound suitcase up the circular stone stairs. I found it much easier taking it down – stand at the top of the stairs and push it down! LOL
The kitchen and dining room was used for family meals and easily accommodated all 9 of us. It was also the “hang out” location since the WI-FI only worked in the kitchen but not a problem since we were there to site see, not surf the net except to upload fabulous photos of the places we’d been too.
Overall – HIGHLY recommend this to any who wants to experience what it was like in a time forgotten when only royalty lived in castles. Now you can too – at a very reasonable price! Thank you David and Mary for making our trip that much more memorable.
“The Perfect Place”
Fanningstown Castle is the perfect place to stay. If you’ve ever dreamed of living in a castle then go to Fanningstown Castle. Perfection is not enough to say. Furnishings were what you would think of in a castle. The Proprietors Mary and Dave Normoyle were the perfect hosts. You need something they were there. Firewood- done, hair dryers-done,. Ask and you shall receive. We had a fire all the time and Dave made sure we never ran out of firewood.
The kitchen is modern and has lots of equipment and dishes etc to keep you happy. I had a family of 10 there and we were perfectly happy. It was a dream for me and turned out to be a dream for my family. The castle is beautifully kept. If I could give this castle a higher rating I would give it a 10. I thank Mary and Dave for a beautiful visit to Ireland and will never forget them. Do not hesitate to rent this castle, you will be very happy,
