Dromoland Castle
 | Parts of this article (those related to All) need to be updated. The reason given is: Needs update and expansion. (June 2023) |
| Dromoland Castle | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Dromoland Castle | |
  | |
| General information | |
| Status | Luxury hotel |
| Type | castle |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Location | County Clare |
| Country | Ireland |
| Estimated completion | 15th/16th century (original) 1835 (current structure) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | James and George Richard Pain (current structure) |
| Earl of Thomond, Dromoland Castle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Head chef | Jean Baptiste Molinari |
| Rating |  Michelin Guide (1995) |
| City | Newmarket-on-Fergus |
| Country | Ireland |
Dromoland Castle (Irish: Drom Ólainn) is a castle, located near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, Ireland. It is operated as a five-star luxury hotel with a golf course, with its restaurant, the "Earl of Thomond", being awarded a Michelin star in 1995, under head chef Jean Baptiste Molinari.[1]
Castle History
[edit]Dromoland Castle was the ancestral home of the O'Briens, Barons of Inchiquin, who are one of the few native Gaelic families of royal blood, and direct descendants of Brian Boroimhe (Boru), High King of Ireland in the eleventh century.[2] For reasons of health and financial concerns, in the early 1960s Donough O'Brien (of the O'Brien dynasty), the sixteenth Baron of Inchiquin, decided to sell Dromoland castle, along with a parcel of 400 acres of land plus shooting and fishing rights to an American businessman, Bernard McDonough. McDonough, who was from West Virginia, had grandparents who had lived not far from Newmarket-on-Fergus, the village closest to the estate. After purchasing the estate in 1962, McDonough converted the castle into a luxury hotel in 1963.[3][4]
Dromoland Castle Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide.[5]
Famous guests
[edit]
United States President George W. Bush spent the night of Friday, 26 June 2004, at Dromoland Castle to attend the EU-US Summit held at the facility. President Bush was guarded by approximately 7,000 police, military and private security forces during his 16-hour visit.[6]
Over the years, notable people who have stayed at Dromoland Castle include John Lennon and George Harrison,[7] Muhammad Ali,[8] Bono,[9] John Travolta,[9] Juan Carlos I of Spain,[10] Johnny Cash,[8] and Nelson Mandela.[8]
References
[edit]
- ^ "Michelin Online Republic of Ireland". Michelinonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- ^ "Dromoland Castle". Celtic Castles. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
- ^ Curley, Walter (2004). Vanishing Kingdoms, The Irish Chiefs and their Families. Dublin, Ireland: The Lilliput Press. pp. Page 84. ISBN 1843510561.
- ^ "Lord Inchiquin, former owner of Dromoland Castle in Co Clare, dies aged 79". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Dromoland Castle". Historic Hotels. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ Irish Batten Down Hatches for Bush
- ^ "The Beatles at Dromoland". RTÉ. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "The deluxe Dromoland Castle is getting a touch-up worth €20 million". TheJournal.ie. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Dromoland Castle Hotel is a dreamland for golfers". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ "Gibraltar and fisheries politically sensitive issues for king of Spain". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
External links
[edit]
| Kindreds and septs |
| ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personalities |
| ||||||||||||
| Literature | |||||||||||||
| Places | |||||||||||||
| Battles | |||||||||||||
| Related articles | |||||||||||||
| Related lists | |||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
