Ireland Castles

I've never stopped in a castle in Ireland but this website has lots of ideas to start you off...

The Irish Landmark Trust has some interesting properties too - including several castles in both NI and the Republic.

We just went to Ireland/Northern Ireland for the second half of May. One of the places we stayed was Ballynahinch Castle in Connemara, County Galway. It's and 18th century manor house open as a luxury hotel, but it's more economically priced than some of the other manor houses with accommodations. My wife and I had a room, and our young adult boys had another room. The rooms had view of the trout stream. The castle sits on 700 acres in the middle of the Connemara region. The grounds have a walled garden, numerous walking paths, trout stream, and a lake. The castle has both a formal restaurant and a pub, Guides are available for walks, fishing, and falconry. My wife and boys did the falconry lesson. There are also many spaces to just sit and relax and enjoy beautiful vistas. It was in the middle of our two week vacation, and it was wonderful place to rest and simply enjoy the setting without having to run around and sight see. Nearby towns of Clifden and Roundstone are also quaint seaside villages worth seeing without much travel time.