Review: Kilkea Castle

October 2007

Kilkea Castle was our "treat" for this year’s trip when introducing my in-laws to Ireland, their second trip abroad for that matter. The plan was set, we had reservations for the 11th of October and we told Mary that we were staying in a B&B just outside of Dublin to save money over a Dublin hotel. She bought it, having no clue about Ireland or where things were.

That morning we left Knockahopple Cottage and set out toward Kilkenny – we were too close to Kilkea to arrive before noon so Kilkenny would be a perfect diversion for a few hours. During our lunch there Mary asked about our B&B, location and how long it would take us to get there – she wanted to check-in and relax for a bit. With that we were back on the road, heading toward the little village of Kilkea and their grand castle surrounding by a golf course.

As we approached we could see it out of the corner of our eyes and I almost missed the turn-off, quickly veering to the right and whipping the car about 320-degrees with Charles quickly following. We drove down the driveway flanked with golfers and a film crew, hoping that Mary was surprised by her night in an Irish Castle. Just as we got out of our car Mary asked if we were staying here and so I told her, backing up what her husband had told her and she was stunned. Apparently she said, "Oh no, not another castle… I just want to go to the B&B and rest," assuming my quick turn was to stop and tour the castle. As we pulled closer she said to her husband, “Wouldn’t it be great if we were staying here?” and that is when he told her of the surprise.

Kilkea Castle was quiet and just a few cars in the parking lot, similar to two years ago when we stopped for a quick drink and bite to eat. October is apparently very slow for Kilkea Castle while Dromoland stays fairly busy due to its location and popularity.

Check-in was simple and as I grabbed the keys but not before asking which room was better, vowing to give Mary the lesser of the two rooms. The front-desk clerk said that she preferred 218 over 217 and we quickly found out why … 218 is about 40% larger than the other however, in all fairness, both rooms are well decorated and of great size. It just so happens that 218 has three windows, two desks, couch and large bathroom and therefore I decided that it was my room for taking care of al of the plans for this trip.

Without even settling in I grabbed my camera to take photos of each room and then outside to get some more photos of the exterior, remembering how photogenic this castle truly is. The gardens were still blooming while the ivy had already turned and dropped its leaves, leaving the castle wall bare for the winter.

Back inside I found the other three having a drink in the sitting room, fireplace blazing and everyone sweating. Ireland has been incredibly warm this trip, warm enough for shorts and a clear indication of Global Warming. It was here that we warned Mary that the castle was haunted but she was undaunted, excited to be here and not going to let anything I say ruin it. We now decided to retire to our rooms for a nap and meet at the dining room at 8pm.

I tried my laptop to see if I could get a Wi-Fi connection and they do have it but the signal kept cutting out, dropping my connection and gave me many difficulties reconnecting. I’m usually disconnected so this was the least of my worries – we were concentrating on opening the windows to cool the room before falling quickly asleep.

We met Mary and Charles promptly at 8pm for our dinner reservation and being one of only three tables in the dining room, we were immediately sat in front of the fireplace – because we couldn’t get warm enough! Within minutes we were asking the staff to open a window or two which apparently made them quite happy as they wiped the sweat from their brows. It takes quite a bit to heat castles and this is the time of year when heat is usually necessary ... usually being the keyword.