Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle

General information

Ashford Castle is a medieval castle near Cong in Co. Mayo on the shore of Lough Corrib. It is a five start hotel, one of the finest in Ireland.

History

The castle was built in the 13th century by the Anglo-Norman de Burgos family, after their defeat of the O’Connors of Connaught.

The Estate was purchased in 1852 by Sir Benjamin Guinness, he extended the estate to 26,000 acres, built new roads, planted thousands of trees and added two large victorian style extensions.

Arthur Guinness took his title from an island on the lake. The Guinnesses sold Ashford in 1945.

In 1970 Ashford Castle was bought by John Mulcahy who oversaw its complete restoration and expansion, doubling its size with the addition of a new wing in the early 1970s, building a golf course and developing the grounds and gardens.

In 1985 a group of Irish American investors purchased Ashford. The Castle was sold on by these investors in 2008 and is now in the possession of the Galway-based property investor Gerry Barrett and his family.

Putting it on the map

Getting there

Here is the time it will take you to get to Ashford Castle:

  • Galway - 35 mins
  • Dublin - 4.5 hours
  • Shannon Airport - 2 hours
  • Galway Airport - 45 mins
  • Knock Airport - 2.5 hours

Here are the distances to Ashford Castle:

  • Galway 44.9km
  • Dublin 254.3km
  • Shannon Airport 129.4km
  • Galway Airport 51km
  • Knock Airport 151km

Accommodation

Please see the Ashford Castle Tour page for video tour of the hotel.

Activities

Fishing

Ashford Castle is ideally situated on the banks of the Lough Corrib and the River Cong, making it a fisherman’s dream. The Lough Corrib lake is known for its wiled brown trout and salmon, and River Cong attracts many for the salmon fishing which peaks in mid summer.

If you’re interested in taking fly fishing lessons, this can be arranged either individually or for a group, and you will get a chance to learn from some of the most knowledgeable experts on fishing.

Falconry

Falconry is an art with long history and a reputation of one of the oldest sports in the world.

Visiting Ashford Castle, you get a chance to learn or improve your falconry skills with the help of the Ireland’s First School of Falconry. No previous experience is necessary, all ages and levels of experience are catered for and everything is done to make your falconry session an experience of a lifetime!

Irelands First School of Falconry specializes in teaching falconry sessions using Harris hawks, but the school is also home to a variety of other birda of prey.

Please visit the Ireland’s First School of Falconry website for more info.

There are many more activities for you, more information is constantly added to this page:

Golf
Archery
Clay shooting
Lake cruising
Main attractions

See also

Booking and contact information

Phone: +353 94 9546003
Fax: +353 94 9546260
Email: ashford@ashford.ie
Address: Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo, Ireland

USA & Canada

Toll free: 1800 346 7007