A weekend break at Clontarf Castle

HAVE you ever wondered what it might have been like when banquets were held in fairytale castles, and the mead flowed freely for ladies and lords of the manor? 

Such were our thoughts as we cruised up the impressive tree-lined drive into Clontarf Castle Hotel. Stopping to allow a wandering black cat cross our path, we smiled at this good omen as shafts of afternoon sunshine broke through the cloud to signal a winning start to our Dublin weekend.

In a year where the 1,000th anniversary of one of Irish history’s most important battles is being celebrated, a weekend sojourn in the aristocratic grandeur of this Clontarf hostelry seemed entirely appropriate.