Real-life magic behind Ireland's fairytale castle wedding venues

As Ireland's top castle wedding venues are unveiled, we talk to the Kerry castle owner who makes newlyweds feel at home 

Marnie Corscadden, owner Ballyseede Castle, Tralee. Picture: Stay Wild Images

"It's every little girl’s dream to get married in a castle, isn’t it?” muses Marnie Corscadden.

Kerry-based Marnie knows what she’s talking about.

She and her husband Rory O’Sullivan celebrated their big day within crenellated walls and have been welcoming other brides and grooms to their own castle, Ballyseede, near Tralee, ever since.

The reception at Ballyseede.

In fact, Marnie’s family, the Corscaddens, run four castle hotels across Ireland — and all four feature in a “best castle wedding venue” list unveiled this week.

Ireland is known internationally for its abundance of historic and romantic-looking buildings.

Some of these are original historic homes and others are buildings remodelled especially for the wedding market.

Fairytale exterior: Ballyseede. Picture: Stay Wild Images

“These truly wow factor wedding venues are ideal for couples after a fairytale feel for their celebrations or those looking for the right balance of historic charm and luxury for their big day,” says Dublin-based Shell Holden of  SaveMyDay.

So, are TV series like Downton Abbey and Netflix hits like Bridgerton behind the popularity of such grand nuptial homes-away-from home? 

“The ‘Bridgerton factor’ and those enthralled by the hit show’s elegant backdrops, manicured gardens and opulent interiors has also spiked an increased interest in castle and stately home venues to host wedding ceremonies and receptions,” adds Shell, who set up SaveMyDay.ie with her partner Ian Menzies in 2021 to showcase alternative Irish venues available to hire for weddings.

Spanning over 800 years of history and dotted across Ireland from Dublin, Cavan, Roscommon, Louth, Kerry, Sligo and Clare, SaveMyDay.ie curated a list of Ireland’s Best Castle Wedding Venues to help couples plan their ultimate big day. 

The drawing room in Cabra Castle.

Making the list are Clontarf Castle, Cabra Castle, Kilronan Castle Estate, Bellingham Castle, Ballyseede Castle, Markree Castle, Fitzpatrick Castle, Temple House Estate and Castlefergus Lodge. Of those, Cabra, Markree, Bellingham and Ballyseede are owned by Marnie's family. 

A wedding at Markree Castle. Picture: Emily Doran Photography

Kildare native Marnie, her brothers and sister all toasted to their future happiness as newlyweds in castles.

Marnie comes from a family that owns and operates the award-winning Romantic Castles of Ireland collection, Ireland’s largest independent and privately-owned collection of luxury castle wedding venues.

The Courtyard Honeymoon Suite in Cabra Castle.

The Corscaddens opened Cabra Castle in 1992. Following this was Ballyseede Castle in 2005, Bellingham Castle in 2012 and the newest addition to the collection, Markree Castle, which was acquired by the hoteliers in 2015.

“My parents and grandparents were all hoteliers,” she says.

“My brother and I went to Shannon [College of Hotel Management], the hotel school, as we call it. Howard, my brother, went on to work in Dromoland Castle. When he was around 25, he saw the potential in Cabra Castle and the family bought it, in 1992."

The Corscaddens had previously run a hotel in Kildare which they sold. "We all moved up to Cavan and realised that weddings and castles go together," says Marnie. “Cabra had a captive market.” 

It was after attending a funeral that Marnie’s mother added another castle to the family domain. “My mother had come down to a funeral in North Kerry,” says Marnie.

“She stopped here in Ballyseede Castle on her way back, and happened to meet the previous owner, Barth O’Connor.

“She basically bought Ballyseede over a cup of coffee.”

Castles like Ballyseede are popular wedding venues. Picture: Bruno Rosa Photography

At this point in her life, Marnie was travelling the globe working as an international tourism consultant.

“On February 1, 2005, I landed back in Ireland, to run Ballyseede,” she says.

Of course, this was the height of the Celtic Tiger era — with all that that entailed.

“Would you believe, we had to fly builders down from Cavan, we couldn’t get builders here at the time?” she says.

For her own nuptials, Marnie returned to what she regarded as the "home castle" Cabra, which her brother Howard still runs.

The Gold Room in Cabra Castle.

“I told my brother I wanted the wedding organisation to be a complete surprise — I let them do what they do best,” she says.

“My brother Patrick got married in Bellingham Castle, which the family also owns, and where he works, my sister Patricia got married in Ballyseede, and my brother Howard was working in Dromoland when he got married and that’s where his wedding took place.”

A bedroom in Markree Castle.

INTERIORS

The interiors and history of Ballyseede, Ballyseede, are also key aspects of owning and running a castle that Marnie relishes. 

She has worked with designers GDC, gdcgroup.global, and Audrey Gaffney of Tailor and Wolf,   Tailorandwolf, on the decor. 

This venue is steeped in history and is set in 30 acres of ancient woodlands.

The orangery at Ballyseede Castle.

Ballyseede Castle was the chief garrison of the legendary Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond, and its elegant interiors include impressive drawing rooms with ornate cornices, marble fireplaces and beautiful furnishings.

A wedding at Ballyseede. Picture: Black Diamond Photography

“Our policy is everything we make we reinvest back into the castle, we just keep reinvesting,” says Marnie. 

“You have to or you go backwards."

Hosts who are throwing open the doors of the grand hall to brides and grooms  "have to make it better and more special every year", adds Marnie.

Josephine's Kitchen in Cabra Castle.

“For us, we understand weddings. We know what a bride is looking for so when we’re doing up old castles we’re doing them up with an awareness of what the bride wants," she says. 

"We get into the psyche of couples."

“We gutted two hotels, Bellingham and Markree, and rebuilt them as successful wedding venues,” adds Marnie.

The key to successful interiors in a castle is to “keep it classical”, Marnie believes.

“You try to follow a trend and it’s out of date by next year,” she says.Of course, when your castle is welcoming guests as a hotel or wedding venue, she adds: “It has to be durable and able take a lot of drunken Irish fellas singing The Fields of Athenry.”

Thirdly, good quality is essential, she believes. “You have to pay for quality,” says Marnie.

“And you have to change before it looks shabby the year. We have a painter and maintenance guy constantly on call.”

FUTURE

Right now, future-proofing is key.

“When we are doing building work at the moment we are thinking about the future and how sustainable it is and how it will look in 20 years’ time,” says Marnie.

“We are looking at how we can do our bit for the environment.

“We are putting solar panels into Cabra Castle and will do the same here in Ballyseede, we are going to install a full roof of solar panels. 

“We have done a complete refurbishment with just four rooms left in that latest cycle of refurbishment which started five years ago.”

HAPPY SPACE

As for Marnie’s favourite perch?

“I love sitting on the half-landing and looking out the big open windows to admire the view out over the countryside below.”

RESIDENT

Like many castles, Ballyseede also has its very own resident ghost, Hilda.

The exterior of Ballyseede Castle.

“Hilda welcomed us here and we feel she still watches over us,” says Marnie. 

“We close for January and February and something big always happens in March when we reopen, when the building has not been lived in for a few months — a picture will fall off the wall or a door will open that should not open. Something that will reawaken things.

Clontarf Castle was on the list released by SaveMyDay.ie. Picture: Love It Visuals Photography

“And it feels like 100% positive energy.” 

Marnie and Rory have two young daughters, Daisy and Lily who are both already showinginterest in the running of the castle, according to their mother, with Daisy developing a flair for all things culinary and Lily for business.