Venue Hire at Castletown

Castletown House provides a unique setting in Ireland to host your event and offers both state-of-the art conference facilities in the former Stable Wing as well as several beautiful historic rooms inside the main house for state and corporate functions, photo shoots, product launches and cultural events.

These include the magnificent Entrance Hall, designed by Edward Lovett Pearce, and the Long Gallery, decorated with murals in the Pompeian style and illuminated by a set of three rare Murano glass chandeliers from the 1770s. In addition to these historic indoor venues, Castletown also offers the recently restored Pleasure Grounds for corporate hire.

 

 

The recently renovated Stable Wing comprises two stables located on either side of the reception in the Coach House. The stables are the earliest surviving example of vaulted stables in Ireland and accommodate the stalls of our regular Country Market and Craft Fairs. They have also twice hosted the Irish Antique Fair with its beautiful and rare antique treasures.

On the first floor of the Stable Wing, a new Conference Centre was recently installed which includes three rooms – the Hunting Room, Green Room and Billiard Room – as well as convenient access by lift, a catering kitchen and toilet facilities.

Mixing old-world charm and sophistication with a twenty-first-century flair, the Hunting Room is the largest room in the Conference Centre. With its intricately carved wooden beams, it is the perfect setting for corporate and cultural events alike. The Green Room is adjacent to the Hunting Room and can either be used as a small meeting room, a breakout room or as a separate room to set up catering for an event. The Billiard Room is located directly above the Coach House and is connected to the Hunting Room. This bright, spacious room is the perfect space for off-site meetings or, when booked together with the larger Hunting Room, it can function as a breakout room or as a room for both sit-down or buffet lunch/dinner, as well as for tea and coffee breaks.

 

 

The awe-inspiring double-height Entrance Hall, majestic Portland stone cantilevered staircase and opulent stucco decoration of the Staircase Hall set a bold and self-assured tone the moment you step into Castletown House. The polished limestone floor with its chequered design and the Kilkenny marble fireplace reflect Speaker William Conolly’s desire to build the house from the finest of native Irish materials, while the delicate stucco on the walls and ceilings showcases the craftsmanship of the talented Swiss Lafranchini brothers.

The Long Gallery represents the culmination of years of energy, skill and craftsmanship expended to realise Lady Louisa Conolly’s vision for Castletown House. Redecorated in the 1770s, contemporary sources described it as a haven for private entertainment within a sophisticated Italianate setting replete with Raphaelite paintings, Pompeian arabesques, exquisite Murano glass chandeliers and a collection of classical busts and statues, all gathered under the benevolent eyes of the portraits of Thomas and Lady Louisa Conolly at either end of the room.

Dining has played an important part in the hospitality offered at Castletown from the very start, although a purpose-built dining room was only created in 1768. This required the skilful removal of a wall on ground floor level to create a large enough room, and the rebuilding of the dividing wall on the two upper floors. Dinners for up to 40 people can still be hosted in the Dining Room today, allowing your guests to enjoy an unforgettable occasion under the magnificent stucco ceiling and surrounded by the original gilt furniture carved by the leading eighteenth-century Dublin craftsman, Richard Cranfield. Facilities for caterers are conveniently located in an adjacent room.

 

 

Located beside the west courtyard and Kitchen Wing, the Pleasure Grounds were restored in 2016 by the OPW and can now be booked for private garden parties or events. They are fully wired for services and offer privacy and tranquillity as well as an opportunity to discover Castletown House from new angles. In the past, the lawns behind the house have been used for outdoor plays and opera performances, and the added space of the landscaped Pleasure Grounds offers new opportunities for marquees, summer parties and events.

Get a full overview of the venue hire facilities available at Castletown here. You can access our catering policy here. And why not investigate the history of some of these special spaces before you decide which one suits your needs best? You can take an online tour right here.

Kevina Dunne, Events Manager, will take care of your event from start to finish. Contact Kevina with any of your queries directly on +353 1 6288252  or email castletownevents@opw.ie.