The President’s Restaurant is the ideal location to enjoy a Downton Abbey-like dining experience while eating produce from Longueville’s walled garden and farm. Bedrooms overlook the parklands and the Blackwater Valley beyond. Guests staying at Longueville can experience the house much as it would have been as a private country house estate. Jane O’Callaghan, owner of Longueville House, at Longueville, Ballyclough, Mallow, Co Cork. In 1938, the land was returned to the original owners, the O’Callaghan family, who still own and maintain it today. The house was built in 1720, after the land was forfeited to Cromwell in 1650 and the name changed to Longueville. Longueville House is a 300-year-old listed Georgian country manor in the heart of a 450-acre wooded estate, in the Blackwater Valley. It’s also possible to rent by the room or suite. Full private rental comes to €2,500 for a weekend. The castle can be booked all year round, has seven double rooms and sleeps up to 14. There are also several drawing rooms throughout the castle, with big open fires. The bedrooms are bright with a modern feel, while still retaining classic features like period windows, four-poster beds and vintage dressing tables. The castle itself is located on a private estate surrounded by parkland and private wooded countryside. The origins of this historical castle date back to 1247, with the De Dene family having it in their possession until Cromwell confiscated the land in 1659. Wilton Castle, Co Wexfordįor an authentic castle experience at a more affordable price, Wilton Castle near Enniscorthy is a solid choice. Price for full rental available on request. This is especially suitable for large groups and with all guests suitably attired, you can enjoy a banquet and entertainment reminiscent of Downton. Guests can choose from a collection of period costumes from the Lyric Opera Company in Chicago, and dress the part for dinner. One of the most luxurious, Downton-esque properties on the list has to be Ballyfin, which will take you right back to the era of butlers, horse-drawn carriages and canopy beds.Īt the foot of the Slieve Bloom mountains, an hour’s drive from Dublin, Ballyfin is one of the most lavishly restored Regency mansions in Ireland.Īll rooms are individually designed to mirror the style of the original house, and guests can sleep like royalty in “The Lady Caroline Coote” junior suite, named after the wife of Sir Christopher Coote, who inherited Ballyfin in 1813. If playing Lady Mary Crawley in the Irish equivalent of Highclere Castle (where the movie is filmed) is something you aspire to, there are plenty of castles and manor houses to rent around Ireland where you can do just that. With the Downton Abbey movie hitting the big screen this weekend, there is sure to be a renewed love of all things regal.

Crystal castles tour poster