Best country house hotels in Ireland

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

It may not be a castle but this rambling 18th-century manor house, wrapped in gardens and with views over the otherworldly karst landscape of the Burren, has its own romantic charm.

Solitary Nephin, Ireland’s highest stand-alone mountain, provides a dramatic backdrop to this classic, pink-washed Georgian country house in wooded grounds on Lough Conn.

You feel more like a valued guest than a customer at this Georgian country house hotel and fishing destination with antique-filled interiors, where the locally sourced cooking is a big attraction.

Pass the little gate lodge to drive up to this bay-fronted country house in wooded grounds edged by a beach on Lough Swilly.

With breakfast served until noon, afternoon tea by the drawing room fire, shooting, fishing and communal dining, a house-party atmosphere prevails at this Georgian country house.

Every painting, sculpture and piece of furniture feels cherished and chosen at John Edward Joyce’s Victorian country mansion in landscaped gardens.

Guests are welcomed with tea or coffee and home-baked biscuits at the Mernagh family’s farmhouse B&B beside a 15th-century fortified tower house.

Liza Minnelli, Peter Ustinov, Daniel Day-Lewis and Karl Gustav 16th of Sweden are among past guests who have fallen for the time-warp charms of Ireland’s oldest coaching inn.

Congenial hosts welcome you to this B&B in a Victorian rectory abounding in original features, tradition and charm, where breakfast is taken communally in a dining room overlooking wooded grounds.

Beneath Slieve Foy Mountain, stepping distance from the sea and within walled gardens, the Carroll family’s Georgian house affords views at every turn.

Ireland’s only Michelin-starred pub is set within the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, and offers uncluttered bedrooms with traditional charm, and exciting menus of seasonal produce based on sustainable gastronomy.

There are wonderful views from this pink-washed manor house in gardens edged by Ballinakill Bay, with interiors full of antiques and curios, imaginative menus and personable third-generation owners.

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are warm hosts at their Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirloom antiques and auction finds, where singing chef Paddy cooks with brio, breakfast brings eggs from the ducks and hens, and a good time is had by all.

‘A winding drive through woodland takes you back in time’ to Henry and Lucy Hodgson’s Victorian country house on a 180-acre estate on the shores of Lough Corrib.

Simon and Christina O’Hara welcome guests to their Georgian ancestral home on a wooded estate with deer park, where guests sit down to a three-course dinner and awake to an Aga-cooked breakfast.

Set on a 300-acre working farm, this legendary Irish country-house hotel has grown from being a restaurant with rooms that is passionate about locally sourced food into a thriving business, with cookery school, café and arts venue.

Gorgeous interiors and a friendly, informal ambience are a winning combination at Susan Stuart’s beautiful B&B, where every bedroom has a sea view, and breakfast is quite special.

Overlooking the River Barrow, this Victorian rectory B&B is a cherished home, with the style of a small country house, and welcoming hostesses who will cook dinner by arrangement.

The sea is a powerful presence at this former coastguard’s HQ overlooking Bunatrahir Bay, with fascinating architectural features, of cosy public rooms, blazing fires, an ocean-view sunlounge, antique furniture and contemporary Irish cuisine.

Verity Butterfield clearly loves to welcome guests to her loch-side Georgian house, with blazing fires, comfy sofas, good artworks, home-baked biscuits, excellent breakfasts, and dinner by arrangement.

In 32 wooded, landscaped acres on the shores of Lough Caragh, this gabled Edwardian manor house combines comfort and elegance, with an antique-filled lounge and candlelit restaurant.