There were some ups and downs with our experience staying at the Kilcolgan Castle.
The positives- First, I must say the castle is really very special. It is so much larger than I had anticipated and the history and story behind it is really incredible. It feels like staying in a museum that you can explore freely. The kitchen is huge and absolutely perfect for cooking and hanging out! The host, Karen, is incredibly kind and accommodating. She is available for anything you need, and makes this stay feel more like a bed and breakfast which is something to keep in mind if you're looking to be left completely alone.
The negatives- this is not a private accommodation but a shared space. There is an uncle who lives on the second floor. To be clear, as you're walking up the only set of stairs to the third floor sleeping accommodations you will walk directly past his bedroom door. He also uses the main door entrance. While we never had any interaction with him, we were still very aware of the fact that we were not alone. We had not realized this prior to booking months in advance and only saw other reviews mentioning this after we arrived.
The other negative piece I feel is important to mention is that the third floor bedrooms/bathroom is clean but very run down. There are two bedrooms in the third floor with a bathroom in between with two entrances into the bathroom. The beds are extremely uncomfortable and need new mattresses. One room has two single beds and was not an ideal stay for a couple.
Overall the castle is very special and the host is very nice but we would have thought twice about our stay after learning the reality of the accommodation.