What can you say to describe staying in a castle? Magical? Historic? Unfathomable? Nothing can truly sum up the experience of staying at ClareGalway Castle. The room was immaculate- clean, beautifully decorated. It was the perfect blend of old and new to really make you feel like royalty. Big, ancient looking windows set in deep windowsills where you could sit and drink a glass of the red wine (which was provided) and watch the river in the moonlight below, candles, antique carved wooden furniture, yet there is luxurious in-floor heating and a spa style bathroom.
I wondered if it would feel “haunted”-my mom and I are particularly sensitive, but the energy of this place is divinely peaceful. In the morning a tray was brought up to us with what was described as “just a little something to start the day” ...more like breakfast for a queen. Juice and fresh milk in glass bottles, plates of fruit, cheese, ham, and bread, cereals, silky yoghurt, coffee, tea. A breakfast feast, in my opinion.
The following morning we got a private tour of the castle and grounds with Mike, who manages the property and renovations going on. What an impassioned historian! This is a place where history is being brought to life, and being allowed to tell it’s own story - as you move through the castle experiencing as those who once inhabited it did.
This is an experience worth every penny and so much more. Now that I’m home, all I dream about is going back- and I will!