The castle will close for six months to facilitate the largest redevelopment in its 63-year history as a hotel
Dromoland Castle will close for several months to facilitate a €55m “transformation” including new bedrooms, a glass atrium, lakeside saunas and even Irish language lessons for guests, it has announced.
The project, described as “the largest redevelopment in its 63 years as a luxury hotel” will see the five-star resort close until June 2027.
At the heart of the renovation will be a 3,200-square-foot glass-enclosed atrium designed to “reimagine the historic courtyard as the new social heart of the Castle”, it says.
The number of rooms and suites will expand from 96 to 121, including a ‘Heritage Collection’ of 11 rooms and five suites in a newly constructed floor opposite the castle’s main entrance.
A ‘Walled Garden Collection’ will see 13 new rooms set a five-minute walk from the main buildings in converted former stables.
“The collection will offer a private retreat, with own-door entrances and patio areas providing a sense of seclusion and connection to the estate,” it said.
The step-changes follow several years of upgrades at the Co Clare five-star – including new lodges, a small basement spa and high-end gift shop.
Resort general manager Mark McSorley said the six-month project would “open a new chapter for the estate.”
“The ambition is not to change the essence of Dromoland, but to reveal the full breadth of what it can be – a place where the Castle and the estate are experienced as one.”
Though the castle will close for months, Dromoland’s 18-hole championship golf course, club house and leisure centre will remain open, as will its private Lodges.
Works will include “a reimagined interior journey” for the hotel’s public areas, including a refurbishment of Brian Ború Hall, the hotel’s ballroom and event space, and the addition of two new meeting rooms.
New dining concepts led by executive chef, Kevin Fleming, will feature a grill restaurant promising “a more immersive dining experience, centred around an open show kitchen and live-fire grill”.
The Earl of Thomand restaurant “will return to a theatrical era of fine dining”, and a separate walled garden space will be repurposed as a “new Dromoland Farm concept” growing produce for the estate’s kitchens, it said.
The resort is promising a large amount of local food, colour and craftsmanship, ranging from materials like Connemara marble to new cultural activities including Irish language lessons, embroidery workshops and art classes.
Wellness, already an area targeted for development in its spa and The Coop, will become “a key focus” in the resort’s next chapter.
Two glass-fronted saunas will be installed on the shores of Lough Dromoland, connecting thermal experiences and wild swimming, and the spa will receive “a new thermal expansion” along with wellness rituals “designed to support sleep, recovery, emotional wellbeing and vitality”.
It follows major investments in flagship Irish five-stars such as Ashford Castle, Adare Manor and the Park Kenmare, and as plans have been submitted to expand rapidly developing resorts like Cashel Palace and Mount Juliet.
“We look forward to steering this next chapter for Dromoland and for our guests to experience Dromoland’s unique setting in a new and immersive way,” McSorley said.