Dromoland Castle

Back in the day, the only way rich, pretentious Americans could stay in British Castles they couldn’t really afford was to become a paying guest of otherwise impoverished aristocrats. I suppose there were Americans who actually made friends with people who lived in castles, but remember, I said rich, pretentious Americans.

Anyway, the trend of the paying guest has fallen by the wayside. Now, many of the great castles of Europe have become hotels that anyone can stay at, pretentious or not.

Just such a place is Dromoland Castle in Ireland. First established in 1002 (Yes, that’s 1002), the castle spent most of its life as a stronghold of the O’brien family. Back in the day, it was more of a practical stronghold. Much later, in 1543, the family built the current stone castle. Over the years, they revamped and restructured the stone structure into more of a luxury residence. But it’s still got towers. And now it’s got a number of guest suites, a couple of restaurants and a wholly unnecessary spa. The castle sits on 410 acres of green, Irish rolling hills and gardens. And it’s popular for those who want to live out their aristocratic fantasies.

No word on ghosts, but I’m sure they are there.