Miscellaneous Tips, Cashel, Ireland - Reviews and Hotel Information

The Cashel Palace Hotel is probably the best quality hotel in town. While I have never actually stayed here as I grew up here and my family still live here, it would be recognised by locals as the best hotle in town with a very historic past. Here's an piece from their own website on the history of the Hotel from their own website.

The Cashel Palace Hotel was built in 1730 by Archbishop Theophilus Bolton. It was designed by Sir Edward Lovett Pearce who was also the Architect of the Old Parliament House in Dublin, which isnow the Bank of Ireland, College Green.

In style, it can be placed between Queen Anne and Early Georgian. The Cashel Palace is faced with red brick to the front and with limestone at the rear, making it a very rare and unusual feature for the period.

The entrance hall retains its original wood panelling, with two Corinthian columns. The magnificent staircase off the entrance hall is of Red Pine, in an early Georgian style with an intricate foliate design and superb examples of ‘barley sugar’ banisters. This staircase leads to the upper floors where a selection of elegant, individually decorated bedrooms are offered.

Some of these rooms were damaged during the Wolf Tone Rebellion of 1798. They were remodelled after 1800 in the Regency Style by the 1st Earl of Normanton, the then Archbishop of Cashel.

Following a decision by Archbishop Richard Lawrence to transfer the Diocesan headquarters to Waterford in 1833 the Palace was divided for use by the Dean of Cashel and a Canon of the Church of Ireland. The decision was made by the Church to sell the property in 1959 and in May 1962 it was first opened as a Luxury Hotel by Lord Brockett, who also owned the Wicklow Hotel in Dublin.

To the rear of the Palace are beautiful gardens, which include two ancient Mulberry Trees planted in 1702 to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Anne. The gardens also contain the descendants of the original hop plants used by Richard Guinis, an agent for Archbishop Price of Cashel in the 1740’s to brew the first “Wine of Ireland”.

Mr. Guinness and his son Arthur went on to brew this beer in Dublin and to found the famous Guinness Brewery at St. James’ Gate. The garden also contains a private walk (The Bishops Walk) to the Rock of Cashel, the 13th Century Cathedral and the ancient seat of the Kings of Munster.

Miscellaneous Tips, Cashel

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