This 13th century Castle is located 45 minutes from Galway city. Once the Estate of Lord Ardilaun and the Guinness family, Ashford opened as a luxury hotel in 1939. In 2013 Ashford Castle became part of the Red Carnation Collection, who began a loving restoration project and now offers 82 bespoke bedrooms and a lakeside Hideaway Cottage. Dining options include formal in the George V to casual in the Dungeon or Cullen’s at the Cottage or private dining in the Wine Cellar. There is a 32 seat cinema, a library, Spa, Billiard’s room, Cigar terrace and beautiful public lounges with complimentary high speed wifi throughout. The Ashford Estate offers an extensive range of activities including Orvis fly fishing to Ireland’s first school of falconry. Evocative of an elegant and bygone age and yet perfectly adapted to the needs of this modern one, Ashford is the oldest castle hotel in Ireland, voted Best of the Best by Virtuoso in 2015 and Ireland's only Forbes Five Star Hotel for the second consecutive year