Hotel
Wedding party and parents of the bride/groom: You’ll be staying in the castle during the 3-night wedding weekend. Other guests (friends and extended family): There are 13 other cottages, houses, and courtyard apartments on the island, most of which are 2+ bedrooms. Because there are only 13 of them, some groups might share accommodations (e.g., two couples might share a two-bedroom cottage). Once we (Mary and Chris) receive RSVPs, we’ll reach out to those attending to help book your accommodations on Belle Isle. If accommodations fill up on the island, no worries – there are plenty of accommodations nearby. (Refer to the FAQs page on this website for a list.)
Travel Note
If so, you can directly book any of the available cottages, houses, and courtyard apartments (go to belle-isle.com) for before or after the 3-night wedding weekend. (We’d recommend before, e.g., arrive on Monday, July 22nd.)
Flight
Dublin Airport is a 2-hour drive from Belle Isle. Round-trip direct flights from the US to Ireland in July typically cost between $800-$1,300 per person for most people who book their flights 4-5 months in advance. Note: You’ll need a passport to get into Ireland (into Republic of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland), which can take 8-11 weeks to renew if it’s currently expired.
Flight
Shannon Airport is a 3-hour drive from Belle Isle.
Flight
Belfast Airport is a 90-minute drive from Belle Isle.
Travel Note
You’ll need a passport to get into Ireland (into Republic of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland), which can take 8-11 weeks to renew if it’s currently expired.
Rental Car
There are various car rental companies (Enterprise, Hertz, etc.) at any of the major airports (Dublin, Shannon, etc.) The default in Ireland is often a manual transmission (stick shift), so be sure to select a car with an automatic transmission if you aren't comfortable driving a stick-shift car. Also, please note that in Ireland and Northern Ireland, you drive on the left side of the road, not the right.