Sadly, the closest airport, Shannon, is closed as a result of the pandemic, so you will need to fly into Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport is a ~2.5hour drive to Galway, and Ballynahinch is a further ~1.5hour drive.
The easiest way is to rent a car, and Dublin Airport has the typical car rental services on-site, but booking in advance is strongly suggested. It is also worth noting, that people drive on the left in Ireland (vs. the right in the U.S.) and furthermore, stick shift is most common in Ireland, so if renting a car make sure to request automatic transmission if preferred, otherwise you will likely receive a stick shift. In saying all of this, there are hourly coach services from Dublin Airport to Galway City, which are cheap, comfortable, and have Wifi. If arriving before Friday, we strongly recommend that you break the journey to Ballynahinch with a night (or two) in Galway City.
You can get a taxi from the airport, however some taxi drivers may not want to take you so far (especially from Dublin) - the estimated costs is 350 euro from Dublin one way. Private transport will range a bit less in price and will be more comfortable, but will need to be booked a number of weeks in advance. Private transfer companies include Celtic Limo (www.celticlimo.com) and Corporate Cars Galway (www.corporatecarsgalway.com), but there are plenty more.
Given we have booked the Castle out in its entirety for Friday and Saturday, you may have noticed that it is not possible for you to book online. As such, you need to book directly with the Reservation and Events Manager, Melissa Walsh (mwalsh@ballynahinch-Castle.com or +353 95 31118), who has a list of names. At this stage the hotel is only prioritizing rooms for people staying 2 nights (Friday and Saturday). The hotel will operate as normal on Thursday and Sunday. However, they have agreed to give us use of ~15 rooms for each of these non Wedding nights. The wedding party will keep ~5 of these rooms, meaning ~10 are available to be booked by Wedding Guests, so this will be on a first come / first served basis.
Yes, but unfortunately it is a little difficult to get there directly. The best two options are either bus or train. The bus will take you straight from the airport into Galway and the train station is located in City Center. We recommend Citylink Bus (citylink.ie) or Irish Rail (irishrail.ie) respectively. BUS: There are regular buses (every hour during the day) from the airport direct to Galway City, where there you will need to get a bus to 'Clifden', and get off at the 'Recess' stop. Recess is still a 7 min drive to the Castle, and the Clifden bus does not go as regularly as the airport buses, so you may find yourself waiting around Galway for a couple of hours after getting off the airport bus. TRAIN: The train is located in City Center so we only recommend it if you are staying in Dublin over night. If not, you would need to take a bus or taxi into the city of Dublin to get to the train station. The train is quicker than the bus.
Yes, but largely in the form of traditional B&Bs such as the Anglers Return (5 min drive) or small hotels in the local towns of Clifden (15-20 min drive) and Roundstone (10 min drive). Please be cognizant that taxis are in short supply in the area, so usually, they need to be booked in advance of the evening. Galway is a ~1 hour 15 min (country road) drive from the Castle, so it is not very feasible to stay there during the wedding. At the same time, all guests are encouraged to stay at Ballynahinch, but we do appreciate there may be budget constraints.
We are unable to include any children at each of the wedding events with exception of immediate family, which have a role in the wedding. If you would still like to bring your children with you for the weekend, please contact mwalsh@ballynahinch-castle.com for local babysitting services.
The weather in Ireland can be fickle and unpredictable. We recommend bringing a rain jacket for your trip and durable shoes. As for the wedding celebrations we recommend women bring a shawl or sweater as the temperature could be in the low 50s and portions of the evening will be outdoors.
We probably recommend that you spend your time in the West of Ireland for the beautiful scenery. Galway city is a fun seaside city worth a few nights, and there are also some beautiful hotels such as Ashford Castle, Adare Manor, Ballyfin Demesne and many many more worth considering. County Kerry, in particular, also offers a lot of sightseeing, and Sheen Falls Lodge and Europe Hotel are good options in the area. If you're looking to do a longer trip in Ireland we also recommend County Cork in the South. We love Ballymaloe Cookery School and Hotel. They offer tours of their hundreds of acres of property as well as day or multi-day cooking courses for all levels. NOTE: summer accommodation in Ireland typically books out months in advance. If you want further information in the meantime, feel free to email madelinexdarragh@gmail.com and review the "Things to Do" page
The nicer hotels, like Glenlo Abbey Hotel, tend to be situated outside the city, perhaps a ~15 min drive. There are a number of hotels in the city center, that offer acceptable accommodation, and are within walking distance of all activities. These include the Hardiman, the Galmont, the House Hotel and Jury's Inn.
Galway City offers an array of nice restaurants, from fine dining to more casual gastro bars. For fine dining, be sure to check out Anair or Loam - both of which offer local and seasonal tasting menus. For something nice but more vibey and in the thick of the action, check out Kirwan's Lane or Ard Bia. Kai is fabulous for a more intimate dinner, or a vibey brunch. If you have the time, both Moran's in Clarinbridge (~20min taxi from city center) or O'Grady's in Barna (~15 min drive) are a MUST for any sort of lunch or a more romantic dinner. All of these restaurants have websites with further details, and should be booked ahead of time. For more casual lunches, try Quay Street Kitchen, Dela, Dough Bros Pizza, McDonagh's Fish n Chips or Tartare Cafe, none of which will need to be booked in advance, but there may be short wait times.
Tigh Neachtain's, Freeney's Bar, O'Connell's Bar, the Dew Drop, Taafe's
Having a pint of Guinness in Tigh Neachtain's (and maybe a seafood chowder) is a MUST. It can get busy though. For late bars with music, try the Quays, or the Front Door pub. For local bars, try O'Connell's, Taafe's, Dew Drop, Tigh Ceoili, An Pucan. The most tourist friendly spots (i.e. less locals) are the Kings Head and the Skeff, both of which are late bars.
Galway is really an eating and drinking city. However, in saying that, there are a number of pleasant activities that we recommend: 1. Walk the Salthill Promenade 2. Have a coffee on Shop Street, listen to the local buskers, and watch the world go by 3. Enjoy a trip up and down the Corrib River on the Corrib Princess 4. Play Golf at Galway Golf Club 5. Go for a Swim in Galway Bay, and maybe even dive off the famous Blackrock Tower 6. Fly fish in the Galway Salmon Weir in the heart of the city 7. Take an overnight excursion to the Aran Islands
Yes, but they need to produce evidence of vaccination.
Americans will need proof of a negative COVID test to return to the US even if you are vaccinated. Antigen (Rapid) tests are sufficient, and most recommended given PCR tests can take 1-2 days to turnaround. A lot of pharmacies in Galway city offer walk in antigen testing, or you can book in Dublin airport before your flight, but budget +1hr to your airport arrival. Airport test booking is strongly recommended https://booking.randox.ie/
Noel King (Main): +353 879582398 Mike: +353 879582398 Danny Ryan: +353 868313462