Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Ireland / Donegal Town / Lough Eske Castle
Lough Eske Castle
Donegal Town, Co. Donegal, Ireland · Solis Hotels & Resorts · Core Luxury
On land held by the O'Donnell clan since the 15th century, Thomas Brooke built an Elizabethan-style mansion here in 1861 whose stone walls survived a 1939 candle fire that gutted the hotel. Donegal developer Pat Doherty spent a reported 30 to 40 million euros restoring the ruin, reopening County Donegal's only five-star hotel in 2007 as Solis Lough Eske Castle with 96 rooms.
- 96 rooms
- Opened 2007
- Neighborhood: Lough Eske
- Rooms from 500 sq ft (46 m²)
About Lough Eske Castle
- The estate sits between Lough Eske and the Bluestack Mountains on land associated with the O'Donnell clan, founders of Donegal, from the 15th century.
- After the Flight of the Earls in 1607 the estate passed to the Brooke family; Thomas Brooke built the present Elizabethan-style mansion front elevation in 1861.
- The castle operated as a hotel in the 1930s until a candle-ignited fire gutted its wood-panelled salon in 1939, leaving it derelict for decades.
- Pat Doherty of Harcourt Developments invested a reported 30 to 40 million euros restoring the period building and reopening it in 2007.
- Today it is County Donegal's only five-star hotel, with 96 guest rooms from stable-conversion Courtyard Rooms to a Presidential Suite in the original castle.
History
Lough Eske Castle sits between the shores of Lough Eske and the Bluestack Mountains in County Donegal, on land historically associated with the O'Donnell clan, the founders of Donegal, who held the area from the 15th century. After the Flight of the Earls in 1607 the estate passed to the Brooke family, and the front elevation of the present structure dates from 1861, when Thomas Brooke built an Elizabethan-style mansion whose stone walls form the core of today's castle.
The castle operated as a hotel in the 1930s but was gutted by fire in 1939 after a candle ignited its wood-panelled salon, and it then lay derelict for decades. Donegal-born developer Pat Doherty of Harcourt Developments purchased the ruin and invested a reported 30-40 million euros restoring the period building and converting the former courtyard and garden buildings into guest accommodation and a spa.
The hotel reopened in 2007, managed by Solis, the small-luxury sub-brand founded by former Ritz-Carlton president Horst Schulze. Today it is County Donegal's only five-star hotel, with 96 guest rooms across seven categories, from stable-conversion Courtyard Rooms to Garden Suites in former workers' cottages and a Presidential Suite in the original castle.
The setting
Between Lough Eske and the Bluestack Mountains, outside Donegal Town. This is a restored 1861 mansion, not a town-centre inn.
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
Open Lough Eske Castle in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.