Ashford Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ashford Castle |
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| County Galway, F31 CA48, Ireland | |
Ashford Castle
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 Ashford Castle
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| Coordinates | 53°32′04″N 9°17′06″W / 53.534511°N 9.284951°W |
| Grid reference | Irish grid reference M129546 |
| Type | Victorian |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Red Carnation Hotels of The Travel Corporation |
| Condition | 5 star luxury hotel |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1228 (and later) |
| Built by | Anglo-Norman de Burgo family |
| Materials | Assorted |
Ashford Castle is a beautiful old castle in Ireland. It started as a medieval (Middle Ages) castle and grew bigger over many years. Today, it's a fancy five-star hotel! It's located near a village called Cong, right on the edge of Lough Corrib, a big lake. The famous Guinness family used to own it.
Castle's Early Days
A castle was first built here in 1228. It was put up by a powerful family called the de Burgos, who were Anglo-Normans. They built it near a religious site.
The de Burgos family owned the castle for over 350 years. But then, in 1589, an English official named Sir Richard Bingham took control of it after a big battle. He added stronger defenses to the castle.
Later, in the late 1600s, the Browne family received the estate. In 1715, they built a hunting lodge there. This lodge looked like a French castle from the 1600s. You can still see their family symbol, double-headed eagles, on the roof.
Victorian Changes
In 1852, Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness bought the estate. He was part of the famous Guinness family. Sir Benjamin made the castle much bigger. He added two large sections in the Victorian style.
He also made the estate huge, planting thousands of trees and building new roads. When he passed away in 1868, his son, Lord Ardilaun, took over. Lord Ardilaun made the castle even grander, adding more parts in a style called neogothic.
Lord Ardilaun loved gardening. He created huge woodlands around the castle. He also rebuilt a whole side of the castle, connecting older parts with newer ones. He added battlements, which are the fancy walls with gaps on top, all around the castle.
He also helped steamboats run on Lough Corrib. This helped people and goods travel between villages and Galway City. Lord Ardilaun cared deeply for the castle and its land. He even named his noble title "Ardilaun" after an island on the estate.
Becoming a Hotel
In 1939, the castle was sold to Noel Huggard. He turned Ashford Castle into a hotel. It quickly became famous for outdoor activities like fishing and hunting.
In 1951, a famous film director, John Ford, came to Ireland. He filmed parts of his movie The Quiet Man at Ashford Castle. The movie starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.
More recently, the castle was used as a filming location for the TV show Reign. It was shown as "French Court" in the first three seasons of the drama.
In 1970, John Mulcahy bought the castle. He worked hard to restore it and make it even bigger. He added a new wing and built a golf course. In 1985, a group of American investors bought Ashford.
In 2007, the castle was sold again for a large sum of money. However, due to financial issues, it was put up for sale again in 2012. It was valued at about half of what it sold for in 2007.
In May 2013, a company called Red Carnation Hotels bought Ashford Castle. They own several other special hotels. The new owners spent a lot of money to fix up and improve the castle. They wanted to make sure the jobs of the castle's staff were safe.
In 2014, they bought a nearby lodge to add to the resort. Ashford Castle reopened in April 2015 after a huge renovation. They replaced all 820 windows and fixed the roof and stonework. About €47 million was spent on this restoration!
In 2015, Ashford Castle was voted one of the best hotels in the world by different travel magazines. Today, most guests come from the United States.
Many famous people have stayed at Ashford Castle over the years. These include:
- King George V and Queen Mary
- Musicians John Lennon and George Harrison
- Writer Oscar Wilde
- US President Ronald Reagan
- Prince Edward
- US Senator Ted Kennedy
- Actors John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt, and Pierce Brosnan
- Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Princess Grace
- Golfer Rory McIlroy even got married there in 2017!
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Ashford para niños
