Newmarket-on-Fergus, Ireland: Dromoland Castle Hotel
Emerald Cut in the County Clare Rough
6000footdrop.com was inspired by the bonorrific U2 show last week, so we decided to see Ireland for ourselves. Here is the Dromoland Castle Hotel and Spa and Country Club, in western Ireland’s County Clare, near Newmarket-on-Fergus. Dromoland was initially constructed in 1543 and still smells like 468 years of fireplace wood.
US President George Bush spent the night at Dromoland in 2006 for an EU/US Summit, reportedly bringing over 700 in his security detail. The Castle has only 70 rooms, so that evening likely had even more (excruciating) american accents than we heard on our two night stay (not to mention a run on their ample extra pillow stash.)
The Dromoland estate is over 1000 acres, including a five-acre walled garden with three full-time Chauncey Gardeners. Activities include golf, archery, falconry, clay pigeon shooting, biking, horseback riding, fishing, swimming, rowboating, rabbit chasing, high tea, grass cutting, fence hopping, and removing mud from your boots.
Here is Dromoland’s Temple of Mercury, including an invisible ten meter aura perfect for burying a trinket using a spoon borrowed from Dromoland’s lovely Earl of Thromond dining room.
Not everything at Dromoland is perfectly nice, however -- for example, here is a very scary hobbit hole.
The nearby 600 foot drop of the Cliffs of Moher (a finalist for one of the new seven wonders of the world) is also scary, especially if you are wobbly from jetlag -- but the cliffs are perfect for BASE jumping if the wind is just right.
The Earl of Thromond dining room was a highlight of the Dromoland stay. Long tailed tuxes on the waitstaff -- not only Irish but from from all over the continent (to assure language coverage, we deduce.) Perfect and formal service (”As you wish, madam” sort of stuff.) Swordfish and tomato mousse amuse bouche; scallop and squab starters; roasted monkfish main plates, and artful but traditional desserts are all presented in the serene surroundings of an elegant room way older than you. Surprisingly, the dinner waitstaff is also there for breakfast (in morning coats.)
It’s only a flesh wound! See you in Dublin for Bloomsday!