The Notebook

The Drawing Room HourNotebook No 84December 2025

Kilkea with the fires lit

Kildare in the dark months, a castle that takes you in.

Collected by Deborah. Read her editorial perspective

When the hearth fires are lit, roughly October through April, Kilkea Castle truly reveals its character. We find this Kildare castle, steeped in centuries of history, offers a comforting refuge from the long nights. The warmth radiating from the bar, lit by a single fire, draws us in each time.

Kilkea with the fires lit

Adare

For your stay, we suggest you vary your evening meals. Experience the formality of the dining room on one night, then opt for a more relaxed setting in the castle's bar the next. If you are able, secure a room in the older section of the castle; it possesses a particular feel the newer additions cannot quite replicate.

Kilkea sits forty minutes outside Dublin, close enough for easy access yet distant enough to deliver a real retreat. This allows you a surprisingly peaceful week, a quiet period we often seek out.

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From the notebook

Editorial itineraries from Ireland.

Collected notes. A few times each season.