A wild escape at The Lodge at Ashford Castle

Travel journalist Deirdre Mullins blends falconry, forest walks and fireside comfort in a restorative getaway on one of Ireland’s most historic estates.

I walk through the forest wearing a thick leather glove, a hawk weaving between the trees above me. The falconer, Conal Dixon, tucks a chunk of dead rat between my thumb and finger and signals to Swift, a Harris Hawk, to return.

Watching a predator of this scale fly straight towards you is thrilling; a five-foot wingspan, long curved talons sharp enough to pierce thick fur and strong enough to pin a running hare to the ground.

Swift lands on my arm with absolute precision, his grip firm and unmistakably powerful. Leaning forward, he tears into the food with his hooked beak, quick and methodical. This is a bird that kills for a living, and at first, it’s unnerving to be so close to him. But as the walk goes on, a trust builds, and I feel as though I’ve stepped back in time, taking part in some old royal tradition.

Deirdre Mullins with a falcon on her arm. Photo: Deirdre Mullins

Appropriately, I was in the woodland of the Ashford Castle Estate in Co. Mayo. The day before, I had driven through the grand stone gates and been greeted warmly by a uniformed gatekeeper; an old-world threshold that made me feel as though I were crossing into another era.

I followed the tree-lined driveway until the remarkable Ashford Castle rose into view. Instead of continuing to the castle, I took a left, winding through the golf course to The Lodge at Ashford Castle.

The Lodge is the castle’s little sister property, originally built in 1865 for the estate manager and now a 64-room, four-star hotel. The interior is contemporary country-house luxury; elegant without being formal. Its walls are lined with paintings and photographs of old Hollywood stars, including nods to The Quiet Man, which was filmed on the estate in 1951.

The building is full of nooks and crannies, with a grand piano and stunning views of Lough Corrib and the woodlands surrounding the hotel.

I took a deep breath on arrival. It felt like stepping into a friend’s very plush country pad, the kind of friend I wish I had. The warmth of the staff, the open fire and the big leather armchairs made me want to curl up and read the Sunday papers.

Owl Photo: Deirdre Mullins

But instead, I headed to my room to freshen up before dinner. My suite was on the ground floor, just off an internal courtyard. All the suites are individually designed, and the Luskin Suite was generous in size, with a spacious living area, a large comfy leather couch, and a bedroom with a massive bed that almost guarantees a good night’s sleep.

I was seated by the window for dinner in Wild’s Restaurant, where Executive Chef Jonathan Kean serves classical, sustainably sourced dishes.

Over my two-night stay, I managed to try quite a few: the pan-seared scallops, the slow-cooked beef short rib, and the fallow deer Wellington were all excellent. I ordered a side of garden vegetables and only realised two days later, during the Garden Talk with gardener Niamh, that they were grown organically on the estate. No wonder they tasted so good.

Deirdre Mullins on a boat in front of Ashford Castle. Photo: Deirdre Mullins

Each morning, complimentary walks and talks are available to guests of both the castle and The Lodge, including the Garden Talk, a Wolfhound Walk and a heritage tour. Having access to these amenities, along with the castle’s sporting activities, from golf to clay pigeon shooting, and being able to roam the 350-acre estate, without paying castle prices, is what makes staying at The Lodge so appealing.

The next day, I climbed aboard a passenger boat for a scenic cruise around the lake (€25). Corrib Cruises is a family-run business operated by brothers Patrick and David Luskin. Their family has been working on the Ashford estate for four generations, and suddenly, the name of my suite makes perfect sense.

Patrick and his wife, Marion, crew the boat and guide us across the water on this crisp November morning. As we pulled away from the quay, Ashford Castle looked even more majestic from the lake, its stone walls glowing under the blue sky.

Patrick chats warmly over the PA system, and it quickly becomes clear we’re in expert hands. He’s spent fifty years working on this boat, and his ease and affection for the lough and estate show in every story. He takes us through the castle’s long and winding history, from its beginnings in 1228 to its era under the Guinness family, then to the Huggards, who in 1939 became the first to establish the castle as a hotel, and finally to today’s custodians, the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, owned by the South African Tollman family.

Ashford Castle Photo: Deirdre Mullins

We glide across Lough Corrib as he tells us that there are “365 islands here, one for every day of the year.” The shoreline is edged with the estate’s woodlands and autumnal foliage, and the mountains of Connemara rise in the distance. It’s idyllic.

After the boat trip, the cold finally caught up with me, so I took refuge by the fire in the Castle’s Oak Hall. I couldn’t come to the estate without having a peek inside the castle, but take note: you can only step through its doors if you have a reservation, and they’re very strict about it. I had booked lunch in the Drawing Room, which felt both regal and inviting.

I ordered Mrs Tollman’s chicken noodle soup (€18), a simple bowl that warmed me from the inside out. Looking out through the tall windows across the gardens and lake, I couldn’t help thinking about all the people who had admired this same view over the centuries: Oscar Wilde, Prince of Wales (in 1905), Grace Kelly, Ronald Regan, Courtney Cox and Brad Pitt among them.

Once I’d thawed, I made my way back to The Lodge and to Éalú, the spa whose name fittingly means ‘escape’ in Irish. Éalú’s sauna, steam room and jacuzzi revived my weary bones before I floated in the pool watching the woodland outside darken into evening.

The next morning, as I finished my hawk walk (€140), Conal, the former schoolteacher turned full-time falconer, laughed when I asked how he ended up here. What started as a summer job 15 years ago became his career.

“Hard to go back to a classroom when this is your office,” he said, gesturing to the woodland around us. And as I stood there with Swift settling on my arm, I could see exactly what he meant.

The Details

Deirdre Mullins was a guest of The Lodge at Ashford Castle for the purpose of this review. Winter one-night dinner, bed and breakfast rates start from €319 for a Deluxe room for two people sharing. The offer includes a range of complimentary activities, from cookery demonstrations and garden talks to yoga, spa access, golf and tennis, bike hire and more. For more information, visit https://thelodgeac.com.