Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny can take a conference of up to 1,500 delegates theatre style or a gala dinner for 850 guests in its Convention Centre, and it has 141 bedrooms on site. The estate sits on the edge of Kilkenny city in the southeast of Ireland, around a restored country house and its gardens.
Seminars and company events
The Lyrath Estate Convention Centre offers 972 square meters of event space, with a ballroom and boardrooms, plus twelve flexible meeting suites for breakouts, workshops and smaller sessions. The centre has its own private entrance and 420 free parking spaces, so a large association congress or a sales kick-off can run without competing with hotel guests at the front door.
Beyond the plenary, the estate offers team building on site, including falconry with an expert handler and laser clay shooting. Private dining options such as the BBQ Pavilion, the Manor House and the Wine Cellar give organisers a change of scene for a closing dinner or a board evening. A dedicated conference and banqueting team runs events, and floor plans are available from the events office.
Weddings and receptions
Lyrath sells weddings, with civil ceremonies on the estate, garden ceremony set-ups and a ballroom for the reception. The estate also hosts pre- and post-wedding celebrations, so a couple can keep guests together for a welcome evening and a day-after gathering. A wedding brochure gives the details, and the hotel holds a wedding showcase evening each October.
Rooms and capacities
The Convention Centre takes up to 1,500 delegates theatre style and up to 850 guests for a gala dinner across 972 square meters. Twelve meeting suites cover breakouts and boardroom meetings. The BBQ Pavilion, the Manor House and the Wine Cellar are offered for private dining. The estate does not publish room-by-room capacities online, so organisers should ask for the floor plans.
Accommodation
The hotel has 141 bedrooms, split between Manor House rooms in the original house and contemporary rooms in the newer wings. For very large events, the estate notes more than 1,000 beds within 6 kilometers of the Convention Centre. Hotel guests have full access to the leisure centre, and the estate has its own spa.
Catering
Catering is in house. Restaurants on site include Eden Bistro and Bar and The Grill and Bar, with Tupper's Bar for drinks and afternoon tea served in the hotel. Banqueting for gala dinners and weddings is handled by the estate's own team.
History and setting
The house was redesigned in the nineteenth century by the Dublin architect John McCurdy for Sir Charles Denny Wheeler-Cuffe, who inherited the estate in 1853, and it is counted among the most important surviving country houses by McCurdy. The Wheeler-Cuffe family held Lyrath for generations. Lady Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe redesigned the gardens after returning in 1921, and the Victorian garden has since been restored to her plans. The Tupper family owned the estate from 1967 to 1997, and Xavier McAuliffe bought it in 2003. The hotel and Convention Centre opened in 2006. Old yew trees on the grounds are protected by a preservation order.
Getting there
The estate is on the outskirts of Kilkenny, Eircode R95 F685. Two airports are within 90 to 120 minutes by road, and Kilkenny has a railway station on the line to Dublin Heuston, a short drive from the estate.
