The Lodge at Ashford Castle hosts conferences, team building, private celebrations and weddings, with up to 200 people in theater layout in the Harbour Ballroom and up to 260 wedding guests with a marquee extension. The hotel has 64 rooms and stands on the Ashford Castle estate at Cong, County Mayo, in the west of Ireland, overlooking Lough Corrib.
Seminars and company events
The Lodge sells meetings and conferences, team building, celebrations and private dining. Four rooms cover groups from a board meeting of 20 to a conference of 200, and the hotel can house delegates on site. Team activities take place on the lake and the estate, with kayaking among the options shown. Private dining is available for a working dinner or a client evening.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies are held seven days a week: vows, blessings, civil ceremonies and renewals. They can take place in one of the suites, in the Harbour Ballroom, on the front lawn or in the gardens when the weather allows, or in a church nearby, such as Saint Mary's in Cong, about three minutes away by car. The Junior Harbour room takes up to 30 guests, the Harbour Ballroom up to 200, and up to 260 with a marquee extension. The Lodge holds only one wedding per day and can be booked for exclusive use, with a post-wedding barbecue or buffet for guests staying on. Each couple has a personal wedding planner.
Rooms and capacities
The Harbour Ballroom takes 200 in theater layout, 186 at a banquet, 100 in classroom or cabaret layout, 70 as a boardroom or U-shape, and 395 for a standing reception. The Corrib Room takes 70 in theater, 50 at a banquet or in classroom, and 40 as a boardroom. The Mask Room takes 40 in theater or at a banquet and 20 as a boardroom. The Junior Harbour takes 40 in theater, 30 at a banquet and 20 as a boardroom.
Accommodation
The 64 rooms and suites are individually designed. Deluxe King and Deluxe Twin rooms look over the Ashford estate, and Superior Deluxe rooms have a Juliet balcony and a rain shower.
Catering
Catering is in-house, led by Executive Head Chef Jonathan Keane, a native of Connemara, with menus built on artisan producers from the west of Ireland. Wilde's at The Lodge is the fine-dining restaurant, the Quay Bar is the hotel bar, and a more informal brasserie completes the offer.
History and setting
The Lodge was built in 1865 for the estate manager of Ashford Castle, whose origins go back some 800 years. It belongs to the Red Carnation Hotel Collection. The house looks over Lough Corrib, one of the largest lakes in Ireland, with the hills of Connemara behind.
Getting there
Cong lies on the border of counties Mayo and Galway, about an hour by road north of Galway city. Ireland West Airport Knock and Shannon Airport are the nearest airports, and Galway station has trains from Dublin.
