Belfast Castle offers five function rooms for business meetings, conferences, dinners and weddings. The largest, the Chichester Room, seats 200 in theatre layout or 160 at a dinner. The castle stands on the slopes of Cave Hill Country Park in Belfast, about a ten-minute drive from the city center.
Seminars and company events
The castle presents itself as a venue for small meetings and for large conferences. Each of the five rooms can be arranged in theatre, boardroom, dinner or cabaret layouts. The Chichester Room is the natural choice for a plenary session or a company dinner. The Donegall Room takes 80 in theatre layout and suits a second session or a presentation to a mid-sized team. The Ben Madigan, Ashley and Fisherwick Rooms handle workshops, board meetings and small training groups from 16 to 60 people. Room layouts, hire rates and catering are set out on separate pages of the official site, so an organizer can compare formats before sending a request.
Weddings and receptions
All five rooms are used for weddings. The Ashley Room, the Fisherwick Room and the Donegall Room hold a licence for civil ceremonies. The Chichester Room, the main ballroom, and the Ben Madigan Room are not licensed for ceremonies, so they work as reception rooms. The Chichester Room seats 160 at a banquet with round tables. Wedding packages are published on the official site. The exterior staircase, which carries a section of the Shaftesbury crest, is a popular place for photographs.
Rooms and capacities
The castle lists capacities in theatre, boardroom, dinner and cabaret layouts. The Chichester Room holds 200, 40, 160 and 84. The Donegall Room holds 80, 30, 50 and 30. The Ben Madigan Room holds 60, 23, 60 and 24. The Ashley Room holds 50, 25, 40 and 24. The Fisherwick Room holds 30, 16, 30 and 18. The Chichester Room has views over Belfast Lough and the city, and the Ashley and Donegall Rooms look over the castle garden and its fountain.
Catering
Catering is handled in house by Crumlin Road Gaol, which designs menus for business meetings, private dining and social functions. Menus range from formal dining to buffets and can be customized to the group. The castle also has the Cellar Restaurant, which can be booked, and the Tavern Coffee Shop.
History and setting
The first Belfast Castle was built by the Normans in the late 12th century in what is now the city center. Sir Arthur Chichester built a second castle on that site in 1611. The present building began in 1862, when the third Marquis of Donegall decided to build in his deer park on Cave Hill. It was finished in 1870 in the Scottish baronial style. In 1934 the Earl of Shaftesbury gave the castle and estate to the citizens of Belfast. It closed in 1978 for a major refurbishment and reopened on November 11, 1988. Today it sits in landscaped gardens about 120 meters above the city, with woodland and parkland around it.
Getting there
The address is Antrim Road, Belfast BT15 5GR, reached from the M2 through the Innisfayle Park and Downview Park West entrance. Free on-site parking is available on a first-come basis. Metro bus route 1 leaves from Upper Queen Street in the city center and stops at Strathmore Park on the Antrim Road. George Best Belfast City Airport is about 15 minutes away by car, and bicycle parking is free.
