Johnstown Castle hosts meetings, talks and private events for up to 120 people, and weddings for up to 70 guests in its East Wing, with 120 acres of gardens and lakes around it. The Gothic Revival castle stands on the Johnstown Castle Estate, a short drive from Wexford town in the southeast of Ireland.
Seminars and company events
The castle hires out its period rooms for meetings, with original wood paneling and crystal chandeliers, and has a boardroom for smaller groups. For a larger audience, the modern Visitor Centre has a 120-seat café with views over the Upper Lake, used for performances and talks. Outdoor spaces on the estate can be added for a reception or a break between sessions.
During an event, guests can take guided or self-guided tours of the gardens, the lakeside trails and the Irish Agricultural Museum, which makes it easy to build a team day around a morning meeting. The events team arranges tea, coffee, refreshments and full catering through local suppliers.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies take place in the castle's period rooms for 2 to 70 guests. Hiring the East Wing gives a couple the gold-leaf ceiling of the Ballroom and the Oratory, both of which can be decorated to taste, for up to 70 guests. While the couple has photographs taken by the lake, on the terraces or in the glasshouse, guests can have champagne and canapés or a picnic on the lawns. Each booking is assigned the estate's wedding coordinator, who also helps with catering and suppliers.
Rooms and capacities
The East Wing, with the Ballroom and the Oratory, holds up to 70 guests. The Visitor Centre café seats 120. The other period rooms and the boardroom are offered for meetings, with capacities given on request. Outdoors, lawns, formal terraces and lakeside settings are used for receptions and photographs.
Accommodation
There are no bedrooms on the estate. The wedding coordinator shares a list of accommodation providers in County Wexford, and the same list helps a company group find rooms in town.
Catering
Food is arranged with local suppliers through the events team. The Peacock Café in the Visitor Centre serves coffee and light meals made with Wexford produce, and the estate shop sells local food and crafts.
History and setting
The estate presents more than 800 years of history, from medieval origins to its role in Irish farming. The present castle is Gothic Revival, and an 86-meter underground servants' passage runs beneath the grounds. The gardens were laid out by the 19th-century landscape architect Daniel Robertson, known for his work at Powerscourt in County Wicklow. The 120 acres of parkland, gardens and lakes shelter bats, badgers, moorhens and red squirrels. The Irish Heritage Trust, a non-profit, cares for and manages the estate, and the Irish Agricultural Museum holds farm machinery, vehicles and recreated country kitchens.
Getting there
The address is Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, Y35 HP22. The castle is about ten minutes by car from Wexford town, which has a railway station on the line from Dublin.
