Killymoon Castle, on the edge of Cookstown in Northern Ireland, is hired for small weddings and for private group occasions: afternoon tea, lunch or a candlelit supper in its Georgian rooms. The official site names the mirrored ballroom, the Green Room, the morning room, the cantilever staircase and the lawns, and gives no guest capacity for any of them. It suits intimate gatherings rather than large receptions.
Seminars and company events
The castle does not sell business meetings or conferences. Its special events offer is a personal dining experience for groups: church groups, historical groups, community groups, family occasions and baby showers. A group can choose afternoon tea, lunch or a candlelit supper in the Green Room, which looks over the Ballinderry River. A guided tour by registered guides can be added, and the castle can provide music for the evening, from its own pianist or a local traditional folk band. A company team that wants a historical afternoon with tea and a tour could use this format, but ask the castle first.
Weddings and receptions
The castle describes itself as a setting for intimate weddings. A ceremony can take place on the cantilever staircase, in the mirrored ballroom or on the lawns above the river. Couples can also erect their own marquee through a local supplier. The wedding specialist gives a quote and available dates on request, with pricing tailored to the wedding. The castle also offers its grounds for wedding photographs: the staircase, the hallway with its arches and coves, the ballroom with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and the gardens and lawns.
Rooms and capacities
Named spaces are the ballroom, the Green Room, the morning room, the oval dining room, the cantilever staircase and the lawns. Afternoon tea can be served in the ballroom or the morning room. The site states no capacity for any room, so ask for seated numbers before you plan a guest list. Group tours are arranged by a request form, and private tours are possible.
Catering
Catering is handled by the castle's own tea room, Tommy's Kitchen, which serves afternoon tea, light lunches, soup, scones, cakes and pastries. It works by booking only, and afternoon tea must be booked 24 hours ahead. The site does not describe a wedding menu, so ask whether a banquet can be provided or a caterer brought in.
Accommodation
The Castle Lodge stands in the grounds on the banks of the Ballinderry River, and guests can stay there. The site gives no room count.
History and setting
The castle is a Grade A listed building designed by John Nash for Colonel William Stewart, after fire destroyed an earlier castle in 1801. It was Nash's first castle in Ireland. The Stewart family lived there for six generations until 1852. During the Second World War American soldiers were stationed here, a story told in a living-history tour of the cellars.
Getting there
The castle is on the outskirts of Cookstown, about 50 miles from Belfast by car, and about an hour from the north coast and Donegal.
