Tubbrid Castle Review: Sleeping Like Royalty in Rural Kilkenny

It’s been years since we stayed at Tubbrid Castle, but it’s one of those places that still comes up in conversation.

Long after the photos were filed away and normal life resumed, the memory of having a castle all to ourselves – fires crackling, views stretching for miles – has stubbornly refused to fade.

It’s the kind of stay that quietly resets your idea of what “memorable” actually means – and makes everything that comes after feel a bit more ordinary by comparison.

Welcome to Tubbrid castle in Kilkenny

You’ll find Tubbrid Castle a handy 20-minute drive from Kilkenny City down some quiet country lanes, surrounded by lush green fields and set against the backdrop of rolling mountains.

We whacked the name into Google Maps and could see the castle from afar as we approached, as it’s perched on a hill.

While it’s impressive from a distance, it’s only when you’re stood at the entrance and gazing up that it hits you. This is an Airbnb… and you have the whole place to yourself.

A fine greeting

I pulled over just before we reached the entrance to the castle and these lads legged it over to us to see what we were up to.

Then they started hoppin’ about the place (forgive the dodgy footage above). It says an awful lot about how secluded and quiet the area is when the only noises that we heard during our stay at Tubbrid Castle came from cows.

Inside the castle

After we received a warm greeting from John, the host, he took us inside. And we were blown away.

You climb (and it is a climb) to different floors via these beautiful stone staircase Which lead to the three bedrooms and the lounge/kitchen area.

Each of the bedrooms are magnificently restored and carefully kitted out. With the pièce de résistance being the HUGE master suite found on one of the castles upper floors.

Related read: Check out 20 of the best Castle hotels Ireland has to offer (there’s something for every budget!)

It was pretty surreal going to sleep and waking up here

The gorgeous little snug areas that you can see below are found throughout the castle. Those chunky orange cushions that cover the stone base will make your arse very happy.

A perfect spot for chilling in with a book and a coffee in the morning.

While the castle has been lovingly restored and still feels ‘old-world’, there are many modern features that’ll make your stay nice and comfortable, like:

• Central heating
• Underfloor heating
• Rainforest style showers
• Microwave, fridge and every cooking facility you’ll need

There’s also a high tech cooker that took us about 15 minutes to figure out how to use.

Related read: These are 32 of the most unique Airbnbs in Ireland.

Baths, views and a serious aul fire 

For me, the view, the fire and the bath were the icing on the cake. When I flung open the window in the master bedroom, this was what greeted me.

And the view from the very fancy bath on the ground floor, which looked out onto some of the fields that surround the castle, was just as good.

If you read our guide to the best places to stay in Ireland (if you love a view that knocks you on your arse), you’ll know how keen I am on places surrounded by scenery. The views here are deadly!

A beer and a roaring fire

We arrived late on the Friday evening thanks to traffic and a puncture, so by the time we checked in, headed out to the local shop for food and drink, and then settled, it was late enough.

Being able to throw on a real fire, bang off all the lights and just kick-back and chill (without the distraction of a television, noise from neighbours or anything else) was incredibly special.

I could have honestly sat here for a week.

Some of the castles history

In 942 AD, Muircheartach, the King of modern-day Ulster, marched his 1,000-strong army south to avenge his allies, who had been attacked by the King of Cashel.

The journey was recorded by a bard, a professional story teller/oral historian, in a poem called ‘Circuit of Ireland’.

In the poem, the bard praised the beauty of Osraí (now Kilkenny), and the hospitality of the people living there. At the edge of enemy territory and on the cusp of battle, Muircheartach’s army set up camp in Tubbrid, on a plain that a millennium later is still called Bán an Champa (the Field of the Encampment).

According to legend, the King himself is thought to have slept at the fort where Tubbrid Castle now proudly stands. From the top floor bedroom of Tubbrid Castle, you can survey Bán an Champa and enjoy lodgings befitting a king.