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Castle Leslie

The eccentric Castle Leslie, an Ireland castle hotel

Luxury travel blog » Places to Travel » Europe Travel » Ireland Travel » The eccentric Castle Leslie, an Ireland castle hotel
September 26, 2017 by Carol Perehudoff

This post may contain affiliate links.

If you’ve ever dreamed of staying in an Ireland castle hotel, the eccentric Castle Leslie in County Monaghan, 80 minutes north of Dublin, has a history of rock stars, war heroes, secret passages, and equestrians – and an aristocratic heritage that is anything but stuffy. But don’t despair. It’s surprisingly affordable.

Castle Leslie

Castle Leslie, County Monaghan

It’s no wonder Sir Paul McCartney and his second wife Heather Mills got married at Castle Leslie just outside Glaslough Village in County Monaghan in 2002. If ever a castle was bursting with artistic eccentricity this is it.

(Not to add grist to the rumour mill but word has it Courteney Cox and Irish beau, Johnny McDaid from Snow Patrol, were eyeing it, too.)

An Irish castle hotel with a swinging past

In the swinging 60s Desmond Leslie, variously a pilot, pioneer of electronic music, writer and UFO specialist, was part of the ‘it’ crowd in London. The grandson of the late Sir John Randolf Leslie, 2nd Baronet, and son of the late Shane Leslie, 3rd Baronet, Desmond and his actor (and former American spy) wife, Agnes, were pedigreed party fixtures on the jet setting scene.

Castle Leslie became such a rock-studded hot spot that an escape route was installed in case the police raided it for drugs.

Mauve Room at Castle Leslie
Jagger was here

 

The Mauve Room

As I enter the Mauve Room on a quick castle hotel inspection I’m told this is where Mick Jagger carried on his affair with singer Marianne Faithfull.

Immediately I pose provocatively on the divan in front of the bed, attempting to channel a 60s rock goddess vibe (failing miserably, of course), just in case Jagger stops by, but no matter. Other rumours say Mick and Marianne preferred the Red Room anyway.

Uncle Jack, one of Castle Leslie’s famous figures

Desmond’s brother, Sir John Norman Ide Leslie, 4th Baronet, known affectionately as Uncle Jack, was one of the most colourful figures in the family. A celebrated war veteran who died in 2016, he was dancing in nightclubs well into his 90s and celebrated his 85th birthday at a rave in Ibiza.

Being a ‘wild child’ seems normal in this aristocratic family. Their Anglo-Irish lineage is filled with a mind-boggling hodgepodge of artists, writers, diplomats, Loch Ness Monster hunters and style icons, and they’re proud of it, too.

When the family was once described as ‘mildly eccentric’ in an article, Desmond took great offence, insisting that they were, in fact, “very eccentric.”

Castle Leslie Monaghan Ireland Dining Room
Can you imagine the dinner parties?

 

History of Castle Leslie

It’s a bohemian version of Downtown Abbey. In the 1800s the wealthy American heiress Leonie Jerome, the future aunt of Winston Churchill, married Desmond’s grandfather, heir to one of the largest landed estates in Ireland, and Castle Leslie became their marital home.

Their eldest son, Shane, a diplomat and politician, carried on the tradition, falling in love with a beautiful American from Vermont, Marjorie Ide, after carrying her unconscious from a car crash.

Irish Castles hotels, Castle Leslie
Yes, I could happily curl up here

 

The luxury of Irish Castle hotels

As I’m wandering around the castle, which is part museum, part luxury castle hotel and part comfy home (if your home happens to have 18th century tapestries, candelabras, Winston Churchill’s baby frock behind glass and a bloody shroud of a beheaded earl), I look out a window at the glassy calm of Glaslough Lake.

Castle Leslie Estate
Rooms with a view

 

Trouble at Castle Leslie

It looks idyllic, but it wasn’t for Mick Jagger. Out to enjoy this green slice of Ireland, he was spotted by a group of girls from a local reformatory school. They chased him around the lake until he sought refuge in the tower of San Salvador’s Church, the same church on the Castle Leslie Estate where Paul McCartney and Heather Mills were married.

Church where Paul McCartney got married Castle Leslie
Celebrity wedding chapel and refuge

 

All is well that ends in ink

The raucous schoolgirls were finally convinced to let Jagger go free in exchange for getting autographs on various body parts. Six weeks later the nuns who ran the reform school rang up the castle in despair. The girls refused to wash.

According to castle lore, the problem was solved when the girls got the autographs tattooed into their skin, and cleanliness in Monaghan County, Ireland, was restored.

Castle Leslie Irish Castle hotel
Ageless

A unique example of an Ireland castle hotel

The Castle Leslie Estate was also restored. The current trustee is the wonderfully tomboy-ish and horse-mad Samantha ‘Sammy’ Leslie, one of Desmond’s six children. After various stints as a dishwasher, backpacker and professional horse rider, she went to hotel management school in Switzerland and at 24, turned her hand to saving the declining estate.

Today, Castle Leslie is one of the top castle hotels in Ireland

Now the once crumbling castle is one of the most enchanting castle hotels in Ireland and, in fact, just won the People’s Choice Award for Ireland’s Favourite Place to Stay in The Hotel & Catering Review Awards. One of the few Irish castles and estates still maintained by the original family, it’s been in Leslie hands since the 1660s.

Sitting on 1,000 acres of rolling parkland, surrounded by ancient woods and lakes – as well as a UFO landing pad, should one be needed – this grand Irish estate is ideal for outdoor activities such as pike fishing, hiking, kayaking and of course, horse riding.

Castle Leslie grounds
Where the outdoors is king

An Equestrian destination

Today, the estate has  a riding school with 56 stables, miles of bridle paths and more than 200 cross country fences. There is even a vet and a horse dentist. But riding is only part of the experience if you want it to be. Personally, I’m more fixated on the swinging 60s.

Restoration of a historic Irish Castle Hotel

Today, the lovingly-revived castle is a far cry from Sammy’s childhood when the family fortunes were failing, the castle deteriorating and buckets set out upstairs to catch water from the leaking ceiling. But I still can’t imagine a better place to grow up.

Snaffles restaurant Lodge at Castle Leslie
Snaffles restaurant at the Lodge

 

The scoop on Castle Leslie

That’s why I’m thrilled when Sammy, still a castle resident, stops by our table in the lofty-ceilinged Snaffles Restaurant in the Castle Leslie Lodge. My poached fillet of brill is delicious but there are important things I need to know.

“Are you the one who used to walk around the precarious ledge surrounding the staircase in the castle?” I ask, thinking back to my earlier tour.

“Yes,” she said. “We all did. But once you grow breasts you can’t do it because the ledge is too narrow.”

“And is there really a secret passage from the Chinese Room?” I ask.

“Yes, but we had to close it off because we lost one of the guests.”

I make a mental note to stop venturing off alone. “Um, did you find him?”

“Eventually.”

Castle Leslie, top Ireland castles hotel
Don’t lose me! But if you do, let it be by this gorgeous Italian fireplace.

The eccentric Castle Leslie

Clearly this is a historic Irish estate where individuality is celebrated, where children ran free and where the outdoors was so much part of their lives it was occasionally brought inside. “I did get caught riding my pony into the kitchen,” Sammy admits.

Lodge at Castle Leslie
The Lodge

Castle Leslie Lodge

The rooms at the castle are full so I’m staying in the Lodge at Castle Leslie. A restored Victorian manor, it overlooks the stables and has an ivy-covered charm of its own. At 3:30 a.m. I’m wide awake. Opening my tall windows, I look down at the stable courtyard where all is silent, not even a horse is nickering.

I can’t help thinking of nights gone by when 3:30 a.m. would have been anything but quiet, when the likes of John Lennon, Eric Clapton or Mick Jagger might have been partying into the wee hours with an A-list crowd. Yet the lush Irish countryside, off-the-wall history, and aristocratic heritage that’s as accessible to you and me as it is to any rock star make it an unbeatable place to retreat.

 

Travel guide for the eccentric Castle Leslie, Ireland

Castle Leslie Accommodation: Check the castle website for promotions. I saw rates as low as 135 € per night for two people midweek in a Classic Room at the Lodge with breakfast, and 180 € for a Heritage Room at the Castle, which is surprisingly affordable if you ask me. Mind you, if you want one of the Master Castle Bedrooms expect to pay for the privilege. There are also family-sized cottages to rent. Or, like Paul McCartney, you could rent out the entire castle grounds.

For more information about this quirky Irish castle hotel visit the Castle Leslie Estate website.

Where is Castle Leslie in Ireland, and how do you get there? Castle Leslie Estate is in Co. Monaghan, less than 2 hours north of Dublin and an hour southwest of Belfast. It’s just outside tiny Glaslough Village, which is off the N2 about 10 minutes north of Monaghan Town.

Horse Riding and Riding Lessons: Prices start at 35 € for a one-hour group riding lesson per adult. Child 25 €. A 5-day riding school runs about 1500 €.

The Horse Hotel: Yup, you can bring your own horse with a special package for both you and your horse at the Old Stable Mews.

Victorian Spa: The Castle Leslie Estate has a spa with 7 treatment rooms.

Dining at Castle Leslie Estate: The award-winning Snaffles Restaurant focuses on locally-sourced cuisine and fine dining in a spacious room with oak beams and a hand-carved ceiling. Meals are also available at the estate’s Conor’s Bar & Lounge. Afternoon tea is served in the Drawing Room at the Castle.

Interested in more amazing places to stay in Ireland? Read my review of the luxury Shelbourne in Dublin. Or try Best Spas in Ireland.

My trip was hosted by Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland. All opinions and Mick Jagger infatuations are my own, even though he has a new ballerina girlfriend. Visit the Tourism Ireland website for more information on travel to Ireland or Ireland’s Ancient East.

 

Category: Celebrity, Europe Travel, Hotel Reviews, Ireland Travel

About Carol Perehudoff

A former freelance travel columnist for the Toronto Star, Carol has won more than 30 writing awards and honours. A spa and luxury travel expert, she’s written for top travel publications around the globe.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meg Jerrard

    I would LOVE to stay in and Ireland castle hotel! We did this in Scotland and it was the best accommodation experience I’ve ever had. Castle Leslie definitely sounds eccentric, and with a long history of a star studded past I can imagine some of the stories it’s walls hold! Love the description of a bohemian version of Downtown Abbey. Haha so funny that the girls from the nearby school chased down Mick Jagger, and then got their autographs tattooed after refusing to wash?!! What a crazy story! Seriously, if walls could talk right!!

    Very cool that the castle has been restored, and channeled into a luxury hotel now – the grounds sound incredible, and I love that it’s such a unique place, where you could imagine the scandalous scenes that have taken place!

  2. authenticfoodquest

    What a great story about the rich and colorful past of Castle Leslie. It’s a beautiful place and no wonder so popular. Did you get a chance to see the underground passages? Great review and experience!!

  3. Sandy N Vyjay

    The Castle Leslie looks straight out of a Victorian Romance. The fact that it was frequented by the likes of Mick Jagger and Sir Paul McCartney adds to the romance and intrigue of the place. A stay here would be nothing short of a story book experience, I am sure.

  4. DebbZie Leksono

    My first ever stay in at a castle was last year when I travel to Poland. Stayed for a night at St. Bruno hotel which used to be a castle. Now after reading your post I’m soooo gonna stay at Castle Leslie when I visit Ireland. I’m in love with the Mauve room and the ehem….secret passage! :D

  5. Carol Perehudoff

    I totally wanted to see the castle’s secret passage, too, Skye.

  6. Carol Perehudoff

    I thought that was a funny bit of castle lore, too, Anna.

  7. Carol Perehudoff

    That’s how I felt, Brianna.

  8. Brianna

    I’ve always wanted to stay in a castle and I can’t think of a better place than Ireland to do it. Add in a little rock n roll history with McCartney and Jagger and I’m sold.

  9. Anna @ shenANNAgans

    Very fancy and totally a place I’d love to visit. Love the name of the restaurant “Snaffles” – good interrogation you did there with Sammy. Loved that one cannot walk the ledge once one grows breasts!!!!

  10. SkyeClass

    What a beautiful castle! I’d love to stay there someday. Of course, I’d probably want them to open up that secret passage from the Chinese room for me. I love those kinds of things. And the UFO landing pad sounds great. I’ll have to look them up the next time I’m in Ireland.

  11. Divyakshi Gupta

    What a story!!! A castle with so many secrets and such great views to offer! And it’s affordable! WHOA! :) Awesome review. Looks incredibly luxurious :)

  12. Carol Perehudoff

    Thanks so much, Thomas. Castle Leslie is a unique place to stay in Ireland all right. I’d love see see a film about it, too.

  13. Thomas Mathys

    Now this is a great “hotel” review! They should actually make a movie about the past of this great castle! I’d love to see a scene where the police would do a drug raid and all the “it” people fleeing from a secret escape route :D I love the rich past this castle has to offer

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