THE IRELAND OF YOUR DREAMS

The Real Castles of Ireland

Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009, 12:00 AM | Subscribe to the magazine

Source Article: The Real Castles of Ireland

NYC-based Cedric Angeles photographed our cover along Ireland's Cliffs of Moher. "You can drive everywhere in Ireland," he says. "You kind of have to just throw the map away, pick a direction, and go. The charm is in all the tiny towns and castles you come across along the way. (Cedric Angeles)
Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, on a 450-acre estate near Galway Bay. (Cedric Angeles)
Interior at Ballynahinch Castle, a three-story crenellated mansion. (Cedric Angeles)
A room at Ballynahinch Castle, where the atmosphere is genteel without being prissy. (Cedric Angeles)
Ballynahinch exterior. (Cedric Angeles)
Ballynahinch Castle Bar. (Cedric Angeles)
The grounds at Ballynahinch Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
The town of Roundstone, near Ballynahinch Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
Markree Castle, in County Sligo, where the same family has lived for 14 generations. (Cedric Angeles)
Markree Castle attracts all sorts with its combination of character, diligent service, and imposing surroundings. (Cedric Angeles)
Interior at Markree Castle. The existing building was designed and built by Victorians to look medieval. (Cedric Angeles)
Irish breakfast at Markree Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
The Bryan Cooper Room at Markree Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
The library at Markree Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
The River Unshin, which runs through the grounds of Markree Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
Cows near Markree Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
Strandhill Surf School, 20 minutes from Markree Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
The Traditional Music Shop in Doolin, County Clare. (Cedric Angeles)
Breakfast at the Burren Perfumery, near Ballinalacken Castle Hotel, in County Clare. (Cedric Angeles)
Outside the still room at the Burren Perfumery. (Cedric Angeles)
The rocky coast near Ballinalacken Castle, where the Cliffs of Moher plunge into the Atlantic. (Cedric Angeles)
Castle ruins near Ballinalacken Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
A Ballinalacken Castle bedroom. (Cedric Angeles)
Inside Ballinalacken Castle, a 12-room family-run property that has the unfussy air of a B&B. (Cedric Angeles)
Breakfast at Ballinalacken Castle. (Cedric Angeles)
The 700-foot-tall Cliffs of Moher. (Cedric Angeles)