About this hotel
General information
Cashel Palace Hotel occupies an 18th-century Palladian mansion at the foot of the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. Built as an archbishop’s residence to designs by the architect Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, it pairs a red-brick front with a limestone rear and Venetian windows; inside, the entrance hall keeps its wood panelling and two fluted Corinthian columns, and a red pine staircase rises on hand-turned barley-sugar balusters. The restoration repaired rather than replaced: panelling, fireplaces, flagstones and old glass were mended by hand, the roof relaid in blue slate and the chimneys returned to their original height.
The 42 rooms and suites are spread between the main house, a garden wing and the restored outbuildings along the avenue. Around them lie about three acres of lawns, mature trees and old mulberries, and the private Bishop’s Walk leads straight up to the Rock, which fills the view from many bedrooms, the spa and the garden. A member of Relais & Châteaux, the hotel is known for its restaurant in the mansion’s vaulted kitchens, a spa with an indoor-outdoor pool and its place on the edge of Tipperary’s horse country.
Location
The hotel stands on the main street of Cashel, below the Rock of Cashel, a few minutes’ walk away along the hotel’s own path, and close to the M8 motorway between Dublin and Cork. Shannon Airport is about 86 km away (around 1 hr 10 min by car), Cork Airport about 100 km (1 hr 15 min) and Dublin Airport about 170 km (1 hr 45 min – 2 hrs); Thurles railway station is 20 minutes’ drive. There is no airport shuttle, but the concierge arranges private transport. Guest parking, with valet service, is free, and there are electric-car charging points.
Spa
The light-filled spa looks over the gardens towards the Rock of Cashel. Its thermal area has a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and contrast showers, and its signature is bathing: seaweed baths and mud rituals with Irish seaweed products by VOYA and SOAK. Facials and body treatments use Bamford and Valmont, with the Bamford Ritual and B Strong Ritual among the house treatments, and there is a double room for treatments together. A relaxation room and terrace follow the treatments, and the spa also holds a yoga studio, the Recharge Health Bar and a hair salon. Hotel guests use the pool, thermal area and gym free of charge.
Sports & leisure
Activities are offered on the grounds and arranged across County Tipperary.
- Fishing: the hotel’s own 6 km of private water on the Suir and Aherlow rivers, known for brown trout.
- A traditional gun dog experience in the hotel gardens, with the Rock of Cashel beyond the walls.
- Horse country around Fethard, equine tours, mountain trekking in Tipperary and Crossogue Equestrian Centre.
- Golf on the region’s parkland courses and e-bike tours.
- The Suir Blueway: a 53 km kayak and canoe trail on the River Suir and a 21 km walking and cycling path along its banks; hikes in the Glen of Aherlow.
- The Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle on its island in the Suir and Holycross Abbey; guided walks of the town and food tours.
- Cashel Blue cheese, a honey farm, whiskey and craft distilleries, an apple farm and a masterclass at Rossa Pottery.
- A gym with wooden equipment overlooking the garden, plus yoga and Pilates classes.
- Traditional Irish music nights and jazz on the garden terrace, wine and whiskey tastings and garden picnics.
For children
Young guests have children’s books, games and a children’s menu, and babysitting can be arranged on request with advance notice.
Restaurants & bars
The kitchens draw on the farms, orchards and artisan producers of Tipperary’s fertile valley, and breakfast is a full Irish cooked to order.
- The Bishop’s Buttery — the restaurant in the main house’s original vaulted kitchens: modern Irish cooking on classical foundations, tasting and set menus with sommelier pairings, and a chef’s table; dinner.
- A light-filled room in the main house — lunch and a classic country-house afternoon tea.
- Mikey Ryan’s Bar & Kitchen — a relaxed bistro and bar in the hotel grounds, with its own entrance on Main Street: Irish dishes, seafood and house-baked bread, with garden tables; lunch and dinner. Its garden pavilion, The Glass Well, hosts private dinners.
- The Guinness Bar — a fireside bar on the mansion’s lower floor: Guinness, Irish whiskey and wine.
- Residents’ Cocktail Bar — for hotel guests only, overlooking the garden terrace: classic and signature cocktails, champagne and rare whiskeys.
- Garden Terrace Bar — open in season, with sunset views of the Rock of Cashel.
- Donoghue’s — a traditional Irish pub next door on Main Street, all dark wood and snugs, with live Irish music.
- Sadler’s Bar & Kitchen — a country restaurant and bar in Fethard, 20 minutes’ drive away, booked through the concierge.
Wine and whiskey tastings and private dinners can also be arranged.
Swimming
The spa’s heated 17-metre pool runs from a sheltered indoor section out into the open towards the garden, with a Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room alongside. Hotel guests swim free of charge.
Pets
Small and medium-sized dogs are welcome in selected rooms — the ground-floor Garden Wing rooms and the Gate Lodge — up to two per booking and by prior arrangement. Dogs may stay in the room and the gardens but not in indoor public areas or restaurants, except at outdoor tables.
Rooms
The 42 rooms and suites are individually designed: high ceilings, original fireplaces and old beams in the main house, space and contemporary comfort in the garden wing, and privacy and dedicated parking in the former carriage house, school house and gate lodge along the avenue.
Air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, satellite TV with screen casting, a mini larder, safe, iron and board, hairdryer, bathrobes and slippers, Memo toiletries and turndown service.
Carriage House Room
One of the rooms in the restored carriage house on the tree-lined avenue, with a super king-size bed and its own parking space. Sleeps two.
Main House Avenue Classic
A top-floor room in the main house, many with original timber beams, looking over the avenue and the town of Cashel. Sleeps two.
Main House Rock View Deluxe
A room in the historic mansion with 18th-century detail; selected rooms look out to the Rock of Cashel. Sleeps two.
School House Superior
A room in the former school house on the avenue; the rooms can be booked singly or together for family or friends. Sleeps two.
Garden Wing Superior
A spacious garden-wing room overlooking the gardens; those on the ground floor have a private garden patio. Sleeps up to three.
Main House Rock View Suite
A first-floor suite in the mansion with high ceilings, an original fireplace and views of the gardens and the Rock of Cashel; a super king-size bed (a four-poster in one suite) and a marble bathroom with bath and shower. Sleeps two.
Main House Avenue View Suite
A main-house suite of generous proportions with a quiet outlook over the avenue and the town. Sleeps two.
Gate Lodge Junior Suite
The former gatekeeper’s lodge at the head of the avenue: an entrance hall, a sitting room with banquette seating and a feature fireplace, a super king-size bed, a shower room and a small private patio. Sleeps two.
Garden Wing Suite
The largest garden-wing suites, with an entrance hall, separate sitting room, walk-in wardrobe and one or two super king-size beds; the bathroom has a separate bath and shower and double basins, ground-floor suites have a private patio, and the windows face the Rock of Cashel. Sleeps up to four and can connect to a neighbouring suite.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.