Dromoland Castle

Dromoland Castle sits on an estate in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, built around a castle dating to the 16th century. It is described as the ancestral home of one of Ireland's oldest Gaelic families, descended from an Irish king. The property pairs that history with an 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course that holds GEO certification, gardens, and a programme of estate-based activities including falconry with hawks and owls, archery, walking history tours, genealogy sessions, and walks along a Woodland Fairy Trail. Dining is spread across the Earl of Thomond Restaurant, The Gallery, the Fig Tree Restaurant and a cocktail bar, with The Castle Spa for wellness and additional outdoor pursuits including stand up paddleboarding on Dromoland Lough, tennis and yoga.

As a member of Beyond Green, Dromoland Castle is also shaped by a set of sustainability commitments tied to its own grounds. Walking paths across the estate support biodiversity work that includes swift nesting sites, wildlife habitats and a garden-to-kitchen programme, with food waste composted to nourish soil and grow wildflower meadows. The estate has introduced goats to its lawn management, a traditional, fuel-free method of keeping grass down and protecting stone walls from climbing vines. Local schools visit for sustainability tours covering biodiversity, waste and food systems, and the estate runs seasonal community outreach including Christmas gifting to a local nursing home.

On decarbonization, Dromoland Castle has set a target of cutting carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 against a 2018 baseline, with progress tracked through a carbon calculator and pursued through energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy generation, fleet electrification and sustainable procurement. Guests arrive for the castle setting and the golf course, and find an estate that treats its land, gardens and local community as part of the stay rather than a backdrop to it.