|
One of the finest castles of its period, Markree has
been home to the Cooper family for 350 years. Having been restored over
the last 10 years it is now a Country House Hotel - the only Irish
castle hotel still owned by direct descendants of the original family.
From the spectacular entrance staircase to the enormous stained glass
window, depicting the Cooper family tree overlooking the fine oak
staircase and gallery. Markree exudes history yet provides all the
facilities by modern travelers. The food in the magnificent gilded
dining-room has won praise and accolades in many leading magazines and
guide books, as has the wine list with some 250 bins from the castle
cellar. The Castle lies in the romantic landscape where the poet Yeats
found his inspiration, north of awe-inspiring Connemara and south of the
beautiful Donegal coast, with the impressive cliffs of Bunglass and
Magho. The tale of Markree Castle is a wonderful journey through time.
Here the owner still greets his guests and may even serve dinner to them
himself. Overall you will experience a historic castle atmosphere
without feeling as a tourist, but as a guest of the house.
Our
getaway ride includes 3 nights at the castle and one night at the
four-star Clarion hotel.
 IT-IRSR02
Rate include lodging -
2 nights in 4* hotel
and 2 nights at Markree Castle,
all meals, 3 riding days SU-TH
5 days/
4nights
$1,645 Single: + $ 145
-- based on
€ 1,195 / €
105
- Non Rider rate is $1,255 -- Euro 875
2007 Dates:
09/23-09/27 09/30-10/04
10/07-10/11
10/14-10/18
2008 Dates:
03/30-04/03
04/06-04/10 04/13-04/17
04/20-04/24 04/27-05/01
05/04-05/08
05/11-05/15 05/18-05/22
05/25-05/29
06/01-06/05 06/08-06/12
06/15-06/19
06/22-06/26 07/27-07/31
08/03-08/07
08/10-08/14 08/17-08/21
08/24-08/28
08/31-09/04 09/07-09/11
09/14-09/18
09/21-09/25 09/28-10/02
10/05-10/09
10/12-10/16
Meeting: Collonoey
Level:
Intermediate
Transfer: Included. from Sligo;
-there are now very
good flight connections from Dublin to Sligo
Pace: moderate with fast canters
4-6
hrs/ day
Tack:
English
Horses:
Irish
Hunters
Min/Max Riders: 4-15
Note: The trip includes a sightseeing day to the
local historic sights and places of interest as well
as trips to local pubs for traditional Irish music.
Accommodations:
The castle is situated a few miles from historical Sligo town and Yeats
country - within easy visiting distance of Sligo's beautiful beaches and
golf courses. Markee Castle is in the center of a large estate, with
lovely gardens leading down to the river Unsin, and views over a
countryside almost unchanged for 100 years.
The original house has
been re-built many times over the years. In 1802 a major external
transformation was completed by Francis Johnston, the well known
architect. This facade remains today and the interior was just recently
completely renovated by the current owner. Inside the Markree you will
find fine Edwardian and Victorian mahogany furniture. A large blazing
fireplace always greets guests. As you stroll down the hall, you will
notice the beautiful oak panels. In the first-floor dining room there is
ornate Louis XIV plasterwork.
ALL THE BEDROOMS AT MARKREE are
individual in style and character, the furniture is old, in keeping with
the style of the Castle, yet meet all the requirements of the modern
day. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms, direct dial telephone,
hairdryer, television, individually controlled heating and beverage
making facilities to make a hustle of the modern world outside. The
majority of rooms have fantastic views of the gardens and surrounding
countryside.
Knockmuldowney Restaurant, with its award winning food,
is a well-known restaurant within the region. Enjoy the peace and quiet
and exceptional ambience at Markree.
Itinerary
Day 1 : Guests arrive in Sligo at the Clarion
Hotel (or similar) and are
allocated their rooms . Dinner is at
the hotel.
Day 2: Riders are driven to the riding centre in Carrowmore. Here in a large indoor ring riders are
introduced to their mount for the trip. Declan and
Michael, the trail guide, spend the next hour or so
evaluating the horses and riders and their
compatibility. Then the group is taken out to the
nearby pastures to test the control of the riders
outside on a short trail ride. After a light lunch we go for a 2
1/2 hour
trail ride. This ride takes us through Rathcarrick
woods and onto Gibaralter strand for our first
canters on the Atlantic shores. Horses overnight at
the riding centre and riders are transferred back to
the hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3:
Today we
ride to Knocknarea mountain and we climb to the
summit to the grave of one of Ireland’s greatest
warriors, Queen Maeve (circa 3500 b.c.). From this
vantage point one can really appreciate the beauty
of this corner of the Emerald Isle. We have lunch in
Strandhill, a seaside surfing village and our
afternoon’s ride is an exilarating beach ride to
Coney Island, a small island in Sligo Bay (pop7).
The horses stay tonight in Carrowmore. Guests are
given the option going to Sligo to have a Guinness
in one of our oldest traditional pubs where one is
free to sing or join in the sing song. After we go back to Markree Castle. Dinner is taken at the Castle.
Day 4:
Before riding we take an escorted tour through
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetary,circa 4000 b.c.
Have a large breakfast this morning because we don’t
stop for lunch today. We ride from Carrowmore
through Union forest (a large pine forest) and along
old forest paths into Markree estate. We ride
through the castle grounds and to the stables where
the horses will spend the night. Riders spend the
night and take dinner in Markree Castle.
Day 5: Departure after breakfast.
|
Activities nearby:
Golf
Fishing
Carrowmore megalithic cemetery
|
