Picture your first morning in Ireland. You climb 109 stone steps to the kitchen at the top of a lighthouse, put the kettle on, and watch the sun come up over the Irish Sea while seals bob in the water below. No lobby, no room service, no other guests. Just you, the tower, and more than 240 years of history.
That is the difference between ordinary Ireland vacation rentals and a stay with Irish Landmark Trust. We are a not-for-profit charity that has been rescuing historic buildings at risk since 1992: lighthouses, miniature castles, Georgian follies, a 17th-century fort and thatched cottages. We restore them with care and open them to guests as self-catering holiday homes (in Ireland, “self-catering” simply means a vacation rental, with the whole building to yourself). And the best part? The money from your stay goes straight back into looking after the building, so your vacation helps keep a piece of Irish heritage standing.

Quick Facts:
Historic Ireland Vacation Rentals at a Glance
- Castle-style stays: Annes Grove Miniature Castle (Cork), the Barbican Gatelodge (Antrim), Elizabeth Fort (Cork City)
- Lighthouse stays: Wicklow Head Lighthouse (Wicklow), Galley Head Lightkeeper's Houses (Cork)
- Self-catering: Your home away from home, with functional kitchen and the place to yourself.
- Currency: euro in the Republic of Ireland, pounds sterling in Northern Ireland
- WiFi and TV: none, by design, so you can properly switch off
- Getting around: a rental car is recommended for most properties
- Booking: plan ahead, as Wicklow Head Lighthouse is fully booked for 2026
Why Choose Historic Ireland Vacation Rentals?
If you have stayed with our sister organisations, the Landmark Trust in Britain or Landmark Trust USA in Vermont, you already know the magic. We are an independent Irish charity, but we share the same belief: the best way to save a historic building is to give it a use, and the best use is to let people live in it.
Most historic homes can only be seen from behind a velvet rope. Ours you can move into, even if only for a long weekend. Light the fire, pour a glass of wine, pull a book from the shelf and let the building tell you its story. Each property is looked after by a local House Manager, who welcomes you and is on hand throughout your stay, and every one comes with a Green Book full of local tips, from the best pub for a pint to the walk the locals love.
There is one more thing that makes our guests fall in love: our properties are WiFi and television free. It might sound daunting, but it is the quickest way to properly switch off. As we explain in How We Work, we raise funds to rescue each building, and then your rental income keeps it going from year to year.
Can You Stay in a Castle in Ireland?
You can, and you do not need to share it with a hotel full of strangers. Ireland’s grand castle hotels are famous, but for a truly private, storybook stay, a smaller castle you can have all to yourself is hard to beat.
Annes Grove Miniature Castle, Co. Cork
Turrets, battlements and a Gothic arch: Annes Grove is a medieval castle in miniature, designed by Benjamin Woodward of the celebrated architects Deane and Woodward. He designed only two gatelodges like it, which makes it a small architectural treasure. It had stood empty since the 1940s until we restored it. Now it is one of the most romantic hideaways in Ireland, with timber ceilings, stone arches, a wood-burning stove and a narrow winding stone stair up to the bedroom.

Perfect for: couples. Sleeps two.
The Barbican Gatelodge, Glenarm, Co. Antrim
Built in 1825 as the gateway to the Glenarm Castle estate, the Barbican is a miniature fortress on the Antrim coast, complete with a rooftop terrace where you can eat dinner looking out over the river. Its story is pure romance: in 1817 the Countess of Antrim, Anne Catherine, fell in love with Edmund Phelps and married him within a month of meeting him. Inside, there is a roll-top bath, a fireside for rainy evenings, and the tearooms and walled garden of Glenarm Castle just a stroll away.

Perfect for: couples exploring the Causeway Coast. Sleeps two.
Elizabeth Fort, Cork City
Want to sleep inside the walls of a real fortress? Elizabeth Fort is a star-shaped fort first built after the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 and rebuilt in stone in the 1620s. Over four centuries it has been a military barracks, a prison and a Garda (police) station. Today, two restored houses sit inside its walls. Guests love the stillness and silence the fortress walls bring, with the restaurants of Cork City and the spires of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral on your doorstep.


Perfect for: a city break with a difference. Parade House and Garrison House each sleep three.
Related Reading
Annes Grove Miniature Castle Itinerary: a week of gardens, rivers and castles in North Cork.
Seven Days Stay at a Gatelodge in Northern Ireland: the Causeway Coast and Glens from the Barbican.
Seven Night Stay in a 17th-Century Fortress: Cork City from inside Elizabeth Fort.
Stay in a Lighthouse on the Edge of Ireland
If there is one bucket-list stay in Ireland, this is it.
Wicklow Head Lighthouse has kept watch over the Wicklow coast since 1781, about an hour’s drive south of Dublin. It sleeps four, and the kitchen is right at the top, 109 steps up, so every meal comes with a view. Sit in the deep stone windowsills and look down the coastline, watch for seals, or stay up for the stars. It is one of our most popular properties: 2026 is fully booked, and 2027 dates are already on sale.
Down on the south coast of Co. Cork, the lightkeepers’ houses at Galley Head sit on cliffs about 130 feet above the sea, less than half an hour from the lively market town of Clonakilty. The station was built in 1875, and its keepers would have witnessed the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. Local legend says the lighthouse was given its unusual landward beam so the Sultan of Turkey could see it from nearby Castle Freke. By day there is whale and dolphin watching and surfing at Inchydoney; by night, an open fire and the sweep of the light across the sky.


Perfect for: families and friends. Galley Head Lightkeeper’s House 1 sleeps four.
Related Reading
7 Nights in Galley Head Lighthouse: a Wild Atlantic Way week in West Cork.
Best Lighthouses to Stay In: every Irish Landmark lighthouse, from Donegal to Antrim.
Georgian Estates and Gothic Follies
The great country estates of Ireland are famous for their houses, but some of their smaller buildings are even more enchanting. Batty Langley Lodge sits on the Castletown estate in Co. Kildare, home to one of Ireland’s great Palladian country houses and less than an hour from Dublin Airport. The lodge was designed to be admired from the River Walk created by Lady Louisa Lennox, and its Gothic façade, crowned with seven stone pinnacles, was added in 1785 using a design from Batty Langley’s 1747 book Gothic Architecture. Walk through the parkland to the pubs and restaurants of Celbridge, then come home to a library, a stove and, after dark, the bat-watching equipment we provide for the six species that live in the surrounding woods.

Perfect for: a romantic first or last night of your trip. Sleeps two.
A Cottage With an American Connection
So many Irish-American families have a story of a small house left behind. Goggin Cottage in Co. Limerick is one of them. This early nineteenth-century thatched cottage was home to the Goggin family for generations, a place of open doors, music and neighbours dropping in for news. Around 1948, Christine, a daughter of the house, left for Philadelphia, where she felt she could better provide for her young daughter. Today, the cottage’s owner lives in America.
We restored Goggin Cottage with its open hearth, limewashed walls and a loft bedroom under the thatch, and it is now open to guests. If you want to rent a cottage in Ireland that has lived through the same history as so many emigrant families, this is it. It sleeps up to four, and it is only a short drive from Adare, known as one of Ireland’s most beautiful villages.

Related Reading
The History of Goggin Cottage: the census records, the family and the neighbours who remember them.
7 Nights in Goggin Cottage: a week around Adare, Limerick and the Shannon Estuary.
Planning Your Stay: Tips for American Travellers
- Book early. Every building is one of a kind, and the most popular, like Wicklow Head Lighthouse, can sell out a year ahead.
- Rent a car. Many properties are in the countryside, and a car is the easiest way to reach them and explore at your own pace.
- Check the currency. Properties in the Republic of Ireland are priced in euro. Those in Northern Ireland, such as the Barbican, are priced in pounds sterling.
- Expect character. These are historic buildings, so you may find low doorways, worn steps and spiral stairs. Each property page lists what to know before you book.
- Pack for the weather. Especially at the lighthouses, you may see sunshine, rain and a storm in the same afternoon. That is part of the fun.
Travel That Gives Something Back
Every Irish Landmark booking supports the conservation of Irish heritage, but many of our guests want to do more. If a stay has meant something to you, a donation helps us rescue the next building at risk. And if you would like to share the experience, an Irish Landmark gift card makes an unforgettable present for anyone who loves history, architecture or simply a quiet evening by the fire.
Plan Your Irish Landmark Stay
Whether you dream of a lighthouse, a castle or a thatched cottage, there is a historic building waiting for you. Browse our historic places to stay to find yours, and know that your stay helps keep it standing for the next generation.
Further Reading
Landmark Trusts Abroad: Great Britain and USA: our sister organisations in Britain and Vermont.
How We Work: how Irish Landmark saves, shares and sustains historic buildings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Historic Ireland Vacation Rentals
Can you stay in a castle in Ireland?
Yes. Alongside Ireland’s castle hotels, Irish Landmark Trust offers smaller castle-style buildings you can have entirely to yourself, including Annes Grove Miniature Castle in Co. Cork, the Barbican Gatelodge at Glenarm in Co. Antrim, and two houses inside Elizabeth Fort in Cork City.
Is Irish Landmark Trust the same as the Landmark Trust?
No. Irish Landmark Trust is an independent Irish charity. We share a similar mission with the Landmark Trust in Britain and Landmark Trust USA, and we think of them as sister organisations, but each is separate.
Do Irish Landmark properties have WiFi?
No. Our properties are WiFi and television free so that guests can enjoy the buildings, the landscape and each other’s company. Each has a radio, books and games.
How far in advance should I book?
As early as you can. Some properties, such as Wicklow Head Lighthouse, are booked out for a whole year, and dates for the following year go on sale well in advance.
Do I need a car?
For most properties, yes. Many are in rural locations or on country lanes, so a car is the most practical way to arrive and explore. City properties such as Elizabeth Fort are the exception.