East Cork is the often unnoticed sibling of the Cork family tree. Not as well known as its more famous sister to the West, discerning people are beginning to discover the delights and beauty of this magical and relatively unspoilt region. You leave the bustle, the restaurants and shops of Cork city and within 30 minutes you arrive at a destination for your magical fairytale wedding at Barnabrow House.
Barnabrow is a country estate dating back to 1639, and the mature gardens and grounds are tended by Head Gardener Liam Irwin for many, many years. Up on a hill is the Manor House itself, a true gem of a country house. Retaining many original features, the Manor House has been lovingly restored. It has many viewing points over the idyllic surrounding countryside, and on a clear day you can even have glimpses of Ballycotton Bay.
2024 marks 25 years of hosting wedding celebrations at Barnabrow. The Wedding Team at Barnabrow, have thought of everything and they consider it a privilege to be part of your wedding celebration, undoubtedly a momentous family occasion. They will join in the excited anticipation as couples prepare to welcome the most important people in their lives to witness their commitment to each other. The team is ready to pave the way, ease the burden and dole out the advice with experience gleaned over those years, with couples who went before.
Barnabrow appeals to a niche market. They will themselves say that it is not for everyone – you will either immediately love it or you will decide quickly that it is not for you. Words such as ‘intimate’, ‘unique’, ‘exclusive’, ‘romantic’ and ‘authentic’ are used to describe the ambiance. Couples also describe it as ‘chilled, relaxed and laid-back’. However, the wedding team pressed upon us that the calm atmosphere is made possible by all the beavering away that is happening in the background by their busy and conscientious team determined to ensure that every last detail of your wedding day is conducted to perfection.
In recognition that every couple seeks to have something different for their wedding day, the team have curated a selection of packages for Summer and for Winter, with varying prices to suit varying budgets. However, they really love to help you design your own unique wedding package, something that perfectly suits your mood, style and price. Barnabrow House gives you so much scope to bring your own quirky, magical, whimsical taste to the fore. It could even be your own exclusive-use venue without the venue charge.
Many couples today want smaller, less formal, much more personalised weddings, and the team at Barnabrow can deliver just that. The ‘Party Wedding’ has been perfected over years and is designed for couples who wish to have a small family wedding and then a larger party for their wider groups of family and friends. Barnabrow House can successfully host both on the same day, which means everybody will get to share in your day. A five-course feast is laid on earlier in the day for the 30-40 close family members and the rest of your party assembles in the early evening for a tapas supper and welcome cocktails.
Another unique offering is the ‘Food-to Share’ Package whereby a specialist series of antipasto platters, which you can help to design yourself, are passed around ‘family style’. Guests are seated at tables and the food platters are brought to table.
For a more traditional style of wedding celebration, dinner will be served in the grand mediaeval-style banqueting hall, which seats 150. A talented team of local chefs oversees the menu at Barnabrow House, and some of the produce is grown in the Victorian Walled Garden on the grounds of the estate, thanks to the aforementioned Head Gardener, Liam. Tender shoots of rhubarb in the spring, bunches of basil in the summer, and rosy, ripe tomatoes in Autumn. With a solid reputation for excellent food, pride of place in the options is a recently added seven course tasting menu, a big hit with foodies. Day two events can be arranged and children are welcome too.
If you are looking for indoor ceremonies, you can seat 75 in the conservatory, or weather permitting, 150 outdoors at the tree-shaded Fairy Grove. If you opt for a ceremony at the secluded Fairy Grove, it is a short walk to Mor Chluana cottage. Mor was the Fairy Goddess of Cloyne and legend has it she was abducted from Cashel by the Cloyne fairies because of her renowned beauty. The huge deck in front of the cottage offers the perfect setting for guests to enjoy pre-dinner champagne and lite-bites before dinner. With background music and views over the countryside and the bay, it’s ideal for sunny days when the dinner bell often gets ignored! It’s a short amble up the hill to the mediaeval-style banqueting hall, guaranteed to bring gasps of admiration from your party.
There are five bedrooms in the main house yet the property has a total of 22 individually designed ensuite bedrooms, across the house, courtyard stables, and workers cottages. Each individual bedroom has its own personality with colour scheme and handpicked furniture thoughtfully executed. Bathrooms are modern and beds are king size with five star mattresses, to ensure you and up to 50 of your wedding guests have a serene and luxurious stay. Guests can look forward to a superb breakfast served in the Georgian dining room at the manor house. With tea and coffee-making facilities and views over the gardens, whichever room you arrive into, you will want to take in a moment to relax with a cuppa and look out over the demesne.
The 35 acres host a labyrinth of pathways and passages that will lead you to many surprises. The estate donkeys are the most famous in Munster having gotten themselves into many wedding photo shoots. They are friendly and curious, and will hope to secure a tasty morsel or two from you. There are various fowl to see and also four pygmy goats. There is a tea room and craft shop that draw many visitors to the beautiful location. And, of course there is the Fairy Trail and Bar na Brugha which translates as ‘Gap in the Fairy Fort’.
The property is listed for preservation. There is free parking and Wi-Fi on site. Activities nearby include horse riding, fishing and an array of golf courses. And, you won’t go wrong exploring East Cork, which has plenty to surprise and delight.
If whimsical, magical, or fairytale, are words you wish for your wedding, then you must enquire at Barnabrow House immediately.
