Corscadden family announce purchase of Markree Castle

Markree Castle

The Corscadden family, who own and operate two of the North East’s most popular wedding venues, have announced the purchase of Markree Castle in Sligo.

The owners of Bellingham Castle in Castlebellingham and Cabra Castle in Kingscourt, have paid an undisclosed sum for the hotel which will now undergo a €5m restoration with a view to re-opening to the public in March 2016.

It’s the first time that the castle has changed hands since it was gifted to the Cooper family by Cromwell in the mid-17th century. The family put the property on the market back in September 2014 for an asking price which was understood to be €3.1m but no selling price has been disclosed for the sale.

“We are delighted to add this incredible property to the Corscadden collection of Irish castles,” said Howard Corscadden, whose family also run Ballyseede Castle in Co Kerry.

Last year the family completed the restoration of Bellingham Castle, which it acquired in 2012 for €900,000.

Bellingham Castle gets its own Irish wolfhound… Ferdia!

Ferdia, the newest addition to Bellingham Castle

Cabra Castle in Kingscourt has become well known in recent years for their Irish wolfhound, Oscar.

Now its sister hotel, Bellingham Castle, is set for an Irish wolfhound of its own after Ferdia was unveiled as the newest addition to the Corscadden family at the weekend.

Ferdia is just eight weeks old but is sure to be a welcome addition to the Castlebellingham-based hotel when it opens its doors to the public in January.

The Corscaddens have completely renovated the castle over the course of the past year and hope to make it one of the country’s premier boutique wedding venues.

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The gardens of Bellingham

Recently we brought you a sneak peek inside the revamped Bellingham Castle.

Now though another photo has been released by the Corscadden family, showing off the fabulous gardens the wedding venue will have when it fully reopens.

The picture (above) shows the wonderful walkway through the garden, which also takes in the Glyde River.

The Castlebellingham-based castle was bought last year by the Corscadden family, who are best known in this area for running Cabra Castle in Kingscourt. They acquired the hotel last year with the hope of transforming it into an impressive wedding venue, along the lines of Cabra. Extensive renovation work – estimated to cost in the region of €4m – has been going on for some time to transform the historic property into a 22 bedroom, 4 star boutique style castle, with exclusive wedding hire.

Related articles

• A sneak peek at Bellingham Castle (talkofthetown.ie)

A sneak peek at Bellingham Castle

The revamped Bellingham Castle

The Corscadden family have given the public their first sneak peak into the revamped Bellingham Castle, which is close to opening following a €4 million investment.

The castle hosted its first event – a private function – last weekend and is expected to open its doors to the public shortly.

The Castlebellingham-based castle was bought last year by the Corscadden family, who are best known in this area for running Cabra Castle in Kingscourt. They acquired the hotel last year with the hope of transforming it into an impressive wedding venue, along the lines of Cabra. Extensive renovation work has been going on for some time to transform the historic property into a 22 bedroom, 4 star boutique style castle, with exclusive wedding hire.

A proper opening is expected in the coming weeks, with a number of weddings already booked for the venue.

For all enquiries relating to Bellingham Castle please tel: 042 9679930.

The front entrance of Bellingham Castle

Inside Bellingham Castle

One of the bedrooms in Bellingham Castle

A bedroom in Bellingham Castle