photograph of bicycle near Belleek Castle courtesy of bbdoyle  

Sheila Flynn’s dreamy story in yesterday’s USA Today about Irish Castle rentals made us green with envy. After all, when we last visited Dublin we stayed in a youth hostel. It was a friendly place, but it certainly wasn’t a castle.

Ireland is full of centuries-old stone castles, offering rooms for travelers who want history and romance. Think heavy wooden doors, protective moats, and crackling fireplaces. From seaside splendor to mountain-top majestic, the castles mentioned in the article sounded enchanted—and monetarily inaccessible.

But then we got to the part about some big castles for small budgets, such as the Belleek Castle in County Mayo, which offers singles for $118 and doubles for $183. The 15th Century castle provides stately rooms on 1,000 forested acres, perfect for strolling.

Also mentioned: An entire “small” castle with three bedrooms for as low as $1,575 a week. Sold.

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