Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, the architect behind Ireland's Parliament House on College Green, designed this Palladian manor in 1732 for the Archbishop of Cashel — a commission that placed one of the country's most accomplished Georgian buildings in the shadow of the Rock itself. Cashel Palace Hotel returned to life on 1 March 2022 after a painstaking multi-year restoration led by Smallwood Architects, which extended the original structure to accommodate 42 bedrooms and suites, a spa, and a ballroom without disturbing the building's essential character. The dressed limestone facade, with its brick chimney stacks and mansard dormers visible in the evening light, carries the composed authority of its Georgian origins, while the new wing to the side — rendered in a quieter, contemporary idiom — steps back rather than competing. Inside, London-based Emma Pearson Design Studio calibrated the interiors to feel more like a well-loved private house than a managed property. The principal bedrooms in the historic core are dressed in blush pinks and warm creams, with four-poster beds, working fireplaces, Swedish-painted secretaires, and Georgian lantern pendants overhead — a palette that flatters the surviving plasterwork cornices and original wood panelling. The dining room is anchored by a row of equestrian portraits that nod to Tipperary's racing culture, set against rich leather banquettes and plum velvet chairs. The spa pavilion shifts register entirely: pale limestone, floor-to-ceiling glazing onto the manicured lawn, and an atmosphere of clean Nordic calm that provides genuine counterpoint to the grandeur upstairs.

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At the foot of a hill — in the shadow of Ireland’s most iconic medieval site, the Rock of Cashel — stands another architectural masterpiece, the five-star Cashel Palace. Built in 1728 by Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, the architect who designed the Parliament House in Dublin, this red brick manor was once the residence of Ireland’s archbishops. It is a brilliant blend of classicism and sophistication, with a façade that hides behind its symmetrical layout a world of surprises: a majestic colonnaded hall, walls covered in detailed wood panelling, staircases with handrails carved in the shape of candy canes, and rooms that seem to have been taken from a fairy tale. With its English-style gardens, comfortable sofas warmed by the cosy fire of the bar, and a spa bathed in light, Cashel Palace takes its guests on a magical journey. It is an idyllic refuge where you can recharge your batteries before plunging into the area’s Celtic history or wandering through the enchanting moorland.