Castle Salem

 

My mother and I are planning a trip to Ireland. I am have been working on our itinerary and came across a little BNB called Castle Salem. While there are hundreds of BNB’s in Ireland and a dozen or so that are nestled in castles, I found this one particularly unique.

Castle Salem is located in the west of Ireland, just past Cork in a little town called Rosscarbery. For over 100 years this west Cork castle has been in the family of owner, Margaret Daly and her husband Michael. The BNB is a 17th century building attached to a 15th century castle. The castle is famous as the preferred Ireland stop over for Pennsylvania founder William Penn and boasts the oldest indoor toilet in Ireland ( don’t worry – it’s not still in use).

While Castle Salem is unique for all of these points, many of its offerings are quite typical for an Irish BNB: cozy rooms with single, double or twin beds complete with an Irish breakfast of soda bread and jams. What really made this castle stand out is the owner’s dedication to the restoration of the original castle itself.  Daly offers an overstay option where your room rate is entirely donated to the society responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the 15 century castle. So while you are enjoying a typical Irish BNB vacation, you can leave knowing that you are also helping to restore a piece of Irish history.

We have booked a few nights at Castle Salem and I’ll share mid October what we discover during our private tour of the castle. In the meantime, you can check it out yourself at http://www.castlesalem.com/

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