Five great heritage Irish properties for your next staycation

Contender for the most spectacular properties you could dream to stay in, the Galley Head Lighthouse Keeper Houses are two coastal escapes in the wilds of West Cork. 

Both original houses are loaded with character and flooded with light with spectacular coastal views from Fastnet Rock to the west to yes, Galley Head Lighthouse itself, just right outside your front door. 

Rates from €568 for two nights; sleep four.

Elsewhere, the Irish Landmark Trust manages eight lighthouse properties, at five other lighthouse locations across the island.

Triumphal Arch Lodge

This gorgeous Fermanagh gate lodge is nestled within the working estate and home of Viscount & Viscountess Brookeborough, and offers cover-story “country living” at its finest. 

While your stay away, rambling the idyllic grounds or pottering around Enniskillen, before retiring to your cozy abode for a homemade supper, some fireside Scrabble or simply lather up in the claw tub. 

The lodge is also one of the most affordable options, at €378 for two nights, and it sleeps 4. Dog friendly.

Killee Cottage

One of the Trust’s latest acquisitions, Killee Cottage is a charming thatched cottage just outside Mitchelstown on the foothills of the Galtees. 

Expect oodles of original cottage charm paired with toasty comforts thanks to its tasteful renovation… the cottage’s former byre (or cow shed) is now a delightful double bedroom, for example. 

Rates from €380 for two nights. Dog friendly. Other compact options include a railway crossing cottage in Donegal and a renovated schoolhouse in Sligo.

Helen’s Tower

If a castle is on your accommodation wish list, check out this three-storey stone tower nestled in the woods of the Clandeboye Estate in Co. Down. 

The tower was built in 1848 by Frederick Lord Dufferin in honour of his mother, a deed since immortalised by Tennyson in the poem of the same name. 

Poetry which even inspires these interiors along with views to Scotland on a fine day will wow, too. 

€380 for two nights; sleeps two. Check out Anne's Grove miniature castle in Castletownroche for another romantic option.

Tullymurry House (pictured in header)

The Irish Landmark Trust has all manner of period properties for rental but if you’re looking for something to host a larger gathering, take a peep at Tullymore House in County Armagh. 

The ivy-clad Georgian property in the shadow of the Mournes is the perfect place to reconnect with loved ones from its farmhouse kitchen to its formal dining room. 

From €768 for two nights; sleeps 8. For an option in Munster, Inchiquin House is nestled just outside Ennis.

• For more, see irishlandmark.com